Sooooo... spring break in Italy was AMAZING! I can't possibly write everything, but I'll try to give you all an idea of how it went. And I've been pretty busy since I got back, so I have lots to write about that to!
For our pre-trip night, Beth and I slept in the Heathrow Airport, because our flight was too early to use the tube. It was safe, but not very comfortable at all. :P But we didn't miss our flight! yay!
ROME
We started off our trip in Rome. Our tour guide (Borge--my dad's boss) was great! :) We saw SO much and we didn't take any type of public or private transportation! We walked all over. My favorite sight was definitely the Colosseum! It was SO cool. Immense. Incredible. But (annoyingly) I kept thinking about that stupid Jumper movie (they have a fight scene at the Colosseum). :P But I loved being there. It was very surreal. And impressive. We also saw plenty of beautiful churches. To sum them up: Marble. And lots of it. And lots of beautiful Renaissance colors and shapes. Another of my favorite parts was just seeing Italy. I mean, there were so many great terraces with flowers and clothes hanging out to dry--just the way you would picture it! It was so fun to see. We also went to this place called Piazza Navona with three water fountains and lots of people selling pretty pictures.
Me and the good ole Colosseum!On the first day (and later on) I couldn't get over how much Italy reminded me of California! They are SO similar (except Italy was all these ancient ruins and impressive buildings). :) But seriously, the landscapes are pretty similar and California is definitely Italy-inspired in lots of its architecture. It was pretty weird/cool to see. I felt like was home...but not. I kept pointing things out to Beth, saying "look! that looks like California!" A reoccurring theme of our trip was gelato and pizza! SOOOOO tasty! We had gelato almost every day. And I had a lot of margherita pizza. yum. Another theme was dodging cars. The drivers in Rome are intense. And, except at a few crosswalks, the pedestrians just have to run for it! We became pros by the end. :)
Our second day in Rome was intense. We walked ALL day. We saw so many things, including the Trevi fountain. Then we walked to Vatican City. We saw the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Cathedral. St. Peter's Cathedral was so amazing. It's so BIG. And beautiful. We climbed to the top. It was a long climb. We saw a great view. Later we sat on the Spanish Steps, which was nice a relaxing. There were a lot of people there. In the evening we went to the Trevi Fountain again so that we could see it all lit up. It was very pretty. And romantic. There's a gate there that lovers hang locks (usually with their initials) on to symbolize the enduring quality of their love (I guess). There are a LOT of locks. It's pretty cool. It was a VERY full day.
Our second day in Rome was intense. We walked ALL day. We saw so many things, including the Trevi fountain. Then we walked to Vatican City. We saw the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Cathedral. St. Peter's Cathedral was so amazing. It's so BIG. And beautiful. We climbed to the top. It was a long climb. We saw a great view. Later we sat on the Spanish Steps, which was nice a relaxing. There were a lot of people there. In the evening we went to the Trevi Fountain again so that we could see it all lit up. It was very pretty. And romantic. There's a gate there that lovers hang locks (usually with their initials) on to symbolize the enduring quality of their love (I guess). There are a LOT of locks. It's pretty cool. It was a VERY full day.
At the Trevi fountain at night!Our last (half) day in Rome was very nice, too. We walked to the Musei Capitolini (a very big and important museum). On our way we ran into a marathon! (In Rome!) It was pretty neat. We kept coming across it for the rest of the day. Afterwards, we caught a train to Arezzo and then Borge drove us to his and his wife's house in Caprese Michealangelo (the birth place of Michealangelo!). They have a very beautiful house. (Unfortunately, it's on a mountain, which means twisty roads. :P But I survived.) Contrary to my expectations (of a nice, sunny spring break) Caprese got some snow right before we came. It wasn't too bad. But it was kind of cold.
CAPRESE MICHEALANGELO
Our first whole day here they (Borge and Jytte) took us on a tour of some cool towns in Tuscany. First we went to a little (very cute!) town called Lucignano, where some of us got coffee. Then we went to Sienna (the home of a very famous horse race) and got lunch and climbed a tower (a common practice of ours in Italy). Then we went to San Gimignano (known as the City of Towers) and got some gelato. It was a lot of driving, but the towns were really cute, so it was worth it. We went to dinner at their local restaurant called Buca de Michealangelo (Buca, for short). We ate so much! It was tasty.
CAPRESE MICHEALANGELO
Our first whole day here they (Borge and Jytte) took us on a tour of some cool towns in Tuscany. First we went to a little (very cute!) town called Lucignano, where some of us got coffee. Then we went to Sienna (the home of a very famous horse race) and got lunch and climbed a tower (a common practice of ours in Italy). Then we went to San Gimignano (known as the City of Towers) and got some gelato. It was a lot of driving, but the towns were really cute, so it was worth it. We went to dinner at their local restaurant called Buca de Michealangelo (Buca, for short). We ate so much! It was tasty.
On top of a tower in Siena!The next day we went to two closer towns. First we went to Sanse Polcro, where we walked around and found a neat little market. (I might have bought some gifts there... ;) heehee!) Then we went to Anghiari for (what Borge and Jytte call) the World's Best Piazza. It was very good. Then we went back to Sanse Polcro to get some groceries and then back home. Jytte was really nice and got us some Italian Apple Pie (which is more like apple cake). YUM!
The next day was more relaxing. We visited the castello at the top of the mountain/hill where they live. We also visited a working monastery, where we got to see an afternoon mass/procession. It was a nice day (but still kind of cold.)
Then we went onto the next stage of our Journey...
FLORENCE
Borge and Jytte dropped us of in Florence in the late morning, which was really nice of them (they were going to the Ikea there so they took us along). Unfortunately, because of GPS issues, we didn't get in until about an hour after we were supposed to, so that was sad. We had a train to catch in the afternoon, so we did a small walk and saw a lot of nice places, including the Medici Chapel. Unfortunately, we did not see The David. :( There was some confusion as to where he was housed. The museum was a hole in the wall. We walked past it at first. It had graffiti all over it and not a very large sign (nothing that said it had the David). So that was sad, but we it was still an alright trip. (The drivers in Florence are even crazier than the one in Rome. So scary!) After our partial day here, we headed off to...
The next day was more relaxing. We visited the castello at the top of the mountain/hill where they live. We also visited a working monastery, where we got to see an afternoon mass/procession. It was a nice day (but still kind of cold.)
Then we went onto the next stage of our Journey...
FLORENCE
Borge and Jytte dropped us of in Florence in the late morning, which was really nice of them (they were going to the Ikea there so they took us along). Unfortunately, because of GPS issues, we didn't get in until about an hour after we were supposed to, so that was sad. We had a train to catch in the afternoon, so we did a small walk and saw a lot of nice places, including the Medici Chapel. Unfortunately, we did not see The David. :( There was some confusion as to where he was housed. The museum was a hole in the wall. We walked past it at first. It had graffiti all over it and not a very large sign (nothing that said it had the David). So that was sad, but we it was still an alright trip. (The drivers in Florence are even crazier than the one in Rome. So scary!) After our partial day here, we headed off to...
In Florence (near the "gold" bridge).VENICE
I. Love. Venice. It was INCREDIBLE! I've never seen anything like it. I loved being there (even though I had an annoying head cold). Our hostel was right between the Rialto Bridge and Piazza San Marco. (Basically the two places to be.) On our first evening we had dinner and walked around. (The city basically shuts down at 7pm, because all the day tourists leave. It's kind of funny.) The shops there are AMAZING. So many beautiful masks and glass pieces. I bought a LOT of souvenirs. a LOT.
The next day we got up early and had breakfast (there is a lot of nutella in Italy) and went for an early walk. We walked to the Rialto and then to San Marco and then along the water. We did a lot of the sights in San Marco. First, we went into the church (or Basilica), which was so pretty--so much gold! Then we found a Jon Post! :) (For those of you who don't know: he's our friend from PLU who was in Europe for his spring break.) Then we climbed the bell tower (or Campanile) and went into the Doge's Palace (or the Ducle Palazzo)--both of which were impressive. We also took the ferry across to see a church (San Giorgio Maggiore) on an island. That was fun. We also just walked around the streets. I really enjoyed that. Everything was so colorful and festive!
I. Love. Venice. It was INCREDIBLE! I've never seen anything like it. I loved being there (even though I had an annoying head cold). Our hostel was right between the Rialto Bridge and Piazza San Marco. (Basically the two places to be.) On our first evening we had dinner and walked around. (The city basically shuts down at 7pm, because all the day tourists leave. It's kind of funny.) The shops there are AMAZING. So many beautiful masks and glass pieces. I bought a LOT of souvenirs. a LOT.
The next day we got up early and had breakfast (there is a lot of nutella in Italy) and went for an early walk. We walked to the Rialto and then to San Marco and then along the water. We did a lot of the sights in San Marco. First, we went into the church (or Basilica), which was so pretty--so much gold! Then we found a Jon Post! :) (For those of you who don't know: he's our friend from PLU who was in Europe for his spring break.) Then we climbed the bell tower (or Campanile) and went into the Doge's Palace (or the Ducle Palazzo)--both of which were impressive. We also took the ferry across to see a church (San Giorgio Maggiore) on an island. That was fun. We also just walked around the streets. I really enjoyed that. Everything was so colorful and festive!
Me in Piazza San Marco (that's the Basilica behind me).Our last day (which was pretty long considering we had to leave to catch a plane) was very nice. We mostly did more walking around. And picture taking. And souvenir buying. :) Our flight back was fine. The time change was funny, because we came back and our phones switched back to England time and then England time went into daylight savings time a few hours later. So for us it was kind of like no change! :) I was so tired! But it was an amazing trip. I <3 style="font-weight: bold;">
Back in London
Since then I've enjoyed not having too much crazy schoolwork (unlike our midterm time). I basically recovered from the trip (and my cold) on Sunday by not doing anything. It was nice. I mostly did school and homework Monday to Wednesday. On Wednesday we went to the British Parliament! It was very cool. We watched the House of Commons talk about the red cross symbol. On Thursday, I finished school early so I went to the British Museum (where I saw a neat Aphrodite statue) and Bloomsbury Square (where I just sat and ate and read for an hour) and then to the British Library (where I saw--among other things--the Magna Carter!). I thought I lost my camera (after I left the square before the library), but fortunately I retraced my steps and asked at the British Museum's lost and found and...they had it! I have no idea how I lost it, but I was SOOOOO happy to have it back! XD And then, in the evening, our whole program went to a concert (that our program director happened to be in) called The Apostles. It was very pretty. (But I was kind of tired, so I might have dosed off a bit...whoops. I did like it though!) Today (Friday) we went to the Kew Gardens. They are very beautiful. It was nice to walk around them AND to just sit in the sun (once it finally decided to grace us with its presence). Afterwards, Anne and Beth and I went to o'neills for dinner. It was a very nice day. And something that made it even nicer is our plan for tomorrow! Anne and I are going to go to Windsor in the morning and then to a JASON MRAZ concert in the evening!!!! I am SO excited! eek! I'll fill you in on it afterwards. :)
Back in London
Since then I've enjoyed not having too much crazy schoolwork (unlike our midterm time). I basically recovered from the trip (and my cold) on Sunday by not doing anything. It was nice. I mostly did school and homework Monday to Wednesday. On Wednesday we went to the British Parliament! It was very cool. We watched the House of Commons talk about the red cross symbol. On Thursday, I finished school early so I went to the British Museum (where I saw a neat Aphrodite statue) and Bloomsbury Square (where I just sat and ate and read for an hour) and then to the British Library (where I saw--among other things--the Magna Carter!). I thought I lost my camera (after I left the square before the library), but fortunately I retraced my steps and asked at the British Museum's lost and found and...they had it! I have no idea how I lost it, but I was SOOOOO happy to have it back! XD And then, in the evening, our whole program went to a concert (that our program director happened to be in) called The Apostles. It was very pretty. (But I was kind of tired, so I might have dosed off a bit...whoops. I did like it though!) Today (Friday) we went to the Kew Gardens. They are very beautiful. It was nice to walk around them AND to just sit in the sun (once it finally decided to grace us with its presence). Afterwards, Anne and Beth and I went to o'neills for dinner. It was a very nice day. And something that made it even nicer is our plan for tomorrow! Anne and I are going to go to Windsor in the morning and then to a JASON MRAZ concert in the evening!!!! I am SO excited! eek! I'll fill you in on it afterwards. :)
Me at the Kew Gardens.It has taken me so long to write this! And it's pretty condensed. Now it's very late, so sorry if it is a bit sub par...I'm tired. :P
Hey! Looooved reading your blog. Sounds like you had way too much fun for it to be legal! :P You better have tons of photos for me to look at when you get back (and souvenirs :P)! Keep up the good work and have fun at the concert--scream some for me! :)
ReplyDelete<3 Han
Welcome back. I am printing your blog on your Italy adventure so Granny and I can read it over coffee this lovely morning in San Diego. Love ya, PoppyL
ReplyDeleteDo these capture your Italian experience?
ReplyDelete"Open my heart and you will see,
Graved inside of it, 'Italy.'"
Robert Browning
"I love the language, that soft bastard Latin,
Which melts like kisses from a female mouth,
And sounds as if it should be writ on satin
With syllables which breathe of the sweet South."
Lord Byron
"Italia! oh Italia! thou who hast
The fatal gift of beauty."
Byron's translation of Filicaja's "Italia" (17th century)
Love ya, Poppy L
Wow, you sound like you had an amazing time. I really want to go to Venice with you someday. I have alwaysed wanted to go there. Have fun with Jason Mraz. I love you.
ReplyDelete