Well Well Well.

Soooo....I know that I haven't written in a LONG time, so I will do my best to catch everyone up with as much detail as possible.

I believe the last thing I wrote was all about the Southern Trip....directly after that we went on Spring Break to Barcelona and Paris. I STILL can't believe that that story is part of MY LIFE. I am sooo thankful to have had the opportunity to be able to travel throughout Europe. I really am.
Anyways, Barcelona was first, and I LOVED IT. I really could see myself living there, it was sooo beautiful!! The weather was warm and the people were friendly and the food was great! There was actually this one place down near the water called the Champañeria. It was just a little small place that bottles their own cava, which is similar to champagne, but they have both white and red and its really sweet. It was SO GOOD. And cheap!! They have sandwiches too with delicious serrano ham and such...so delicious. All 8 of us got sandwiches, split 2 portions of chorizo sausage, 1 plate of manchego cheese AND a full bottle of cava all for 40 euro. Only 5 euro each for all that food! And it was SO GOOD!! Oh my gosh, I could have stayed there all day long to be honest.

We also saw just about EVERYTHING Antoni Gaudi built in the city. That all includes the Guell park, Casa Batllo, Casa Mila and of course La Sagrada Familia. Everything was really really beautiful, but especially La Sagrada Familia. The church is so huge and the light is so amazing in the church with all the stained glass windows. I really really enjoyed being there (except for all the other million people there).













After visiting La Sagrada Familia, we walked to the park Guell. On the map, it didn't look too far away, but it ended up being super far and took us quite a while to get there considering it was all uphill. (ugh) It also ended up being pretty crowded, but it was really cool to see the famous colonnade where America's Next Top Model had their season finale a few years ago. It was much larger than I thought and much more intricate. Really interesting and beautiful. There were also multiple mosaic sculptures scattered around the park that were really nice, as well as the underside of the large viewing platform. The underside was completely colonnaded with tiny mosaic vaults.


After spending three days in Barcelona, we were off to Paris for three more days. The first stop in Paris was the Louvre. The five of us ended up splitting into a group of two (Olga and I) and three (Bernie, Olga, and Ellen) because we each wanted to see a few different things. Then, because our phones didn't really work in France, we ended up spending the day as a romantic couple in Paris. Neither Olga or I speak any French, so it was pretty entertaining going to bistros for lunch and finding our way around. I actually did something really stupid in the first place we went for lunch. As we were leaving, I saw a bowl of small wrapped cubes on the counter, which I assumed to be small pieces of bubble gum. It looked a lot like the Bazooka gum from home, so I asked the guy if I could have a few and he looked at me funny and said sure. Once we got outside, I opened it up and realized it was a sugar cube..........not the best moment on my part. We went to see the Notre Dame de Paris. It was pretty darn beautiful, but we didn't see the hunchback wandering around. We also saw the Pompidou Center as well as the Arch de Triomphe, Arch de la defense, Basilica of Sacre Coeur, as well as of course the Eiffel Tower!


We wandered around Paris for quite a while, but we very quickly learned the metro system because Paris is much larger than it looks on a map. Everything we saw was really beautiful and we had some really good food. We even tried escargot! Which turned out to be really really good! Turns out that at 8 every night, the Eiffel Tower sparkles for about 5 minutes. It was sooo pretty! And super romantic. =( This whole long distance thing is really tough...but I'm so excited to come home soon and see my wonderful boyfriend.


Since our return to Rome, we have been through midterms and a few weeks of classes. Nothing really too exciting, but soon I will update you on our recent trip to Northern Italy. PROMISE.

Southern Trip Summary

I know I have been away for a while, but luckily for you, I emailed myself my thoughts about my trip to Southern Italy while I was on the trip, so that I can let you see what I was thinking at the time. So....here it is!

Richard has been making this trip less than enjoyable with all his commentary but nonetheless the trip so far has been amazing.

Yesterday we hit the road early and spent the whole day in Pompeii. It turns out the city is way over rated. The drive was beautiful with all the mountains but the city of Pompeii is very small and compressed and kindof boring. It was pretty exciting to be so close to Mt. Vesuvius though. It hasn't erupted since the 40s or 70s or something so it is long overdue for an eruption. A little exciting I must say.

When we FINALLY left Pompeii at 5 or so, we drove a little further south and closer to the sea. We passed the Amalfi coast which looked BEAUTIFUL and we had the perfect timing because as we were driving along the shore, the sun was setting over the Tyrrhenian sea. It was so so pretty.

The mountains here are absolutely amazing. I really really love them. Today when we were driving we saw some covered in snow. So nice. We were actually on our way from Paestum to Padula when we saw those. We started today with some Greek temples in Paestum from the 5th and 6th century BC. I have studied these temples for so long, it was really amazing to be standing in front of them. The land that they are situated on is an open plain so it was really appealing to me. It was a complete contrast to Pompeii with it's blocks and blocks of houses and groups of tourists. It had soooo much space and plenty of time to just walk around and explore. I was really enjoying it and actually enjoying my sketching.

From there, we hit the road for an hour and had the most GHETTO lunch at an "Autogrill" next to the highway. So ridiculous. Once we got to Padula, we visited the convent of St. Lawrence. The overall complex kindof bored me but the end destination was this staircase that was SO BEAUTIFUL I CAN'T GET OVER IT. It was a twisting staircase that went up two sides.....so it was an oval in plan....so pretty. Completely travertine or marble..don't remember..but every window I looked out, I felt like I was living in a painting of the Italian countryside. The sun was coming out and casting shadows from the Cyprus trees.....omg. It was amazing. I can't really put it into words. The pictures will have to do it justice.



Tuesday and Wednesday were 100% opposite from each other. Tuesday, we left Paestum and drove to Trani, stopping at the Castel del Monte first. The only thing was, it was POURING all day long. So, when we got to Castel del Monte, needless to say nobody was excited to get off the bus and walk up a hill to the building. Once we got there we realized that we had to sprint across the courtyard to got to different parts of the structure and then, as always, we were forced to sketch something in the 30 degree weather. By the time we left, we were all so cold. It was ridiculous, But it didn't stop there.

Once we got to Trani, we realized it was a beautiful town, but it was pretty much a hurricane we were driving through. A lot of people got their luggage soaked because the compartment on the bus was leaking water. Anyways, we got to the hotel that was SO NICE. We felt like princesses because there were only two of us to a room and they were huge and wonderful. The hotel was right on the edge of the port with the cathedral directly opposite, which, of course, we had to trek over to. In the hurricane. So, we all bundled up and grabbed out umbrellas and set off. The streets were pretty much rivers and the staircases were waterfalls. Because the cathedral is right on the water's edge, the wind at that point got SO RIDICULOUS and the water was pouring off the side if the church. It was ridiculous in every way. At that point, my shoes and two pair of socks were soaked through and through and my pants were wet up to my knees.

Then, we froze our butts off inside the church, which was beautifully constructed out if limestone on the exterior as well as the interior-no frescos or paintings or reliefs or anything. Very simple but very beautiful.


Luckily when we woke up Wednesday morning, it was a sunny day with blue skies and warm weather. Now we REALLY got to enjoy the city because we had the whole morning to ourselves. We got to see all the fishing boats coming in with their daily catch and they sold it right there in the boardwalk at little booths. Very nice. We walked all around the town and fell in love with it.



The rest of the day was spent on the road. Four and a half hours driving down the coast of the Adriatic sea. It was sooooo pretty. The color of the water is absolutely stunning. We passed hundreds, maybe thousands of olive trees that grow right up to the edge if the sea. So so pretty.

We arrived in Otranto at about 5 and had to hike up to the top of the medieval fortress town to sketch the church. It was an alright church with a huge mosaic floor and a room full of skulls and bones from when the crusaders came into the town and killed the locals. Creepy. The town was empty and a little creepy so we had NOTHING to do for two hours until dinnertime. We all ended up going to the one bar that was open and drinking wine until it was time for dinner. Finally after dinner, we drove to our hotel outside of Otranto which ended up being a beautiful little oasis in the countryside. Had pools and olive trees and everything. Very nice.

Now, the last leg of the journey I did not have time to record on the spot, so I will tell you what I remember. From the fancy hotel, we went to a town called Lecce. We didn't spend TOO much time in there, just went to the town's main cathedral complex with its fancy bell tower. We also saw a Roccoco church with a facade that was INSANE. Just about every inch of the facade was covered in something. There was a small amphitheater in the town that we had to draw, but other than that we spent very little time in the town. We had to HIKE back to the bus because it couldn't enter the city center. It was literally a half hour walk back to the bus with us hoping that we were going to right direction.

The last place we visited was a town called Matera. It was BEAUTIFUL. I really liked it. It is a town that was built into the side of a mountain around a river. The original dwellings were caves carved into the rock, and then after that houses and dwellings were just built ontop of each other. There is a large cathedral at the top of the mountain, but aside from that, the whole town consists of small houses clustered on the mountainside. Very impressive. Our hotel was one of these caves that was fixed up. SO COOL. It was warm and dark and quiet....which was lovely when going to sleep. The bathroom was a tiny fully tiled room WITH A BATHTUB, but I didn't have time to take a bath. We visited some old, original churches carved into the rock. We got to see a super fancy hotel that was also in the caves, and it was SOOOO NICE. All of us girls there decided we were all going to return to the hotel for our honeymoons. We also all went to a restaurant together for dinner one night. All 22 of us and the teachers and Carlo, our bus driver. Carlo seems to know everyone, and he was the one who got us into the restaurant. Mel Gibson ate there when he was filming the Passion there in Matera.

All in all, the trip was a success. Every town we visited was beautiful in its own way and I'm really thankful to have the opportunity to have seen so much of the country. We still have the Northern trip to go on and we get to spend a few days in Venice, which I'm super excited about.

I'll try to do a better job keeping up!

Ketchup Time

Ok, time to catch everyone up on what has been going on in my life for the past few weeks. I apologize for not writing in a while, but life has gotten extremely busy. The weekend after my last post we went to Florence for a few days. Florence was pretty darn beautiful and very different from Rome. For example, there were NO COBBLESTONES, so there was no ankle-twisting going on. It is a lot smaller than Rome, but we squeezed a lot into the few days.

We saw the major cathedral of course, and got to climb to the top of the dome which was AWESOME. 463 steps to the top, and the view was totally worth it. It was really really nice to see the entire city from the top of the tallest church in town, and you could see the entire city as well as the outlying hills. The morning we did it was cloudy, but you could see the sun occasionally through the clouds. Very pretty.

We also got to see the baptistry built adjacent to the church, as well as the church of San Lorenzo and its two famous chapels. Also....we went to the academy where the famous David sculpture is by Michelangelo. It was pretty impressive and much larger than I expected...but very beautiful nonetheless. Many other miscellaneous statues and sculptures as well as beautiful architecture.

Side note-we stayed in a convent while we were there. Felt like an orphanage because of the size of the rooms but the nuns were adorable. =) Overall, the city was great and they have cheap leather. I got a leather coat!!!!! And I'm so excited about it.



Now, the week after we returned to Rome, we had a pinup for our design class. This means that we had a lot of work to do in not too much time, so thus the reason for the lack of posts. The pinup went well, but I am scarred from cutting all my little pieces to put together my model. If I had a laser cutter, my life would have been so much easier.

And thennnn.......this past week my friend Julie came from home to visit me. She stayed for a week and brought me a bunch of stuff I needed from home and we had a great time. This past Saturday, we went to a small town an hour north of Rome called Orvieto. It was BEAUTIFUL. It is a hilltown that you can only get to from the train on an incline trolley. It was very cute. =) We could see all the vineyards surrounding the town although the vines were trimmed back because it is an off season. The coolest thing BY FAR in the town is the well designed by the architect Antonio da Sangallo for the pope's refuge during the siege of Rome in the late 19th century. It is a 175 foot deep well that is 45 feet wide with a double helix staircase. VERY COOL. Although, close to 500 steps to get back up and out. =/

Now, back to the boring stuff after those two trips. This past week, Julie left to go back home and we have just been working on schoolwork. But, not for loooonnnggg.......this Sunday is NOT ONLY Bernie's birthday, but we leave for our first long study trip. We leave to go to Southern Italy, starting with Pompei and moving South and East across to the Mediterranean Sea. After our trip is Spring Break in Barcelona and Paris, so in 2 week's time, I will have TONS of fun stuff to fill you in on. =)

La Vita Romana

So, now it has been quite a few weeks here in Italy and I am starting to really get into the groove of things. We have figured out where all the necessary stores are...and how to cook in the kitchen in shifts....and schoolwork is sortof in a regular schedule. Which means, life is starting to become somewhat normal here in Rome. We haven't really gotten to go to any NEW ruins or monuments or anything, but just about the only big thing I haven't been to yet is the Coliseum. =/ I will soon though.

This past weekend, the weather started to take a turn for the better. It warmed up to over 60 degrees and it was sunny and BEAUTIFUL. Some of the other people in the program, who live in another apartment, had a party on their rooftop terrace this past Sunday, and it was GREAT. There was plenty of good food and good wine and it was the first time everyone in the program got together. I wasn't sure that it would be so fun, but it turned out to be a great time. =)

Other than that party, school has been the only thing that has been taking over my life. This weekend we go to Florence and we get to climb the dome of the Florence Cathedral, and I am SO EXCITED about that. It sounds super cool. =) So, after my weekend trip, I will have plenty more to talk about and show you!

Week 2

Well, I have survived my second week of classes here...well, almost. All I have is Italian in the morning and a walking tour, but they don't count.

A lot has gone on this past week actually, so I have a lot to catch you all up on. First and foremost, the first emergency room visit: last Friday, one of the girls who lives with me tripped on a cobblestone (they are vicious here!!) and landed on her knee. So bad that it busted it open all the way down to the bone. She was in the hospital overnight and had to get 21 stitches and is, needless to say, using crutches for a while. This also means that she is missing out on all the walking tours that we have been going on..seeing some more of the city that we haven't yet. She is doing fine now, just hobbling around the house and to the classes that only involve sitting in the room, and she goes back for a check up next week.

Now, the walking tours. We are taking a lot of classes here that seem to overlap when it comes to content. This means that we hear a lot of the same information over, and over, and over. AND we seem to go to the same places in Rome a lot. Which is ok, because it is all beautiful. =) This week we spent a lot of time at the Capitoline Hill and the surrounding monuments, ruins, and piazzas. There is so much history in this city, it is overwhealming. The only downfall to all these walking tours is that I am SO SORE!! My hips, knees, calves, ankles, and toes all hurt. I feel like I'm an old woman when I wake up in the morning all sore. I still haven't been down to the Coliseum yet....but we plan on going sometime this weekend. We all want to go at night because I'm sure its SUPER GORGEOUS at night.

And YESTERDAYYYY we got our plans for Spring Break ironed out!!!! I bought my tickets to Barcelona AND Paris!! I canNOT believe it. I know I bought the tickets and everything, but it is so surreal to think that I am going to be in Barcelona and Paris in a few weeks. I can't believe it. It is going to be CRAZY. Ah! Can't wait! Only a few more weeks and before then, I get to see my friend Julie who is coming to visit me! =)

Next few weeks should be great!

Hump Day

Ok, I am officially half way through my first week of classes here in Rome, and I must say, it feels nice to be back in school again.
My winter 'break' if you want to call it was anything but relaxing. I did so much running around and driving here and driving there, I only got to see my friends one time and I didn't get to spend as much time with my family as I would have liked. Coming to Rome, I knew I would have a lot on my plate, but it is nice to have something for my mind to focus on, even though there is A LOT to focus on here.
So classes thus far consist of sketching, drawing, rendering, and more sketching, and apparently everything I learned from drawing in Copenhagen was left in Copenhagen. My first sketch was really really horrible. But, I can proudly say my second was better and my third even better than that. So...it will just take me some time to warm up, that's all. I had my first day of Design yesterday, although it was only an introduction so it doesn't really count. Today I had my first class with Larry, by far my favorite professor ever, and so of course it went great! He showed us some pretty awesome sights to go back to....

Now, to fill you in on the rest of the weekend, I SAW SOME AWESOME STUFF. We went on an adventure Sunday and saw St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican, the Castle di Sant' Angelo, the Pantheon, and the Trevi Fountain. All were beautiful, and I KNOW I will be returning to them all sometime soon.

Going to the Vatican on Sunday worked out well, because we saw the Pope!! I'm not Catholic, but I have to say it was still pretty awesome to see the Pope. I can definitely check that one off my bucket list. From there, we got an awesome pizza lunch, and moved our way over to the castle and across the bridge into the older part of town.

Turns out the Pantheon isn't really all that easy to find. There are signs here and there, but all the roads are so small that you wind your way through the city with barely any sense of direction. Once we got into the piazza just in front of the Pantheon though, it was like a vacuum. We turned the corner and BAM! there it was: One of THE MOST famous works of architecture of all time. Part of it was being renovated on the outside, but it was sooooo cool to be standing in front of the Pantheon!! It looked so old, too! And I know it IS old, of course, but being amidst all the newer looking buildings, it looked so old and gray and weathered..but the interior was perfect. It was so beautiful. The oculus in the center of the roof is still just a hole, so the first day it rains here I want to go watch it rain inside. Turns out Raphael (the famous painter) was buried there, so they had his tomb as well as one of the previous kings of Rome (or Italy, I'm not sure). The whole thing was just so darn beautiful.


And our final destination of the day was the Trevi Fountain. Now, this is the one that you are supposed to throw a coin into in order to bring you love. I threw one in because, you know... 'When in Rome..' but I threw it in in thanks of finding love. =) The fountain itself is really pretty, and all of these places are on our list of places to return to at night to see them all lit up.

It's all sinking in..

Ok. So today I have had my first few moments where it has started to hit me that I am in Rome. I am going to be living in Rome for the next 4 months. I will be taking classes and doing work while I am here in Rome for the next 4 months.
Of course it is still AWESOME that I am here, it's just that all this sinking in makes me miss those at home so much more....I don't know why, but I am feeling a bit homesick today. Just being with so many people and living with so many people who are on such different schedules and everything makes life........well...........interesting. It really makes you realize who you are as a person.
Today, in a recap, was a lazy day for the most part. We had to go to studio for orientation at 10 am this morning, which was a struggle because my friends and I went out drinking last night. Six of us shared four liters of mojito....which made us all very happy.... So anyways, we made it to studio on time and then listened to the director of the program talk about nonsense for an hour. Ugh. It was painful. So then after that, we returned to the apartment and hung out until our arranged studio lunch at 2. I watched Top Chef during that time because my AMAZING boyfriend sent it to me so I can keep up. =) After lunch, I had to buy a sketchbook for my drawing class, and nobody else had to go to the art supply store, so what did that mean? I had to venture out, ON MY OWN. I had to know where I was going, and speak enough Italian to get what I needed. It wasn't bad at all, but it was the first thing I have done here completely alone!! I kindof liked the independence..and almost wanted to stay out for a little while longer, but I was tired and didn't want to carry my new sketchbook everywhere with me.
The rest of the evening I spent at home, working with my partners on our poetry workshop assignment that is due Tuesday. We worked on it for multiple hours....we kindof lost track of time, but we got 99% of it done. So that is a load off our shoulders.
Tonight, we are just going to stay in I think. I made myself some dinner that was AWESOME and now I am just hanging out and letting my food digest. So, no big news really.


The other day while wandering through the city, I saw my first real ruins. It was sooo beautiful. Not all of them, but I walked up onto Capitoline Hill and saw the tip of the Coliseum and the Roman Forum and basically the 'downtown' of all the ruins. We didn't venture all the way into the heart of it, but just seeing it was absolutely stunning. It is so crazy to be AT the places that I have studied for over 5 years now....


When I get closer to the ruins, I will DEFINITELY have more to say, and more for you to see.