P.S.!!

Due to popular (don't be shocked by the use of this word) demand: you can now make comments on my blog WITHOUT being a registered user! Hooray!

Go with the Flo

...Florence that is! Oh man, stop me now.

So after just returning from Florence, I have decided I am going to update my travel blog rather than do my homework or laundry. It's important to set some priorities in life.

Florence was Florence. It's beautiful but crowded. Crowded with Renaissance artwork, medieval buildings, American students and, yes, tourists. Although Florence is quite lovely, I think I prefer nitty gritty dirty raw Rome. And I'm going to acknowledge that this opinion is almost completed based unfairly on circumstances, which include the fact that it rained almost all day Saturday (I think the rain follows us on our weekend exursions), and that we spent almost the whole time rushing from museum to museum with very limited free time. Nonetheless, I did enjoy doing some wandering and photo-taking my few free hours.

So, I'm going to begin with some photos of random people who would probably be pretty disturbed if they found I was posting pictures of them on the internet.

On our way to the Bargello museum today, our class ran into an Italian parade! Complete with baton-twirlers in cheerleading outfits, a well-dressed marching band, traditional Florentine costumes, and many important-looking Italian men with flags and medals.

Here are some Italian mimes I found on break, smoking AND TALKING!! I knew they were faking it!

Tourists waiting patiently in line at the Uffizi.

The Arno River

Hey! It's me!

Frantic shoppers head toward the Ponte Vecchio despite the rain.

Palazzo Vecchio, from the Uffizi terrace.

Il Duomo in the moonlight.

Buona notte Firenze!

The Adventures Continue...

The last few days have been pretty awesome, I must say. I think I'm finally realizing my independence here in Rome - there is just so much to do and I can really get anywhere I want to by myself. Each day I've gone somewhere completely new on my own, aided only by my trusty map and nalgene (no dehydration for this explorer!) Unfortunately I don't have very many photos from the last few days, but there have just been a lot of little things - cultural interactions, adventures, delish food - that made it a good week. I'm posting a little map of Rome below with some of places I've been marked out (thanks to my mad Microsoft Paint skills)


- I had some tasty gelato at Giolitti's with my friend Marco who's studying at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. After enjoying my chocolate and hazelnut combo I joined him on a quest to scope out some of the beautiful churches and artwork in the area. (This walk is marked in brown on the map)

- Went across the Tiber river to the Trastevere neighborhood (marked with a black T on my map) with some friends. This was a nice break from the typical abroad student hangout at Campo dei Fiori where all the American students get ridiculously wasted - it was refreshing to be in a place with almost entirely Italians. We checked out the vendors selling cheap jewelry, shared a bottle of wine and then nutella crepes (which tasted like heaven BTW.) We had an ab fab time and will mos def return!

- I went to the open air market in Testaccio (dark blue M on the map) to buy my lunch. Its just like the (stereo)typical Italian markets you see in movies: there are butchers hacking with gusto at large hunks of questionable meat, vendors enticing customers with the low prices of their peppers, old Italian grandmas arguing for a better deal, and this incredibly rushed feeling that if you don't buy what you need right now, someone else will take it! I felt like I had to just sit back and watch how the whole process worked before I actually tried to buy anything - but I eventually got some fresh fruit, cookies, and a delish turkey sandwich for fantastic prices!

- I had this awesome conversation (in Italian!) with an elderly nun, Sister Vincenza here at the convent. For my Italian class I'm doing an independent research project on the history of women in the Christian church, so she's helping me through it - she lent me an Italian Bible and a book about early saints and martyrs. I asked her some tough questions about the Bible and its lack of emphasis on women - her responses showed both awareness of feminism and intellectualism but also the wisdom of a woman who had devoted her life to God.

- That afternoon, I took a very pleasant walk to the Villa Borghese (red route on the map), about an hour to the north. There's a museum there with an amazing collection of classical and Renaissance art, but I spent my time in the beautiful gardens doing homework, watching Italian kids play, and daydreaming. A very nice and completely free afternoon in Rome.

- Then today I went to mass at St. Peter's - everything was amazingly huge and beautiful, but kind of overwhelming after walking-filled days and late nights, so instead of touring the cathedral I got on a bus back to central Rome and picked up a kosher hot dog in the Jewish Ghetto. At the convent I took the day off and read my fun book (which I recommend to everyone in the whole wide world) Soul Survivor by Philip Yancey- its subtitled "How Thirteen Unlikely Mentors Helped My Faith Survive the Church." He profiles the lives of people like a Christian doctor working with leprosy patients, MLKJ, Leo Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, and Gandhi and talks about how these people renewed his faith in Christianity. A very good read so far.

- And then of course I have spent many hours in outdoor cafes reading about art and watching the people go by... its a tough life.

The convent I'm staying at is the purple dot and the starting point for most of my adventures - Oh man I'm really getting into this blog thing aren't I?

Anyway, there's so much more I could tell you about, but I think I'll leave it at that for now.

I'm having a completely fantastic time - the only thing to make it any better was if you were here with me :)

Nerd Alert!

For my Early Christian and Medieval Art class we went to the church of St. Pudenziana this last Tuesday in central Rome. Our professor is friends with the guard there, so he hooked us up with a special (aka prohibited) tour of the site underneath the church. The church that you see from the street (photo on right) has been renovated up until the 19th century , but there are remains of buildings underground that date back to 1st century BC when it was a Roman house. It was then converted to a Christian church in the early 5th century.

So anyway, five of us adventurers donned hard hats and held hands with Mario, our fearless guide and the only one with a flashlight. Mario kept on telling us in broken English how dangerous it was beneath the church and pointing out the places were the walls had collapsed. And you thought history wasn't exciting! Anyway, there were some neat 1st century AD mosaics along with a road running underneath the church from 70s AD and another higher road from 3rd century AD (we stand on this in the photo below)

Yay history!

Tearing up Tuscany

So here's a little run-down of this weekend's trip to Siena and Tuscany:

I spent lots of time walking around Siena taking photos of medieval monuments such as the Palazzo Pubblico and Il Campo below,

took more photos of narrow winding streets,

and even more of laundry hanging out the windows.

Then I took a well-deserved rest out by the pool at Castle Selvole. It's a tough life.

This is the amazing farmhouse that we stayed in for 20E a night - complete with kitchen and living rooms, and on a vineyard (in the Chianti region)! PLUS I went wine tasting for the first time and actually enjoyed it. I guess I'm finally ready to embrace my Napa roots :)

Overall a very nice weekend. I went with 8 amazing girls from my program, so you can imagine we had a fabulous time!

I spent most of Saturday in Siena doing some independent wandering, It was nice to be in a slower, small town atmosphere after crazy, chaotic Rome. One of my favorite parts was getting lunch. I love that in Italy you have to buy everything at separate stores: the fruit store, the deli, the butcher, the bakery etc. So I had a good time walking to all these different places, getting my ingredients for a sandwich, and pretending to be Italian. It really is the way to go: you get fresher, local products for a fraction of the price of a panino you buy at a touristy cafe, plus you make friends (or at least have a brief 2 sentence exchange with an Italian, which is a triumph for me everytime!)

Then Saturday night and Sunday I spent hanging out with the girls: silly card games, vineyard walks, deep conversations, life-changing naps, and wine tasting with Marco made this time pretty sweet.

Then of course the train ride back was quite exciting as we ran into a group of drunk soccer fans from Sardegna who were not familiar with the word "No." But it was good, I got to practice some common Italian phrases:

vai via! = go away!

stai zitto! = be quiet!

sei schifo! = you're gross!

Anyway, that's all for now. I have more stories and photos that I want to share soon, but I didn't want to leave any of the fans hanging (I love how I've fantasized a fan-base for this blog when its pretty much just my mom - but thats ok because my mom is rockin'!)

Its not all glamour here in the Eternal City...

Ok so things aren't perfect, but I still can't help loving Rome! Here are some not-so-sexy parts about this city:

- dog poop on the sidewalk - yeah, its pretty nasty.

- graffiti everywhere, including ancient or medieval walls :(

- Professors who tell you to cut the line to the Vatican Museums in front of angry tourists who had been waiting there all morning. (See photo on the left) I've never been insulted in so many different languages! It was pretty sweet.

- The buses, or drivers in general are notoriously frightening. It's hard not to get thrown around while riding the bus. The other day I thought I was getting the hang of it when it accelerated suddenly and - I don't know how it happened - but my leg ended up over my head, my arms reached for the hand rail and my booty got cozy with the lady next to me. Everyone who saw -and a lot of people did apparently - said it was pretty awesome.


Then I went to Naples, Pompeii, and Capri last weekend ...

- I spent my Friday last week following my crazy Ancient Roman Art history prof through flooded Pompeii in the pouring rain for 5 hours with no lunch of bathroom breaks. Sitting down was prohibited. Unfortunately I loved this. Here is a photo of the amphitheatre after the storm had passed. Ask me more about it if you are willing to accept your inner history nerd.

- More rain! On Capri! The most beautiful island by the sea! But it worked out ok because we had a few hours of sunshine when we went on a hike and took lots of photos!

(on left) This is for Lauren. I know you miss it. You know what I'm talking about.

- Also sampled some magnificent baked goods here: hazelnut biscotti and these amazing almond cookies! (photo bottom left- in front of Caprese pasticceria)

- Then after a brief stop at Naples Archaeological Museum, I felt it necessary that I stop and try their pizza. Pizza Napoletano has chewier crust than Rome's crispiness, but I'm not complaining! (photo bottom right - sitting outside at pizzeria in Napoli)

(You all better still be my friend when I return along with some extra poundage next semester - more of me to love eh?!)

In other news:

- I'm going to Tuscany this weekend with 8 other girls from my program! We're staying in this old farmhouse/guesthouse outside of Siena. I think it will be fun, relaxing, and slightly spontaneous.

- Also, I got an internship here in Rome at the Accademia dei Lincei - basically an amazingly old research library with an excellent collection. I will be working at the reference desk helping researchers find rare books, manuscripts etc. All in Italian! Eek!

5 More Reasons to Love Roma!

Rome has been pretty sweet so far. So I just can't help but give 5 More Reasons why I love Rome!

1. Street performers: Now, I know you can find these all over the world, but there are some particularly creative ones here. And pretty much all of the street musicians I've listened to have been pretty good (they all sing Bob Dylan, Simon and G.Funk, Cat Stevens... right up my alley). This one is not a singer but an Egyptian mummy/ sphinx thing with my friend Lily behind me.

2. The Pizza. I had my first this Friday night. It was amazing. Salsiccia (sausage) on this paper thin really crispy crust. Yes, I ate the whole thing, and I'd do it again!

3. Okay, I just can't get enough of these fountains... and I'm pretty sure its drinkable because I see other people doing it and I haven't died yet... Anyway, this is a more picturesque fountain in front of the Spanish Steps.

4. Shopping in Rome. Except with me, shopping consists of trying on clothes I never could/would buy and quietly taking model shots in the dressing room. A very good time. But I did buy a pair of sunglasses for 5 euro. I bargained the guy down from 12 euro. Very proud of my haggling skills.

5. La Notte Bianca is this crazy festival that Rome throws every year. There were estimated 2.5 million people roaming around last night. There were free concerts, magic shows, tight rope walkers, museum tours open late, and just TONS of people! Every major street or piazza was packed. It was surprisingly less crazy than I thought it would be though... but the metro ride back was quite the adventure! Friends and I had to literally shove our way through to get on to the train, get off at our stop, and then switch lines and do it again! This photo is of Piazza del Popolo before the tight rope walkers performed (they were pretty insane. I was worried they would fall, but they didn't.)

7 Reasons Why I Love Rome!

Well, its official friends. I'm in Rome. And before I start making silly jokes about doing as the Romans do, I will tell you about how pretty awesome this place is. In pictures of course :)
So without further adieu... Here are the

7 Reasons Why I Love Rome! (in honor of the 7 hills of Rome?)


1. It kind of goes without saying, the gelato is amazing!
This is me enjoying my first - a "crema" flavored gelato!

2. The view from my room in the Convento di San Antonio (I can usually watch the nuns put out laundry in the morning.) The convent is on the Aventine Hill, a short walk from the historic center, but without the chaos and traffic.

3. The bathrooms. End of story. Who needs to separate the shower from the toilet? (I sure don't!)

4. Classes that include: walking around Rome while experts in history, art history, and archaeology give me a tour

5. The fountains provide cold drinkable water. Perfect for the poor and thirsty student traveler.

6. Random police tape running throughout the city that's too high to really block anyone or anything. Oh Italians!

7. Ancient monuments such as the Coliseum literally appear out of nowhere behind every corner!

Greetings my fellow friends of the internet.

Woowee! I'm leaving for Rome early tomorrow morning! How crazy is that?! I really can't believe it.

It was so nice to see some Oxy folks this past extended weekend. I'm really sorry I missed some good friends :( but I'm sure our paths will cross again soon.

Here are a couple photos from summer since the Italian School:

Some good times with other Napkins (people of the Napa Valley). Unfortunately, there is nothing really to explain in this photo other than we are silly :)


Next is some cuties I picked up at Griffith Park to ride the Merry-Go-Round with me! (I'm sorry I cut off Caroline's face... hopefully I can work on improving my photographing skills in Italy)

And finally... a match made in heaven.

Anyway, I hope this is a great semester for everyone. I will be thinking and praying for you all. You must keep in touch with me. I will miss you boatloads.


quote of the moment:

"You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance."

Psalm 32:8

First Post!

Caroline takes on the world... or at least parts of Italy.

This is my first post. Sweet.
I'm going to try out the blog thing rather than send lots of emails... we'll see how it goes huh?
Any suggestions/advice are appreciated!