Soak It All In

It is my last week in Italy. I cannot believe it.

Friday morning I woke up super early (5:15am). It was actually under 90 degrees for my run! When I got back we all got ready to head out. We took the metro to where we were meeting our program as well as Michigan State people to head to Tuscany!

After hours on the bus we arrived at Castello Banfi, a Vineyard in Tuscany. The history of how this company came to be is like a dream. It is far too long to write here, but sometime I will share it with those who wish to know. So this vineyard was absolutely gorgeous! We got a tour of the vineyard and saw how they make the wine. Then we went up to the castle for wine tasting! We were given three different red wines. It was all so elegant. Afterward we were able to purchase wine if we wished. I got a bottle of white and red for when I cook Tedo's pasta for my parents. After that we got back on the bus and drove through the hills and stopped in a small village for lunch. We proceeded on to the train station where some of us got off the bus to continue on to Florence for the weekend. The rest of the program headed back to Rome. So we got our train tickets and boarded. Oh my goodness. Hottest 2+ hours of my life. No air conditioning. We were literally dripping (pleasant, huh?). After 2 hours of sitting in this train a man came storming by and a few minutes later he returned with a worker on the train. Apparently there was the possibility of air conditioning but they did not feel the need to turn it on. Because of this man's complaints they turned it on and the last 20 minutes of our trip were a bit more comfortable!

We arrived in Florence and found our hostel immediately. It was right around the corner from the train station. We checked in and they upgraded us for free to the hotel which they also owned. We were living in luxury that night. There was air conditioning! The shower actually had water pressure and there was a TV in our room! Wow. We were so used to not watching television we did not feel the need to really even watch it, but having the possibility was awesome. We left our stuff in the room and headed out to explore Florence. A bunch of us ate at a restaurant and since we had a large bill they gave us free champagne, saying "To friends from friends". How nice of them! I fell in love with Florence. The people were so nice and it was not has insane as Rome. We went to bed semi early because we had a full day on Saturday.

When we woke up Saturday morning we realized we had not slept that well since we arrived in Italy. I actually used my blanket! We got ready and talked to the front desk about reservations to museums so we would not have to wait in long lines. I reserved a ticket for The David as well as the Uffizi. We then went the leather market and walked around. I am proud to say I finished getting gifts for my parents and friends. We spent a lot of time and money there. I left to go see The David with a few people. It was so nice to have a reservation because we did not have to wait in line for hours. Once inside the museum I turned the corner and there he was. I had no idea how huge the sculpture was! I could not believe I was actually seeing the David in person. Never in my life would I have imagined I would get the opportunity. After I saw all I wanted in that museum I headed back to meet up with my roommates that wanted to go to the Uffizi. Inside that museum we saw Caravaggio, Michelangelo, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt and more. Before this trip I was never huge into art, but boy did that change. My roommate Jill loves art history and she was my own personal tour guide. I learned so much and I was in awe of everything I saw. We walked around that museum for hours. After, we left to go to Piazelle Michelangelo (picture). It is on top of a hill that overlooks all of Florence.

It was beautiful! We wandered down the hill after spending a good amount of time taking pictures and enjoying the view. Our train to head home was leaving in about 2 or so hours so we had to start heading back. We walked across the famous bridge, Ponte Vecchio to get back to the side of the river we wanted. After a beautiful day in Florence we got on our train and headed back to Roma. I can definitely say by going on that weekend trip I fell in love with Italy again.

Sunday morning I woke up early to go run with Amy. It was our last run together so I decided to bring my camera to document it all! We somehow calculated the miles and time incorrectly so I ended up running longer than I wished and Amy had to take the metro back to her home because she was going to hit 16 miles!

Yikes! Then my roommates and I went to the market one last time. I had to get another suitcase because I was planning on sending stuff home with one of the girls as I continued to travel on after. I also found some last minute things I did not know I needed. The rest of the day I hung at the apartment. I was planning on going out to dinner with people but the heat was really getting to me and I felt very faint so I went to bed pretty early.

Monday I had class again, but this time it was changed back to 2 hours long. After I went to St. Peter's Basilica. My roommates and I went to the Catacombs where the Popes are buried. We saw Pope John Paul II as well as many others. It honestly brought tears to my eyes. We spent a good amount of time in there but then we decided to go to the highest point in Roma. 551 steps later I arrived at the top. I cannot even explain the view. You walk out of the stairwell completely exhausted and out of breath and you lose your breath again when you walk out to the railing. Looking out you see all of Roma.

You see Bernini's St. Peter's Square with welcoming arms. You see the endless Tiber River and Piazza Venezia far off in the distance. I stayed up there for a long time just taking it all in. I then began the climb back down. I somehow was separated from everyone else but I did not mind. At the bottom of the stairwell you were brought into the Basilica. It was huge. I spent more than an hour in there and I know I missed a lot of details. Just another reason to come back to Roma I guess! I headed back to the apartment and rushed off to the gym to work out. We then went to appertivo for the last time at Fluid. It was kind of sad!

Tuesday was not a good day by any means. When I ran in the morning my hair somehow got very knotted. Might seem funny now, but I tried to get a comb through my hair for about 30 minutes while I cried. I lost a lot of hair that morning. Seriously. I then had to go to Italian Media where we were going to a TV studio to do our final (picture). We had to give a commercial/speech in front of cameras, concerning the prompt "Italian Media, take it or leave it?".

I had my speech prepared and memorized but still it was nerve-racking. There were even people crying because they had such a fear of public speaking. After that was over we had a meeting about the end of our program and what we needed to do before we left. My Italian language class was after that and we found out we had a project due the next day. Awesome. So after class Michelle, Sean and I went to Castel Sant'Angelo to take pictures to incorporate with our project (picture). Castel Sant' Angelo is where they would keep the Pope in time of war or danger. There is a passageway that connects between the Vatican and Castel Sant'Angelo in which they would lead the Pope away from the Vatican.

Wednesday was a rough day again. I made sure I had my flash-drive for Italian to show our project but in the midst of losing my keys in the morning and emptying my entire backpack I somehow did not put the flash-drive back into my back pack. Good job Laura. I realized this 3 minutes before class started. I found out it is possible to make it to our apartment in under 15 minutes, and a total of 30 minutes to get there and back to school. Did I mention that it had already reached 95 degrees by 10am? That was fun! After class I tried to study for my Italian final the next day but it was so hard. I did not want to be inside studying a very difficult language that I did not understand. As the night went on I learned that I would be returning to the States on Saturday. Needless to say I was not happy, but God has a plan for everything right? So I turned all my worries and frustrations over to Him.We then returned and worked on our power point for class. As the night went on I started to learn that I might return to the states rather than travel afterward. Needless to say I did not sleep so well that night.

Thursday I ran my last run in Italy. It was bittersweet. In Italian Media we watched the commercials we made earlier in the week. Almost more scary than actually making them! Mine was not as bad as I thought. Saying goodbye to our teacher Sean was so sad (picture). I did not expect that but he was possibly my most favorite teacher ever. Then we had our Italian language final. Ouch. I did not sleep much the night before and studying was the last of my concerns at that time. I was in a mad rush to get one of the last plane tickets back to the States. After the test my brain was so fried. I needed time to myself so I wandered around Roma. It was so nice. I got my gelato and walked into a bookstore. I bought the 7th Harry Potter in Italian and I got a cookbook! I walked in and out of stores for hours. I eventually got back to the apartment at a time that I could get a hold of the travel agent back in the States.

Well I got a ticket luckily. So now I had to change my whole mind set and prepare to leave europe in 2 days. Later that day a few of us went to Santa Maria della Vittoria where the Ecstacy of St. Theresa is. I just read about this church and Bernini sculpture in Angels and Demons and I had to check it out! Our program had a big last farewell dinner at the same place we had our welcome lunch on my birthday. After dinner we started our good byes. So weird! A few of us then decided to go to the Trevi Fountain.

We took our time getting there. It was a beautiful night. We stopped at little shops, walked past the Pantheon and took random pictures on the way. There is just something about the Trevi that I cannot explain. You first hear the water and then you turn the corner and see the most beautiful fountain in the world. It was night so the elegance and beauty was intensified.We met this couple and they took pictures for us. We found out that the man was actually a professional photographer and the pictures he took of us are amazing. They were on my roommate's camera so I am determined to get copies. We also took video of us throwing in our last coins. We decided to leave because it was getting late and we wanted to make sure we had enough energy for our last full in day in Italy. Walking away from the Trevi was so difficult. The group kept walking but I kept taking a few steps back to get a last glimpse...

Friday morning two of my roommates and I woke up at 5:15am to catch the metro. We went to see the sunrise by the Colosseum (or Coliseum depending on what language you speak).

It was gorgeous. You could not really see the sunrise itself, but you were able to see the sun against the Colosseum. The contrast of day and night among an ancient amphitheater was breathtaking. We then returned home and went back to bed. After a few more hours of sleep I got up and wandered Roma one last time. Everything now is "one last time". It's sad! We went to Shoomie's Kebab shop and I got my last pizza-to-go (picture). We took pictures with him. I then headed to the Pantheon because the night before I saw an Italia sweatshirt that I really liked at a shop nearby. I got my sweatshirt (that I am currently wearing) and headed home.

I made my last meal of pasta and then we decided to head down by the river to meet up with the boys one last time. We then headed over to Campo di Fiori and hung out for a while. The entire time I was in Italy I kept saying I would get a 5 scoop cup of gelato the last day. Well in the matter of two hours I got one 3 scoop and then one 2 scoop later. So in total I got my 5 scoops. Delicious! As we headed back to the apartment we took our sweet time. Walking through Vatican City and past St. Peter's Basilica it truly hit me that I did not know the next time I would see this. For the past 6 weeks I made this walk at least 4 times a day. I knew I would miss it!

It was an emotional and stressful last week, but I saw everything I absolutely needed to see. I soaked up everything I could and enjoyed the beauty that Roma offers.