Heidelbeer

In order to save some cash and take it easy for one weekend, we decided to just take a day trip into Germany. This was our first time there even though we are inches from the boarder. We met Jason, Rafi and Ben in Heidelberg for a quick day trip on their way back from Amsterdam. Jason’s friend had recommended the city and it turned out to be a great idea.

Once Roark and I arrived, we waited in the train station for the rest of the group to arrive. After they got there, we headed out to explore the town. After asking for directions a few times from the locals, we found our way into the Old Town area and promptly found a pub. We sat outside, enjoyed the view and sipped some giant beers.



After everyone put on a good buzz, we headed out to climb the absolutely ridiculously steep hill to the castle. Three breaks to rest later, we made it to the top. Even though we did not go inside, we took advantage of the spectacular views.


Afterwards we headed back into town to grab some more beers and food before our trip back home. Jason bought some Jagger shots for everyone in German style. On our walk back to the station, we bought some pretzels keeping with the authentic German theme for the day.


The trip was quick, but a success. Germany was pretty, the people were friendly and the beer was quite nice. We are looking forward to visiting again and spending some more quality time with the liters.

London, a Jolly Good Time

The London portion of this trip came at a really good time since we were starting to get a little bit homesick. After Will and Justine’s visit we were reminding of all the things we love about America and were happy the trip was winding down and we were close to heading home. But our weekend visit to London picked up our spirts and now we are looking forward to a little bit warmer weather and the coming of spring while still in Europe.

Thursday we set off with Jason and his family who came to visit for Paris. They just happened to be on the same train as us so after everyone dropped of their luggage at our separate places, and a thankfully short doctors visit for me, we headed out to Notre Dame. As I mentioned before, I was not entirely impressed with the church the first time I saw it. This time an actual mass was taking place inside and it just changed the atmosphere of the whole church. Sitting in for a few minutes was extremely interesting and it just made me think more of the history and millions of masses that must have taken place there. I left with a new respect for the church.

Afterwards we parted ways with Jason’s family and headed back to our hostel to take a nap and gear up for the show that night. We were going to see Omar Rodriquez Lopez and Zechs Marquise, two of our favorite bands that just happened to be playing in Paris. The venue was super small and we were close to the stage. Each band put on a great performance, but the most exciting thing was seeing the members of The Mars Volta playing with Omar. The bassist Juan Alderete and drummer Thomas Pridgen took the show to the next level.  It was an amazing time and such a chance opportunity to see them in a venue like that.


The next morning we headed out to London. We were taking the Chunnel, which is a train tunnel that goes under the English Channel, on Friday the 13th. I fell asleep, like always, but Roark told me it was no big thing and that we were under for all of 20 minutes. Still, what an engineering feat. We headed to check into our hostel which was out a ways from city center, but in a cool area called Stamford Brook. We took a walk in the park down the street and it felt good to be in London. It was spring, flowers were blooming, kids were playing in the park and people were happy. It was a stark contrast from what we had been seeing in France.


After our walk we headed down to Camden Town to the markets there. The area is known for its alternative culture. There were tons of actual English punks, goths and Rastafarians walking the streets or selling some wares. We walked through the Stables Market, where the booths were old horse stalls. It was a cool place to be and not what you thought of typical London.

Afterwards we headed to Notting Hill, which was kind of drab and yuppie comparatively. So after seeing two streets, we went back to the hostel, made dinner and played some cards. Just as we were about to go to bed, I noticed some bugs walking around on the wooden bunk. Then I spotted some more and realized that the place had bed bugs. I woke Roark up, who told me that he was asleep and did not care. I shook him harder and finally convinced him to go downstairs with me to ask for a new room. We got an upgrade to a nicer private room for the night, but we still left the place in the morning taking away a few bites on my leg as souvenirs.

After setting into a new hostel, we headed down to Kingston Park, which was right down the street, for a picnic lunch. The parks in London are by far one of the city's best attractions. They are well taken care of and everyone has a dog, which provides for unlimited entertainment.


The thing that amazed me the most about London was the respect and pride the people had in their city. The subway was pristine, which may be because of the CCTV monitoring your every move. But people on escalators always stood on the right so that people could pass on the left. There was virtually no trash anywhere and people rarely smoked cigarettes on the street. Everyone was very polite, helpful and friendly. They have laws against feeding pigeons (which made me super happy as I hate them- what disgusting birds) so there are few of them around and the ones that are look like clean birds rather than rodents with wings. The government has public service ads everywhere, which to me seemed to benefit the people of London. From an outsider, it looked like the people cared for their country and the government took an honest interest in caring for the people. Roark and I were completely impressed by the city and its people. They seemed far happier and healthier than any people we saw anywhere else.


After Kingston Park, we headed to the Portobello Markets and took a walk around. They have so many cool things there that it was overwhelming. The streets were packed but we managed to push our way through.


After the markets, we went to a tube stop to see a collection of guitars, effect pedals and Beatles memorabilia that was on display there. There were fewer items then we thought, but it was still cool to see. Then headed back to Camden because there was a piano there that Roark saw the day before and wanted to play. It was terribly out of tune, which was disappointing. We took the tube then to London Bridge and Tower Bridge which was cool to see lit up at night.


After heading back the hostel and making dinner, we were getting ready for bed. Then I spotted a black thing on the wall and being paranoid, I got up and scrutinized it. I got all upset because it was a freaking bed bug again. But we did not bring it with us, it was crawling out of the ceiling and inching closer the bed in order to devour me while I slept. Where there is one, there are hundreds, so we made the decision to leave at midnight and wander the streets looking for a new, clean, and safe place to stay. After making an emergency call to Roark’s mom (we actually got to use one of the red phone booths) to okay a new hotel, rather than hostel, we checked in to a clean and reasonable hotel in that area. The man must have thought I was crazy when I asked him to see the room and I checked the sheets. But whatever, I was not paying for a place again only to find out while sleeping I was to be eaten alive. The place was awesome: really clean and well maintained. Not a bed bug anywhere.


So the next morning after a semi-restful sleep, we woke up and headed though Kingston and Hyde Park to meet up with the free walking tour that we were going to take. The tour started off at the Wellington Arch and finished at Westminster Abby. Along the way we saw the Horse Ride, the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Trafalgar Square, the Clarence House (where Prince Charles lives), the Churchill War Rooms, Big Ben, and the Houses of Parliament among other things. There is such a rich history in London and it was nice to have a native guide, Pip, to tell us all the interesting facts and local perspectives.





After our tour, we took the tube to Abby Road. We could not come to London without making that visit. The studio was obviously in use that day and there were people out front. The cement fence around it had been written on with Beatles lyrics and messages. We would have attempted to recreate the famous album cover, but we didn't have enough people for the picture, let alone somebody to hold the camera.


Afterwards, we headed back to the Portobello Markets to pick up some gifts and souvenirs. We also made a stop at The Hummingbird Bakery, since the line was out the door and we figured it must have been good. We picked up two cupcakes and went to eat them across for the hotel in a private garden. They were so tasty that we began to understand the reason for the line.


We wanted to make the most of our last night in London, so we headed out on the tube to visit St. Paul’s Cathedral, where Princess Diana and Prince Charles got married and where Churchill’s funeral was held. Lucky for us again, mass was taking place and the candle light, incense smoke and organ music made for a lifetime experience. Although we were unable to walk around because of the mass, we could tell the church was huge, second only to St. Peter’s in Rome, and beautifully designed.


Afterwards, we walked the Millennium Foot Bridge and walked past the Globe Theater, where Shakespeare put on his productions. I am currently reading a book about the history of the English language and have a new respect for the man as he created over 1,500 common words that we use today such as critical, lonely and majestic. It was neat to walk by and see where all that creative genius took place.


For our first and last actual London meal, we decided to head out the local pub right across from our hotel that apparently Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow frequent as they live right down the street. The place was great and such a good pub experience. The beer and cider were refreshing after a long day, but nothing compared to the food. They had a vegetarian option for the traditional Bangers and Mash, or sausage and mash potatoes, which was out this world. Roark got a burger and chips. The chips, or fries were tasty, but he went nuts over the Kobe Beef burger. Apparently the cows that make it are fed an organic diet and massaged once a week to keep the meat tender. Anyways, it was the best burger he has ever had.

After a little BBC back at the hotel, we passed out and woke up the next morning to walk to Kensington Palace, where Princess Diana lived after her divorce, and read in the gardens before having to catch the Chunnel home. The hedges in the gardens were interestingly kept. It made for a good day reading in the sun.



The Chunnel ride back was exactly as Roark said, not too big of a deal. I managed to stay up this time to experience it. Back in France we are now wishing for a bit of that warm London weather and atmosphere. Apparently the French are now wearing color, rather than black, so maybe it is a sign that spring is on its way and the vibe here will lighten up. Otherwise, there is always London.

Italy II

Lucky for us, when we told our friends Will and Justine to come visit us while in France, they took us seriously and came. Friday morning we met them at the Paris airport to begin their eight-day stay in Europe. First on the list of places to visit was Paris of course. Unbelievably they were completely unaffected by jet lag, probably because they rode business class over here and had reclining seats, meaning they actually slept on the plane over. All of this was thanks to Chris and her buddy passes. Anyway, since there was no need to rest, we checked into our hotel and then headed out for our big day. The first stop on our walk was to Notre Dame. Wishing I had never seen St. Peters, since nothing can compare to its grandeur, we went into the church. I don’t want to knock Notre Dame, as it was a cloudy day, but I had a hard time understanding all the fuss. Maybe if it were brighter outside, the stained glass windows would have been more brilliant and the details would have shone through. As it was, it was dark and the medieval gloom was omnipresent.


One thing about Paris is that it looks much smaller on a map than when you are in the streets on foot. As we walked from Notre Dame to the Jardin du Luxembourg, we were starting to feel it in our feet, so we took a break for a bit of café. The garden itself was expansive and each area had rich detailing.

From there we headed on to the Eiffel Tower, a sight that did not disappoint. Much larger and more elaborate than I imagined, the monument loomed over the city. We decided to take the elevator up to the top, which was not for the faint of heart. One rode up the slope of the legs like the Free Fall ride at Six Flags and the other right up the center, seemingly with nothing below but the ground to break a fall. The view from the top really gave you an idea of the vastness of the city. It stretched on for forever, as far as the clouds went. The ride down was a harrowing experience, so we took the stairs for the first part.


After getting our feet firmly on the ground, we grabbed dinner around the corner that way we could see the lights on the tower at night. The display was exciting to watch; although I hear the French hate it. We struggled home after having having walked across the giant city and promptly fell asleep.

The next morning we caught the earliest train out to Amsterdam. Actually, we left so early that our hotel hadn't even started breakfast yet. After we thought we were missing keys and Roark sprinted back to the hotel, we finally made it in time, if a bit out of breath, for our train. Rafi and Jason were waiting at the train station in Amsterdam to greet us. We all went to check in to our hotel (“this shit had a tight ass view.”), which had a resident cat that was adorable and wanted all my love. But the mean and allergic Justine banned the precious thing from our room. We had to settle for a 'hallway only' relationship and one breakfast date, where she sat in between Roark and myself.


Once we all freshened up from our train ride, we headed out. After lunch and a harrowing situation, which involved Will passing out, we went back to the hotel so he could get some more rest. Justine was already there napping, succumbed to the jet lag, and Will promptly joined her. After everyone was good and rested, we headed back out for some cheese, chocolate, and Mexican among other things.


The next day, Rafi and Jason departed, and we headed out to the Museumplein for a look at the Iamsterdam sign. Our visit also included a brief ride on the tire swings, which would have been longer if it was not for the group of 15 year old girls staring us down like vultures so we would get off. We also walked past the Anne Frank house and through the Red Light District to Justine’s amusement and disgust. After she and I were disgusted enough we went back to the hotel and went to sleep.


The next day we headed back to Metz. Everyone came over for dinner, drinking and cards. We were all really cute sleeping 4 in the bed, but it lead to a sleepless night. The next morning we headed out to see some of downtown Metz. We went to the cathedral, down by the river and past some neat parks. We called it an early day since we were taking an early train into Paris for a day at the Louvre.


When we got up, it was raining. It made for good sleep on the train, but eventually lead to the ruin of our day. Getting of the train in Paris there was a sketchy group of guys running around with a boom box and bullhorn creating a ruckus. We were going to check our bags in the train station since we couldn't carry them into the Louvre. It seemed like we were following the sketchy guys to the baggage check. And we were, except they got there first and somehow got the guy running the baggage check to close up shop and leave with them to continue the crazy ruckus around the train station. So that ruled out the Louvre for the day and no one wanted to walk around in the rain with all our bags for 8 hours until we caught our train to Nice. So we decided to spend the day in Cafes. It was more costly then we were hoping, but we got some good coffee and French Onion Soup that was out of this world.

Finally, we caught our train to Nice and checked in for the night at our hostel there. It was a shame we did not get to spend more time because the hostel was amazing and the city looked like a lot of fun. But we were on our way to Rome and it was raining there too anyways.


The train ride to Rome was very scenic riding along the Mediterranean. We had a stop over in Genoa with enough time to stop and grab some pesto gnocchi from the homeland of pesto. It was some of the best pesto we have ever had. Getting into Rome we called it an early night so we would be roaring and ready to go in the morning.


First we hit up the Coliseum, the Trajan Markets and the Monument to Emanuele II. Since Roark and I had been before we were trying to see new things the second time. The markets were pretty much completely ruined and only alluded to an outline of what they once were. We tried to get into the roman forum again, but it was closed.


Later that night we walked out to the Spanish Steps to see the sunset. It was absolutely beautiful and the view was prime. From there we went back to the Coliseum to see it lit up at night. It was a completely different thing viewing it at night. It looked very dramatic and much more epic than in the day.

For our second day in Rome, we headed back to the Vatican. I pretty much gave Will and Justine the tour that we went on. I must have not been that good, cause I did not get a tip. Afterwards, we picnicked out in front of St. Peter’s and enjoyed some of the best weather yet on our trip in Europe.


AFter that, we walked over to Castel Sant’Angelo which was a fortification for some Popes. We got to see the lavish quarters of the Popes and even the dungeons. What was most amazing about the Castel was the views. We could see all of Rome and on such a glorious day, it was worth the money just to look at the blue sky and feel the breeze and sun on your face.



Later that night we had reservations at Alfredo’s, where Fettucine Alfredo was first created. The food was expensive and just a bit better than average for what we had expected. But the place had nice character and some really funny Italian style Mariachi band that were quite entertaining during dinner.

After dinner we wound down the night and Will and Justine’s visit by eating gelato by Trevi Fountain. The fountain and gelato were a sweet ending to a trip we will forever remember and hold close to our hearts. The morning was a sad and early goodbye only made positive by thinking of how soon we would all be back together in Atlanta again.

Roark and I were then off to Florence for the night before heading back to Metz. After a long nap trying to recoup from the exhaustion of constantly going, going, I headed off to the Uffizi Gallery while Roark stayed back to make music since he was museumed out. Uffizi is my favorite gallery I have been to by far. It is very well organized in chronological order and the rooms are neat and not over stuffed. All the art is high quality with a ton of major pieces. The collection they amassed was unrivaled anywhere else I have been. Plus, it was ladies day, so I got in for free. Can’t beat that.


When I got back, we grabbed a bottle of wine and headed up to Piazza di Michelangelo to watch the sunset. It was a glorious night full of colors. Later that night we headed out to a nice dinner. This night in Florence was literally our first trip somewhere just the two of us. It was nice to have some time to do something nice just us. Dinner was wonderful. The place, Il Santo Bevitore, was a candle-lit wine bar built in an old stable with a relaxed atmosphere. The food was on par and made for a wonderful last Italian meal.

Saying goodbye to Florence was bittersweet since we really fell in love with the city, as with the whole of Italy. We really got to experience a lot and see so much of such a lovely country with so much history and heritage. But after 3 weeks of non-stop travel, we were very happy to be back in our own bed in France.

***Will has yet to send me the really good pictures we got on this trip. Once I receive them from him, I will update the blog with better photos. So, hurry up Will, people are waiting...***

Spring Breaking the Bank

Italy has always been a dream of mine since we studied the Roman’s in history class and I studied art in college. The amount history and culture that could erupt from one peninsula always blew me away. This trip met and exceeded even the highest of my expectations. Early Friday morning we headed out with the others from our group: Jason, Adit and Rafael.

Our first stop was to Venice. The break happened to coincide with Carnivale, the Venetian celebration before Lent. We were all excited for a huge street party of people walking around in costume and masks. What we got was a little more sobering. There were the people and the masks, but the party was subdued. This is not to suggest we did not have a great time.


As always it was an adventure. On the train heading from Milan to Venice we realized we had no idea how to get to our hotel and it was getting late and dark. Thanks to a nice girl sitting next to us, Martina, we got directions to our hotel. She called the place for us twice and wrote everything down so hopefully we would make it since our hotel was nowhere near Venice. In fact it was a 2 hour ferry ride away on the island of Lido de Jesolo. We rushed to make the last bus to the island from a train station that we would have missed without Martina's help. We made it in plenty of time to check in and hit up the only open restaurant in the desolate beach town for our first Italian meal of pizza and carafes of wine.


The next morning, before heading in to Venice, we took a stroll along the beach. It was absolutely a beautiful day and it felt great to hear the waves and see the water.


After the beach, headed out to Venice. Our first stop once we got off of the ferry was to pick out masks for the occasion. It took us about an hour, but we picked the masks perfectly. Everyone’s masks fit their face and personality so well it was scary. We all looked great, so much so that we were asked to pose in pictures by other people walking the streets.

We walked around San Marco and crossed the famous bridge of Venice, Ponte di Rialto, which crosses the Canal Grande. We ate lunch at a place suggested by Rafael, who had been to Venice before with his mother. The restaurant was right on the Canal Grande and the food, like the views, were spectacular. We walked the city for the rest of the day and took in the sights. Venice is very picturesque. I was honestly surprised how clean and blue the canals were, especially compared to those in Amsterdam.

Roark surprised me, since it was Valentine’s Day, with some beautiful jewelry made from Murano glass. Murano glass is from the island of Murano, right off the coast of Venice, which is famous for its vibrant colors and unique technique. He also bought me some roses. Even my cappuccino had a heart in the foam that morning. I really appreciated how he made the day special.



That night, before we had to catch our ferry home, we spent some time in Piazza San Marco again. They had performances going on, one of which was unreal. Three dinosaurs, or people on stilts, walked among the crowd. They made noises that sounded straight out of Jurassic Park. It was a surreal experience.

Our next stop on our spring break trip was Rome. We ended up staying in this nice hostel by the train station with this typical Italian Grandmother running it who warned us not to ride the bus and told us where to keep our wallets. The place was really cozy.

The first night there, we tried to get some Mexican based on some suggestions that the hostel owner gave us. We were all disappointed that the place was closed, as we have been craving cheese dip like crazy, but we ended up going to a wonderful Italian place. The food was extremely good and fresh, very unique. We decided to call it an early night so we could get an early start to the Colosseum the next morning.


We started our walk out in the direction of the Colosseum early enough. The first sight of it was when we were coming over the crest of a hill while walking on a bridge. We all just stopped in awe. The structure is massive. When we walked passed it and through it, it was if you could still hear and feel the people and crowds. It had a charged atmosphere that was energizing.
We had two wonderful tour guides that day: one that showed us around the Colosseum and one that showed us around Palatine Hill. We got to see all the graffiti on the Colosseum and were given vision of the emperor’s place on the hill, since nothing really remains (although I did get to stand where the emperor once sat on his throne!) We walked through the Roman Forum and saw where all the great activities of the Roman’s were centered. I think we all wished we were able to see the city in its glory days.

Next we walked to the National Monument of Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of unified Italy. Just when I thought that the Romans built all the things great in this city, I saw the looming staircases of white marble topped with large columns and oversized statues. Jason and I walked to the top to take in the views of the ancient ruins we just saw and the streets of Rome. Unfortunately, they were closing the structure, so by the time everyone else tried to walk up, they were told to leave.

Afterwards we caught some pizza and then headed out to Trevi Fountain to see it at dusk. It is amazing how in Rome you can happen to just turn a corner and see the most awe inspiring thing, so beautiful, you don’t understand how it got there or why. Trevi Fountain was built right into the back of a building that looked to still be occupied. The sounds of the rushing water, the people and play of light made this a wonderful moment in the city of Rome.

The next morning we headed out to the Vatican. We rushed across the city in order to make it in time to tour with our guide from the Palatine Hill again since she was so 'informative' (although, the guys probably just thought she was hot). We made it in time to relax in a coffee cabana while waiting for the rest of our tour group to gather.

We entered through the Vatican Museum. It is amazing how many notable pieces the Museum

has acquired or actually commissioned on its walls. Some important pieces we saw were one of five known bronze statues from the Romans, this one of Hercules. We walked through the Gallery of Maps, which were drawn situated to the position of the Pope in Rome. We saw the most impressive tapestries and frescos painted by Rafael to adorn the Pope’s living chambers.

The Sistine Chapel was just as breathtaking as imagined. The colors were so vibrant and it was wonderful to be in a room filled with creations of the most admired artists. We were told not

to take pictures since the company that paid for the cleaning of the chapel now had copyrights to all the images. We all thought that was lame, since they were not the ones that created the frescoes, so we cheered on those that took some anyways.

Although I was really anticipating the Sistine Chapel the most as a part of my Vatican visit, it was St. Peter’s Basilica that really blew my mind. Words cannot describe the awe you feel walking into the church, the belittlement you experience being dwarfed by a structure so large. Every inch is a testament to the finest craftsmanship, planning and materials. It was a true celebration of what man can accomplish and it rivaled everything I have seen to this day. The structure is 30 stories high and covered in the most beautiful marble. Each alcove contains a beautifully crafted sculpture or mosaic, like Michelangelo’s Pieta. Everywhere you

look, you want to take a picture; but pictures do it no justice.

After St. Peters, the Pantheon was less of a thrill, but nothing to scoff at. The dome over the open structure that was originally a Roman temple, but now a Catholic church, was wonderfully designed and a feat for its time. Spinning in the center of the building while staring at the dome was so dizzying that we all about fell over.

Saying good by to Rome (and wishing we had one more day), we headed out to Naples. We had all been warned how sketchy the city could be, but were completely unprepared for what we saw. Naples looked like something you would consider a 'nice' city... in a third world country. It looked like it was bareley hanging together; graffiti and garbage covered every surface in sight, and you had the feeling you were about to get robbed any minute. Jason actually caught a guy with a hand in his pants pocket while on the bus. If they were not sneaking to steal from you, they were hustling just the same on the streets offering anything they thought you might want.


Without Pompeii and the islands near by, Naples would never be a tourist destination. People would steer clear. Yet, people from all over visited the city. We stayed in the most amazing hostel every while there: Hostel of the Sun. Some pretty crazy (but fun) Italians ran it, and it had lots of heart. The people that stayed there were from all over, extremely friendly and lots of fun to hang out with.

The first day we hit up a recommended pizza place by the guy that ran our hostel. Naples is famous for its pizza and this was one place that did not disappoint. The pizza there was the best in this world, no lie. They were so large they hung off the plate onto the table and were covered in the freshest ingredients in such combination to make your mouth feel a heavenly euphoria.


After coming down from our pizza high, we headed to the National Museum of Archeology. They displayed many artifacts from Pompeii that had survived the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Afterwards, we headed back to rest up for our trip to Pompeii in the morning.

We went to Pompeii with a group of people we met at the hostel. We rode a bus out to the site and started off in groups exploring. It was really interesting to see the lay out of the city and villas. Some of the houses still had frescos on the walls, tiles on the floors, and columns and fountains for decoration. We saw the fast food restaurants, markets, graffiti, brothels, the temple and amphitheater. The houses were all very beautiful and it seemed as though the people of Pompeii were well off.

In the streets there were neat little boulders lined up to walk across the street. We found out these were there since waste was poured out onto the streets. We all met up at the colosseum at the end of our visit. We were able to sit at the very top of the arena and enjoy the beautiful weather. The views were amazing; we could see all of the bay area, Naples and the mountains surrounding it.


After our trip, we headed back to the hostel for a rest, a little Scarface and drinking before grabbing more of the best pizza in the world again. The next morning before we set out for Florence, we walked to the pier and dipped our hands in the Mediterranean. The water was so clear you could see straight down into the bay below. We all wanted to stay and enjoy the water and warmer weather, but Florence was waiting.


We checked in to our hostel and then took a hike up to the Piazza di Michelangelo. From there we took in the lovely views of the valley and the city of Florence. Then we walked down through the city. Florence is by far my favorite city I have visited. It is small, but contains so much culture and history. You can tell the residents take pride in their city. Afterwords, we walked past Duomo, the most well known landmark of Florence and it's Baptistery with the famous gates. The dome of the church dominates the skyline and the bell tower is visible from all over the city, like an ancient skyscraper.



Before dinner we walked to Piazza Della Signoria and looked at the statues that were displayed under an arched covering. They were all beautifully done, especially Giambologna’s Rape of the Sabine Woman. Although the sculpture was of a rape scene, the figures looked to be performing an airy ballet. Dinner was at a quaint little place with wonderful homemade pastas. We then headed out for gelato, which Florence is known for. We all suffered from sticker shock at the price, but nonetheless, it was a wonderful treat.

The next day, Jason, Roark and I sat on a bridge overlooking the river enjoying the morning. The weather was great and the town was so peaceful. From our spot we enjoyed a nice view of Ponte Vecchio, which was built in 1345 for blacksmiths and butchers who would dump their waste in the river. Now it houses all gold shops.

We had all intentions of visiting the Uffizi gallery that Rafi had pointed out the night before. Once we were inside, I was a little confused as to where in the gallery we were according to the guidebook. I asked an attendant and she informed me we were not at Uffizi, but rather Palazzo Vecchio. We had a good laugh, but took the time to enjoy the museum we paid for. The rooms of the palace and town hall were beautifully decorated and we even got to see a Michelangelo and Donatello sculpture that were among the collections. Roark really enjoyed the room of maps, as he has been collecting maps of the places we have visited and decorating our apartment walls with them as well.


Then headed out to the Galleria dell’Accademia, where Michelangelo’s David resides. On our way, we visited Duomo during the day and got to walk inside. All the little details about the church make it the most ornate one we have visited. Everything was even more splendid in the daylight. Viewing David was also a splendid sight. The sculpture, carved from one single block of marble, is a testament to Michelangelo’s mastery as a sculptor. His figure dwarfs you, and his hands are larger than your head.


Being exhausted from our week of travels, we all went back and took a nap before our last Italian dinner. We all had plans to drink wine and do it big. We all barely made it through dinner and back into our bed. Travel worn, we headed back to Metz the next morning. In the Strasbourg train station, we found several groups of people from the program on their way back from Italy also. We all rode back in a car together, sharing our stories, laughing and having a good time, much to the dismay of the tight-laced French people on the train. I guess we all took a little bit of Italy back with us.