Sleeeeeeeepy

So, jet lag is finally hitting me and I am sleepy!! Not good when you have to be at work! But, I have to say, being in Italy was more than worth it!!

Today I will work all day but I have to step out for a lunch meeting for a few minutes because of my next big adventure!! What is it? Slovakia Summer Camp!! I have been selected to go on a mission trip to Slovakia!! I am very excited and I am sure there will be a lot of these meetings between now and when I go.

Otherwise, I need to stop off at Publix and get some groceries and my friend Lynn will be coming by my place so we can catch up!

Even being tired I still somehow stay too busy! Wish me luck!

Urban Gardener

So, what does an urban garden look like? Well for me it looks like this...



To aid in the war against the roaches, I had to go to the Home Depot today to get borax. While there I figured I would get some basil since I would like to have some fresh and on-hand. I got the borax and was looking at the basil when I figured I should also get rosemary. And you can't have just 2 plants sitting there... you need 3. So I got some chives too! I found a few cute pots and figured, why not try tomatoes too. I was on the phone with my dad and he explained that they have upside down tomato plants that you can get. I asked around and found out that Home Depot didn't have that but they did have a hanging basket that would have tomatoes in them! Score. However, they didn't have just tomatoes... it was tomatoes, peppers, and purple basil. I checked the price and it would have cost more to put it together myself. So I got it pre-made.

I had to make a few other stops but it was nice every time I got in and out of my car... it smelled soooo good!! I got home and started out by hanging the tomato/basil/pepper plant and that was not easy!! I am just a weak girl (wink, wink) and had to get my hook anchored in the wood beam. It took some work and some engineering with tools but I got the hook up. After that, I began planting the rest and realized that the potting soil that I already had wasn't enough. I only got one plant potted!! I also found my old pots so I headed back to Home Depot and got some more soil and a few more little flowers!! I have gotten everything outside potted and cleaned up... check out the pictures!!

On a side note, I wasn't able to sleep last night so I got up around 7am. I have gotten a lot done (got the plants potted, worked out, got some groceries, unpacked, cleaned a little) today but the sleepiness is starting to hit me!! I still need a shower and would like to do my laundry... time to get off the computer and get that finished before I pass out!!

Officially Home!!! I don't think the roaches are happy...

After a lot of flying I am now home!!! The flights were very easy although I didn't think they would be. On my long 9-hour flight home I sat right behind a grandma, mom, and her 2 children under 2!! One was a baby and he cried a little bit here and there but the 2 year old was very, very good. He and I even played a little bit!! And, for the first half of the flight I managed to sleep a little bit!!

Customs was the hardest part of my trip... in the USA!!! They made something that should be easy soooooo complicated!!! First everyone from every international flight lines up in one location and goes thru customs... huge line but went fairly quickly. Then everyone has to pick up their bags. Move them about 15 feet and then drop them off again. They don't search them so I am not sure why you have to pick them up. Also, when you pick them up you are not allowed to open any of your bags. You have to wait and go into another tiny room with no tables and 3 people telling you to go in three different spots to open your bag. The reason I had to open my bag was that I bought something liquid in the Venice, Italy airport and in the US airport you must go thru security again and normal liquid rules apply. So I had to transfer them from one bag to another.

But, in between picking up my luggage and going thru security is where I needed to get my boarding pass... but it never said that!! The only sign on their table was for elite business travelers... which I am not!! So, I had to get out of line, get the boarding pass then go back into line. And, the line to get thru security was huge because for all transferring international flights there was only one lady checking IDs!! What a mess!!! That took forever!! And I only had 1 and 1/2 hours to get off one flight and onto another. Luckily I made it with a few minutes to spare!!

The trip from JFK in NYC to Atlanta was uneventful!! That was nice!! My friend Marcus picked me up from the airport... it worked out perfectly!! I got to the baggage carousel and with in a few minutes he showed up. A few minutes after that my bags arrived.

On the way home we stopped for dinner at a Thai restaurant!! All the good Italian food I have had lately made me crave something really different... and it was perfect!! I ate way too much!!

After a quick stop at the grocery store we finally made it to my place. He helped me carry my bags up to my apartment and I made him coffee with my coffee maker and he got to meet my roomates!! The roaches!! They were jumping up and down when I got home... either it was party style or they were mad I was back invading their home. Marcus says I must move out immediately... I was planning on starting the looking-for-a-new-apartment this weekend but I will have to start it later today. Seriously it was awful... they were everywhere... I would guess we killed somewhere around 75 of them by the end of the night... and that doesn't include the ones that were dead when I arrived. If they each paid me $1 in rent I would be rich!!

Today I was not able to sleep in!! I woke up at 7am and just tossed and turned... but that would be noon Italy time and a good time for me to get up. I got up and getting some things done around the apartment and am about to head out to do my errands.

Hope everyone is having a great Friday!!

Last day in Venice...

So, I got up really early on my last day in Venice...  I was sleeping and heard the church bells ringing and I thought for sure it was noon.  So I got up, went to the living room, and realized from the sunlight that it wasn't quite noon yet, but I decided to stay up anyway.  I pulled out my computer and found out it was only 8am.  I got the water going for coffee and found milk to make cappuccino.  As I was getting my cappuccino made other roommates were waking up and wondering what I was doing up so early!!

After my cappuccino I got my shower, was getting ready for the day and roommate Kierra woke up and she asked if I wanted another cappuccino... of course!!  Once I had 2 cappuccinos I was more than ready to leave the house.  I went to Campo Santa Margareta and did some shopping before walking to the waterside.  It was a beautifully sunny but very chilly morning.  It was a good walk for my last day.

I made it back home around 1:00pm to find both Britt and Andrea awake.  We went out to a Venetian sandwich shop for lunch and it was really good! The sandwiches are in halves so I was able to try two different kinds of sandwiches.  It was a lot of fun.  After lunch we walked around some more, did a little bit more shopping, and got some gelato before making it back to the apartment.  

Once back, I packed up my bags and got myself ready to go.  I also found out that I will be taking the 7:50 am bus to the airport which means I should be up at 6:30 am and out the door at 7:30am.  Luckily Andrea and Britt will help me cart my bags to the bus as there are 3 or 4 different bridges of steps between the apartment and the bus stop.  Kearra is graduating tomorrow so Andrea will not be able to ride the bus to the airport but Britt will be coming with me and dropping me off at the airport.

Graduation here is much different than in the US.  First, they only have 3 years of school, then they have to put a huge report together that encompasses everything they have learned.  Then on graduation day they present the report to a board and then the board will ask them questions.  After answering they will know if they pass or not.  Its pretty intense and all students get pretty nervous around graduation.  But, once they graduate they have a huge party with lots of food, drinking, friends, family, presents, and the friends of the graduate put together little games and posters about the graduate.  They then parade the graduate around in costumes.  They have a lot of fun!!

After packing, Britt and I decided to go back to Campo Santa Margareta and I got one last gelato!!  It was fabulous!!  

Britt and I are now at the house waiting for Andrea to come back and then decide what we will do for dinner.  My last meal in Italy... for now ;)  

Pictures uploaded!!

I have all my pictures uploaded but no captions on them yet. Check the side bar for the links... I am just waking up (got up at 8am to the sounds of the church bells), got some coffee, and am about ready to start my last day. I may have time tonight to post comments... maybe, maybe not! But, if I do I will let you know!!

Day in Milan...

So Britt and I spent the day today in Milan and as much as I loved Milan (and I did) I think my favorite part was the journey to and from it. Reason being... the entire way I got to to see the Swiss Alps!!! Which are soooooo beautiful!! I can see why Dan loves Colorado so much!! It was so peacefully and serene... I loved it!!

While in Milan, Britt and I walked the streets looking at all the amazing shopping (hey, its one of the shopping capitals of the world) and we went into the Duomo... and amazing church in the middle of the town. It was sooooo huge and sooooo beautiful! I feel so blessed at all the amazing sites I have been able to visit in Italy.

We climbed to the top of the Duomo and was able to see Milan surrounded by the Alps, which was another amazing site!! Britt and I walked around, did more shopping, I got a gelato (this time it was pineapple and peach... very good) of course, and then went to lunch at an amazing little bar. We spent a good 4 or 5 hours there before heading back to Verona.

While shopping I found a department store that had a whole cooking section. Here in Italy their coffee makers are much different than we use in the US and they are stove top. I think they are amazing and would like to have one. While in the department store I was going to get one but the lady 'helping' us out was so bad that I just walked out. I want my shopping experience to be fun... not to have to deal with a bitchy lady!! I think Andrea will try to help me find one similar to it in Venice... if I don't find one I'll look online. Anything but have to deal with bad customer service!! And, apparently that is the standard here in Italy. All I know is that when Britt and I walked up the Duomo and saw the town the the security guards and the cashier were extremely nice!! So I know this isn't a problem with everyone!

I took a few pictures but once again forgot to plug in my batteries so of course my camera died. So, I am charging up the batteries and then will try to upload all the pictures from the past few days. Once they are up I'll let you know...

We are all now back in Venice. I have one more day here before flying out on Thursday. I haven't gotten my final plans confirmed and sent to me (they generally are sent the day before travel) but here are the original plans...

Thursday, March 27, 2008
Alitalia # 7616
Operated by: DELTA AIR LINES -- DL 7616 - Please check in with the operating carrier

Venice Marco Polo (VCE) to New York John F Kennedy Intl (JFK)
Departure (VCE): March 27, 10:30 AM CET (morning)
Arrival (JFK): March 27, 3:10 PM EDT (afternoon)
Class: Economy
Seat request: choose seats
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Alitalia # 3294
Operated by: DELTA AIR LINES -- DL 3294 - Please check in with the operating carrier

New York John F Kennedy Intl (JFK) to Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson ATL (ATL)
Departure (JFK): March 27, 4:35 PM EDT (afternoon)
Arrival (ATL): March 27, 7:20 PM EDT (evening)

If anything changes I will let you know!!

unplanned day in Mantova...

So, although I did not think we had plans for today Andrea informed me otherwise. We would be driving to one of three possible destinations... and we ended up in a very, very, very COLD Mantova, Italy. Now, the city is absolutely beautiful and I am soooooo glad I had the opportunity to go, however I would recommend going there more mid-May, early June!! Hehe!!

Mantova is about 40 minutes away from Verona by vehicle and right off a few lakes that cool off the breeze. The car read a very bone-chilling 9 degrees celsius (48.2 degrees) and that did not take into effect the wind chill. For all you still in Michigan I know that is not very chilly... but for us ATL-iens that is freeeeeeezing. LOL!! Yea, Andrea and his friends made fun of us too!!

And to top it off... Italians are the only ones I know that eat gelato in this weather!! And you know the saying... "When in Mantova..." so we did eat ice cream too (with my hot chocolate -- once again Italian style -- you do not drink hot chocolate, you eat it) outside!! Not indoors like normal, reasonable people. But, it was a ton of fun.

When we got back to Verona we went to another friend of Andrea for dinner. There was about 12 people there and we had a great time. Once again!! There was a variety of incredible pasta dishes for us to eat and great wine for us to drink.

With all the cold weather and food, Britt and I are sleepy!! Andrea brought us home around 11pm and he went back out to party with his friends. I am about to go to bed though...

Tomorrow Britt and I are taking the 11:43am train to Milan... which means we should arrive a little after 1:00pm. We will spend the day in Milan before heading back to Venice... for my last day!! I am so sad!!

Day after Easter!

We had a very good, very lazy Easter day!! Andrea and his Dad made us lunch... which was a TON of food!! We had a first course of salmon on toasted bread, stuffed mushrooms, and hard boiled eggs with a ton of stuff stuffed in them! For the next course we had lasagna with mushroom and bacon-like ham and cheese and some other stuff. For the third course we had rabbit and roasted potatos. For dessert we had a neopolitan cake that I had helped make the day before!! It all was sooooo good but more than enough for a few days. I do not know how I have been hungry at all after all that food!

After lunch we pretty much laid on the couch and watched the television. We are lucky that they have a lot of American TV here and we are able to choose English for the language if the program was origionally in English!!! E! had a marathon of Girls Next Door... a show that I love... so Britt and I pretty much watched that all day!

At night, a friend of Andrea stopped by and we went out to the city center for drinks (Andrea does not sit well so we all had to go out of the house). We went to a bar called Hemmingways and we had a lot of fun.

I do not know what our plans are for today. I know there is a market just down the street that I may walk to... I need it after all the food yesterday! Besided its a beautifully sunny day and I need to be out in it!!

Tomorrow Britt and I are going to go to Milan for the day and then back to Venice at night. I will spend Wednesday in Venice and then fly out Thursday morning. I will post the flight schedule soon for those who want it.

More from Verona...

Once again... Happy Easter!!

So last night I went to chuch and sat with Andreas Grandmother. Andrea spoke at the front of church so he sat up there the entire time. She speaks no English, I of course speak no Italian... but that does not stop her. She talk, talk, talked to me, all in Italian. At first I just looked at her, smiled, and shook my head. By the end I was repeating the last parts of what she would say. She seemed happy with that. She also liked that I would attempt to sing along using the bulletin. However, I do not think she liked that I did not take communion. I had no way to explain to her that I am Christian but not Catholic so who knows what she thought of me.


Also during the service they sprinkle everyone with holy water. I felt the need at that time to make the cross symbol. They do this symbol quite a few times during the service and I do not feel the need at those times, but when the priest is standing in front of me and is sprinkling me with holy water I feel that its a requirement. I looked up while making the cross to see Andrea looking at me laughing... I started laughing too. After church he mentioned it so I told him that if I had not done it all I could imagine was poofing into a cloud of smoke! I told him that as a genaral rule I do not but when it comes to holy water I must.


After church we went back to Andreas Dads house and picked up Britt and then went back to the city center. It was soooooo cold!! Luckily we met up with a few of Andreas friends and went into the Blue Bar where it was very warm!! I first had a spritz (yummy) and then tried lemonchello for the first time. Its a very popular drink in Italy and I found out its also a very strong drink!!! They drink it straight. I bought a bottle of it before trying it and when I make it at home I will have to mix it with Sprite or something. It is pretty good and found a recipe for making it at home...

You need:

• zest of 6 lemons
• 400ml sugar
• 800ml vodka

Method: Allow to stand for 3-4 weeks, strain and enjoy over crushed ice as an aperitif. The people who put the recipe online says they also tried the recipe with other citrus fruit, like limes and mandarins and it was great as well! I guess try it out!! I may just do that as well!

We were a pretty loud group all night... Britt and I in English, the rest in Italian. But we had a ton of fun!! I was just happy that we were indoors on such a cool evening! Britt agreed with me!!

Ready for a story that made Britt and I laugh so hard we cried (I hope I can do it justice)...

In Andreas Dads house Britt and I are sleeping in the same room each on our own twin bed. About an hour or so after going to bed I was woken up by this strange noise. It sounded like something was leaning and about to topple over (you know the noise I am talking about)? And then BOOM!! It sounded like something fell inside the room. But, with the blinds that they have here the room is pitch black even in the middle of the day so I could not see a thing.

I sat and thought for a few seconds if it was something in my dream, if it was something that really happened, and if Britt was also awake. I decided to find out... I said out loud in my sleepy voice... "What the hell was that?" After a few seconds of Britt pondering he says... "I think it was me!"

We wait a minute and then we turn the light on. It was him!!! I could see the head of the bed and it was on the floor. I started lauging that his bed fell!! Then I turned over and saw the foot of the bed and it was still in the air!! Some how, both of the front legs of the bed he was sleeping in fell over, but not the back legs!! Being as sleepy as I was this was way too funny!

Then Britt says to me, he did not realize that his bed fell and he did not wake up until he heard me say "What the hell was that?" He said had a dream about a coin that was about to fall, and then it fell, he too thought the sound of the bed falling was only in his dream. And then in his dream, when the coin fell (and the bed actually fell) healso dreamed that he had been shot. Which in his mind was the reason for the loud sound of the bed falling.

He woke up scared and I was scared as well. But once we realized what had happened he was laughing at how I asked what was going on and I was laughing that he did not realize that it was his bed that made the noise and that it fell out from under him!!

I got up to use the restroom and came back to a very proud Britt... he says to me, "Now it will not happen again!" All he did was put the back legs down so the whole bed was resting on the floor. This made me laugh even harder... that he was so proud of himself for being so ingenious!!

We giggled for a few more minutes before turning the lights back off and going back to sleep!!

Now Andrea and his Dad are making us lunch and we have no further plans for this Easter Sunday. I think Britt and I will do laundry when he wakes up. Otherwise I just want to wish you a very happy Easter... thank Jesus for what he did for me... and to be greatful for it!!

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Today in Verona...

After lunch, Britt, Andrea and I went to the city center and I got my pants!! Woo Hoo!! After shopping we stopped (twice) for gelato and then walked up a hill and over looked the city... so pretty. Once back home, Andreas Dad made up dinner... very tasty!! I am now about to get ready for church!!!!

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Updates...

I think I forgot to tell you the last part of my trip in Rome!!! How crazy of me!!

So, on Friday Britt and I went back to the Pantheon so I could take a few pictures (which I will eventually upload) however shortly after we arrived it started raining. We checked my Rick Steves book and found a close restaurant that came highly recommended so we went. And I am sooooooo glad that we did!! We went to Miscellanea and it was wonderful, and very cheap!! The book recommeded Mikki,s "sexy wine" (homemade from fragoline - strawberries) which I tried and LOVED!!! It was sooooo good. We ended up staying at the restaurant for a few hours because it was raining (thundering and lightening) and we each at a sandwich, had a drink, had strawberries for dessert and I had a cappuchino and it was all less than 20 euros!! I would do it all over again!! By the time we left it stopped raining, I of course got gelato, and we went back to Nicos house and then took the train to Verona.

Dinner is ready... I will tell you more about today later!!

Another (beautiful) day!!

Sun is shining, birds are chirping and its another wonderful day in Verona!! Andrea and I went to the grocery store to get food for a big Easter dinner tomorrow... its strange but I love supermarkets... all the food just waiting to be prepared!

Andera is going to start preparing the food for tomorrow while his father makes lunch. As usual Britt is just waking up! After lunch we will make our way down to the city center before heading to Easter mass!

I am too lazy to try to figure out why my computer is not getting internet access, which means there will be no new pictures. But do not fear... I will add them eventually! Also, that means the spell check is in Italian so I am unable to make sure I spell everything correctly! Please excuse the mistakes!

Its going to be another wonderful day!!

Back in Verona!

After a 6 hour train ride sitting next to the family from Deliverance, Britt and I finally made it back to Verona!! This time we are staying at Andreas Dads house. I am sleepy and ready for the holiday weekend!!!! Happy Easter Weekend!!

I am also having some technical difficutly... I am not able to get my computer onto the network! Right now I am on the house computer. Uggh... how can I call myself a computer technician!! I have found the WEP pass-key and my computer says that its connected, however I am not able to access a website or ping anywhere. I have no clue why!! Maybe I am just sleepy and can try it out again tomorrow :( Wish me luck!!

Tomorrow we have plans to go downtown and pick up my jeans!! Then Britt wants to do some shopping and get a kabob. I want gelato!! Andrea says there is more to Italy that kabobs and gelato, but Britt and I just do not comprehend... maybe it just does not translate!! Hehe!! At night we may be going with Andrea to Saturday night mass and then Sunday will be Easter and a nice dinner. If its nice on Sunday I think we are going to go to a park.

I will keep you in the loop as much as possible!

Sleeeeeeeepy in Rome!!

I think I am the last person awake (its 1:00am here) and I am absolutely tired however I am proud that I have gotten all my pictures uploaded and captioned!!  I am on it!! So, check them out by going to my pictures on the right hand side!! See any that you want and learn all about my life in Rome!!  Its wonderful!!

When in Rome...

I have added another days pictures to this blog. Check them out when you get a chance!!


Well, after a rainy morning Britt and I headed out about 4pm to the Vatican. Once we got there the sky cleared up and we had a warm, beautiful wait in line to get into St. Peter's Basilica. It was a long wait so I took pictures while Britt read the Rick Steves' book about the Vatican. Once we got in I found that it was soooooo worth the wait!! Its huge, beautiful, and just crazy. Its so hard to describe... you just have to go!! And, while we were there they were playing beautiful music. I thought they were just being very kind however we found they were doing Mass. So Britt and I joined... how many people can say they have been to a Mass INSIDE of St. Peter's Cathedral?? So cool!!

We were too late to get in the the Vatican Museum but getting into the Basilica was amazing!!

By the time we left the Basilica the sun was setting and it was COLD. The wind picked up and burrrrr... I wore my winter jacket but was still cold. We took the metro back to the Pantheon and on the way back stopped for gelato (hey, its never too cold for gelato)! It was so good I had seconds!! Haha!! They had a few flavors I really wanted to try!! I figure I won't be here too much longer to try all the flavors... I need to do it now!! At least that is what I am telling myself.

After gelato we went to the PANTHEON!! Ohhhhhh, its my favorite in all of Rome!! It just barely beats out the Palatine Hill, but it does!!!!! It's so beautiful. I see it and can only stare!! Since I have only been to it at night Britt and I are going to go back during the day tomorrow so I can see it one last time. Today it was even open inside (we were there less than 30 minutes before they closed so we stayed until closing). I took a ton of pictures inside until they closed and then took some outside.

On the way back home we stopped at the kabab place (same one as yesterday) and got another! They are Britt's favorite and I don't think they are half bad either!! Besides, they are cheap and tasty! I can't complain!

Now we are home, full, and I am sleepy. I will try to update my picture comments before going to sleep...

Pictures added... ROME!!

I have added the pictures from yesterday. I haven't added the captions yet but the pictures are up... and I love them!!


Check them out!!

We are about to head out. Britt got up a little before 2:00pm. Its now cold but sunny!! We ate lunch with Nico and we are about to head to the Vatican!!

Mattina Piovosa!! Rainy Morning!!

Well, since its been raining most of the morning I decided to caption some of my pictures and to upload as many of the pictures from Rome as possible before Britt wakes up!! So far I have all the pictures up to Florence, Italy (March 18, 2008) uploaded and captioned! Now I am uploading the pictures of Rome. Once I have them uploaded they will be linked as well.



Check out the pictures from Florence!!!

And lets see how long it takes for Britt to wake up...

Roma, Italy

March is the perfect time of year to travel to Italy. I would highly recommend it!!!! Today was absolutely beautiful. There was sun, there was heat, there was the Coliseum, the Roman Forum, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and a ton of fun in between. And now that its night and we are home its thundering and lightening. I still say someone is watching out for me!! Thank you Jesus!!


Britt is starting to make fun of me for the number of pictures that I am taking but I don't care!! I love the pictures!! They are uploading now... hopefully I will have them all uploaded semi-quickly. It takes a looooooong time.

This morning we started the day out at the Coliseum and its just huge. Its amazing all that you can see. They have a section set up to show you what it would have looked like when it was originally built however most of it is still the ruins. Its neat that we were able to see under the floor into what would have been 'back-stage' back in the day!! All I could think about is all the work that had to be done to build such a place!!!

Right next door is the Roman Forum, which is basically the birthplace of Rome. Its where the original Senate was, it was where all of the leaders of the town came, its where everything important was done and built. Now, I am able to see it all. In my Rick Steve's book there is a walking tour of the Forum, which Britt and I took. So much history.

However, my favorite part of the day came next. We walked thru the Palastine Hill, which is where all the politicians, dictators, and lawyers would have lived. In such a large city this hill feels so out of place. I could have been walking thru back-hills anywhere... or anywhere that has amazing ruins!! It was beautiful to have the ruins, with green grass, trees blooming, a few wild flowers, birds chirping. I took soooooo many pictures of this. It over-looked the Forum and the Coliseum. I just changed my main picture of the blog to me in front of the Coliseum on Palastine Hill.

After the Hill we walked down some more ruins and into the shopping district... which, of course, was packed!! I was hungry and not in the mood for the people so we walked to the Trevi Fountain. I took a couple pictures however there were so many people there we didn't stay long. Next we found lunch and at it on the Spanish Steps. I didn't take a picture of the Spanish Steps but it would have been very difficult to... not any really good angle and so many people sitting on them it wouldn't have been a very good picture anyway.

Around the Spanish Steps are some really designer shops so I walked around them... and got locked inside Cartier (a jewelry store)!! I couldn't believe it, they had locked me in!! I had to ask to be let out!! Heh!

The next stop was the top of a hill by the Spanish Steps that overlooked a lot of Rome. It was very pretty but very windy... so cold!! We didn't stay there long before heading to the Piazza for the People... its one of the biggest Piazza's that I have been in!! Huge!! Britt and I waited for Niko there and then we visited a friend of her's who was working, got some gelato, and then headed for home. I have made it my personal mission to have gelato every day that I am in Italy!! I think its a good mission!!!! On the way home we stopped for dinner... a kabab!! Yummy!!

Now its time to sleep so I will be ready for another day of touring... tomorrow is the Vatican!!

I am in ROME!!!

Very quick update because I need to get ready to go!! Britt and I made it to Florence, Italy yesterday by 11am. We had a ton of fun walking around the city and climbing up to the top of the church tower. When I say climb I totally mean it!! It was about 400 steps up and 400 steps down!! My legs got a work out and it was totally worth it!! I thought the view in Venice was amazing but the view of Florence with the hills in the background was spectacular!!

Around 4pm we left Florence and headed for Rome and was met in the train station by Nico, the girl we are staying with. She is so sweet and bubbly I absolutely love her. She reminds me a ton of my cousin Brittany!!

We brought our bags to her house before heading out to see Rome by night... which is absolutely amazing!! So beautiful!! We first went to a bar for dinner. The nice thing about this bar is that if you get a drink they serve you all the appetizers that you want. So for 5 euro I had a great drink and dinner!! That can not be beat!!

After dinner we walked around and I took a few pictures at night. Once again, so beautiful!! We winded around the city and ended up at the Parthnon. I took a picture a of a building with a picture on it and then turned to take a picture of the Parthnon... but my camera died!! The batteries were dead!! I could not believe it!!

But looking that that amazingly anchent building I fell in love with Rome and with Italy. I can only imagine what it looked like when it was origionally built. I did not want to take my eyes off of it... the whole experience felt so surreal. Like a dream. Amazing!!

But, we did leave. To get some gelato!! Yummy!! I have had gelato in every city now!! It is so good! After that we took the bus back home and went to sleep. I have had some breakfast and am about to take a shower before waking Britt up. I want to be as fast as possible to try to leave the house by 2pm (its 11:30am right now). To get the 2 of us ready seems to take a little while!!

Also, I am not on my computer right now as I can not get internet access with it, so as soon as I can get Internet access with it I will upload my pictures. Until then, just check up on me with the blog posts!!

Ciao!!

VENICE -- MARCH 17, 2008 -- PICTURES!!!

It only took over night but at least the pictures are online.  No captions yet... but hopefully soon!!  Check them out!!

Both Britt and I are up and we will be leaving in a few minutes for Florence!!  More pictures to follow...

Venice (Venezia) Italy... last day??

With the rest of the traveling we will be doing this may be my last full day in Venice. So, I decided not to waste a minute of it! I got up at 8:00am, intending to be at San Marco Square by 9:00am, however I ran a little bit behind. First, I had the hardest time falling asleep last night and the last time I looked at a clock it was 1:30am, so it was hard to wake up. Second, I (of course) got lost!! I headed out the door at 9:00am after a nice breakfast and made it to the Rialto bridge without getting lost... not even once!! I was so proud. However, after that I spent the next 45 minutes going every direction but the right one.

After getting over my fear of looking like a tourist (come on, I am one... right) I finally pulled out my map and held it while I walked. One guy did come up to me, after seeing that I had a map out, to tell me that he thought I was pretty and he walked to talk to me. Of course I ran!! However I made it safely to San Marco Square. I found that there was a pretty good line to get into the place I really, really wanted to see, the Basilica (aka church/cathedral) but it was a pretty fast moving line. I read some of the tour from the Rick Steve's book I bought about Venice and listened to one of the tour guides speaking English and I was inside in no time.

I took quite a few pictures of the outside of the church but I was not allowed to take any pictures of the inside of the church, but let me tell you, it was amazing!! The entire ceiling is made out of these little mosaic tiles and the sparkle even when the light is not shining on them. And the entire ceiling tells the story of the Bible. So pretty!! I also found out that Saint Mark's bones are buried in the church. You know, Mark, the guy who wrote the Book of Mark in the Bible. I am generally not one for rituals or whatnot in the church however being that close to someone who really chronicled the life of Jesus felt strangely good. There was a spot I could stop and pray so I did. That was nice as well.

After the church I went on a walking tour provided by my Rick Steve's book. I made a modification to the tour but overall it took me to some pretty fun places. First it took me outside the Basilica and around the backside of the Bridge of Sighs. There is a lot of myth and legend around the bridge but most of it is made up. Either way, still fun to see. The next stop was at the church of San Zaccaria. Here is where the bones of Zechariah (father of John the Baptist) are buried. Back in the day it was very prestigious to have mortal remains and they were thought to bring miracles to the faithful. I still find it so interesting that there are graves inside a church!! Also, the entire inside of the chapel is painted with the most beautiful artwork. Once again I was not to take pictures so there are no pictures of the inside. Take my word... very beautiful.

Then, I had the opportunity to go into the crypt of the church for 1 euro. Since I have never been inside a crypt I was willing to pay. I was able to tour a few rooms, see the original flooring of the church, and go into the crypt (which is generally flooded, however was only very damp when I was there). I have to say, it was creepy!! Being inside the crypt I felt completely out of place and I swear the hair on the back of my neck stood up!!

After leaving the crypt I followed the tour to the Riva, or the road along the river, and then went off the tour. I walked the entire length of the Riva and took a TON of pictures. I ended in a park with a lot of statues. It was a beautiful walk as the entire day was sunny and beautiful (right now its raining with thunder and lightening -- I tell you, God wants me to be here to see this. It has only rained when I am not to be outside)!! After my 30 minute hiatus from the tour I finished up by seeing the front side of the Bridge of Sighs.

There was a second walking tour that took me past all of the really fancy, really pricey stores and ended me right at the Rialto bridge, which is were I really needed to end up. It was only a little after noon and wasn't planning on meeting up with Britt until about 2pm so I figured I had plenty of time!

The first stop was at Harry's American Bar, which is reported to have many celerity guests. However, I didn't go in to find out for myself. Next I was able to walk by all of the really, really fancy stores and had a blast going in each one and checking everything out!!

After the browsing I made it to the Church of San Moise, which is one of Venice's oldest churchs as well as the perish church for the island. After more walking I made it to La Fenice (The Phoenix) Opera House. Being true to its name, it was built in 1792 and had a disastrous fire in 1996, which had to be completely restored.

Next stop was the Ponte de Verona, a bridge that the author of the book apparently really liked, I couldn't quite figure out why so I kept on moving! The next stop was Campo Manin with a statue of Daniele Manin who was a leader of Venice in the 1800's.

The next stop was my favorite!! Tucked away in a remote little area was the Scala Contarini del Bovolo. It was a spiral staircase built in 1499 as the external staircase of a castle. Most of the area was being restored but you could still see the staircase. It was beautiful!!

The next stop on the tour was a Theater and it ended at the Rialto Bridge, which I have crossed many times now. Once I got there I found, in the pages of my book, the option to continue the tour to the Frari Chuch... the one that is Andrea's church right by where I am staying!! I looked at my watch at it wasn't even 1:00pm yet so I had plenty of time to do the additional tour and it was perfect because with the tour and map I was able to NOT get lost!! Amazing!!

The additional part of the tour was not as good as the first... it took me to a Fish Market, down the busy tourist streets, and thru a couple of Campo's that I know well because I have stopped at them when I was lost!! But it ended me up somewhere that I knew and was able to finish the walk home map-free and with a big smile!! A shout of victory too!! I am learning the island!!

Once home I picked up Britt and we headed right back out for lunch. We went to the same restaurant that Andrea and I had gone to the first day I was here. I have only been there 2 times but I will soooooo miss that place when I am gone!! Andrea told me that he will bring me some of their food to Atlanta! I told him that if he does I will mail him all the Chips Ahoy cookies that he wants (he loves them and can't get them here)!!!

After eating lunch we went right back to San Marco's Square and I showed Britt around. There was absolutely no line to get into the Church so I made him tour it. Hehe! Hey, its free!! After that we went up the Bell Tower and was able to see all of Venice. It was 8 euros to go to the top but it was worth every one of those euros!! I have pictures that you must check out!!

It was a warm day, but not on the top of that tower... especially when the wind caught you just wrong!! We left the tower and walked back by all the expensive shops again. We stopped in a sweet store because I saw a treat that had my name written all over it!! And it was good!!! We tried to come home to get an extra jacket however we didn't have a key and no one else was home. I figured the next best this was alcohol so we went to the local watering hole in Campo Santa Margheritta. We each got a spritz however Britt doesn't like them so I had to drink them both!! Oh darn!!

By this time it was getting very, very cold outside so we walked to the grocery store to pick up some dinner (the same salad as last night... yummm!!) and luckily when we got back Andrea (the female... there is one Andrea who is female and one who is male -- most of the time has been spent with the male) was home to let us in!!

Both Britt and I were exhausted and it was only 6:30pm!! I made the dinner, which we barely ate before I took a shower. By the time I got out of the shower Britt had already gone to bed!!

I have been trying to upload the pictures from today but with the sheer number and with the storm outside cutting my internet access out, it is taking forever!! Hopefully it will be done soon because I am about to shut this computer down!!

Tomorrow morning Britt and I will be on the 8:45am fast train to Florence, Italy. We will spend most of the day there before heading down to Rome. We have a friend down there who will let us stay with them until Friday. Then the 3 of us will be going back to Verona for Easter!!

I will blog again when I have the chance!!

Ciao!!

Verona, Italy Picture!!

I have the pictures added!! Check them out!! It only took a couple of hours but I have them all added and captioned!! I feel very accomplished.

Also, I thought you may want to know that plans have changed... again!! We are now staying in Venice tomorrow (so I am getting up early... 8am) to do some sight seeing around here. I will meet up with Britt around 2pm, after he has woken up of course, and we will go back out for more sight seeing. Then we will be heading Florence on Tuesday and then straight onto Rome. The friend of Britt that we were going to meet up with in Cortona will not have any time to meet up with us so I think we are taking that part of the trip out. Sad, however, this means more days in Venice (Monday) and Rome (Wednesday thru Friday) so that is good!!

Now I must go to sleep so that I can get up early tomorrow!!

P.S. For those who care, my laundry is now drying. It only took 2 hours in the washer and they don't have dryers here in Venice. No lie. The only dryers are in the laundry mat and the cost 4 euros per load. So, I am hang drying. If the cloths are not dry by tomorrow evening I will be forced to pay the price... as I will need the cloths in the next week!

Buona Notte!! Good Night!!

Ciao!!

Change...

In 5 minutes the plans have change. Not quite sure what they are now except that we are going to Rome first. We have a place we can stay there until at least Wednesday. Then we may do the original plan backwards. We may scratch it all and start with a new plan. Who knows. All I know is that tomorrow we are heading out in the morning on a train to Rome!!!

Now, I need to check if my laundry is done!!

If the 'plan' changes again I will try to post it up here!! LOL!!

Weekend in Verona!!!

So a weekend break from being on the computer was for two reasons.. one – not enough time and two – Andrea’s Mom’s house doesn’t have wireless internet. Sorry!! I am currently typing this on the train from Verona to Venice so I don’t have the pictures loaded yet either. As soon as I do I will link them and add captions as soon as possible.

So, when I last left you I was anticipating the weekend in Verona… and we had a lot of fun!! We spent most of the day relaxing in Andrea’s apartment before (of course) taking the train from Venice to Verona on Friday mid-afternoon. We made it to Verona in time to stop by Andrea’s Dad’s house to pick up Andrea’s car, stop by him Mom’s house to drop off our bags (his Mom was in Milan, coming back on Saturday and then spending the night at her boyfriends house so the 3 of us could stay at her house), get some pizza at a local pizza place (where you buy pizza by the slice and they cook it for you once you have ordered it… very tasty), and the run to Andrea’s church so he could be there for confession. Since its Easter week and Lent this was a very special confessional day.

Interesting side note, Andrea’s Mom lives in an apartment very close to the city center and she has a garage for her car. To get the car into the garage you need to go down an enclosed hallways and then turn about 45% to get into the garage. Andrea had the hardest time backing out and seemed quite frustrated. Britt, who also seemed quite frusterated, was trying to direct Andrea to keep the car going straight but it was quite difficult for him. There was even a guy watching us try to back out. We got about halfway and I felt bad but with all the tension and commotion I just started laughing!! Luckily Andrea started laughing then as well! It became quite a joke about the driving skills that Andrea possesses. We have nicknamed him Cruella De Vil! After about 15 minutes, he had the car backed out. It took all of 2 minutes to get the car into the garage.

Once at church, Britt and I sat off to the side and started giggling about how many pictures I have been taking and how funny it would be to take pictures of the church since it was built in the 1970’s and is not historic at all. As I was giggling I looked over and saw a lady giving me a death stare… which make me even more giggly!! I tried not to make noise but I was laughing so hard I was crying.

When the priest came out he said something to Britt and I in Italian, which I thought meant that we were getting in trouble but found out he had only asked that Britt and I move closer, so we did. They sang a few songs and the priest talked for a minute before doing confession. Once confession started Britt and I went for a walk outside. Once outside, we found it interesting that the local teenagers tend to hang out in front of the church. They probably found us speaking English quite interesting as well!!

After our walk we met back up with Andrea and drove the car back into his Mom’s garage and then walked to the city center. This is where all of the historic sites, shopping, and restaurants are. It was beautiful. We spent some time just walking around, Andrea showed us some sites, and we got some gelato!! Yummy!!

Around mid-night we got back to Andrea’s Mom’s house, got changed, and drove out to an Italian club. There were two separate rooms at the club… one for house/hip-hop and one for a mix of all languages, genres, and ages. The second room even played a little bit of Shania Twain!! I thought my Mom would love that!! LOL!! The dance club was hot… very, very hot!! I didn’t dance at first and started sweating. I figured if I am going to sweat I might as well dance!! We stayed there until about 3:30pm and then went back to Andrea’s Mom’s house. I was so sweaty and gross that I had to get a shower even though I was sooooo tired!

The next day we woke up around noon and headed back to Andrea’s Dad’s house for lunch. He made us a very good pasta dish with white sauce and sausage. I really liked it. Afterwards we headed back to the city center to do some shopping and some touristy type looking around. I found a few Italian style jeans that I absolutely love and purchased and a pair of boots that I loved but they didn’t have in my size. The rest of the time we gawked at the stores we can’t afford, had a “hot chocolate” that is at one of Andrea’s favorite spots (which was a combo between American host chocolate and pudding), and I took a lot more pictures.

For dinner we met up with Andrea’s mom and her boyfriend and went to his Mom’s favorite place Osteria Pan & Panella di Puglia. We each had pasta in a bread bowl, wine, and a ricotta cheese with strawberries dessert. It was all very amazing; I can see why she loves the place! Her boyfriend can speak some English so he told us a few stories. Unfortunately he didn’t really understand when Britt or I talked in English so I just listened. Andrea’s Mom doesn’t speak English as all so Andrea translated between her and I. I didn’t take any pictures during dinner but she is extremely cute!!

After dinner we met up with some friends of Andrea’s and headed out to a lake about 45 minutes away from Verona. It was a lot of back roads and unfortunately I don’t do well in car trips so by the time we got to the lake I didn’t feel well. After a little walk I did feel better. We could see a little bit out into the lake but not far. Apparently the lake is very big and in the summer the town we were in becomes very packed. However, it was pretty cold so we were able to walk freely. After a bit of a walk we went to an ice cream/drink place and each had a dessert. I had what would be a strawberry and chocolate milk shake. It was very good but who am I to complain about a dessert!! I found it funny that we were all in jackets, cold, sitting outside by a heater, but all ordered some kind of ice cream for dessert!! Only in Italy (or at least not in Atlanta)!!

After dessert we walked a little ways again before hopping back into the car and heading back to Verona. On the way back we had ANOTHER run in with the Italian police… they had a roadblock up for drunk drivers coming back from the lake to the city. Our driver had to take a breathalyzer to make sure she had nothing to drink, which she hadn’t. The roadblock took us about 30 minutes to get thru!! Britt says that 3 run-ins that he has had with the Italian police is enough for him!! Once again it was a late night and we were back in bed around 3am.

Since today is Palm Sunday, Andrea wanted to go to church so he and I got up early and went. It was a lot of fun going to church!! It was interesting to hear a Catholic service is Italian. I really enjoyed it!! Britt only wanted to sleep in so after we came back from church and had rested for a few minutes ourselves I finally woke Britt up around 1pm.

Andrea had to visit his grandmother and he didn’t want to put Britt and I thru the visit so he went there and we went to lunch. Britt and I ate at Osteria Le Vecete, which was once again amazing!! I had a pasta dish with olive oil, sausage, tomato, and egg plant. Very tasty!! We stopped by the gelato place we went to on Friday night again so I could get some dessert. I love vacation!!

After eating Britt and I met back up with Andrea so he could take us to the train station. There is a driving restriction in Verona for today to help with air pollution. The restriction requires that all vehicles on the road must have at least 3 people in them. So, on the way to the train station Andrea picked up 2 of his friends that we had gone to the lake with so that on the way back from the station he would not get into trouble!

Andrea is staying in Verona one more night but Britt and I need to get going… we have a vacation schedule to keep!! LOL!!

Just to inform those who would like to be ‘in the know’ here is what Britt and I have planned coming up:

- Going to bed early tonight to get up around 8am on Monday.
- We are taking a train from Venice to Florence and spending Monday afternoon in Florence.
- Monday night we are taking a train to Cortona to visit one of Britt’s friends. She is studying art there however she doesn’t have room in her apartment for us to stay so we will be sleeping Monday and Tuesday night in a hostel near by.
- Walking around Cortona Tuesday.
- Taking a train to Perugia Wednesday morning. Perugai is where Britt stayed last time he was in Italy so he will be able to show me all around!!
- Wednesday night we are taking a train to Rome and staying with a friend of Britt and Andrea.
- Touring Rome on Thursday and Friday.
- Friday night or Saturday morning we are taking a train back to Verona to spend Easter weekend with Andrea. On Monday we will take a Train to Milan.
- Tour Milan on Tuesday
- Tuesday night or Wednesday morning we will take a train from Milan back to Venice, maybe stop thru Padua to visit Gilda’s (a friend of all of us -- currently living in Atlanta) Mom.
- Hang out in Venice on Wednesday (if we don’t visit Padua).
- I leave Thursday morning :(

I will be so tired when this next week is over but I look forward to it all. Since we are traveling so much I may not be able to get Internet access so I may not be updating much. However, I will when I can!!

Ciao!!

On the Train!!!

I almost forgot to mention!!! On the train home we were sitting in our own little sealed off section when 2 Italian police officers came in and started talking. Andrea reached for his bag but I had no clue what was going on. I looked at Andrea asking if we had to go somewhere and he said no, they are just looking for identification. We all pulled out our ID's and handed them over. They studied my passport for a while and Andrea noticed that the officer mentioned that it was a passport from the United States. They took down the information from all our ID's, held Andrea's the longest, and kept moving.

It was the first time that this has happened to Andrea and he rides the train quite frequently. I am just glad that he was there as I had gotten quite nervous not knowing what they were saying!!

Bologna, Italy

Today Andrea and I were up around 10am (I was very proud as I didn't fall asleep until about 4am) and had some breakfast. I had coffee, he had tea, and we both shared a few cookies (they call them cookies here but they are like a sweet English-style cracker).

Then Andrea headed out to his friends graduation party in Bologna and I waited for Fletcher to wake up. Since he had his flight the night before I didn't want to wake him up too early. However, around noon I finally woke him. We took the 2pm train and ended up in Bologna around 4:30pm. We took the long train on accident. It should have been more like an hour & a half.

Once we were in Bologna we were hungry!!! So we got a map, headed to the town center, and on the way stopped for a kabob, which was not at all like I had expected... I thought of meat on a stick, it was more like a gyro. I think it was very good, otherwise I was very hungry!! Either way I ate it quickly. I also had a the (accent over the e) and it too was very good -- I took a picture of it!

Apparently Bologna is a tourist destination for Italian people so there was quite a lot of shopping, however I did none. We did made our way to the city square. One of the biggest monuments are 2 towers in the city square, which I had a lot of fun taking pictures of. I also took quite a few more pictures.

Then Fletcher and I joined Andrea at his friends graduation party. In Italy the graduation party is generally in a bar/restaurant, is very exciting, with family, friends and a lot of drinking. the friends make a very large poster of the 'life events' of the graduating person and its animated and very funny. Afterwards the friends dress up the graduated person in funny outfits and parade them around town. Its quite cute.

Fletcher and I stayed at the party a few minutes before heading across town to the stand that Andrea swears has the best gilato. I thought it was very good!! But then I haven't ran across a dessert yet that I don't like. We were then to meet Andrea in the city square to walk back to the train depot however we were quite early so we window shopped until our feet hurt and then went to the square and found a bar for a spritz. Yummy!!

On the way back we had Andrea who made sure we got on the express train!! Much faster. It was probably a lot faster because on the way there Fletcher and I were hungry, tired and ready to be in Bologna. On the way back we had great conversation!!

Once back, Fletcher was starving again so we went out for dinner and I had a wonderful panini. Now I am uploading my pictures to my website.

Tomorrow we are off to Verona, where Andrea is originally from. His mother is letting us stay in her apartment for the weekend. I am excited for the new adventures!!

Goda!! Enjoy!!

Ciao!!

Pictures added to yesterday

I added some more of the pictures from our adventures yesterday. Enjoy!! More pictures to come from today... stay tuned.

buona mattina tutto!!

Good morning everyone!! I am sitting in bed at 10am (4am EST) just trying to wake up. I was so excited last night about today that I didn't fall asleep for a while!! So, now I am about to grab some coffee and get ready for today!!

Ciao!!

Freddo!!

Its very freddo (cold) in Italy, especially when you are outside all the time!! Hehe. But, just like my trips to NYC I don't seem to mind much!!

The girls that I went out with last night came back here and we all enjoyed a fun night. One difference between home and Italy is that they eat later. Dinner is generally around 9:00 pm or 10:00pm (here it would be 20:00 or 21:00, as they use military time). The dinner was amazing. They made potato tortillas. Which here a tortilla is like an American omelet, so it consisted of egg, potato and onion. They also fried the little peppers, that looked like they should be spicy hot but they were quite sweet and very tasty!! I had a couple. Shortly after dinner I went to bed. I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer and went straight to sleep!

Today I spent the morning sleeping and was awaken by the sound of church bells!! Much better than the train whistles I wake up to at home. But, the bells were announcing that its now NOON!!

I got dressed and another roommate Keeara (one of the ladies that I went out with last night) made lunch of rice and vegetable. They cook the rice much differently here. She cut up different color bell peppers, onion, carrots, and zucchini and sauteed them in olive oil. Then she added the rice right to the pan. She slowly added water that she boiled with a bullion cube until there was just enough water. She added a few spices as she added the water and it was soooo good. I will be using the recipe a lot when I get back home!! Easy and tasty!!

Keeara and I spent the lunch speaking English. She actually only speaks Italian but is learning English to move to Germany. She has a boyfriend up there who she will me moving to be closer to and a lot of Germans speak English. So, she is learning this first and then will be trying to learn German. She thinks she is doing terrible but for only studying for less than one year she is doing amazing!!

After I cleaned up the lunch dishes I moved on to visit Frari Church. It is a church very close to here. I mapped out my route, left the house and then proceeded to not follow the route at all!! All the streets and compos (squares) here are very well marked, however there are so many and they are so windy that its too easy to get lost. Amazingly I made it directly to the church. It was like God was calling me there!! Hehe!! I say that because after I left the church I spent most of the time lost!!

I had a beautiful but very, very freddo (cold) tour. I used my Rick Steves' book as my guide had fun!! In the end I wrote out a summary of the visit in my book. I noted that I was amazed by how cold it was. Even though it was fairly warm outside inside the church I could see my breath. But it was so elaborate, beautiful and dark. A lot of the painting were in the Renaissance style and are very real to human emotions. I also was astounded by the tombs inside the church!! You don't see that at Buckhead Church!! LOL!! I was able to take non-flash photography so please view it here. In the link there are pictures from most of my day. Also, when I arrived home I told Andrea where I had toured and that is his perish here in Venezia so I may be going there for Mass on Sunday!! Well, as long as we are in Venezia. If so, that will be exciting.

After leaving the church I tried to map out another location but once again became completely lost and headed in pretty much the opposite direction. I remember from my walk with Andrea yesterday that I was heading in the direction of Coin (I keep wanting to call it Salt, I don't know why), an Italian style Macy's. After a lot of stubborn searching... I am so stubborn that I don't want people to know I am a tourist (just try to speak to me and they will know, as one lady found out today) but I have to get over that and just keep the maps out full time!! I pulled out both (yes I have 2 and I needed both) of my maps, followed signs and finally made it to Coin. If I hadn't gotten lost it would have been a 10 minute walk, probably took me about 45. I walked around Coin and enjoyed the clothing, the heat and the public restroom!!

Around 5pm - 5:30pm so I decided I needed to start heading back home. It should only take me a few minutes but I figured I would be lost again! And was I right. I headed every where but home. I followed the signs for Ferrovia, which is close to the apartment, and tried to use my map but still ended up lost most of the time and then finally ended up at Ferrovia (the parking and main information area).

After that I held my map out, jumped inside of it Joey (from Friends) style and made it home. Close to 7pm. What should have taken about 15 minutes took me about an hour and a half!! LOL!! I am just glad I was walking. I would have been very frustrated if I was driving!! This is a good city for me!

When I got home Andrea and Fletcher (aka Britt but everyone calls him Fletcher so I will be as well) were already here! I had Andrea's keys so I felt bad but they were able to get in. Fletcher had almost the same fight I did last night, meaning that he didn't sleep a wink, so he was exhausted. I uploaded a few pictures while Andrea and Fletcher took a quick break to lie down before heading to dinner. We went to an 'American Style' restaurant where all the pictures and painting on the wall are of American icons. We sat next to a painting of the Detroit Red Wings (that I haven't gotten from my camera yet)!! I thought my family would really enjoy that!! I got a pizza with ham, artichoke, mushrooms, and black olives. They call it the 4 stagioni (4 seasons). It was really good.... thin crust, all the toppings were on their own side, and the black olives still had their pits! Afterwards we all split dessert. Don't know what it was but it was chocolate and it was good.

Fletcher was ready for bed after dinner so Andrea and I dropped him off before heading out to a university party. Andrea and I were there by ourselves until some of the Spanish ladies from the night before arrived. Unfortunately the girls don't speak much English and I don't speak much Spanish. I was able to pick up some words and get the meaning of what they were talking about and Andrea was able to fill in the rest. The music was techo. The party was outside (which was quite freddo as it was right off the water). But I got to have a few more spritzas!!! Andrea and I had a lot of fun. Unfortunately I only remembered to pull out my camera one time and I have yet to upload.

However its almost 3am here and we are going to be heading to Bologna tomorrow morning so I need some sleep!!

Buona notte!!

Some pictures

I took a couple hour nap and then made a little adventure of looking around the block that Andrea and his roommates live. I have uploaded some pictures from around the area as well as the pictures that I took out the airplane window on my way into Venice.

After my little adventure, the ladies of the place (along with friends) decided to go out for 7:00pm drinks. I was told the actual pronunciation for the meeting but after 7:00pm drinks and still only getting about 5 hours sleep in the past 2 days, the wording seems to have escaped me!! Oh well, the drinks (spritzas) were very good!!

Now some of the ladies and I are working hard at 3 language barriers... we have Italian, English, and Spanish speakers. And some of us can only speak one of the three languages!! Luckily we have some very talented ladies who can speak all three!!

Ciao!!!

CIAO FROM ITALY!!

Ciao!! I am in ITALY!!!

The flights were uneventful, I was fed dinner last night around 6pm EST and breakfast this morning at about 5am Italy time... hehe and I made it thru customs just fine. Then had another uneventful flight from Rome to Venice. Although it was uneventful I didn't get much of any sleep.

Andrea picked me up from the airport and then he I spent the afternoon walking around Venice. After not sleeping in the plane and all the walking I am tired. It sprinkled all afternoon so I did not take many pictures. But it did clear up so I am going to try to go back out later after a quick nap and snap a few pictures.

There was a plan change... I am going spend the night here and Andrea is going to go pick up Britt tonight and they will be back here in the afternoon tomorrow. Andrea's Mom's friend is having a surgery so he is going to spend the evening with them before picking up Britt and basically heading right back here. So if I don't make it to get pictures tonight I will go out tomorrow morning. Then on Thursday the 3 of us are going to Bologna.

When I have a few more pictures I will post them!!

My cell has no service here so it will be off and I will not be able to get calls.

Flying out tomorrow!!

Ciao!!

For those who want it... here is my itinary for tomorrow's flight!!

Monday, March 10, 2008
Delta Air Lines # 70

Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson ATL (ATL) to Rome Intercontinental Airport Leonardo da Vinci (FCO)
Departure (ATL): March 10, 4:30 PM EDT (afternoon)
Arrival (FCO): March 11, 7:00 AM CET (morning)
Class: Economy
Seat request: 22G


Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Alitalia # 1463

Rome Intercontinental Airport Leonardo da Vinci (FCO) to Venice Marco Polo (VCE)
Departure (FCO): March 11, 8:55 AM CET (morning)
Arrival (VCE): March 11, 10:00 AM CET (morning)



Please stay posted for pictures!!

The fight continues...

As I am sure it will continue to. First they were in my coffee maker. Now they are sitting on my temperature controller. Seriously.

I went home last night (which was very cold) and walked into my equally cold apartment. Wanting to warm up I walked to my kitchen to turn on the heat and there was a large bug on my temperature control! There was one even bigger on my counter... may they rest in peace.

Although I won the battle I think they will win the war.

Please pray for me.

P.S. the newest in my arsenal is Drano. I will use it when I get back from Italy and let you know how it works.

Ciao!!

Weekly update

Well, I have had a pretty busy week, but that is what I expected. And any hope of a diet has been thrown out the window, but that too is what I have expected.

I came back from Florida (sniffle) on Sunday night. Monday I worked, went grocery shopping, and the night was spent with my small group ladies at Dolce. Yummy. Afterward I stopped by Kendol's house and we formally broke up. We had a few differences that just kept resurfacing. And they were things that were deal breakers. So, we have chosen to remain friends but no longer date.

Tuesday I worked all day, worked out, and then I really can't remember what I did... sad but true. I think I went to sleep. But who knows!

Wednesday night Kendol and I stopped by for a quick chat before I headed to Lynette's apartment. We at dinner at our usual hang out (Marlo's) before heading to her apartment to watch Rent. Good movie!!

Thursday I was supposed to catch up with Ashley however she wasn't feeling well so I spent post-work going for a run, completely emptying out my kitchen and then drinking martini's, eating popcorn, and watching movies (My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Mrs. Henderson Presents... both very good!!). It was a wonderful night before I passed out from the martinis!

The reason I had to empty out the kitchen was so the apartment could come in and 'spray' for bugs. It annoys me, I tell them that the bugs are coming from my kitchen drain so they spray in to my cabinet. Of course it did nothing. They sprayed Friday morning and by Friday night they were back. Please pray for me. I need it to keep my sanity!

Friday I spent the afternoon getting my taxes done (it was refreshingly good... I am actually getting money back) and then I dyed my hair and watched the past 2 Sunday messages at Buckhead church. As always, wonderful!! Then I took a nap before heading to Marcus's house. We spent the evening watching a movie, eating dinner and then went out for dessert. It was a very fun night.

Today I am back to work at Cbeyond. This evening I am running a few pre-vacation errands before catching up with my friend Dee. Tomorrow I am working and then getting together with Marcus again before heading out on Monday.

Shout out to musicovery.com

For those out there like me who like a crazy mix of music but don't love it enough to actually apply your hard-earned money towards it there is Musicovery. It is freaking cool!! You can pick your genre and your mood and it will put a mix together for you.


Right now I am listening to a mix of jazz, gospel, R&B, blues, folk, country, world, reggae, and soul. And its all based on my mood of dark and calm... where else am I going to get that??

Of course it is free!!

Rock on!

What the... ?!?!

How does it go from 70 degrees yesterday to snow today?!?!? I guess that makes today a good day to be at work.... maybe! Either way, I checked the forecast for Venice and the temperature should be in the 50's! I am ready to pack!

Two more days!!

Another reason why I ask you...

to never move into the Heights at Lenox. If you don't remember anything else I say in all of this blog please remember this. I haven't had one full month without trouble with this complex. Lately the problem has been bugs... coming out of my sink...

Yesterday I went to put water in my coffee maker however, I first had to kill a bug inside the maker. And for those who know me know I am ridiculously clean. And I am not a morning person.

I can't wait to move out.

P.S. if you want a full list of issues that I have had here please ask.

Back Home

The flight home was uneventful from Tampa to Atlanta and I made it back to my apartment Sunday night around 10:30pm. By the time I got everything unpacked and into bed it was around mid-night. I thought that was late until I talked to my Mom.

The airplane trip for my parents was event-free from Atlanta to Flint, however when they got to Flint they found themselves locked in the inside the gate!! They couldn't get out!! It finally took a fellow passenger screaming for the security guard to realize they were in the airport!!

Once they were unlocked they went to baggage and found out there was only one person unloading all the luggage from the plane. When the announcement came that all the luggage had been put out theirs wasn't there!! They were told to go to the Air Tran ticket counter, however no one was there. They tracked down the security guard, which informed them that the same guy that took the luggage would be the one at the counter so they waited for him.

Luckily their luggage had arrived before they did and it was locked up safe and sound. However, by the time that all that happened it was 2:00am... and they still had to drive the 45 minutes back to their house. What a lot of drama!! But, they are safe and sound at home now... which is what count!

I now have a (very) busy week to prepare for my trip to Italy. I am so excited and can't wait to go!! Stay tuned for pictures from the trip!

Last full day

It's my last full day in Florida.

My brother just left for Panama City, he is going there to meet up with the rest of his friends from His House. They are going for a Spring Break Mission. They will be doing free pancake breakfasts and free rides home at night. So, if you are in the area stop in and tell him hello!

My parents and I are going to go downtown to look at an art fair that is only in for the weekend before heading to the beach. Its supposed to be another beautiful day so we need to go to the beach!!

We did do some shopping... just a little bit ;)~ I only purchased 8 new pairs of shoes! Ha!! My mom and I had a lot of fun on a couple particularly cool days at the outlet and at the mall. My dad and brother were dragged along for some of the shopping. They were also able to golf some so I think they were happy as well.

For those who want to know, my flight information is as follows:

March 02, 2008, Flight 128 [1 Stop]
From: Tampa, FL (TPA) / Departing: 7:06 PM
To: Atlanta, GA (ATL) / Arriving: 8:35 PM

Also, there have been some updates to the pictures. Check them out!!