In a Big Country

Dreams stay with you like a lovers voice from the mountain side. Or so says my favorite (and only one I know) Scottish band. I knew Thursday would be early, I just wasn't prepared for the degree to which it turned out to be. I woke up to a pink sky on the horizon, and checked my phone for the time. It was dead. Shoot. I knew then that I needed to get out of bed before I fell asleep again. I got ready and noticed the time on the thermostat in the bathroom said six. About an hour before I was planing to leave, but I was thanking my lucky stars for a good internal clock. I decided to leave early and enjoy the sunrise on my walk. It only took twenty minutes or so to get to the square (meeting point) So I circled it for awhile to keep warm and entertain myself. At seven fifty I was a bit worried, the agency told me to be there at eight so I figured the bus would be a bit earlier. At eight twenty I was very worried. We were supposed to leave at eight twenty, I asked a woman what time it was, thinking maybe the square clock was fast: seven twenty. I didn't wake up at six, I woke up at five. I had now been outside since six, and it was chilly. Transition to cursing my internal clock. Luckily a breakfast place/bakery opened at seven thirty so I bought a cheese and onion pasty (yum!) and a coconut doughnut that turned out to have a cream and jelly filling. I used the pasty as a hand warmer before seeing other people carrying hot drinks out of the bakery. I went back in and bought a large hot tea thinking I would take it onto he bus with me. The bus arrived ten minutes later (while my tea was still much too hot to drink) The driver announced that no hot drink were allowed. I had to throw away my untouched tea, but at least my fingers were warm now. On the bus (when I say bus I really mean over sized van with big windows) I sat next to Anika from Germany who was working as an au pair for a few months in Scotland. Very cool. She was studying to be an engineer as well. Very smart. We chatted and laughed at the bus drivers dry humor and jokes. He was pretty funny. Our first stop was Loch Lomond, and I was already in love. Forty minutes from the city center was the wildest place I had ever been. I've never seen such beautiful colors in nature. It was beyond incredible. It was a fifteen minute stop and I probably took as many pictures. I only took a few pictures from the bus, so I can't share some of the most amazing parts of the tour. The pictures I do have don't even begin to cover the beauty that is the highlands. Seeing this landscape made me want to leave society forever a la Emile Hirsch in Into the Wild. I can't emphasize enough the rugged grand scale beauty of the highlands. We had a quick picture stop at the three sisters (mountains) before a longer lunch stop at Fort William. I bought butterscotch candies, cherry coke(which they don't have in Italy), and pecan biscuits (yes all junk food) We continued on along loch ness all the while our driver provided commentary factual, informative and funny. He did this from eight until five basically which was impressive. For driving this route for nine years it didn't come off as over rehearsed, but conversational instead. It was an excellent tour. we made one more stop at castle ruins before the loch ness visitor center. I am a firm believer in Nessie and was excited for the boat tour. (laugh if you will, but sometimes its fun to believe in monsters.)For the price, the boat tour was a bit disappointing, very little commentary. I did get to actually drink tea on it though, and that was nice. I had my picture taken with Nessie (or at least her plaster counterpart)before the journey home. We stopped once more for supper and I bought a cheddar cheese and apple chutney sandwich. It was just as delicious as it sounded. Anika and I also hung out with Joel for most of the day. He's studying at M.I.T. for a masters (or something) in Neuroscience. Very smart, I wasn't even sure how to spell Neuroscience. Overall a good day with phenomenal sights and great company. We arrived in Glasgow at eight thirtyish, and I headed to the hostel to charge my phone, take a nice long hot shower and just hang out in the lounge with the awesome people I met the day before. I turned in around midnight with a fully functional alarm clock to rely on.

And Just like that Spring Break is Halfway Done

Wednesday morning came pretty early for Becca. I felt pretty bad for keeping her up late, and then waking her up so early, but I was very grateful that she walked me to the bus station. there's no way I would have found it on my own, and it was pretty close. We found my gate and I purchased my ticket before saying our goodbyes. Although my time in London was short, I had an amazing time with Becca. Becca II is great, but she doesn't quite compare to the original :) My flight to Glasgow was as long as my bus ride to the airport (only an hour) The prestwick airport made me nervous because they kept you waiting in a common area without telling you your gate number until forty minutes before your plane takes off. Security asked me to remove my shoes for the first time, they didn't ask anyone else, so I must have looked suspicious. Once in Glasgow finding the bus to the city center was easy and a quarter the price it cost to get into London. It was rainy in Glasgow, and a bit chilly, but my hostel was close. I had been worried about this hostel based on the booking website, but it turned out to be great. After check in I headed back out in search of food and the Glasgow Cathedral and necropolis. I found a fast food place that was super cheap (according to European standards) I had a good sized cheeseburger, chips :) (fries) and an Irn Bru (Scottish bubblegum flavored soda) all for two pounds. A very good deal. I found the Cathedral with ease, although crossing the streets proved a bit difficult (in addition to driving on the left, their walk lights operate strangely. I would explain this better if I even remotely understood it) I took some pictures and walked up to the necropolis. Jackpot. I love cemeteries to begin with. They're beautiful, and usually way under appreciated. The necropolis was huge with countless beautiful monuments. I took a bunch of pictures while strolling through it. With a limited amount of daylight left (and Glasgow being a bit seedy) I headed for home, with a slight detour to find the meeting place for my tour the following day. On the way back from the tour I found a cute little store with cupcakes in the window. I had my second cupcake for spring break, amazing!! Right next door was a super cute candy store. I perused it and found favorites from my childhood, including candy lipstick and the super sour toxic waste :) I bought what I hoped would be hand made peanut butter cups (they were just chocolate, but still delicious) and strawberry truffles. This time when I set out for the hostel I made it without being side tracked by tasty treats. In fact I was in a bit of a hurry as the rain had picked up. Once back I changed out of my wet clothes and went down to the common area to check my email and hang out. I met Michael form Canada, who was quite vocally and musically talented. So was Jack the check in worker. They played and discussed music and we planned to go out for a drink or two later. A couple of girls from a hostel (very scary) across the road came over to see if they could move over to ours. They were also Canadian and both named Nichole. They joined us at the pub for drinks. It was very entertaining and pretty awesome to hang out with these strangers and discuss where we came from and where we were going. Four drinks and ten pounds later we headed back to the hostel to turn in. Earlier in the day I received a call from the bus tour company. The tour I had booked was canceled due to not enough people signed up, so instead of seeing Castles I would get to tour Lochs including Loch Ness. This meant I needed to wake up earlier but I didn't have to pay the price difference (The Loch Ness tour was more expensive) I chatted with yet another Canadian who was sleeping below me before turning in for my early morning.

You Sound Like You're From London

I only had a day to see all the London sights, good think I had an awesome experienced guide. we started out the day with Harrods, which as odd as it sounds was the thing I was most excited to see. And rightly so, it was amazing. Becca and I drooled over designer shoes, dresses , and purses. We spent a good amount of time in the furniture section relaxing on the couches, they were amazing. We checked out the bathrooms as I had heard that they were very fancy. We peeked into one and when we saw the attendants we scurried away as we didn't have to use the restroom. They called us back and told us we were free to look around, and that, "this was Harrods, you are most welcome." Hearing them say that put a huge grin on my face. Harrods also has a pet section, with crazy cute cats and dogs that cost a mere fifteen hundred pounds :O. We pet what appeared to be the friendliest dog ever before moving on. It was a perfect start to the day. We were both pretty hungry despite an awesome free breakfast. So we stopped at a noodle bar for lunch. The service was a bit terrible, but the food was good. We had already covered Buckingham palace on the way to Harrods, so the next step was St. Paul's Cathedral followed by millennium bridge and the new and old globe theatre. We saw Big Ben as well as Westminster Abbey. It was a full day of walking and tube navigating. The weather was truly beautiful in the morning and only slightly rainy and cold later on. We went back to the dorm to hand out and ended up watching an awesome old movie, "Young at Heart" while Becca registered for classes (that was pretty fun in itself as she has a bunch of filler credits to take) We made a mad dash to the hummingbird bakery across town to get cupcakes before it closed. I got a brownie and a cupcake, and Becca got cheesecake and a cupcake. We ate our baked goods as supper cooked (macaroni :) and finished off the night with a pint from the Adam and Eve pub. We went back to the room and watched a few episodes of Little Britain, an absolutely hilarious show Becca had found, before crashing after my one day whirlwind tour of London.

The Most Expensive Day of Spring Break

I woke up this morning (early again) but fell back asleep for a bit. Once really awake I had two pieces of toast for breakfast :) I checked out of my hostel and decided to try the coast again, after consulting the directions I had written for myself. There was one other large park on my list, and it was much closer, but I really wanted to wee the coast. None of the other cities I was visiting are near the sea, and I wanted to take advantage of its proximity here. The walk was gorgeous, and I took a detour through a park just to enjoy the beautiful weather. I found the beach with east, the sea not so much. I walked along the beach for half an hour or so with no major body of water presenting itself. I settled on a rock and decided the sea breeze and people watching would just have to do, and that's when I noticed the waves in the distance. I didn't quite have time to reach them so I tried to take a picture (unsuccessfully) and enjoyed watching what must be the happiest dogs on the earth play with each other in the puddles and on the sand. I lingered for an hour or so before walking back to the city center. I went to a little jewelry shop I found the day before called Funky Munky. They had two hair clips with ribbon bows on them for a euro. Stu's sister Hannah has one really similar and it is way cute. I bought them for myself and then stopped at McDonalds for a happy meal. This was an excellent decision, I got a cheeseburger, drink, fries, and raisins for less than four euro, plus people were coming around with samples so I tried a smarties (like m&m's) McFlurry and cheese balls. I am all about free stuff, especially free food. I stopped by the Abbey Theatre for a quick picture before finding my bus and heading to the airport. I was at my gate three hours before my flight left, and I managed to miss it. When I attempted to board I was informed that I was missing a necessary stamp on my boarding pass. I ran down the sky walks that connect the terminals to the check in area. When I say run I mean trying very hard to be quick and not dislocate my knew cap. I started to cry for the third time this week. I've cried more in the past three days than I have in the past five years. I didn't know I had it in me. I saw that i couldn't get back through security, and really started to freak out. A man pointed me int he right direction and told me I had to leave the airport and come back in again. I knew I wasn't going to make it. I was still crying when I explained to the passport check man that i wasn't staying in Ireland, I was trying to leave (the cool think is my passport is stamped twice for Ireland) I found the ticket counter and raced myself for bad news. All told I'm now on a flight that cost me 119 euros. Not to mention the money I spent on airport transfer. It's the only one I booked before hand and now I'm flying in through a different airport, this one is closer and the bus transfer takes me within walking distance of Becca, awesome. The flight arrives in London at ten so I won't meet Becca until eleven, I'm just glad it's all sorted out and I didn't have to stay another night in Dublin. I found my new terminal( I had a different type of boarding pass, no worries) and got online to try and warn Becca of the change in plans, luckily she was on facebook, double lucky someone left fifteen minutes of internet on the computer and I only paid a euro for another ten minutes to continue to talk to her and look up new airport transfer. By the time I was finished it was time to board my flight. One hundred euros might not be a bank buster for a lot of study abroad students, but it nearly is for me. I have almost that amount in savings, and I'll have to be careful with my budget from here on out, but it will be doable, thankfully. Once my new flight was booked I told myself to get over the cost, learn my lesson and try to enjoy the rest of my spring break. I'm going to try and do just that. Once on my flight I realized I had misread the military time on my ticket (which after two months is inexcusable) so I would be at Becca and I's meeting place two hours early. I texted her this information and after awhile with no response I tried calling. It didn't go through so I just decided to sit it out. The bus station was pretty sketchy and I hadn't had a great day to start with. At ten past eleven I called Stu. I didn't know what else to do; I was scared, for myself and for Becca who had to talk to this bus station by herself at night. I vented and he assured me he would get a hold of her via Joe (her boyfriend). She showed up before he got the chance, but I was so grateful that he calmed down while I was freaking out. All the previous stress of the day melted away as I chatted with Becca and talked to Stu who helped me figure out my bank balance troubles (after pounds withdrawal and flight switch fees) Becca and I caught up late into the night before turning in for our busy day.

I'm never leaving

Because my internal clock is still on roman time I woke up at seven this morning, about an hour before I had set my alarm. I'm sleeping in a ten bed dorm, and everyone was still in their beds. I gathered the things I needed and went to the bathroom to shower. The water was really hot, which was lovely, almost too hot. After a few complication (including standing water) I was nice and clean. I hung my towel on the radiator to dry while I did my makeup so I wouldn't have to pack a damp towel later. I went to the kitchen for the free breakfast and had a bowl of cereal and piece of toast. The toast was fantastic, we don't have toasters in Rome, so I ate it like a delicacy. I headed out the door with no intention of returning until the evening. I really wanted to see the coast and figured that following the river would be the fastest way to get there. I was wrong, but the walk up and down the river was beyond beautiful. with the wind in my hair and the sun peeking through the clouds. I found a church with a mass at eleven thirty that I planned to attend. I made it back from my failed attempt to see the coast at nine thirty or so, and decided to explore the city center before mass. I walked around the shopping streets (a lot of the shops were closed, but there was plenty to see) in my aimless wandering I came across St. Stephan's Green, a perfectly square absolutely beautiful park. I took a bunch of pictures, and it was time to find my church. I went the wrong way and found myself completely lost, but it was so beautiful I couldn't bring myself to be upset. I stumbled upon a different church, St. Mary's a few minutes before their mass at eleven. It was beautiful. I'm pretty sure we were singing in Gaelic at one point. It was absolutely amazing. After mass I meandered back to the city center, finding another beautiful park (arch bishop ryan's park) along the way. It had an area dedicated to Oscar Wilde with a statue and quotes. It was nearly lunchtime so I returned to a restaurant I had found earlier that day. I was successful in finding it and ordered a chicken furry with mushrooms and onions and picked out a pretty magenta colored bottled drink. Mistake. I opened and drank some of my 'pretty colored' drink while waiting for my food, and discovered it was fermented herbal tea...and not good. Once my meal came the spice of the curry forced me to drink it, so no money was wasted. I continued my exploration/ wanderings and found Christ's Cathedral Church. From here I consulted my map to figure out where I was and and where I was going. I stopped by St. Patrick's Cathedral and laid on the grass for awhile soaking up the sun before moving on to Dublin Castle. I did some souvenir shopping before deciding to spend the next two hours or so before my pub crawl in the hostel. I spent them relaxing and writing my blogs into a notebook. Surprise, Ireland has English television, so I ate some crispy m&m's while watching two and a half men with another girl in the hostel. I gave myself forty minutes to get to the pub crawl location, and it only took about fifteen. I'm used to giving myself tons of extra time in Rome, and here you just don't need it. I walked around for a bit before heading in, buying my ticket, and ordering a drink. For those of you worried about a repeat of Long Island night, fear not. This was a literary Pub Crawl led by two professional actors, equal parts culture and booze, or just culture if you consider that I'm in Ireland :P I ordered a rum and coke to start with, and it was seven euros, that hurt a little. The pub crawl was magnificent, the actors were hysterical, and I learned a lot about famous Irish writers. I hung out with a girl from Munich who was on her own as well. At the next pub we ordered whiskey's with re lemonade on the actors suggestion, and they were quite delicious. It was the best whiskey I had ever had (Jameson) At the next pub we skipped drinking and just chatted and enjoyed the entertainment. Before the fourth Pub we had a quiz over all the stories we'd heard that evening and the winner relieved a t-shirt (not me although I did get one point :) We went into the last pub and my new German friend and I decided to order ciders, a pint each. The barman gave us key chains, probably because she was gorgeous (She used to work as a jaggermeister girl) We took our ciders and sat in the back room of the pub. We had it pretty much to ourselves as it was a Sunday night. We sat and chatted and drank our drinks slowly. As it turned out her major is Italian studies and she speaks better Italian than I do, pretty funny. She also professionally studied ballet for a few years and now teaches gymnastics and ballet at a studio. She's not even twenty one yet, so it's pretty impressive. We walked most of the way home together and exchanged emails just before we parted. Then she asked what my name was, and we talked about how really getting to know someone has nothing to do with knowing their name. Katja and I said goodnight, and I went to bed almost immediately thanks to the Irish liqueur in my system.

Saturday.....Oh my

This has probably been my worst day in Rome, which considering I'm sitting in an airport grinning like the Cheshire cat waiting for my flight to Dublin tells you just how blessed I am.
Today Stu and I woke up at three thirty in the morning, yuck you might say, and in all honesty it wasn't that bad. Once we were outside in the beautiful roman morning air especially. I heard birds singing for the first time this morning. I think once the traffic starts up you just can't hear them anymore. So I started my morning off with a stroll down the river with the man I love. We walked for thirty minutes before reaching a night bus that would take us by my apartment and within half a block of the train station. We took a bathroom break, dropped off my bags and were back out the door. We only had to wait a minute or two for the train which was nice. The ride over was pretty quiet as we only had three and a half hours of sleep, it was worse for Stu as he needed to stay awake until he boarded his plane at nine. We had planned a quick breakfast at the little cafe in the airport train station followed by goodbyes, but it wasn't open yet. Instead I walked him to his terminal which was in a weird, slightly distant location. As it turned out the check in line was out the door, and there was nowhere to eat :( I wasn't going to wait tin line with him, so Stu and I said goodbye, a had to be the one to walk away. It sucked. There's no other way to put it; After five amazing days together I was going to be on my won. I started crying almost as soon as I turned away from him. My first real tears in Roma. I looked back several times and continued to cry all the way back to the trains. once home I went back to bed and slept for two and a half hours until nine thirty. I put together an email for my parent and Stu detailing my spring break trip plans with flight numbers, addresses and telephone numbers of my hostels. I know the fact that I'm traveling alone scares mother, so I was hoping this would make her feel better. While I was working on that I uploaded Stu's pictures from the week, he officially has more pictures of Rome than me :) The link is posted up on the right. I also emailed my adviser who volunteered to register me for my classes for next year. I showered and by the time I was out Becca was awake so I could start packing. I'm pretty impressed with my abilities to efficiently pack a weeks worth of thinks into a school bag. It makes me feel like an experienced world traveler( which is hilarious considering this is my first time out of the states) I realized I had accidentally printed one of my flight boarding passes twice, and that my hostels recommended printing the reservation. I went to the school to find that it was closed, not a big surprise, but it could have been trouble if the boarding pass I needed wasn't my flight out of London. I'm betting Becca has access to a printer. On the way home I stopped by the grocery store and bought granola bars for the trip (following Stu's lead) I also withdrew some more euro's to start and end my trip. I attempted to call the bank to warn them of my trip but was unsuccessful, instead I emailed mom and asked her to save the day, as I've had to do many times before.I left my apartment at three giving myself five hours before my flight left, Thank God. Ryanair only flies out of the smaller roman airport, and to get there I needed to take a train from termini. I took the 75 a familiar bus to the station, or so I assumed when I got on. Instead this bus did not follow it's route, for reasons unknown to me or the rest of the passengers on the bus who were freaking out. I had no idea where we were, and we weren't stopping, I got off at the first stop I recognized, which was outside the city walls, not close to termini. I'm not sure how I kept it together at this point, but I managed. On Saturdays the two main shopping streets pretty much close to cars and buses ( I was on one of them) I booked it down via del corso, against the crowd turning down a road I knew would have bus stops. I waited for twenty minutes for a bus that suddenly disappeared off of the arrivals list. I decided to walk. I don't know how to get to termini on foot, mostly because approximately fifty buses from around the city go there. If followed two signs and got thoroughly lost. right at the peak of my mental freak out a bus went by that said termini on the front. I continued on the road and found Via Vennetto (Hard Rock Cafe Road) I didn't know which way to go and decided to take a taxi. I knew the station was close, and that it wouldn't cost much. I was pretty upset at this point, but it only cost me five euro to get there, and I'm not sure I would have found it any other way. Once inside the train station I found a ticket machine and a man behind me helped me through purchase process. He then pointed me int he right direction of my train, and asked for change, I gave it to him, he deserved it. I found my platform and asked a lady if the current train went to ciampino, she checked her list and assured me that it did. Once on the train I couldn't hold back anymore, I cried, for the second time that day. I was very stressed, which doesn't happen very often. It took forever for the train to take off and when it did I discovered I hadn't stamped my ticket, the ticket man wasn't pleased. I felt bad for the people on the train with me who had to watch me silently and awkwardly crying to myself, eating a sucker in attempt to make myself feel better. Once the train got going, Ciampino was the first stop. It literally took five minutes to get there. (I had been warned it took forever to get there, and was expecting an hour on the train) After leaving the train I had to talk a bus to the airport. I checked in, discovered that my bag was well within the space limitation, and went through security. I wandered the little shops not planning to buy anything until I saw them: crispy m&m's. That's right, the best kind of m&m's ever, that they stopped making in America about a decade ago were sitting pretty in this tiny airport. I bought a bag even though they only came in the maxi size and cost almost six euros. I couldn't be happier, or so I thought until I went through the passport check and got it stamped!! That put a huge smile on my face. I had heard nothing particularly good about ryanair flights but mine went quite smoothly. I sat next to the Irish version of Woody Harrleson(awesome) and his friend. All three of us slept through the flight. The landing was smoother than either of my British Airways flights, and the airport was incredibly easy to navigate. Outside there was a man who would tell you which us you needed based on your destination. I paid my seven euro and was downtown in thirty minutes. Because of my nap on the flight I wasn't tired and it was nearly midnight. I checked into my hostel which was pretty awesome. It had music influenced pop art everywhere and comfy beds. I decided to explore dublin for a bit before bed. It was wonderful, everyone was loud and friendly and it was such a huge switch from Rome. I fell in love with the city immediately. I had subway for a very late dinner and took a few pictures. I didn't wander far from my hostel, and I eventually turned in for my first night of spring break.

March 19th I must have SUCKER written on my forehead.

Stu's View:
Well, the end of days for me. The morning broke bright and early. We were up and at em to get back to the Vatican Museum to see the Sistine chapel and other pieces. Of course, we needed to stop and get some breakfast at the shop we had perused the day before. Morgan opted for the same sugar coated donut, I tried a pastry turnover, and then we were on our way!!
As we were walking Morgan proceeded to tell me where the line had started the last time she had been there. It was LITTERALLY 3 blocks away from the entrance! We kept rounding corners, and I kept expecting to see the door, but we just kept on walking. Unbeknownst to us, the museum actually was closed for a feast day. But, after hearing about Morgan’s experience I wasn’t too overly disappointed. From there we proceeded to return to make our way back to Morgan’s apartment, doing some souvenir shopping along the way. It was fun to peruse the shops and find items for different friends and family. I did make some nice finds as well! Hopefully then enjoy them, if nothing else I’ve got enough pictures to talk a lecture.
From the apartment we made our way back towards Morgan school to search for the North American University of Rome, where a friend of my family was studying to be ordained. Matt has been in Rome for 4 years now, and we had made contact to meet and, after a quick tour around the campus, were going to eat some lunch. Unfortunately, both Morgan and I thought we knew where we were headed, it became painfully evident that we didn’t. After another 45 minutes of lost wandering, multiple directions, and some pretty skylines, we did finally make it to the school a full 30 minutes later than intended.
But it was great to see Matt! His campus is beautiful, and HUGE. Nestled right in the heart of the city, a stones throw from the Vatican. It was absolutely fantastic. After a quick tour of both the campus and their church, we walked down the street to a small pasta place for a quick lunch. It was great to get to share with Matt and catch up on both families back in Tyler. Morgan also made a great contact for the rest of her trip in Rome.
My pasta was delicious; I had to try the scrambled eggs pasta. And I was pleasantly surprised by the dish. It was absolutely terrific! Matt also order some stuff olive appetizers that also were incredibly scrumptious. Matt then had to run to prepare for his weekend retreat, but not before telling Morgan and I where we could find some fantastic gelato.
We then set out to find the gelato shop, doing a little shopping along the way. We continued to look down multiple side streets before finally finding the shop in question. Here comes the sucker punch. After getting our delicious gelato, we proceeded to sit outside and eat our ice cream. Suddenly, a very pushy man approaches, claiming to have no money, and wanting gelato. I told him I didn’t have any change, and actually offered him some of mine. He persisted, and instead of shutting him down, I just handed him a 10 euro, and he left me alone. After, I finally realize just how much money I had given him, and about 30 different ways I could have handled the situation. Unfortunately, it was much too late for that. Yup, I’m a pushover sometimes…take it or leave it.
From there, Morgan and I proceeded to shop our way to the beautiful park near piazza del popolo. Once there, we searched for Segways, before giving up and lounging by a beautiful fountain as the sun set. OH! We had purchased candy as well! I had had a jelly bean craving the entire trip, and while they were much harder jelly beans, we were successful in finding them. We of course had to sample a wide variety of other candy selections, but we continued to sample by the fountain, until they were gone.
After a wonderfully relaxing walk, we decided to find the Hard Rock Café, to try to get some good ol’ grease in the system before I left. HOOFTA! After 2 bus rides, and a 45 minute walk, we found the café packed, with a 2 hour waiting period. SCREW THAT! Especially in the city with so many different tasty cafés. We opted to find a quiet place near the B&B where we could eat and simple wander back to bed. Again, we swung and missed. The first place we ate were serving drinks, but after 30 minutes it became evident that they were no longer serving food. After the Hard Rock incident, we were now up to 2 strikes. But we managed to find a quaint place across the road, still serving with fantastic service, and delicious desserts! We had some more delicious pasta, and finished the night splitting some gelato!
It was a great way to wind down the trip! From there, we walked back through a light rain, and returned to the B&B. Morgan proceeded to work on her blog while I frantically packed before turning in for the night!
It was a wonderful day, filled with food, friends, and beautiful sights! It will definitely have to make a return trip at some point to continue to fill my Rome repertoire in future years. It was just a little while longer before I began my trek back home.
As an aside, for anyone I didn’t get a souvenir for, it was because the pushy man suckered the sucker. Just an FYI. ;)
Ciao!
Morgan's Say:
Stu's last real day in Roma. We woke up at a decent time knowing that the Vatican museums are so expansive that they take hours to cover. We ate the breakfast the woman running the B&B set up for us: hard rolls and coffee. It was sweet that she even offered as Italians just don't eat breakfast. She grilled my roll for me and there was even butter and jam. She set out milk for our coffee, which we drank by itself, this threw her off and she almost poured the coffee into our full milk glasses. Whoops. Neither Stu or I drink coffee, but she made this just for us. We felt obligated to drink it, and figured it couldn't hurt our energy for the day either. we drowned it with sugar and milk and managed to finish our cups. We walked past St. Peter's square to the Vatican museum entrance, only to discover they were closed for St. Joseph's feast day. I felt terrible. The Sistine Chapel is a big deal (no matter how disenchanted I was with it ) and this was his only chance to see it. We decided to explore the building and breathtaking views of Piazza Venezia until it was time to meet Matt. Matt is a deacon from Tyler (Stu's hometown) studying in the American Seminary in Rome to become a priest. The plan was to meet him at noon at the seminary so he could give us a tour, and then we would go for lunch. I knew where the school was (just behind my own) so we headed to the AUR for a bathroom break (coffee had kicked in :S) and to check student life for backup directions. The woman's directions made absolutely no sense to me so we went the way I knew...and discovered that the school I was thinking of was an Art Academy, uh oh. We immediately began to follow Student Life Woman's directions in hope that we would arrive on time. We asked two police officers on the way, and kind of understood their directions, after some minor indecision we found a seminary. the doorman didn't speak English but kindly showed us a beautiful chapel. Beautiful, but not what we were looking for. I don't know what Stu said to him, but the man finally asked North American? and gave us new directions after our resounding yes. we were close... and late. We later discovered we had found the Ukrainian seminary, whoops. When we finally found where we needed to be, Matt (whose name is super easy to remember because he looks just like Matt Damon, awesome) was waiting for us. He was incredibly gracious about our lateness, and gave us a tour of their fantastically large and beautiful campus. We saw the chapel decorated with amazing modern murals, and the spectacular view from the top of the building. Matt took us to one of his favorite restaurants for lunch and told us we were allowed to eat meat because of the feast day. He ordered olives stuffed with sausage and then deep fried, as an appetizer (they were amazing!!) and basically treated us to lunch because he had to leave early, so he just left ash with us. Before he left he recommended his favorite gelato place, and we exchanged emails so I can hopefully start going to Catholic Mass instead of my English non denominational church. It was wonderful to meet him, and a very pleasant way to spend the afternoon. Almost as soon as Stu and I left the restaurant I became ill, but we stopped to get gelato (at Matt's place) in hopes that it would pass. The gelato was amazing, but I still felt terrible. We went back to the apartment and I took a nap while Stu stayed up to make sure I didn't sleep over half an hour. I felt much better after resting so we stopped by Tiber Island to put our lock on the bridge and throw the keys in the river. I was in a pretty spectacular mood after that. We then decided to walk down Via del Corso to Piazza del Poppolo with souvenir shopping and stops for candy along the way. We reached the Park above Popolo just before sunset and lingered for a while before deciding to split an appetizer and some drinks at the Hard Rock Cafe for our last meal together. I didn't know where the Hard Rock was, but I knew it was vaguely in the termini station area. We took a bus to termini and started to ask for directions, no one knew what we were talking about and every time we said cafe they pointed to the nearest bar (cafe). We started to walk in the direction opposite of which we had come to see if we could find signs. The neighborhood made me uneasy, and we eventually stopped in a bar/ pastry shop to ask for directions. As soon as we said cafe she told us we were in a cafe. As we shook our heads in frustration she called over the other man who worked there. It turned out he was an Englishman and gave us excellent directions. I was very relieved. After a twenty minute walk we found the Hard Rock and they told us it was t two hour wait. ( When Becca went they told her the same think and it ended up being only twenty minutes) After putting our names down the host told us we could come back in an hour for our buzzer, no thanks. Stu was all in favor of eating in the area (he needed a restroom) I was all in favor of getting back to a neighborhood I knew. We ended up going to a restaurant on the same road as our B&B It was a super cute building and we ordered drinks first. Stu wanted a margarita but they were out of tequila so he had a white lady, I had a strawberry daiquiri. The drinks were very strong and I was waiting for food to eat with it; Except the waitress wasn't coming back to take our order. When she finally came back she explained the kitchen was mostly closed, so we left, angry. I left half of my drink because it was too strong for me to be able to drink and stay awake for any extended period of time. We found a different restaurant that was very fast, efficient and cheap. I had a cheese omelet and it was delicious. We split a slice of lemon cake and then gelato as well. One of the flavors we got was cherry, and it was just like eating a cherry pop-tart, amazing!! Stu had to repack all his things and shower still so I wrote a to do/ check list for Saturday in my desperate attempt to stay awake. I managed until two seconds after Stu came back in the room, and that was the best I could do.

March 18th To the Vatican!

Stu's View:
Thursday arrived bright and early, and with very few kinks from the floor! By 9 o’clock Morgan and I were off and running on our way to the Vatican to take on the stairs and wander the massive basilica. After a short tram ride, and a leisurely stroll along the river, we made our way into Vatican city and arrived at St. Peter’s Basilica. But first!! Breakfast….
We found a wonderful little shop on the main drag of Vatican city that sold pastry donuts. We decided to have the sugar coated cream filled donuts, and we ate as we continued our way down the street. It was a great start to an even better day!
From there we made our way into the square and joined a line leading into the basilica. Morgan quickly became the go to person, as 4 people stopped and asked her where things were located. I realized then that I had to that point, taken for granted that I was traveling with a seasoned roman, and how lucky I was to be there with her.
We waited in line for about a half an hour before we finally proceeded through security. Yup, security at the Vatican. I really felt as though I was about to board another plan with the X-ray machine and metal detectors. But it opened into another part of the Vatican, and before I knew it we were climbing.
And climbing…
And climbing…
The climb continued until we suddenly arrived at the top of the Vatican dome! Wow! It was unbelievable! To see so much of the city in a 360 view! It was amazing! Morgan and I looked out over the city and started to point out different landmarks. We spotted the pope’s residence, and a number of different parks from our birds-eye view. We looked for sometime before we decided to make the trek back down. And did I mention that the walls slant at the top? It was like being in a fun house, while trying to simultaneously climb up and down stairs. It was all rather disorienting. I was crazy impressed by Morgan, being willing to climb these stairs a SECOND time, after an incredibly long walk the night before in heels. It was incredible.
We came outside halfway down and were placed on the main roof of the basilica. Here we were able to stop and get an up close look at the many statues that line the top edge of the building. The detail and craftsmanship of the sculptures was phenomenal. We also noticed how a number of the statues up close, were falling apart in a number of places, and were held together with iron strapping. It was interesting to see that time did still run in the eternal city.
From there we finished the stairs and emerged into the basilica’s floor. To the heart of the Vatican, quite literally. It was unbelievable. The mosaics were what floored me the most. The detail and size of the tiles were so fine I wasn’t even aware the pieces were mosaics. Until Morgan pointed out the tiles in the right light, I thought they were oil painting. But the Vatican was phenomenal, the sculptures, the gold, the paintings, mosaics, and tombs. It was incredible to see the tombs with past popes. I can help but wonder what process they used for preservation. A number of the bodies had turned black on the outside.
From there Morgan and I were off to try to find the bed and breakfast for my last two nights in Rome. It quickly became a game of hide and seek. The B&B was incredibly close to the Vatican, and we found the building complex quickly enough. But to our dismay, the individual doors weren’t marked, and weren’t able to find our place to check in.
Because we didn’t know where to check in, we had to make a 30 minute walk back to the apartment to get better directions, and the number to the B&B. At this point, Morgan stayed to study for her remaining Italian midterm, and so I made my way back to the Vatican alone. I was finally able to find the correct door, (third door on the left, after the tree), and got checked in.
The bed and breakfast was incredibly quaint. The owner’s name was Laura, a middle aged woman who spoke English and Italian. She was incredibly nice and hospitable. After a quick peak around the room, she showed me where everything was located, and where the pope resides within the Vatican. We could actually see his window from the window of our own room!
By this point I was fairly worn out, after a long week of travel and needed to recharge. After a quick shower, I promptly passed out, until Morgan came to wake me up about 3 hours later. It was a fantastic nap, and just what the doctor order. I was refreshed and raring to go.
From the B&B, Morgan and I made our way back to the apartment to meet Becca for supper. We actually ended up eating with Becca, Berkley, and Joey from the university. It was a great time! We all had delicious pasta, a little wine, and more gelato! Morgan and I split a hot dog pizza for an appetizer, and then the main course arrived. My pasta was a blue cheese, and while potent, it really was quite tasty. We had a great time, talking, laughing, and sharing. We discussed our different characters, and what animals we would be, along with an in depth conversation that lasted about a half an hour about various Disney movies. It really was a great time!
By the time the gelato was finished it was pushing 11:30, and it was time to say goodnight before all the transportation shut down. Morgan and I made our way back to the bed and breakfast and promptly fell asleep. Exhausted from another full day, with plans to see the Vatican museum first thing bright and early. It was another wonderful day in the eternal city. There is always something to see, another place to explore, and more and more walking to be done.
In the blink of an eye I had already nearly finished my time in Rome. But! There was a day left to go before the plane took off.

Morgan's Say:
After being up until two thirty or so the night before, Stu and I were rather sleepy. We slept until nineish before heading to the Vatican. We had decided to split it over two days as it is a lot to squeeze in one day. The plan was to do the dome climb and tombs/St Peter's basilica Thursday, and the Vatican museum/Sistine chapel on Friday. We stopped at a shop on the way and got cream filled pastries for breakfast, yum. the security line is always long for the Vatican, but it usually moves pretty quickly. I was able to give a few people directions to the museum entrance; I hope they found their way. The line for the actual dome climb was much shorter than when Becca and I did it, consequently we were able to climb the steps at our own rate. Stu is a very fit individual, and we climbed the five hundred plus stairs in around ten minutes. I had to ask to stop for a break at one point, I just couldn't keep up, and I take the stairs of death seven times a week! It was a beautiful day for the view. Stu lucked out in terms of roman weather, it rained everyday the week before, but was beyond beautiful for his stay, thank goodness. the viewing area was pretty clear when we first arrived, but it filled up quickly. Stu's not one for crowds if he can help it (I've only just learned this.) So we left to explore the floor of the basilica with all the tombs of popes past. There is a lot to see and it easily fills an hour. We stopped in the prayer room for a bit, something Becca wasn't interested in last time. After we had explored to our hearts content we stopped for pizza and gelato at a little shop just outside. It was cheap and delicious, next we searched for the B&B we had booked for the last two nights of his stay. We found the address, but couldn't fine the specific apartment/buzzer. We went back to my apartment to look up directions, and I stayed to study for my Italian midterm (the last one!!) while Stu went to check into the B&B and take a nap. My Italian test went well, there was one verb conjugation I did not know, and a few things I was unsure on. The toughest part was putting a scrambled conversation in order, yikes. I found the B&B after class and met the super nice old lady that ran it, before waking up Stu to hang out for a bit. We had talked to Becca about going out to dinner and went back to the apartment to see what she was up for; we ended up going to dinner with Joey and Berkeley as well, and had a great time. Going out in groups is a lot of fun. We stopped for gelato afterwards (second time that day) before realizing we only had forty five minutes to get back to the apartment, grab my stuff, and catch the tram and bus back to the B&B. After the amount of walking we had done the night before I was in no mood to miss the bus. we booked it, and made it back just in time. It had been such a long day we both passed out from exhaustion.

March 17th - Best...Day...Ever....and feet of steel!

Stu's View:
Wednesday morning arrived bright and early with construction below the hostel at 7:45am. Which worked out well as I was getting up shortly there after. By 8:30 I was on the streets headed for the Colosseum! Today was the day!!! Time for my tour inside the building.... I was PUMPED!! It was number one on my list to see...and it was worth the price for admission!

By 9:00 I was wandering my way through the upper and lower decks of the ancient arena. I actually paid the extra price to get the audio guide. It was worth every penny. To see the structural supports, the the refinished floor, the cross marking the seat of the emperor, the engraved assigned seats of the individual senators. It was terrific!! To hear about how the floor operated by the system of pulleys and ropes, to raise gladiators, animals, and set pieces. I was impressed by the detail and support that still ran through the length and breath of the ancient building.

After my hour and a half at the Colosseum, I wandered down the street to take a closer look at the Roman Forum. I decided it wouldn't be worth it to venture inside, especially now as more and more tourist groups were clogging the sites. So I made do with a leisurely stroll around the outside, pausing from time to time to snap a photo.

From there, I made my way to the Vatican. I had it on good authority, (Morgan), that the pope would be speaking at noon. Thinking I'd have time to look around, I arrived after a short walk at 11 to find the pope already addressing the audience. But fear not!! I did arrive in time to hear him speak in english, and grant my family and friends at home his blessings. It was terrific to see the mass of believers, all shouting in support for the leader of the catholic church. It did a great job of making me feel part of something MUCH larger than myself.

From there I hoofed it back to the apartment to catch Morgan between classes. I stopped by, gave my report, assured her that I was safe and seeing the sites, and then I was off again. Morgan had these midterm things, or something...studying...I don't know. But I was off!!! More to see more to do!

From there I made my way back across town to take in the Pantheon!! Unbeknown to me, the Pantheon is actually a basilica off the main drag of Via del Corso. The view was fantastic. No surprise there I know. But I did have to wonder what happened when it rained, as there was no top on this building, and there were a number of beautiful peices of artwork inside. My question went un-answered. I did however find the tomb of the artist Rapheal, and the tomb of Vitorrio Emanuelle. The patriot for whom the large monument was errected that I perused the first afternoon in Roma.

From the Pantheon, I found another GORGEOUS basilica only a half a block down. Another score for my perfect day. From there I was off to find some green gelato, to celebrate my Irish heritage on this day of Saint Patrick. That Kewi gelato was fantastic!!!!

I then made my way back to prep supper before Morgan got home. You can't beat the blue box Mac and Cheese, even in Italy. But the timing worked out perfectly. Morgan got home, we ate, got ready for the opera (fancy attire) and we were off!!!!

Funny story...the professor of Morgan's opera class...didn't show up. Apparently he was in Naples. He rang a friend and we were escorted by this random gentleman to a bus, across town, and to the opera. Quiet the experience!

As was the opera!!! Mephistophles. It was a variation of Faust. For all of you who have NO clue what Faust is about...join the club. But!! The music was FANTASTIC. The size of there voices left me reeling. No microphones were used, and they still FILLLED the auditorium. There was a full orchestra, and a large number of chorus members. Again, the music was incredible. It was all in Italian, but I could still appreciate good music when I hear it. Morgan was frantically taking notes, as she has a ten page paper to write on this one performance. But she enjoyed it as well.

From there, we decided that we would walk (now 12:00) to the hostel to check me out. Because we were heading to the Vatican first thing Thursday morning, it made more sense to got straight from the apartment. Weeeeeeell... Morgan, was in heels. Large silver ones. And it didn't take long until they were aweful sore, especially on the lovely, cobblestone pavement. But she was a troopper!! In every sense of the word, and made it about a mile and a half by the time the evening was all said in done!!!!

By then, it was 2:30am, we were both wiped, and it was lights out. I curled up on the floor and was out shortly there after.

So, to recap!

Colosseum

Forum

Pope/Vatican

Pantheon

Basilica

Green gelato

mac and cheese

and italian opera

Yup...it was a good day!

Morgan's Say:
Happy Saint Patties Day :)
I had another final this morning, and I definitely rocked it, I think I very plausibly could have scored a hundred percent on it, awesome. After the final we had class, surprise. I went back to my apartment for my break with a long to do list to tackle. I managed to shower, do laundry, and study for my next final. Blogging was not accomplished. Stu stopped by for a quick wonderful surprise visit before heading to the coliseum and leaving me to work. I hung my laundry outside so it would dry quickly for spring break purposes. ( I later discovered one of my shirts fell on top of the parking garage, and is lost forever, and another one had been pooped on by a pigeon, not such a good idea after all.) I emailed my mother to wish her a happy St Patty's day and my sister to hopefully relieve a bit of finals stress, I knew she was in the middle of a crazy week. I left for my Art gallery Management final which I think I did quite decent on, especially considering my level of preparation. I rushed back to the apartment to mac and cheese that Stu had made for us. It was opera night and I only had a little bit of time to get ready.We had planned to take the bus as I was wearing my heels, but when it came it was packed so we walked instead. (I was pretty pleased with myself for conquering the stairs of death in my heels :) we arrived in plenty of time to meet my professor, who didn't show. As it turned out he was stuck in Naples so he sent a friend to show us to the opera house. We arrived in time to find gelato. I got pistachio (which is green) in honor of St. Patty's day. It was incredibly delicious. The opera house was absolutely beautiful on the inside, and we had our own box. It wasn't the best for viewing purposes, but we made due. Half the class took off early, including a girl in our box who wasn't pleased with the quality of this production. I couldn't believe it, we have to write a ten page paper over this specific performance, I'm not sure how these people are going to do it. I'm positive they wouldn't have left if our professor was there. As it turned out the opera was three hours long and we got out a little after midnight. This meant that only the night buses were running which I am not very familiar with. Stu's hostel was quite close and so he decided to check out early and crash on our couch so he wouldn't have to walk back to his hostel after getting his bag from my apartment. we walked to his hostel and then to the coliseum. Quick reminder I'm in my four inch heels and have been wearing them for six plus hours now. I am not a happy camper, and we were moving quite slowly with breaks along the way. I was quiet to avoid complaining, and Stu took my angry silence like a champ, joking and singing all the way while offering to carry me. We walked to the end of the tram line and decided to try a night bus. we rounded the corner looking for a stop going in the right direction (on my suggestion) and consequently missed the first bus. We waited fifteen minutes for the next one and road it for another thirty five minutes or so. Once we were on viale trastevere I suggested we get off on the first stop (dumb) in fear of taking it too far. Consequently we had to walk another forty minutes mostly because I was going so incredibly slow. I'm sure seeing me walk would have been quite amusing. Stu put up with me in good spirits the whole way never once complaining and supporting me all the way. He's a keeper. We got home finally, and headed for bed. What we forgot was that one of my roommates had a friend coming, so fifteen minutes later Stu was fast asleep on the floor by my bed.

March 16th - Day 2 in the Eternal City

Stu's View:
Tuesday was off and running before I knew it! I slept like a rock by the time I finally reached the hostel Monday night. Nothing like a nice walk through Rome at 12:30. But the Colosseum is GORGEOUS at night! There were a number of others already asleep by the time I reached the hostel, but there were a number still up and about to talk to. A number were backpacking through Italy, and it was great to hear their plans for the trip.

I was up and off about 8am Tuesday. I decided to swing by the basilica Morgan and I had walked by as we headed to the hostel the day before. Santa Maria Magiore was fantastic! Again, I was struck by the detail, extravagance, and brilliance of the basilica. I took a number of pictures before heading off to see Morgan for the morning.

We quickly hoofed it to her school, and I decided to search for Jiniculum hill. Unfortunately, my eternal compass was still refusing to orient itself. That being said, I quickly lost myself on the small streets surrounding Morgan’s school.

I did find a wonderful park, fountain, and mausoleum…unfortunately, I wasn’t trying to find any of them. Jiniculum hill is an amazing overlook of the city, providing about ninety percent of the skyline. After a fair amount of backtracking, and a number of side sites, I DID finally find the overlook! The view was fantastic! It’s impressive the sheer size of the city. It’s hard to get a feel for the size when you are down inside the streets, but the view was breathtaking! Definitely worth the double walk through Trestevere ;-).

After I had my fill of eye candy, it was time to return to pick up Morgan. I ended up hanging out in the garden outside her class, and was lucky enough to chat with some of her Rome friends before she was done.

Her campus is beautiful and quaint. I think I’ve come to the conclusion that everything in Rome is beautiful, hands down. I have yet to look at anything that wasn’t beautiful. I surprised myself by taking a picture of not only a garbage can, but a sewer drain and two different pieces of graffiti.

After Morgan finished class, we headed for home! We made a delicious dish of home-made lasagna that was completely vegetarian. It was fantastic!!! Both Leah (Morgan’s apartment mate) and I asked if the noodles needed to be precooked. Apparently not! It was DELICIOUS!

And Morgan definitely knew what she was doing. After supper we headed for the Spanish steps! We both agreed that the vendor selling roses was obnoxious. He thought that placing the rose on Morgan’s lap and holding out his hand would prompt me to purchase a rose. We both blankly stared back at him. He finally got the hint, took his rose in defeat, and walked away. We ended up sitting on the steps for another 20 minutes before continuing on to wander Corso. We ended the night with some more fantastic gelato! Unfortunately, I don’t remember the flavors I picked out this time. I don’t seem to have the mind for that, unlike certain other blog writers. But I do know that it was delicious! Without a doubt.

We then headed back to the apartment, I said goodnight, and headed for home. The evening ended with another trek across Rome. And some beautiful night shots of the forum and the Colosseum after dark. It was fantastic!

Needless to say, after another full, packed day exploring Roma, I slept hard and heavy. I’m not even sure if I moved after the minute it took me to fall asleep. Little did I know what Wednesday had in store for me…

More to come tomorrow!

Morgan's Say: (much less cool)
Tuesday was my second day with Stu. He originally wanted to walk me to my nine A.M. final, but decided catching up on sleep was a better idea, indeed. I only had one final, and was hoping to be in and out. Wrong. We had class for an hour and a half before our final, but I enjoyed it so much I didn't mind. I probably didn't do as well as I could have on my final, but if it's not A material, then definitely B work, which I can live with. I headed back to my apartment where Stu was waiting for me. He was still tired so he took a half an hour nap while I layed with him and tried desperately to stay awake. We split leftover pizza for lunch and decided to spend my break on the bank of tiber Island. On the bridge to the island we noticed tons of locks latched onto ornate posts on the bridge. I realized this was the place where lovers place locks and then throw the keys into the river as a symbol of their eternal love for each other, awesome. We laid on the bank taking in the sun for awhile before I headed to italian class. When I returned we made the vegetarian lasagna (from my cooking class) I was nervous it wouldn't turn out especially after Stu and Leah told me in America you cook lasagna noodles before using them, in this recipe you do not, and I am not very confident in my cooking abilities to start with. While it was cooking Stu ironed all of his dress shirts (and a few of mine) while I blogged for Monday. We discovered we were both secretly planning to buy locks and keys for the Tiber island bridge, and decided to do it together instead. The lasagna turned out to be delicious, and we shared with most of my roommates with leftovers for lunch. For the evening we walked down the main shopping road to the beautiful piazza del Poppolo before walking down the same road back to the apartment, it was a beautiful stroll, with a stop for gelato, which was a huge ripoff. I may have been a tad crabby about it. We turned in a little earlier, with plans not to see each other until five o'clock the next day.

:) best day yet

Stu made it safely, we had a wonderful day together, and I rocked the listening portion of my opera test. I'll post the details tomorrow, for now I'm wiped, I can't even imagine how tired Stu is.

Getting around to this a little late in the day, but things are different now that I have someone to entertain :)
Yesterday morning I woke up at five fifty and quickly got dressed and ready and headed out the door. I walked a block down the street to the Trastevere station that has a train to the airport. The ticket windows were closed (what a shame) so I just followed the signs to the platform, and the train arrived at sex twenty one. I had no idea what the fuimicino stop would look like, I only knew it took about twenty five minutes to get there. I waited as long as I could without freaking out, and asked an old man if the current stop was fuimicino, He said no no no no, and then let me know when it was time to get off. As it turns out fuimicino is the end of the line so I had nothing to worry about :) I followed the airport signs to terminal three, but I could only find departures. I eventually went inside and saw a sign that pointed downstairs for the arrivals. I checked the board and saw that his flight had landed :) I only had to wait ten or so minutes with the little sign I made before he walked through the gates. We wandered the airport for awhile before we managed to find our way back to the platform. I gave Stu some bacci which are the original chocolate kisses, and a traditional Italian gift to give to your lover. We figured out which that the train that would take us back to Trastevere station had just left so instead we took an express train to Termini Station (Rome's main railway station) and walked to the hostel from there. We checked him into the hostel, found an atm, and then began the trek to my apartment. It's about a forty minute walk to the end of the tram line, and on the way we passed the Colosseum :) which left Stu in awe. We took a few pictures before walking along the forum and past Piazza Venezia to the tram. I took him back to the apartment where we got settled and had lunch before walking to class together. Stu decided to walk back towards Piazza Venezia while I took my opera midterm. I totally rocked the listening part :D I was very prepared for it, not so much the multiple choice part, but I did ok on the essay and knew a few of the multiple choice, I'm feeling pretty confident. Art Gallery management passed quickly as well, and then I met Stu in the university garden. We walked back to the apartment before doing some quick grocery shopping, lasagna necessities, wine, chips(ish), and chocolate orange pudding. We then decided to go out for dinner and wandered through the neighborhood looking for a good cheap place to eat. We succeeded in finding somewhere, and afterward went for Gelato. I took him to the big famous place with perhaps the best selection in Rome. I got banana, chocolate, and cherry almond. all were delicious. He got caramel, cream, and Baileys Irish Cream. The baileys tasted a bit like it was made from just the liquor, but it all his flavors were equally good. At this point I had a nice little pot belly from eating entirely too much, but I was ok with it. We headed home, both exhausted at this point, Stu more so than I. After he picked his backpack up from my apartment he took the tram and then walked for forty minutes back to his apartment. He refused to let me walk him (just for the first night) and I had no way of knowing if he found it safely or not. I was worried, but needlessly so, he made it home a little after midnight. I asked Stu if he would right his point of view/ what he does and sees while I'm in class, but we've both been so busy that we haven't had time to sit and write. Perhaps I'll convince him to add to these next week once he's settle back in the states. So check for updates, they will hopefully be coming soon.

March 15th
One week late, and a guest writer

My sincere apologies to all the avid readers of this blog, however, to start getting you up to speed Morgan has asked that I write my account of Rome. So, Stu’s side column if you will. Or a letter to the editor. Whichever analogy flips your trigger.

My flight over was fantastic! Minus the delayed flight and road trip to St. Louis all my flights went off without a hitch. I was even upgraded to first/business class for my flight to Rome. It was quite nice to stretch the legs and recline almost to the prone position for that flight. Definitely worth the detour, and much better than waiting until Monday to leave Kansas City. All in all it worked out great!

I arrived in Rome a little after 7am Monday morning and quickly found my way through customs to find Morgan waiting with a sign! I didn’t even have to look to find her! I quickly jumped the fence to give her a number of the hugs that I had been sent to deliver. It was great to finally see her. The flights seemed to last forever as I waited for the sights and sounds I’d get to experience in Roma. Well worth the wait however!

From the airport we made our way back to the city via the train, and from there stepped out into the heart of Rome. It was phenomenal. I’m so thankful that I was granted a guide from the get go, I would have been fairly lost if Morgan hadn’t been there to guide me to my hostel. From the first moment I left the train station I was struck by the detail, grandeur, and spirit that is Rome. From the cobble stone roads, to the statue-lined hotels, no matter where my eyes decided to rest there was something incredible to see.

From the train station we quickly made our way to my hostel to get checked in. Thankfully they did not charge me for the first night I missed as it was the weather’s fault (not mine), for my absence. The hostel owner spoke fairly strong English which was a definite help to our transaction. From there we headed for Morgan’s apartment.

The streets where insane!!! I’ve never had a stronger urge to NEVER have to drive. You couldn’t pay me enough money to drive in Rome. And the parking!! Many motor bikes..and CARS, would manage to find their way up onto the sidewalks for parking. Some would park mid-intersection on the quieter roads. It was unreal.

Despite the traffic we made our way back along the street and the first major site to come into view was the Colosseum. Morgan knows me so well. It was the number one site on my list to see. I was FLOORED!! The structure still standing, holding so many battles, so much blood, spectacles, leaders, and senators within its’ lifetime. It was absolutely amazing. My daily walk actually took me directly passed the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. The road empties into Piazza Venencia and finally to Trestevere, where Morgan lives. Again, all the time my eyes struggled to keep up with each passing sight and sound. It was a little overwhelming, certainly in a good way.

Once to Morgan’s apartment, we relaxed for a time, before heading to her school. I dropped her off for her midterm and then made my way back to Piazza Venencia to do a little more exploring. I spent the afternoon taking in the square, perusing the museum, and wandering the area. The museum was fantastic! There were a number of exhibits from WWI and WWII. Sculptures, uniforms, monuments, it was incredible. I then took the opportunity to sneak into the Jewish Holocaust exhibit. I haven’t decided yet if I needed to pay or not, so simply walked in. No one started shouting so I assume I’m alright at this point. The exhibit was entirely in Italian, but the images, the artifacts, and the sound bites were all incredibly haunting, and well worth my time.

From the museum I continued down Via del Corso just to continue exploring and wound up in St. Charles Basilica. It was astounding. The detail and extravagance of this church left me flabbergasted. I had to continually remind myself to shut my mouth as I wandered from one chapel to the next. The vaulted, gold plated ceilings, the paintings, the detail. It all left me thinking about how little I am.

After my wanderings I made it back to Morgan’s university in time to wander home with her. From there we left to get groceries and to find food. We wound up at a quaint little pasta place in her neighborhood and I was able to sample the local wine and cuisine. It was delicious.
From there we ended our evening by walking down Corso and stopping by the Trevi fountain and another piazza. It was phenomenal to sit at this historic site and just relax with Morgan. It really was something. It was the perfect way to end our day, along with some delicious gelato. I wasn’t sure what the big deal was..but I now know. The flavor is EXPLOSIVE! I was incredibly impressed. It’s a very smooth ice cream with tremendous punch to its flavor. Definitely worth the trip in and of itself.

Hopefully I’ve filled in some gaps, if not, I will continue to elaborate as the week goes on. One week behind, but still moving forward. It was an amazing first day, and left me ready and raring for the days to come! So much to see, so little time.

Stu - Out

Seven hours

Approximately until I finally get to see Stu. I woke up this morning to call him on what I thought would be a late night drive. As it turns out his very smart father suggested he avoid paying outrageous parking fees at the airport by driving down early and getting a hotel room. So i essentially interrupted Stu's sleep rather than attempting to keep him awake on a midnight drive, whoops. I went back to be after the call and at this point I was extremely confused as to what time it was in Italy, I had heard no mention of daylight savings time, but apparently it was in America. I decided to look it up when i woke up later. As it turns out we don't have daylight savings time for another two weeks. I didn't discover this until after I needlessly scared my roommate and her friend into thinking she was going to miss her return flight home. ...Whoops. I had a field trip for my Tribes of Rome class today at noon. We met in the Jewish Ghetto and went on an excellent tour. We then switched tour guides once inside the museum. (Note: getting inside was ridiculous, they had a terrorist attack in the eighties, and security is the equivalent to that of trying to enter the queen's underwear drawer) The inside tour was just as good as the surrounding area, although I was sad to learn that woman have to stand in separate areas during services, behind little gates, or in the balconies. It made me glad that I'm allowed to worship alongside those I love, not just the other women. I went in search of Stu's hostel afterward, and timed my walk. It took my forty minutes to walk from the end of the tram line to the hostel. I went inside and told them he would be a day late, and that he would check in between eight thirty and nine thirty tomorrow morning. Surprisingly I don't think they plan on charging him for the lost night, awesome. I noticed bus stops on my way to the hostel, and decided to see if any of them took him close to my apartment. Two of them stop right in front of it as it turns out, so I decided to see if the bus ride would be any faster. Today it shaved off about twenty minutes, although the walk does go past the Colosseum and the forum, so I imagine some walking will be in order. It was absolutely gorgeous in Rome today as a side note, warm enough that I took off my coat while walking around. It would be beautiful when i absolutely needed to stay inside and study. And study I did for four hours without a break, and then I began to finish tying up loose ends for my spring break. I found directions around Scotland, and booked a day trip bus tour of the highlands, I'm very excited. The pictures looked absolutely breathtaking. I then looked at things to do in Milan, including The Last Supper by Da Vinci. I don't fly into Milan until three forty, so I won't be in the city for as long as I was expecting, but long enough to see a few things before taking the train home. After hours of studying I'm feeling fairly confident in my identification abilities for Opera class, I hope that I proportioned my studying habits well enough that the other parts of the test won't suffer. I have a few more things on my to do list that I was hoping to get done, but they will just have to wait. It's nearly midnight and I have to be up early to be at the airport!!

And I thought not being able to find cupcakes was dissapointing

I was wrong. But the disappointing stuff doesn't come until later. I woke up this morning at seven, and prepared for a day trip to Orvieto, a small town in Tuscany built on a hill, it was beautiful. I packed reading and studying materials for the hour and a half trip but only ended up reading a little under a chapter, and napping and appreciating the view for the rest of the trip. To get into Orvieto without a car you have to take a little tram that leads you rollercoaster style up the very steep hill that the town is located on. Once inside we went on a short tour of the important attractions of the city. Our tour guide was terrible, he was a little creepy, and insisted that we stand very close to him. I've given enough tours on campus to know a bad tour, this was a bad tour. He spoke for nearly ten minutes about the realistic qualities of a tomb as if we had never seen a marble statue before, or as if we couldn't appreciate the work it would take to make it. Everytime we would stop he would ask us to come closer until we were practically on top of him, I was not feeling this tour. Matters were made worse once we entered the large church for which the town is famous. There was a ceremony or celebration of some sort going on in one of the small side chapels and the guide went in anyway to show us a model of the church. Another girl and I thought this was incredibly disrespectful and stayed behind. I haven't adjusted to the fact that churches here are used more as tourist attractions than places of worship. It makes me uneasy. The tour guide kept motioning for us to follow him, he didn't realize it was a respect issue for us. A girl behind me pushed me told me to go, and then snapped and pointed into the chapel. That pissed me off almost as much as pushy tour guide man. I was not going to intrude on this ceremony, but I also felt bad when one of the ISA directors came over and asked us if we weren't interested. They are extremely genuine people who put a lot of work into planning these trips for us. I explained that I wasn't used to churches being used for anything other than worship and he nodded his head in an understanding manner. Luckily the tour finished shortly after, my patience with our tour guide was completely exhausted. Becca and I decided to find lunch before exploring further, and found a cheap but fancy restaruant. They had wild boar, lamb, and rabbit on the menu, all of which I want to try; but they were a tad pricy, and in Italy you don't get sides without paying for them seperately. Instead I ordered a pasta dish with 'spicy' red sauce. I put spicy in quotes becuase it was not spicy by american standards in the least. Which was fine with me because it was delicious. We enjoyed a nice meal before continuing our adventure around the city. Most of the shops were closed for the afternoon nap, siesta, but the view from the city was astounding. We wandered the streets for the next hour and a half taking pictures of the breathtaking scenery, and not even covering a third of the town. I will definitely be returning to Orvieto with my eurail pass, it's incredible, especially on days with beautiful weather like we had today. On the bus ride home the entire bus took a siesta, it was lovely. I finished my reading and journals for Art Gallery Management once home; another item to check off my list. I then got an msn message from Stu asking if we could webcam, which was weird because based on the time he should have been on his flight to New York. Wrong. His flight was canceled due to thunder storms in New York. He spent seven hours in the airport today waiting for his flight, and then rescheduling it. The next available flight out of Kansas City didn't leave until Monday morning which would have put him in Rome on Tuesday, so instead, my crazy amazing boyfriend is driving four hours to St. Louis to fly out tomorrow morning at seven. He'll arrive in Rome almost exactly twenty four hours later than he intended to, not to shabby. He also had to take a cab home from the airport as he had been dropped off, and now has to pay for long term parking while he's visiting. Did I mention it's too late to cancel his hostel reservation and get a refund for the night? Just kind of a crap deal all around, but I would much rather have him arrive in one piece than risk terrible weather in New York. I'm glad he still gets to come at all. The good news is that I get an extra day to study for my midterms, which I can totally put to good use. There is an upside to everything. Now I'll be able to turn in a little earlier and spread my studying out over a longer period of time, sounds good to me.

True story, A little black dress is a girls best friend

I would know, I believe I have four of them now. I started out my Friday by looking for a dress to wear to the opera. I have a dress here, but I decided I needed a new one for the opera. It wasn't hard to convince myself. I checked out the open air market in Testaccio the neighborhood across the river, with no luck. I was hoping to find something for around ten euros. I walked down viale trastevere(my road) to where street vendors are known to have stands set up. At the first one with clothing I found a cute black dress with three quarter length sleeves, a scoop neck, and a a hemline just above the knees. The man running the stand told me it was twenty two euros, I told him I would be back; I really meant it I wasn't trying to haggle, just shop around. He dropped it to twenty, and I tried to explain again that I would be back, then he dropped it to sixteen after a little hesitation, so I bought it. The dress was one size fits all, and I was sincerely hoping that I fell within that category, luckily I do. After I handed him a twenty he realized he didn't have correct change for me so he had to leave to go get it. When he returned he gave me one euro and went to turn away. I put a good bit of effort into my budget and was not about to let this man cheat me out of three euro, so I stuck my open hand in face whereupon he gave me the rest of my change with a grin on his face, the grin was not returned. I checked out the rest of the stands to make sure I made the best deal, and was very pleased with my purchase. The rest of the dresses were more of the going out variety, and would not have been appropriate for the opera. I tried it on after I got home, and was relieved to find that it fit well, and I think looks quite nice. This morning the Jersey girls' (my roommates)boyfriends arrived. Christina introduced me to her boyfriend Eddie, and the joy written all over her face was very sweet. Stephanie introduced me to Russ whom she broke up with three days ago. They now have to spend two weeks together in this apartment. I can only imagine the drama that will ensue. I studied opera for an hour and a half or so and figured out an exact list of the other projects I have to do for next week in addition to studying for midterms. I've added another eight or so songs to my checked off list, and I feel like I'm really making progress. I talked to both Stu and Johnathon before their school days, and then headed to the school. I needed to check in online for my spring break flights and print off tickets. I walked to school as the tram was running very slowly this morning due to a massive protest. It was raining again and I was quite wet by the time I reached the school. I started the check in process and then realized that I needed my passport number, and I didn't have my passport with me. Fail. So i walked home,in less rain. My walk to school was not entirely unproductive as I realized I could check in online and then print my tickets later; so when I returned home I checked in and saved pdf files of my tickets to print later next week. I read for my art gallery management class, and talked to Casey who gave me a tour around their house, which is undergoing lots of construction and has been completely transformed. I got to see my Aunt Jody as well. Then it was back to studying and getting ready to go out to dinner with Becca, Jessica, and two of our resident friend students: Berkeley and Joey. Right before I went out to dinner I webcammed with my sister very briefly. I felt bad because I didn't have time to talk, but as I was running out the door we arranged a rain check. Dinner was fun and pretty inexpensive for what we got. I split a 'margherita' pizza with Joey, which means mozzarella and tomato sauce basically, in addition to a pasta dish with mushrooms. Joey and I also split a liter of wine. This only set me back twelve euro fifty. The pizza was delicious, as was the pasta, and as it turns out a half a liter of wine is about four and a half glasses, a little more than i had planned on drinking, but far from Long Island night. The company was excellent as well, and it was a very good night. I came home and once again briefly talked with my sister before planning a nice long talk once Johnathon is up with her on Saturday. I then talked with Stu for the last time before I get to see him face to face, I think we're both ridiculously excited :) I turned in pretty early, due in part to the wine working it's sleepy magic.

Halfway there

In terms of learning my opera songs that is, I have names, dates and composers, as well as being able to identify them, for thirteen out of the thirty i have to know.

On Wednesday night, all of my roommates besides Becca and her friend went out, some of them didn't leave until twelve forty, and so I went to bed shortly after. I was hoping to get to bed early, but I just woke up later instead. Apparently in the middle of the night one of the girls kicked Jessica off the couch that she's been sleeping on all week so that her 'guest' (male, not entirely sure of the relationship) could sleep on the couch. It was four in the morning at this time so Jessica came and slept on our cold tile floor with no pillow. Becca was beyond upset, and her anger woke me up. Jessica tried to calm her down for an hour, and after that I don't know what happened as I was able to drift back to sleep. Apparently Stephanie and her guest didn't even sleep on the couch anyway. Drama, drama, drama. While I was waiting for the noise level to subside I looked up cupcake shops in Rome. I have had the craziest craving for a cupcake lately, probably because they don't have them here. I miraculously found an English woman's bakery not far from my apartment. According to the internet it is the only place to get cupcakes in Rome. They sell all kinds of goodies, including pies, brownies, breads, cinnamon rolls, and cookies. I planned to be there at ten o'clock when they opened. I was more excited then a kid on Christmas eve. I woke up at nine o'clock on Thursday and headed for the bakery. I got there at ten thirty, and it was closed. I was extremely dissapointed (must be rough right? when the most disappointing thing in my life is when I can't find a cupcake) I walked back home, moping a little, until a man at an intersection stuck his entire head out his van window to wink at me while driving, that made me giggle. I stopped in a few bars (cafes) on the way back, but they were all extremely busy, and their baked goods just weren't up to snuff. I found a little bread store with a much better selection. I got a honey apple pastry, two coconut items (they were made of coconut, but the consistency of angel food cake: divine :) silver dollar sized pie crusts filled with chocolate and vanilla cream, and a larger mini pie filled with chocolate and topped with a star shaped cookie. The bread shop was busy, and two old men next to me helped me order, I would point at items and say how many I wanted, and these old men would tell the lady behind the counter what they were, the process was much faster that way. I ended up spending five euro, but they were all quite delicious, so I don't feel too guilty. I ate the pastry and one of each of the coconut and small chocolate/vanilla pies on the walk home. I had the other two coconut and mini pies for lunch while working on homework, and then the chocolate star cookie pie for dinner. You are reading this correctly, I ate nothing but baked goods on Thursday and it was wonderful. It was rainy again today, and precipitating decently heavily on my walk to school, but it wasn't as cold as it has been. After class I met one the girls in my opera class and we compared notes for a little bit. On the tram ride home I saw an advertisement for the movie How to Train Your Dragon, so I posted the trailer I saw earlier this year below, it looks pretty awesome :)I came home and continued to work on my identification skills of the songs, as well as finding transportation from the airport in Glasgow to my hostel. All the roommates went out again tonight, but they did it in a much quieter fashion, Becca and Jessica did a pub crawl, so I had the apartment almost to myself, Christina stayed behind as well. It was a pretty productive day, and I'm feeling very on track for the weeks to come.

I'm quite tired.

So I'm only going to post part of my adventure today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x594fzVBQ0M&feature=related I saw an advertisement for this movie on the tram today, and it reminded me how much I want to see it. I'll post the rest of my (drama filled) Wednesday night, and Thursday tomorrow.

Ireland: check

This morning came a little early for my taste, luckily I give myself sufficient time to wake up in the mornings. The weather today was a huge improvement from yesterday. It was still rainy, but it was the kind where the sun was shining brilliantly all the while, and I didn't actually have to walk in the rain, which was fabulous. I went to my Tribes of Rome class, and had my term paper topic approved. We also discussed in class election drama of the Roman variety. In Italy there are a dozen or so political parties, and for each election ( the one this story pertains to is the roman presidential election) each party must produce a list of supporters in order to participate in the election. This is for the whole party, not just a single candidate. The main political party did not turn their list in on time, and now none of the candidates from that party can legally run for office. It has caused major drama, including the current president (who belongs to the party) trying to change the laws (unsuccessfully). The best part is the man in charge of turning in the list was late because he was hungry and stopped to get lunch. Pretty hysterical. We watched a video about the neighborhood we visited last week, made by the famous anthropologist Michael Hertzfeld himself. The video was entertaining mostly because Mr. Hertzfeld is in his sixties and no ace with a video camera. So the movie was informational, and entertaining. I walked back to the apartment after class and noticed a massive protest in front of the 'big white building' ( This is not an American term believe it or not, Romans call it that) which has to do with education. There were an absolute ton of police officers there. In Rome police officers are at protests to protect the protesters from the public, whereas in America it would be the other way around. Today however it looked like the police officers were keeping the protesters out of the building. There are so many protests in Rome that often Romans don't think they're are a very big deal, while all the Americans are extremely curios as to what level of injustice would rally a group to such actions. Over my break I webcammed with Stu for a bit, he had just woken up for the day, it was something we hadn't done before and was quite fun; he was sleepy and I was halfway through my day. I wrote a review of my gallery visit for class and read a handout that was assigned. Art Gallery Management flew by, and we did a bit of group work. I was very surprised to hear that the girls in my group thought the class was an extreme waste of time, and that they weren't learning anything. One girl said she wished the teacher wouldn't ask our opinions so much and just teach us. She was under the impression the professor was simply too lazy to do the teaching herself. I was astounded and wanted to say, 'heaven forbid the teacher encourage discussion and encourage us to learn for ourselves.' But I kept my mouth shut, I was too surprised to say anything really. After class I picked up Becca's friend Jessica in the computer lab and took her back home. I stopped in the tabacchi next to our apartment to buy Stu a bus pass. I don't imagine he'll be using it all that much, but better to be prepared. I finished the guide book I've been making for him tonight, balanced my checkbook, and began to make my own guidebook for Dublin. I have directions to several places from my hostel, and was hoping to find directions from the airport, however, I'm flying in pretty late so I'll most likely be taking a taxi. Much easier than trying to find public transportation at ten thirty at night. I also booked an express train from my 'London' airport into the actual city. As it turns out it's forty five minutes outside of the city. The ticket was twenty euro, but again this is most likely my best option. I also asked Becca how to get to the airport, and then to arrivals; it sounds a little complicated so I will be leaving early :) I've made a study schedule for my midterms, which I still can't believe ( so not my style), but haven't gotten around to catching up on everything that will be due next week. I'm planning on spending the next two days concentrating on school work so that I don't have to for the next two weeks. I've been excited for Stu's arrival, and after planning Dublin I'm beginning to get very excited for spring break as well. I feel so much better with a plan. I don't have the energy to plan Glasgow or Milan tonight however, they'll have to serve as study breaks for the next two days. I'm hoping to turn in early tonight, fingers crossed for eleven forty five. Have a good night everyone !!

Rain Rain go away,

Roman weather has been beautiful so far, today was an exception. It was thirty two degrees out, and raining, with 13 mph wind. And my three hour morning class was outside today. bummer. The good news is that I found several more awesome churches to explore, and when I finally returned home the hot water was working. I was quite cold, an old man on the tram asked me if I was cold, and I replied very cold. We had a broken (on my part) conversation in Italian, but I was quite pleased with it. I took a twenty minute shower, and was still cold for a half an hour so even out of my wet clothes, and under my comforter. I didn't do as much work over the break as I had intended, I really just wanted to curl up in my bed and nap the afternoon away, not an option. Instead i made a grocery list for next week, and a packing checklist for my spring break. Before I knew it it was time to head back to class, and I still walked despite the rain. Italian was fun as always, we're still talking about food, and I imagine we might for the rest of the semester, it's just the way off things here, and I like it. After class it was back into the rain, and I stopped by a tabacci for stamps, they didn't have any. I needed to visit an art gallery and write a review of the show for my art gallery management class, and I had looked one up over my break. I took the tram halfway and then walked. I think i picked the perfect gallery for myself. The show was by a female artist and detailed an abortion she had. It was incredibly personal and emotional, very beautiful. The regret and pain was imminent in the work. It referenced prayer often and one of the works was a version of the annunciation. It was a well put together and extremely interesting show, it makes me want to visit all the galleries, and continue this habit once I'm home. I worked on studying for my opera midterm tonight, while talking to Becca and Vince. I did not get much studying done. Oh well. Plenty of time for that on Thursday and Friday. I calculated a budget for Stu tonight, and making sure I was prepared for class tomorrow.
I'm glad I've decided to make lists to keep myself organized, I nearly forgot I need to print off my tickets for my spring break flights and check in online. I know myself well enough to recognize list writing as essential for keeping myself in line.