Home Away from Home

A bunch of us girls went to the temple and did baptisms for the dead yesterday, and it was such an awesome experience! I seriously felt like I was home. It was so nice. I haven't felt that good in awhile. None of us wanted to leave. I would have loved to just sit in there after we were done and just chill. One of the members of the temple presidency spoke to us before we started which was awesome, and it was so nice to be there with other members of the church from Spain, and to hear everything in Spanish. I love the temple, and we are already planning on going again in England :) I can't wait!

Hola!

So I am in Spain now! That is the only consolation for leaving Italy. I loved that country!!! I am so living in Rome someday! And don't worry I already have my return trip before that planned out in detail in my head. It is going to be amazing. Anyone who wants to come with me, start saving your pennies now so you can come have the time of your life. The more the merrier, as my wonderful group of 25 girls makes obvious. I love all of them! There is always someone to talk to and hang out with. Its great :) We have a lot of fun on our adventures. I have pictures to post, so I will get to it.

This was in the piazza in front of Milan's duomo. Some guy grabbed my hand and shoved corn into it, and the pidgeons swarmed! It was funny, but I had already held a pidgeon in venice and didn't really asked to be pooped on at that time. the stranger then had the nerve to ask for money to be paid for the "service" he forced upon me... needless to say, I didn't give him a penny :) good pictures though!

This was from the one day that we had in Barcelona. I really liked the city and thought it was beautiful. The museum we went to was on this hill. Its been kind of rainy off and on lately, but it is still gorgeous, and I have always loved the rain :)

These are some of the girls in my group creepin' in a part of the Park Guell that Gaudi designed. I have more pictures of it, including the section that many of you might recognize from an America's Next Top Model season finale. The one with Melrose and Caridee, and they are scary brides... And of course we had our own photo shoot, and runway walk. Audience included because blonde americans are constantly stared at all over Europe :) No, I mean of course it is because we are all drop dead gorgeous - what was I thinking?

Come back to Sorrento

So its been awhile since my last post. This is because we have been moving around a lot lately. Just fyi, I do have a new camera that works beautifully, since my last one was stolen and although I am bitter that I am out approximately 225 dollars - why waste time dwelling on it - live and learn right? But I am having technical difficulties, so this isn't my picture, but I have one exactly like it, which brings me more joy than I can say :)

I am currently in Florence and having a wonderful time. My shower doesn't have a rim around it, so it floods the whole floor, and the phone doesn't work, and it's been raining a lot, but that's just the way I like it :) Its all part of the experience! In the time since I have last posted, I have been to Sorento, Capri, Pompeii, and today I took a day trip to Piza with a bunch of the girls. The weather was gorgeous, and even just the train ride to get there was amazing. I was reading my book, and every few minutes I would look up and be so happy, realizing over and over that I am actually in Italy! The only thing that is sad is how fast this is all going.

I would like to tell the story of my trip to the Blue Grotto. So many other interesting and totaly funny or cool things happened that day as well, but this is the one I want my parents to read. All of the getting hit on and running and exploring deserted paths with Katie, my engaged adventure buddy (no one cares if you say you are married. It has absolutely no effect, ahahaha), will be filtered for now :)

We got on a boat that we thought would take us around the island and drop us off so we could go in the Grotto. To my horror, we didn't stop and I seriously contemplated jumping off the boat and swimming. We were running out of time, and we thought that we were just not going to be able to go in. But my parents taught me better than to give up like that. I sprinted to the other boat companies searching for a boat that was still going out despite some italian telling me it was impossible and that the grotto was no good in the afternoon come back tomorrow. My ferry back to sorrento left at six, so I ran and I found a boat that would take us to the grotto and get us back in time, and after some more running with Katie to tell the other girls, and the fastest bathroom trip of my life, we made it. And it was totally worth it! It was gorgeous inside the grotto, and I felt so good, following in my family's footsteps. The boat guide sang come back to sorrento in italian while we were in there - the song that our music box has played and I learned on the piano for my dad. We were the only boat in there, and it was surreal being in the place that I saw on videotape so many years ago from my parent's trip. I came to sorrento, and don't worry, I fully intend to come back. :)

And more pictures because I love them and this computer time isn't costing me anything :)

So this is an Italian Guy that was creepy but funny who was holding Natalie and Noelle's hands, and wanting to buy us pizza. He was totally married, and don't worry, I am a genius and got rid of him before we got to our hotel. I love stained glass and am so excited for the St. Chapelle, I love this architecture, and loved the modern art and the building they built around this monument for Augustus to protect it, and the guards at the Vatican were oh so sexy ;) ahahahaha :) they weren't that friendly when I tried to flirt with them, unfortunately, but it was way fun to try anyway. and it was disappointing to learn that my charms don't work on everyone :)

Pictures

I feel like posting more pictures because I have so many! and it is so hard to choose! and I had to create another post because it will only let me do five at a time :) so there is the fruit pizza, the school of athens, my bffs entering the depths of the subway (I love public transportation) (and check out there blogs for more info as well and better group pictures with me in them - Katie, Noelle, Natlie, Jackie (not pictured) and Torrie), me in my crazy cool 6 euro green aviators at the vatican museum, and the conversion of st. paul by carravaggio. A-mazing!

Gelatto (and art of course)

So, I am continuing to do amazing things here in Rome! I have now seen Michelangelo's Moses, and the most amazing Bernini statues in the Borghese Villa, as well as some of Carravagio's best works. It has been fabulous! I have also been in many churches, and I have seen the ruins of a Roman gym. There was also this pyramid that is some general's tomb that was fun to go to, because who would have guessed - a pyramid in Rome? I didn't get to take pictures in the Borghese Villa, but I have others :) I am also thoroughly enjoying the food as well - it is awesome. I love the spaghetti, pizza, panini, and especially chocolate chip gelatto! Mmm. I can't find any italian creme sodas, apparently those aren't actually italian, and I had some really good fruit pizza as well (from a store that has been open since 1760!), but I still liked my mom's better :) And last night, me and some of the girls went on a run to St. Peter's. It was gorgeous at night, and so much fun to nonchalantly just say, "yeah I went on a jog to St. Peter's" because at what other time in my life will I ever be able to do that?! It is so great! I will be sad to leave Rome in a few days. I feel like I live here, and it is blissful :)

Exceeds Expectations

I've heard so much about the Sistine chapel, for so many years, I wondered if, after all the hype, is it as good as they say?
So today (as my parents will be very un-happy to hear) I got separated from the group when we were at St. Peter's. I wasn't sure where they were going because my professor switched up the schedule a little bit, and so in an attempt to find them, I went to the Vatican Museum by myself and saw the Sistine Chapel. And I'm kind of glad that it turned out that way, because it was such an amazing experience. And really, I was very safe in a chapel with like priests and guards every five feet protecting the sanctity of the chapel and all the art in it.
But the ceiling in the Sistine chapel that is so famous made me cry when I got to it - being there was spiritual. What the pictures never show is that there is a bronze statue of Christ on the cross at one end of the room, and to me that made the whole thing meaningful. There was the entire story of humanity on the ceiling and walls, with all the figures moving and interacting and not paying attention to Christ at all, while he just hung there with the weight of it all on just him, so much smaller but so significant. Everything important depended on what he did. Even the fate of the thousands of people swarming around me as I stood there and took it all in. It was beautiful. If anyone gets a chance to actually go there, believe me, there is a good reason for all the hype. :)
p.s. i would love to put pics up with this post, but the computer is being lame. they won't let you take picutres of the ceiling that i am talking about anyway. more next time hopefully!

Buongiorno!

So, now I'm in Italy, in Roma!  It is so amazing here - every corner you turn, some ridiculously amazing ancient site pops into view out of nowhere.  I have seen so many cool things already, and I still have about six weeks.  Time is flying by, and there is so much to see and do.  It is so hard to make myself take a break to even write this.  And to speed things up, pictures are worth a thousand words, so I am going to try to include a few that are self-explanatory. Ciao!

Athens!!

We went to the Acropolis, and had so many adventures besides :) I am having so much fun! I already have a totally awesome sunburn, and a henna tatoo (on my finger - its hard core, I will put up a picture later). I've eaten so pretty weird greek food that I don't really know what it was, as well as a gyro, gelato and greek salad. There are so many weird people here as well and I have so much fun people watching - and interacting :) It is absolutely amazing how many conversations you can have without speaking. And greek is weird, I can't read it at all. But that is cool. And I still forget that when I walk up to someone and start talking, there is a very high chance they have almost no idea what i'm saying :) This is so cool!