Rome (5/11-5/16)

may 17, 2004

(i attempted to send this email but didn't hear that anyone received it...so i decided to post it instead)

hello everyone!

This is my first official post since, well, okay my first official post! If you are curious... I am doing well...thoroughly enjoying the Italian experience. My health is holding up, no creeping crud or illness...only a bit of allergies because of the beautiful blossoms and windy air. I thought you might be interested in what I have been doing, and I will worn you that I am pretty lengthy in my description and I apologize in advance. Okay, here it goes:

I left Seattle at about 6:40 pm on May 11, arriving in Rome around 5:30 p.m. May 12. There were 14 people on my flight, a blessing because of the difficulties encountered because of my lack of Italian language skills. We were responsible for taking the Termini train from the airport to the Termini station (go figure) and then finding our hotel from there. As you probably very well know, my directional sense is not the best, especially in a country where I do not understand the language...thankfully with 14 people, were able to find our destination.

I signed up to room with two other girls, settled down a bit, and began my adventure :) I had not slept the night before I left, which actually turned into a huge blessing because of the time change. Becuase of my exhaustion, I was able to sleep the whole way on the plane, making me fully awake by the time i got to Rome. I had dinner in a cute little restaurant the first night, walked around the city a bit, and headed to bed.

Day two included walking, walking, and walking. We started at about 8 a.m. and did not finish until after 5 p.m., walking the entire time, of course. We saw Caesars court and the Roman ruins surrounding it, the Colosseum, and countless churches. It was a beautiful day and although my feet were sore and swollen by the end of the day, it was well worth it. We had dinner as a Gonzaga-in-Florence group at a wonderful Ristorante Pizzeria in downtown Rome and enjoyed authentic Italian cuisine...very different from the Italian food at home. I slept better than I can ever remember...thankfully too, because day three began early!

Day three was spent at the Vatican!! I woke up around 5:30 a.m. and we were all out the door by 6:45 in order to travel to Vatican city for a 7:30 mass at St. Peters. Father Maher, one of the priests with GU said mass in the Hungarian chapel in the basement of St. Peters. We sat among the tombs of past Popes as well as the tomb of St. Peter himself! The rest of the day was spent in St. Peters looking at Michaelangelo's Piatta (I think that is how it is spelled), the Sistine Chapel, and the like...you know, Roman stuff!!! I learned a great deal not only about the art itself, but also about the history behind it--defintely an experience to be remembered. It was incredible. Upon return to our hotel, we left again for dinner--which was a cultural experience to say the least. In short, the food included oyster-clad penne pasta, mystery beef so fatty it was uncuttable, teeth-breaking bread, and fruit decorated with the chefs hair--I was glad when it was over. We spent the rest of the night, until 12:30 actually, wandering around Rome. We saw the Spanish steps, the Pantheon, and Trevi Fountain (I'm not doing to well spelling these, please excuse my lack of spelling knowledge). Exhausted, I finally fell (literally) into bed after over 9 hours of walking and 19 hours awake...the hard matress never felt better

Day four included a visit to Ostia Antica, an ancient Roman city I actually learned about (and remember learning about) in history. I won't bore you with all the historical detail, but I will tell you that it was one of my favorite days!! The city was amazingly civilized for the time...it even had public toilets--unfortunately we weren't allowed to use them. We followed it with a trip to the beach! The weather was perfect and the landscape was beautiful. Looking beyond the scantally clothed beach-goers clad in thongs and more speedos than I have ever seen in my life, you could see the blue water of the Meditteranean Sea and thousands of little sea shells...

Day five was when we left Rome, but not before a trip back to the Vatican to see the Pope! Yes, yes, the Pope. We saw him cannonize about 5 people and received the Papal blessing. It was an amazing experience. I am not sure if they televised it, but cannonization apparently is not a very common practice, so it was definitely a blessing that we just happen to be there at the right time! There were thousands and thousands of people there...and I bet if you look hard enough you can see me ;)
We began our 4 hour drive to Florence from Rome, but my bus was stranded by the side of the freeway after we blew a tire. However, God had something else amazing in mind! We started exploring in the countryside surrounding the brokendown bus and happen upon an abandonded house!! It was SO COOL! Fr. Maher said that it dated back to the 15th century. It was waiting for me to explore...and I sure did. I will attempt to email pictures later, but I can't guarentee anything. It felt like the secret garden with ivy covered steps and brick walls coated in moss. We arrived in Florence finally around 6:45, found the school (which is beautiful in itself), and were led to our designated hotels.

My hotel is called Manola's House, and is full of antiques and handpainted ceilings. The rooms are amazing and the food is better...I lucked out with my hotel choice. We had a short tour of Florence last night and already it is at the top of my favorite cities list. I can see now why people call it the city of Romance...it is amazing. Classes began today and as I was sitting in my classroom looking out at the Duomo (unsure about spelling again) and the cityscape, it finally hit me--I am in Florence!

Thank you for all your prayers, thoughts, and support. I can't wait to see what God has in store for me here...in addition to my already amazing adventures. God bless you all....talk with you soon.