When in Rome...

Amalfi and Pompei with Mamas!

2008-06-03T00:59:00.011+02:00

How lucky am I to have my mom and my two aunts come to visit me for a week while I was in Rome!! Mom and Aunt Carla flew to Venice earlier in the week, but on Friday, April 11, I picked up Aunt Connie at the airport and Mommy and Aunt Carla met us at the hotel later that evening (after a 5 hour train ride and a bottle of wine [each]). The next morning, however, Aunt Carla and Aunt Connie headed up to Florence, and Mom and I spent a lovely weekend in the Amalfi Coast!

After a 2 hour train ride, another hour commuter train, and an hour and a half bus (which was miserable on account of the twisty roads, making me extremely carsick) we finally arrived at our wonderful hotel, Hotel Onda Verda (The Green Wave) in Praiano, known as the diamond of the Amalfi Coast. It was a beautiful place, family owned and must have just been renovated because was extremely clean and new looking. The family (father, mother, and 5 year old girl) were lovely and very personable. Immediately, they ushered us into the dining room and made us the most amazing Caprese salad we have ever had. The region that the Amalfi Coast is in, Campania, is where all the bufalo mozzarella comes from, so thus we were eating the best fresh mozzarella we have ever had.

The hotel was covered in beautiful pottery that Mom fell in love with, so after an hour nap to recover from the car ride, we headed to the pottery shop that created all the pottery for the hotel, who also happened to be the cousin's of the hotel owners. This is me waking up from the nap in our beautiful, oceanside room with a balcony.

The pottery place, called Liz Art, was one of the most beautiful stores I have ever been in, and not just because of the pottery. On the street that runs through the entire Amalfi Coast, overlooking the water, we walked into the store and were greeted by two gentlemen playing the mandolin and the guitar in the corner. We had beautiful music the entire time we were in the store, it was lovely and like out of a movie. The entire store was filled from corner to corner, floor to ceiling with hand created and hand painted pottery.

I began using my fantastic Italian skills to converse with the store owners. Anna, the women, kept telling me how beautiful my mother was, and was complimenting me on my Italian. Told you I was good, Mom. We talked for almost an hour while my mom browsed, until after the sun set. Romolo, her husband, kept asking me "Dove ti ho visto?" which means "Where have I seen you [before]? He said I looked so familiar to him. Aldo let me play his mandolin for a little while, and we chatted for so long. We spent so long in the store that as we were leaving around 8pm, they asked us to stay for a coffee but we kindly declined as it was dinner time. Instead, they made us sit down and performed "Thats Amore" for us on the mandolin and guitar. It was a beautiful moment, the kind that makes me really happy I studied in Italy, since the people are so kind and generous all the time. I'm glad Mom got to experience something like that as well. I also decided I'm naming my first daughter Anna as all Italian women named Anna that I have ever met have been angels. Anna is the name of my host mother in Parma, and also the name of the kind woman at the pottery store.

After we left the store, on our blissful walk home, we were frightened by what sounded like a cannon going off. After staring into the sky for a few seconds, fireworks began to brighten the sky right near where we were. It was to celebrate a wedding! It was a spectacular moment, only adding to the amazing night we were having already.

At the hotel restaurant, we had a lovely, homemade meal. I ordered the most incredible cheese ravioli in a cherry tomato and basil sauce. I'm not kidding, it was heaven. The cheese was a mozzarella, parmesan, and ricotta mixture that melted in your mouth. Heaven on a plate, if you ask me. I seem to say that a lot, don't I?

5 more weeks...

2008-05-21T22:53:00.002+02:00

Bonjour Family!

As many of you know, I have left Rome for good (well, sort of), returned to Boston to see Jamie graduate (tear) and have come back to Europe for another 5 week adventure! I got a job working on the Tennis Channel production of the French Open, called the French Open Tonight Show, and will be here for 2 whole weeks! After, I will be traveling to some new places and some places I've already been, so I will do my best to update you on my travels in the next few weeks, as well as some from my last month in April, including my mom and two aunts coming to visit!

Bear with me...I have limited internet access in the next few weeks, but I promise eventually I will get everything up! Thanks for sticking around, I appreciate your enthusiasm with this blog. Well, hopefully you are as enthused as I think...if not looks like Dad, you're my only fan.

Love you lots,
Caitlin

A Day in the Park

2008-05-08T12:47:00.003+02:00

On the weekend after Spring Break, only three of us in our apartment were around. It was a nice, recuperating weekend from the hustle and bustle of travel, and we did nothing but relax and enjoy Rome during the day. On Saturday, we went to Villa Borghese to enjoy the beautiful day, and rented boats out on a little pond. My friend Kia and I, the smallest girls around, were designated the rowers for the afternoon. Here are some pictures I thought you might enjoy.

Spring Break

2008-05-07T18:10:00.006+02:00

So Spring Break did not go exactly as I had imagined it, to say the least. I left early Monday morning with a fever and a throat that was the size of an orange to catch a flight to Budapest, Hungary. We landed around 10am and immediately took a 2 hour nap as soon as we arrived in our hostel. Budapest, from what I saw, was cold, quiet, and empty, and nothing like I have ever seen before. After our nap, we set out to wander the city and found a sushi restaurant for lunch. I couldn't even finish a bowl of Miso soup, so I decided wandering around the city in the cold was a bad idea. I went home, slept all afternoon and into the night, feeling worse the next morning. I forced myself to eat some yogurt almost unsuccessfully, as I couldn't even get that down easily. I also knew I had to take advantage of being in Budapest no matter how sick I was, so my friends and I went to the famous Turkish Baths for some healing waters. It was really cool to see and a lot of fun to just relax in, but no healing was had. In fact, my sickness just kept getting worse. I finally started taking some anti-biotics my roommate had sent with me after some tearful and expensive phone calls to Mom and the doctor in Park City. I was miserable, to say the least.

After missing 99% of Budapest, we left Wednesday morning for a train to Vienna. As soon as we checked into our hostel, we couldnt move into our room until later so we went into the city. I saw St. Stephan's Cathedral and went to their famous Central Cafe for lunch, where my tears and lack of appetite convinced my roommates a trip to the doctor's was necessary. So Fly took me to an English speaking doctor who told me I had strep throat/ acute tonsillitis. As Mom said, theres nothing cute about that. So I continued taking my antibiotics and spent the rest of the afternoon and the entire next day all by my lonesome self in the hostel while my roommates were Museum hopping. I finally went a little crazy and forced myself to go out that night to the Vienna Opera which was awesome and I'm so glad I did, even if I wasn't feeling 100%. I missed everything else, but the Opera House is definitely the thing not to miss.

Friday morning, we caught a train on to Munich!! This was where I began to feel infinitely better, although my appetite was still not up to par so I couldn't enjoy the weinerschnitzels, and my anti-biotics keeping me from enjoying that great German beer. We walked around the city Friday afternoon, saw Pope Benedict's church, and walked through the English Gardens during Sunset just in time to catch the last round at the beer gardens by the famous Chinese tower. The park is beautiful, and twice the size of NYC's Central Park.

After my friends enjoyed their beer and I attempted to munch on a pretzel, we went to the Hofbrauhaus, Munich's most famous beer garden and brewery, to get some dinner and enjoy the traditional Bavarian cuisine and music. Men were literally walking around in the traditional Bavarian outfits, with a stein in hand, laughing and singing in a happy drunken German manner. I love my heritage. I, on the otherhand, sipped some warm chamomile tea to pass the time.

After a couple hours spent enjoying the scene, we decided to go back to the hostel, and as I'm leaving I see a familiar face...non other than Joanna B., one of my best friend's in high school who is studying in Florence, sitting with her friends. Of all the places in all the world, I run into Jobie in the Hofbrauhaus in Munich, Germany. If that isn't any indication of a small world, I don't know what is. It was so great to see her, and I still can't believe how random it was! I had no idea she was going to be there that weekend. I tried to see her later in the weekend but she was on a school sponsored trip and had things planned all weekend.

Saturday afternoon we took a bike tour of the entire city, called Mike's Bike Tour. It was four and a half hours long, complete with a stop at the Chinese Tower beer gardens, an amazing South American tour guide who was so much fun, and some exercise which we all needed. We all had a blast with this group and got to see the entire city with some awesome things pointed out to us. Munich is basically made of all bike-paths, as EVERYONE rides bikes there. I'm in love with this city.

Leaving on Sunday was something none of us wanted to do. I was finally feeling better so I felt like my trip had just begun, and we were all in love with Munich. Now, at the end of my Euro-travels, I say Munich was definitely one of my favorite places I have visited. Sunday I was able to enjoy my first and only Bavarian beer!

Easter / Compound Reuinion/ My 21st Birthday!

2008-04-10T09:17:00.009+02:00

Hello again!!

So the weekend of Easter was one of the most fun, but hectic weekends of all time. I came home from Dublin on Tuesday, no time for rest, only to have some of my best friends (8 in total) come to visit for the weekend. Caitlin Brison came Tuesday, Jehan, Ted, Ashley (Boozer), Jac, and Bova came Wednesday, and Amy and Juli came Thursday. It rained pretty much the entire weekend (and by rained I mean poured) which only added to the stress, but everything worked out well and it was an amazing weekend!! Seeing everyone made me realize how much I missed BC! These people are my family while I'm at school, and having everyone here for my birthday was incredible.

So Wednesday afternoon we had perfect weather, 65 and sunny, and had the best day. After I met the crowd at their hostel, we spent the afternoon wandering around Rome, seeing the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Vittorio Emanuele (Piazza Venezia), and ending at the Spanish Steps just in time for sunset. I bought us some wine and we ended the perfect day with a gorgeous sunset over the city of Rome, enjoying good company and good wine. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. That night, we went to enjoy everyone's first Italian meal. Obviously we all got pasta! We met up with some friends at a bar nearby to watch the end of the Roma v. Lazio game (the two Roman teams who are the biggest rivals ever) and it was a mini BC reunion as it seems as though everyone had friends in town that weekend. It was really fun.

On Thursday afternoon, I also got a call from Fr. Greg, a friend of Carol Sanborn (my childhood best friend's mom) telling me he had 5 tickets to the Thursday morning mass at St. Peter's with the Pope, and three for Easter Sunday Mass!! We were all so excited, as everyone was going to be able to go.

So Thursday morning, Bova, Boozer, Jehan, Ted and I went to the Vatican bright and early for mass with PapaRatzi himself. It was the mass where they bless all the oils for the masses to come. We waited in line for quite some time, then finally went in the basilica, only to be pushed to the wayside by feisty little nuns. We finally found some seats, and waited around for a little, until the procession started. Everyone jumped up thinking the Pope was coming by, but no, it was actually a procession of 500 priests. I'm not exaggerating. Priests walked in for 25 minutes...and not at a slow stroll either. Full speed, 2 lines, for 25 minutes. It was insane. I kept thinking that with all these priests from all over the world here, I've got to know one. I didn't. Anyway, Pope Benedict finally walked by. He is such a rock star! He walked down the center isle, waving at people, shaking hands, pointing, etc. People were clapping, taking pictures, and he was loving it. Just like your normal celebrity. Mass was long, but it was a great experience.

After mass, it started raining cats and dogs. We ran into Caitlin Brison, who was with her parents, and she came with us to lunch. I think I was the only one who had an umbrella, so we all ran into the first restaurant we saw, which of course turned out to be a rip off seeing as how it was right next to one of the main tourist spots in Rome. I hate when restaurants charge you for bread just because you put it down on the table, then charge you a separate service charge. Afterwards, we took all the bread out of spite and fed it to the pigeons right outside the restaurant. Then of course, I had to take my guests to the best gelato place in Rome...Old Bridge. It is by far the best gelato I've ever eaten, its so cheap, and they give you so much! After a little ice cream and whipped cream was shoved into some faces (Boozer and Ted) we headed back towards school so I could take (and by take I mean fail...sorry Mom and Dad) a quiz for which I had no time to prepare.

Thursday night was the best night of the entire weekend. Katie and I hosted all 8 guests (Amy and Juli had come at this point) in our apartment for a home made meal. With a little help, Katie and I prepared a salad, pesto pasta, and chicken breast for 10 people. I also found 5 liter jugs of wine for 4 euro(!) at the grocery store, so of course I had to get one red and one white. The 10 of us sat down to enjoy our reunion dinner together, and it was incredible. It was like being back at BC again, all of us just hanging out, laughing, almost crying, and enjoying each others company. Of course, we made a toast to all of our friends who could not be there with us because they did not study abroad. Bova even took a 3 minute long video on his camera, and it seriously looks like its out of the Wonder Years. Definitely something we are going to be watching in the future, when we are 40, laughing about everything all over again. You can't really understand a word anyone is saying in the video because everyone is talking at once and there are about 5 conversations going on at the same time, but its perfect.

Friday morning, we got to sleep in a little until people came over to our apartment to start the day. It was raining again, but we went out into the city regardless. Amy, Juli, Brison, Fly, and I (everyone I lived with in the fall) walked through Campo de Fiori and Piazza Navona, shopping a little here and there, only to get lost in route to the Trevi Fountain to meet up with the others who had gone to the Vatican Museum in the early morning. I think the Trevi Fountain was a favorite of people, and I understand why. Its breathtaking! Obviously we got gelato again and wandered around a little more down Via del Corso (the main street in Rome that goes from Piazza Venezia to Piazza del Popolo). We finally split up in the evening to go back to get ready for the evening. Fly and I took them to Art Cafe, our huge club, for the one big night out.

Saturday was a day spent more for recouperation than anything else. It was pouring rain, as per usual, and many people hadn't had much sleep in the last week (myself included) so it was an easy day. Saturday night, Brison, Jac, Fly and Jules went to the Easter Vigil mass with the Brison's while the rest of us went to dinner together. We met at Piazza Venezia and literally wandered down side streets for almost 30 minutes, enjoying the evening and reprieve from the rain, as well as looking for a cute, suitable place to make 6 people happy. We found a Pinocchio shop which was awsome, and also stumbled upon what seemed to be the WWII war memorial. Finally, we found a restaurant right near Piazza Navona (that I pass constantly but never knew anything about) and we sat down to dinner. No one else can speak Italian, so I was conversing with the waiter/owner. He complimented me many times on my Italian skills, and said I spoke very well! We sat there for almost 2 hours together, until we finally decided that 11 was a little late to be sitting at a restaurant. After dinner, I took them to Piazza Navona and Ted and Bova saw the street vendors selling stupid little gadgets, and were like kids in a candy store. Bova bought this light up saucer that you send soaring into the sky, and had a field day with it. He even bough 2 of them! After Piazza Navona, I took them to Campo de Fiori, where we hit midnight (my birthday). It was really great to be with my best friends at midnight on my birthday! While mine was not the typical midnight of your 21st birthday (I wasn't wasted trying to get into my first bar) it was still something special. I was standing in the middle of a famous area of Rome with my best friends in the entire world. Fly, Brison, Jules, and Jac weren't far and came directly to Campo so we were all together. Obviously, instead of my first drink I celebrated with my first gelato as a 21 year old.

Sunday morning, we woke up early for Easter Sunday mass in St. Peter's Square. My roommate Laura had waited in line for tickets early Saturday morning, and was able to get enough for all of my friends, all of her friends, plus all of our roommates and their guests! I believe it was 24 of us in total. We got there around 8:30am for a 10:30 am mass, and obviously at around 10:15 it begins to pour rain. It never stopped. We had a very good view of where the Pope would be standing, but as soon as the rain came, the umbrellas went up.

The mass was about 2 hours long in total, and by the end, only 3 of the 10 of my guests remained. Ted, Boozer, and I were the only ones who endured the rain for Easter Sunday Mass with the Pope.

Anyway, so that night we went out to dinner for my birthday! We went to our favorite restaurant right near our house, and ti was a group of 20+ people. I'm so popular. Just kidding...but really. Dinner with my best friends for my birthday was of course incredible and we all had a great time.

Unfortunately, after dinner, I came home to find I had a 101.9 fever. What a way to end my birthday! We left for spring break that next morning, and my roommate had to pack for me. My throat was hurting so much, and I felt miserable. But more on that later.

The weekend was SO MUCH FUN and it was great to see all my friends. Life is good here in Rome!!

When Irish Eyes are Smiling

2008-04-06T12:34:00.010+02:00

Top of the mornin to ya!

So I had the incredible opportunity to spend St. Patrick's Day and the weekend before in Dublin. Yes, they DO celebrate St. Patrick's day over there, and boy do they know how to.

So we flew out of Rome on Friday morning, arriving in the first airport that had English words everywhere! It was glorious. The whole weekend was a nice change from other traveling weekends, we actually stayed at a HOTEL instead of a hostel. Nice, large comfy beds...it was the best weekend ever.

Friday night, we found a restaurant that my friend Megan, who had spent a summer in Dublin. My friend and I split my first real cheeseburger in forever. Italian food is to die for, don't get me wrong, but there is nothing like a little variety in life.

Anyway, moving on, that night we went to the Temple Bar area, which is the area where the pubs are. One of my best friends from BC, Ted, is studying in Glasgow, Scotland, but was in Ireland for the weekend. I met up with him in the Temple Bar area, and it was the most fun I had all weekend! Seeing him was a little taste of home.

Saturday, we woke up and got Starbucks for breakfast!!! Coffee to go = INCREDIBLE! Like I said before, the coffee in Italy is obviously superior, but the chance to get it to go was such a nice change.

We walked along the famous shopping street, Grafton street, until we went to meet up with our friends. Along the way, I ran into a Leprechaun and the famous Molly Malone statue. I was so excited about seeing Molly Malone, as back at Corpus Christi, we used to sing her song. I haven't been able to stop singing it since I planned this trip to Dublin!

On the way to meet up with our friends, we found a pub called O'Sullivan's. I immediately fell in love, as it was a cute Irish pub with my sister's name, and our Irish family name! We decided to come back for the Ireland-England rugby game later that afternoon. In the afternoon, it started pouring down rain. We walked around the cheaper famous shopping street, Henry Street, until we were soaked and went back to O'Sullivan's. As we walked inside, the cutest old Irish man who worked there came up to us and was so sweet, he loved us. He found us a table right by the screen to watch the game, and gave us discounts on the food. He even let me keep the menu when he found out my family name and my sister's name was Sullivan! His name was Patsy, and he was amazing, which is why we continued to go back every day of our trip.

Our first drink in O'Sullivans! Cider, of course.

Us with Patsy!

Sunday morning, we woke up early for some sight-seeing, but things were closed so after breakfast (a bagel!!!), we headed straight for the Guinness Factory! It was so much fun, it was a great way to spend the afternoon. We walked through the Guinness Storehouse, which is attached to the brewery, (St. James Gate, which is leased for 9,000 years to Arthur Guinness for a mere 45 pounds a year) and saw exactly how the famous Black Stuff is made. It used to be the largest Brewery in the world, but is now only the largest brewer of stout. The entire place was so cool, with so many interactive things and explanations as to exactly how Guinness was made. They even let us taste the barely used for the Black Stuff.

At the end of the tour through the factory, we got a free pint of Guinness. Let me tell you, Guinness in Ireland is far superior than Guinness in the states. I actually like it! I even pulled my own perfect pint, and got a sweet certificate for it.

We enjoyed our free point in the Gravity Bar, the bar at the top of the factory which provides the best views of Dublin in the city.

After the Guinness Factory, we attempted to go to the Jameson Whiskey factory, but unfortunately the tours were booked for the day. So instead, we walked around Trinity College for a little. Beautiful campus.

Monday morning, my friend Laura and I decided to start off St. Patrick's Day right by catching the first tour at the Jameson Whiskey family. We were both chosen to be tasters at the end of the tour! We walked through the factory, learning how Irish Whiskey is made. It was a cool tour, very informative. For example, did you know that Irish Whiskey is distilled three times, Scotch Whiskey two times, and American Whiskey only once? That accounts for the different tastes of the three, which I got to taste at the end of the tour. Laura and I were among 6 people who sat at the front of the tour group, trying 5 different types of whiskey. We tried three types of Irish whiskey, one type of Scotch, and Jack Daniels to understand the difference between the whiskeys. Great way to start of St. Patrick's Day!

After the Jameson Factory, Laura and I walked to meet everyone at the St. Patrick's Day parade route. We found them in front of O'Sullivan's, naturally, and bought fun little St. Patrick's Day hats to get in the mood of the day.

After the parade started, we tried to watch for a little but realized we couldn't see anything, so we went into O'Sullivan's to watch the parade on TV.

Enjoying a beer with black current juice in it! A great way to sweeten it up.

After the parade, we ran into some BC friends in the Temple Bar area who are studying in London. I swear, it is such a small world. For example, on our way back to the hotel, my two friends and I went to Quizno's to grab a sandwhich, and while sitting there, Laura mentioned something about driving to Notre Dame for the football game this year, and a girl sitting behind us asked us where we went to school. Turns out she goes to Boston College as well, and is in the Cork program. She told us that at a pub 10 feet away was every single BC person who is in Ireland right now. We followed her to the bar, where we found a ton of BC kids. I swear, 90% of the pub was BC students. I ran into a bunch of people I knew from school. It was insane, and obviously what would happen. I always seem to find BC students all over the place.

St. Patrick's Day was a ton of fun, and it was a great experience being in Ireland. Dublin is AMAZING, and I'm slightly obsessed with the country. Everyone there was super nice and so friendly all the time. Everyone just enjoys life there. I can't wait to go back!

Interlaken

2008-03-10T11:09:00.016+01:00

Last weekend I had the privilege of going to Interlaken, Switzerland! A couple friends and I did this program, called Bus2alps, that provided hostel stay and a roundtrip bus ride (12 hours each way!!) to and from Rome. The hostel was the first "real" hostel I have stayed in and it was a lot of fun! It is called Balmer's Herbage and is the most popular hostel in Interlaken. The only, and I mean only, place to go out of a night in the entire town was in our hostel! I'm all about convenience, so obviously I loved that.

So we left Thursday night from Rome, and I tried to sleep the entire way, which did not prove to be as successful as I had hoped. We arrived in Interlaken circa 6:30 am where us 5 girls checked into an 8 person room with two other random boys who were studying in Florence but were on the same trip as us. I slept for about an hour and a half before waking up to go skiing!!

I rented boots, skies, a jacket, pants, gloves, goggles, and a helmet by 9am my friend and I were on the bus up to the mountain! The mountain(s) we skied at was Kleine Scheidegg/Männlichen. We took a gondola up to the top of the Männlichen mountain, not without a couple of Ricola cough drops that the woman who worked at the ticket office gave us as we climbed on the gondola. How stereotypical Swiss is that?

The entire day provided us with awful, cloudy weather to the point where I couldn't see 1o ft in front of my face. The skiing was OK (to be honest I prefer the perfect snow and mountainous terrain of Park City, UT...not that I'm biased or anything). Every once in awhile we would catch a glimpse of what the vista could have been all day , but it would quickly disappear into the clouds. The whole point of skiing in the alps is to actually see the Alps, and since we didn't get a chance to see the Alps, the day was slightly disappointing. I had to keep slapping myself in the face and reminding myself, "Quit your whining, you're skiing in the Alps right now" which automatically put me in a better mood. All in all, its not a place I would necessarily make a point to go back for skiing, but the experience was amazing and I'm really glad I did it. After lunch, we had about 7 minutes of sunshine at the top of the mountain and it was AMAZING! I know that had it been that way the entire day it would have been the most incredible thing I've ever done. But alas, that was not in the cards.

This is the at the Tipi bar at the top of the mountain, with a bunch of Swiss-Germans who decided to jump in my picture.

So the weather continued to be like that all weekend, and the other activities such as skydiving, hang gliding, and paragliding were all canceled. It turned out to be a disappointing weekend in that sense, but it was still my favorite weekend thus far.

Friday night we got Thai food (AMAZING and such a nice break from Italian) and headed to the club at the bottom of our hostel where we hung out with some Aussie ski bums who are living in Interlaken full time...ski bums in the winter, raft guides in the summer (The aussie version of Jamie's ideal life) What a life.

Saturday we attempted to get on a trip to Zurich for the day, but not enough people signed up and we couldn't go. So then we went to try and rent ATVs to go up in the mountains, but the group before us took the last bunch. Finally, four of us reserved a fun car (2 seater, no doors) to drive up in the mountains to a glacier. We couldn't get the fun car for a couple of hours, so a few of us walked into town and got to see what Interlaken was like. It is a tiny little town, very cute and very Swiss/German. Everything in Switzerland is very expensive, so my McDonald's lunch was the most expensive McDonald's ever.

That afternoon we took the fun cars up through the mountains to the glacier, and hiked in our leather boots through the snow to get a better view of the glacier. Although the weather was bad and we could have potentially ruined our boots, it was SUCH a fun little excursion with the girls I was with. We had such a good time driving in the cars and enjoying life in the Alps that nothing else mattered. It was beautiful where we were and we couldn't have asked for anything else.

After the fun cars, three of us (Caroline, Kia, and I) signed up for hang gliding since there was a possibility that the weather would subside. Unfortunately, it did not, but the hang gliding Aussies took us up to the jumping point so we could see the view. It was honestly one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. We would have run down a sloped hill on a mountain and jumped out over the most beautiful, turquoise colored lake to fly like a bird with the peaks of the mountains sticking out through the clouds in the distance. The pictures I have do not do this view justice. That little drive up the mountain made my weekend, it was the best part. Even though we didn't get to go, it was worth it to be able to see that incredible view. But hang gliding just wasn't meant to be.

That night, we got Thai food again! Twice in a weekend isn't too bad haha. We made it an early night to try and get as much as we could done in the morning. Sunday morning we woke up and Caroline, Kia and I tried to go paragliding but when we got up to the mountain they told us the wind wasn't right AGAIN. It was really frustrating this time, because we had expressed to them that if the wind wasn't right we had the opportunity to go canyon jumping (free-fall 300 ft in a canyon until the rope around your waist catches you and you swing in between the canyon walls!!) but they told us paragliding was definitely on, so we got our hopes up. Again, probably just not meant to be. The day was successful, however, as I bought myself a real, authentic Swiss Army knife!

Finally, at around 1 as we were getting on the bus, the sky cleared up and there was nothing but sun the entire bus ride home. For the first two hours of the bus ride, we were driving in the Alps getting the view we should have had all weekend and it was BREATHTAKING! The ride back was better than the ride there as we put our Swiss Army knives to use...

Switzerland is one of the prettiest places I have ever been, and I highly recommend it to anyone thinking about going. It is absolutely worth it. I am so excited to go back with Jamie in the summer! Maybe then the weather will be nice enough for hang gliding....

Firenze + Parma

2008-03-09T17:17:00.004+01:00

The third weekend in February (22-24), I had the pleasure of going up to Florence for a mandatory field trip for my Introduction to Renaissance Art class. We were required to be there for the afternoon on Friday and all day Saturday. Two of my roommates had to go as well, but the rest ended up coming along. Florence is my favorite city in Italy (besides Parma, but more on that) so naturally I had an amazing weekend.

Three of us went up Thursday night after class for an extra night in Florence. We stayed with my roommate Laura's friend from home who is studying there through Syracuse. She was so sweet to us and was so concerned about showing us a good time, even though she had to be on a train to Rome at 9am the next morning. That night, she took us out with her friends to their Irish pub that they go to all the time, followed by a club that was giving away free Nutella. I kid you not, this place had JUGS of Nutella on the bar with plastic spoons on the side for the bartendars to give to customers. I had two spoonfuls of course. A club in Italy giving away free Nutella? I thought I had died and gone to heaven.

The next morning, Liz, Laura, and I got up and attempted to wander the city until the rest of our friends came and Liz and I had class at 3. We walked into the center from the apartment and stopped for little pizzettas (mini pizzas) for breakfast, natrually. We walked into the center and the first thing I see is the Duomo. Even though I've seen it before, I was blown away. That church is one of the most beautiful structures I have ever seen. Immediately I was pumped to be in Florence.

That afternoon, after we found our hostel to put our bags down, Liz, Laura and I went to the Uffizi Galleria. I had been there before with a private tour that BC arranged for us on the Parma program, but this time we went through with an audio tour which makes all the difference. To someone going, I suggest arranging a private tour or taking an audio tour because there is nothing cooler than being told the story behind a painting or interesting facts about it. It makes walking through an art museum that much more interesting. Our teacher had given us a sheet of paper with some paintings on it, and it was our responsibility to find the name, artist, year, and three adjectives describing the paintings. At first I was annoyed by the assignment, but as I was doing it, I found myself thinking about the paintings even more and noticing the details on the expressions of the figures and the colors. Of course, I spent the most time in Botticelli's room. My favorite painting of all time, the Primavera, is in the same room as Botticelli's Birth of Venus, and both are absolutely breathtaking. I also fell in love with another painting, Venus of Urbino, by the late Renaissance artist Vecelli. I am not much of an art museum kinda person, but after taking this class I have a whole new appreciation and love for the Renaissance.

Liz and I left the museum just in time to meet our class in front of the Duomo. Little interesting fact for you: the Duomo had no roof for 50 years because no one could figure out how to build proper scaffolding to complete the dome. Enter: Brunelleschi who invented scaffolding and machines to lift things to the top. It is considered a masterpiece of the Renaissance.

Anyway, that afternoon our teacher took us to other sites around the city. After my onsite classes, I am the best tour guide for both Rome AND Florence! She talked about the Baptista and the Bronze doors (the artist, Ghiberti, won a competition beating Brunelleschi, and Brunelleschi, the little girl that he is, was humiliated and left the city for Rome after that). We also visited Palazzo Medici (Medici palace near the Duomo), Brunelleschi's Ospedale degli Innocenti (orphan hospital he designed and created this famous architectural element called the loggia, which is an outdoor porch created by perfect arches...my teacher's FAVORITE thing to talk about) and a few more churches.

After finishing class at 6, Katie, Liz and I met up with the rest of our roommates and headed to Tijiuana, a Mexican restaurant in Florence. I know I know, are you kidding Caitlin? A mexican restaurant in Italy? Some would say a new low, but I disagree. As amazing and incredible the food I have been eating is, there is nothing like some beans and rice, tacos, and a pitcher of margaritas to remind you of home. And we all know my love for Mexican is right up there with my love for Italian food. Anyway, at dinner I was dared with the promise of gelato from the best gelato place in Rome to eat a chili pepper, and I never back down from a chance of free gelato. So I did it. I ate half a chili pepper. It was SO painful! Nothing I did stopped the pain, and we didn't have any bread, only tortilla, to mask the taste, and that wasn't strong enough. It actually reminded me of when I got stung by a Jelly fish. The pain wasn't the worst pain I've ever felt, but it was constant and seemingly never-ending, thus more annoying than painful. Now I can say that I've eaten a chili pepper...another thing to add to my lists of accomplishments in life. We all had a really good time and enjoyed the food, but Katie Flynn had a weird allergic reaction to something in her food and started breaking out in hives and her skin was turning bright red all over her body. She and I left to find a Farmacia to buy some Benadryl, but no such luck. Finally, Laura called us telling us she had some in her purse so all was well again. The night ended up being a perfect night, as we went to bed at 11 and got an amazing night of sleep. Katie even said that she was happy she went to the mexican restaurant because it was so good. I need to find one in Rome.

On Saturday morning, we met our class at 10 and went to the Borgello Museum to see scuptures of Donatello and Michelangelo. We saw Donatello's David which was cool to compare to Michelangelo's David. From there we went to Santa Croce, a medieval and renaissance church, where Machiavelli, Dante, and Galileo are all buried. After that, at around 1, it was lunch time. The BC students in the class, Jack, Andrew, Liz, Katie and I all grabbed lunch together and climbed to the top of the Duomo. Just like last time I was there, it was again one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. Its one of those sights where no matter how many times you've seen it, it gets better and better every time. The cool thing is last time I was up there, about a year and a half ago, I asked my friends "I wonder when the next time I'll be up here is". I remembered asking that when I was up there, and it was pretty cool to think about my life then and my life now, with so much in between.

Anyway, that afternoon we went to see Michelangelo's David. Just like last time, I snuck a picture or two, but this time got caught. As I was going to take a picture, the woman saw me and I ran back to where my teacher was talking to the class, and the woman came over and yelled at me in front of the entire class and the teacher, saying things like I didn't need to be there and I could be out shopping instead of in the museum. Needless to say, it was one of the most offending and embarrassing experiences in my entire life. It might be awhile until I try and sneak pictures again.

So after we finished class, I met up with my roommates Laura and Suzy, and the three of us bought a bottle of wine and hiked up to Piazza Michelangelo, one of the best views of Rome. Its high up on a hill across the river, a semi hike to get to, but absolutely worth it. We were there just in time to see the sun set over the city "skyline", of which comprises only the Duomo and Palazzo Vecchio, the palace next to the Uffizi. It was beautiful and I am so glad we got up there. Apparently I can't get enough of aerial views of Florence and its surrounding Tuscan hills.

So the story gets better. The next day, Laura and I left Florence early to go to Parma to visit our host family, Anna and Aldo Bonomi. As soon as we got to Parma, the memories came rushing back. We went to the place where we got our first pizza (I forgot how good/different pizza is in the north compared to the south...don't ask me which is my favorite), walked from the train station all the way to their house which took us along the same road we walked every single day and right by our apartment. So many things that I had forgotten about I remembered that day. Parma is and forever will be my home in Italy.

Our family had us over for lunch, and they cooked us an unbelievable meal, as per usual, and entertained us with great conversation. Laura and I were both surprised how much Italian we understood and spoke during that lunch, as we both have problems here in Rome. Aldo even played us the harmonica while Anna sang, which was one of our favorite memories! Anna had the postcard I sent her from Sydney on the fridge, and the picture book I made her on the coffee table. They are truly the most amazing family in the world, and will always have a special place in my heart. When we left, Laura and I both talked about how part of us regretted not going back to Parma, and we know that it would have been an amazing experience, maybe even better than Rome, but both of us know it would have been different than the last time we were there, and we would never want anything to ruin that month that to this day is the most amazing month of our lives.

We plan on going back sometime in late April...I can't wait.

Under the Tuscan Sun

2008-03-07T15:52:00.006+01:00

So my roommates and I decided the weekend of the February 16th and 17th that we were going to go to Tuscany for the weekend. We looked online and found an agriturismo (bed and breakfast type place) in a small town called Cetona. It was a beautiful weekend! Unfortunately it was one of the colder weekends they have had this winter, but it was still perfect.

A group of 6 of us went up early Saturday morning where the owner, Maurellio (a little old Italian man who spoke no English), came and picked us up at the train station and took us back to the place, called Atelier Cetona. His wife is German but spoke perfect English, and the two of them welcomed us into their home right away. They even made room for us at the lunch table where they had the cook include us in his AMAZING homemade gnocchi and rosemary potatoes and chicken lunch!

The place has about 7 rooms off to the side of the main house, all double rooms. Katie Flynn and I got the matrimonial suite as we like to call it! This particular agriturismo offers weekend art classes, as well as week-long cooking classes and art classes in the spring and into the summer if anyone is interested! Even though it is winter and nothing is in bloom, it is one of the most beautiful little places I have ever seen and I can only imagine what it is like in the spring! Irma, the German lady, was telling us how beautiful and colorful the flowers are on the hillsides by their home.

The agriturismo itself is situated right next to the Vigneti Gentili, the vineyard in the area that provides all the wine to the restaurants in the town. Before lunch, Mauriello took us into town where we went wine tasting at the cellar of the Vigneti Gentili! We tried two red and two white as well as a dessert wine, and naturallyI bought a bottle of each kind. The whole experience reminded me of when Jamie, Dad and I went wine tasting in Australia, but i guess wine tasting is a universal thing.

That afternoon after lunch, four of us had a nice long siesta in Fly and my matrimonial bed for body warmth. Even though the sun was out it was so cold!! After our wonderful nap, Maurellio drove us into the BEAUTIFUL medieval town of Cetona where we walked around for about an hour and a half up on the hillside through the residential part of town. I could live there in a heartbeat. We were on the top of the hill right at sunset and it was gorgeous. Being in the small town made me semi-regret that I did not give small town Italy a second thought, and part of me wishes that I had gone to a smaller town than Rome. It made me miss Parma. Oh well, no regrets.

That night we went out to dinner and they served us the same wine we tasted that afternoon!! In bed by 10 after taking a BATH in the bathtub...I couldn't ask for a better night.

The next morning we woke up and went horseback riding in the Tuscan hills. Even though it was colder than I would have liked, it was AMAZING!! My horse's name was Luna (Moon) and we rode in the hills for about an hour through vineyards and the countryside. I wish you all could have been with me for this experience. What is better than horseback riding through the Tuscan hills?

It was a lovely weekend and I wish you all could have been a part of it.

Pools, Popes, and Fashion Shows

2008-03-07T11:59:00.007+01:00

Hi everyone!

Ok so a couple of weeks ago (Feb 8th and 9th) my roommate had her friend visiting who is studying at Oxford for the year. Caroline (my roommate) wanted to make sure Ally (her friend) had the best weekend, so naturally we took her to our favorite club, Art Cafe, where we proceeded to dance the night away, sneak into the VIP section where we found a POOL inside the club (yes, a pool. This place is ridiculous) and turn of the lights for bed at 6:17am. You know its a successful night when the bedtime is at 6am.

Saturday night we went out to dinner at this little restaurant called Dino e Tonys where they have no menu and serve whatever they please. We had about 7 different types of antipasto followed by two types of pasta, homemade Tiramisu, cappucinos. It was unbelievable! They kept bringing out plate after plate of heavenly food and obviously I enjoyed that. Its right by the Vatican and if it wasn't slightly more expensive than I would have liked, I would be back there every weekend. We took it easy that night on account of us having a crazy night before, and having food coma, so we decided to walk home. It turned into being one of my most favorite nights ever. There were five of us casually strolling home, stopping to see the Vatican lit up at night, and just walking and talking on a beautiful Italian night. It was a nice change of pace from the previous night.

The next day, we took Ally to the Vatican to see the pope speak. It was pretty cool, he spoke in all different languages to the people in the square. It was an awesome experience to be able to see him speak from his window, and this time actually see him not just get a glimpse of his arm.

After hearing him speak, we decided to climb St. Peter's cupola! I forget every time how hard it is to climb hundreds of stairs at once. It was a beautiful day and really cool to do it after being in Rome for a long time, as I could recognize where everything was in the city.

Sunday night, I went to a fashion show for my photography class! We had backstage passes and just walked around taking photos the entire night. The lighting was dark so I used my digital camera for a lot, thus the quality of the photos isn't quite what I would like. It honestly was one of the cooler experiences here! I felt so official with my backstage pass and my camera around my neck. I was able to bring my friends too, which was awesome. My photography teacher is big here in Rome, and I think that is really cool that he invited us to something like that to watch him work and to teach us at the same time.

MODS

2008-02-28T10:50:00.004+01:00

Ciao everyone!

I am so sorry I haven't updated this thing in like 20 days, its been entirely too long and for that I apologize. I know how much you all love to hear about my life...lets be honest, most people do. I have three weekends to catch you all up on, and after this coming one it will be 4!! I have just been so busy with everything here, and I'm off to Switzerland this tonight to go SKIING IN THE ALPS!!! If I didn't still have to pack and prepare a 6 minute oral presentation for my Italian class this afternoon, I would take the time to do it now. I'll do my best for next week though, although it is midterm week.

But I should let you all know that I GOT A MOD!!! I know you don't really know what that is, but its the BEST housing you could ask for Senior Year! For those of you who have been to BC, its the little community of the ugliest looking buildings that were set up in the 1970s for temporary housing. Mod is short for modular housing, so that should give you an idea of what they look like. They are tiny, cramped, but INCREDIBLE! It is where all the partying is, and all the tailgating for the football games. Ask my mama, she knows. They have little backyards with them and a BBQ, so good times will be had. Only a little more than a third of seniors get Mods, and they are the most coveted place to live, so for that I am very fortunate. Also, ALL OF MY FRIENDS got Mods! Senior year, here we come!! I'm on cloud 16B (our mod number).

Ok, I'm so sorry to be writing about BC while I'm supposed to be writing about Europe, but bear with me. I am so excited right now I can't even contain myself.

I guess while I'm on here I'll tell you about my dinner last night. I met a priest who works at the Vatican named Father Angelo, who has been going to Corpus Christi since 1993 and is a good friend of Carol Sanborn, my good friend Jessica's mother. She put me in touch with him and he took me out to a wonderful little restaurant where I ate fantastic fish and had great conversation. He introduced me to a friend of his, a young woman named Marianna, who is an international law student looking to improver her English. We talked the entire time in English to help her improve, but hopefully I'll be able to get some Italian practice out of this. They are both very nice and wonderful people. I'm so glad to have this contact now.

Ok time to pack, I'll do my homework later. This time tomorrow I'll be skiing on the Alps!!!

Baci Baci

Address

2008-02-06T00:23:00.000+01:00

By the way, my address is

Caitlin Martz
John Cabot University
Via della Lungara 233
00165 Rome
Italy

in case you love me or anything.

Visit www.futuraforwarders.it for info on sending a package. You must REALLY love me if you are going to do that! I'll take notice...

Carnevale!

2008-02-05T18:47:00.000+01:00

Ok so this past weekend was spent in Venice celebrating Carnevale!! Carne-vale, literally translated to "good bye meat" is the celebration before lent similar to Mardi Gras but a hell of a lot classier. Katie and I took a 6am flight Thursday morning (BAD BAD IDEA, since we had to leave at 4am and were out until 1 celebrating our friends birthday, thus I did not sleep a wink until we got to the airport). We got into Venice after a 2 hour plane ride and one hour bus ride (all a blur), then had to find our way to our hostel which was NOT easy going off of barely any sleep and in a city with no street signs, or streets for that matter. My good sense of direction that I have been blessed with (thanks Dad) led us straight to the hostel where we proceeded to pass out until 4pm. The entire weekend the weather was foggy and cold, but that added to the ambiance. There is something very mysterious about wandering around in a city with canals as streets and people dressed in costumes and masks in a cloud.

So finally Fly and I get up and wander aimlessly around the city, looking at masks making sure we get the perfect one, which I definitely did. My mask is perfect! Its gold and blue, and Fly's is green and silver. I LOVE my mask! So anyway, we go to this bar in a piazza that is setting up a stage for a band that night, and get a glass of wine. After we sit there talking for a little bit, we decide to walk outside and wander around until Jac and Brison call us to let us know they are in. We walk right outside of the bar and hear "What the Crap!", a catcall if you will from Brison who we randomly ran into. Both girls had forgotten their pin number, necessary to turn the phone back on, and could not find the hostel. It was a miracle they found us! Venice is a magical city.

That night, dressed in our masks, we wandered the city from piazza to piazza. There was music in the streets and people dressed up as everything under the sun. My favorite was a man dressed in a lollipop. I was very surprised at how early everything shut down though. We got to Piazza San Marco, the traditional center of Carnevale, at 11 to find people clearing out. This happened both nights too. Regardless, it was still amazing just walking around people watching. Both Thursday and Friday we managed to stumble upon hippie Italy. Both nights while lost, we found reggae shows where dreads were mandatory. On Thursday night, the show we found played classic American rock and we were loving it!

During the day on Friday, we wandered aimlessly which is all you can do in Venice. Obviously we went to Piazza San Marco, where the famous pigeons are, and saw the costumes and masks. I managed to find 2 pairs of really cute Italian boots, BOTH on sale, so all in all it was a successful trip for me! We decided to hop on a gondola, the second one I've been on, which was of course magical and everything you think it would be. Theres not much more I could ask for than riding a gondola with 3 of my best friends in Venice, Italy. Friday night, we treated ourselves to a nice meal along the Grand Canal at night which was perfect. Obviously we had good wine, great food, and good conversation.

Saturday during the day it was raining and cold, and ridiculously crowded. The streets are so small, and people walking with umbrellas, it was almost miserable. We left that afternoon and Fly and I were back in our wonderful apartment by 10pm. As incredible as traveling is, there is no place like home.

Oh another thing...Older Italian men LOVE me! It must be the blonde hair, but no matter what I am always picked out of the crowd I am walking with and escorted by the men working at restaurants along the street or given phone numbers or something. I know I'm beautiful, but come on! All these men are 35+.

I'm spending the next two weekends in Rome which will be nice, but we are hoping to do something called an Agritruismo in Tuscany where we spend the weekend at a B&B, have meals cooked for us, wine tasting and ride horses.

Its OK that you are all jealous of me. But I think that people should start talking about visiting? (Cough Cough Mom, Dad, Aunt Carla...)

Baci Baci

Barthelona!

2008-02-03T12:19:00.001+01:00

Hola familia! Como estas? So last weekend was spent in the awesome city of Barcelona, Spain. Katie and I decided last minute to surprise our best friend Caitlin Brison, with the help of another friend Jac. We bought the tickets Tuesday night and by Thursday at 10pm we were there. Brison had no idea we were coming, although everyone else did. We met Jac after she and some friends went out to dinner, quickly went back to her place to change, and strolled into the bar Brison was at. She started crying, obviously, because who wouldn't after seeing my beautiful face for the first time in 2 months! It was awesome and I'm so glad she had no idea.

We spent the weekend hanging out and having a blast. Friday, we walked around the city, checking out the famous areas such as The Gothic district, the Ancient Rome district, Las Ramblas and Plaza Catalunya. Las Ramblas was awesome! Its this long street which has different sections of vendors. For example, the first section of vendors sells nothing but birds and other pets. The second sells flowers, etc.

Plaza Catalunya is kind of known as the center of the city, with beautiful fountains. That night, we had tapas and sangria for dinner and drink! Such a typical Spanish dinner, and sooooooooo good!!! After dinner we hung out at our friend Maegan's apartment. Maegan went to LVHS with us and now goes to UCSB, so it was really fun seeing her after so long. We somehow found ourselves at a typical Barcelona night club called Pacha, and since it was so far away from Jac and Brison's place, we danced the night away until circa 5 am to catch the first metro home. We ended the night with some Patatas Bravas from a street vendor right outside their rooms. Obviously I would love Patatas Bravas, as it is nothing but a cup of french fries with ketchup and mayo on top. HEAVEN is what I like to call it.

Saturday we spent the day doing touristy stuff. We went to La Sagrada Familia, which is the Gaudi cathedral 120+ years in the making. It is BREATHTAKING. Honestly one of the most amazing churches I've ever seen. We explored Las Ramblas and the open air market near there a little more.

That night, we made Mexican food and had 2 of our friends from BC, Pat and Alex, over for dinner. It was really fun to see them and hang out for a little. I haven't had Mexican food in entirely too long so it was delicious.

Sunday, we woke up and went back to La Sagrada Familia because we never got the chance to go up in the towers. We paid the 5 euro entrance fee and then the additional 2 euro elevator fee to see one of the most beautiful architectural structures in the world. A small price, if you ask me. It was one of the coolest things I have ever done and I'm really glad I was able to have that experience. After La Sagrada Familia, we went to Parc Guell, the park designed by Gaudi with all the mosaics. We were there right around sunset and had the best view of the city. The mosaics were incredible. We ended the weekend with some nice pasta bolognese and gelato. Obviously I began to miss Italian food after only 3 days!

All in all, the weekend was incredible and I had such a great time. It was awesome to see Brison and Jac again and see a new city which is like nothing I've ever known! I really want to go back when the weather is warmer and spend a couple days lying out on the Mediterranean which is a mere 5 blocks from their dorms.

I love Europe. Vivo la dolce vita (I live the good life).

These pictures are from La Sagrada Familia. The first is the inside architecture and the second is Jac and I in one of the towers overlooking the city of Barcelona. The third is of the other towers. La Sagrada Familia was started in 1882. Gaudi died in front of it in the 1970s when he was hit by a tram when crossing the street.

The ones below are from Parc Guell. It was a park originally built by Gaudi for the Spanish elite to relax and enjoy the outdoors. There is a little house that looks like a gingerbread house that Gaudi lived in that is right behind my head in the picture below.

2008-01-29T10:18:00.000+01:00

Hello everyone! So Im on campus right now, using an Italian keyboard, so I apologize for any punctuation errors. Classes started last week, which I completely forgot I was here for. I managed to only have class Monday through Thursday! So far that has been working out gloriously. Im taking five courses. The first is History of Ancient Rome and Italy which should be really interesting, but the teacher is kind of a bore and hard to pay attention to at 9am. This class should coincide with my onsite Art History class called Ancient Rome and its Monuments, where we meet at a different site around Rome each week. Im also taking a Survey to Renaissance Art which has a mandatory field trip to Florence in 3 weeks. Half of the weeks we will meet onsite and half will be in a classroom. In addition, Im taking advanced Photography so hopefully Ill have some awesome photos to show you. Im working both with Traditional 35mm film development and digital which should be cool. My last class is of course Italian...you cant really be in Italy without studying Italian.

Last week, I went to mass at the Vatican on Sunday. We went to St. Peters Square and heard the Pope speak, and from the angle I was at I was able to see his arm! I have a picture of it, but since I am at school I will have to post later. Mass at the Vatican was an awesome experience, but I was surprised at how small it was and how short...30 mins in and out, no more than 50 people! Just as the Martzes like it.

I spent this past weekend in Barcelona! Check back in the next few days for an update on that.

I must run to class...3 hours of Art History in a classroom. We shall see how this goes.

Baci Baci,
Caitlin

La Citta Eterna

2008-01-19T13:09:00.000+01:00

Ciao amici! How is everyone back in the states? I'm good here in Rome, just living la dolce vita. I have had basically the entire week free to do as I please, and I have been taking full advantage of it. I've already spent time exploring the city, going to the Colosseum, Piazza Venezia, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, and Piazza del Popolo. As a result of all the walking I've done in the past week, I have the worst blisters I've ever had in my life and have to stick to flip flops for the next few days. What better way to say, "Hey, I'm American!"

Twice I've had the pleasure of literally running into the Vatican. Yesterday, we went right at sunset and caught the Vatican in its most beautiful light. Its still crazy to me that I'm here for a whole semester and I can go whenever I please. Its not a far walk from campus either, so its pretty convenient. I want to try and go to mass there sometime in the next few weeks.

The other night, we went on a pub crawl that started at the Colosseum. Again, unbelievable that such an incredible monument is just there for us to see whenever we please.

Campo di Fiori is where we head almost every night. Its kind of an American hang out, but its fun nonetheless. Its better that way too, as most Italian men are creepers.

Last night, we went to this famous club. I'm not the clubbing type, but this place was awesome. It was underground, and to get down to it you walked down stairs that looked like you were walking into a subway station. The usual 40 euro cover charge was waved for us on account of a couple girls meeting the famous club promoter Alfredo, who everyone who has studied in Rome told us to meet. Despite the fact that drinks were 10 euro each, we all had such a good time dancing the night away. And I literally mean the night away. We did not get home until around 4 am! Needless to say, I'm exhausted, and won't be going back there for awhile. My finances are really going to take a hit if we frequent that place often.

In 2 weeks, Katie Flynn and I are heading to Venice for Carnevale to meet up with our 2 best friends Jac Cerniglia and Caitlin Brison! I can't wait, it will be good to see the girls and a fun time. I'll come back with a sweet masque. Also, I booked my flight for Dublin over St. Patrick's Day which should be a good time.

Here are some pictures from my first week in Rome!! I'm leaving now to go on a fountain tour of Rome! Love to all - Caitlin

Bye Bye Birdie

2008-01-13T21:41:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!! Ciao from Roma. Its been a very busy weekend since we checked in and it looks like its going to be a very busy week as we get acclimated to being in Rome. I arrived on Saturday morning at around 8:30 only to find the airline left my bags in Philly. So since then, I've been living on 2 shirts (one that I flew in) and a pair of jeans. Luckily, my roommates have been really helpful allowing me to borrow the necessities. The airline was supposed to deliver my bags this afternoon from 1-5, but no such luck. It doesn't help that I don't have a cell phone yet and have had to rely on my roommates'. HOPEFULLY they will come tomorrow...pray for me. Its all part of the adventure, is it not?

I'm living in an area of Rome called Trastevere, which is where the school is. Some students are living near the Vatican and it takes a long time to get there. We're about a 25-30min walk from campus (and by campus i mean the building that JCU is) but there is also a tram we can take along our street that drops us off a couple blocks from campus, but it costs one euro a ride. I'd rather save my money for gelato, and walk to burn the calories from all the pasta and pizza I'll be eating. I have 7 roommates, all are BC girls, and are all awesome! I think its going to be a really good semester.

Unfortunately, we live across the hall from our RA who is kinda ridiculously strict. Shes an American who is studying here full time and is hell-bent on sticking to the rules. There is some ridiculous law saying we cannot have overnight visitors and if we get caught by the police we will get fined 1500 euros, but I think we are going to try and get around that. There is no way I'm making a friend who comes to visit stay in a hostel by themselves.

Last night was our first night, and we went out to dinner at this place near our apartment called Station where we ate pizza and drank wine. Life is good. After, we went to Campo di Fiori to a bar called Sloppy Sam's where we met up with other BC students. It was basically all Americans and we met some students from other schools there, so it was fun. While in Sloppy Sam's, we ran into a pub crawl being led by this crazy British guy named James who invited the entire group of us to join his pub crawl for free, so we ended up going to about 4 other bars and ended up at a crazy discotecha. Welcome to Roma!!!

Tomorrow, we have our only session of orientation. We go from 10:30-12:30, then basically have the rest of the week to do whatever! We're planning on spending the afternoon exploring the city and are making a family dinner for the 7 of us here in the apartment.

I'll write more soon and post pictures to let you all know how I'm doing enjoying la bella vita. Arrivederci!