There and Back Again

I decided to steal the title for this post from The Hobbit, 1) because it's awesome and 2) I feel like Bilbo (except without the dragon and the unhealthy addiction to jewelry).

I mean, it's been two months since I was last on American soil and though it doesn't feel much different than Italian soil, I really have missed it. But more of that later. Here's a quick rundown of my flight home.

Our taxi was late picking us up so we missed our train to the airport. Luckily, it was a shuttle and therefore comes every 30 minutes. So we got on the next one over.

Then we disembarked and followed various signs to end up at our terminal (and can I just say that it was ridiculously complicated to get there. Our terminal was super far away from the rest of the airport. Oh, well).

So then my flight was delayed for about 45 minutes, I got on the plane, took off, and then discovered that my audio was broken. Which meant no sound for me for our 10 hour and 15 minute flight. Therefore, I watched Unstoppable, Night at the Museum 2, Hugo, and The Hunger Games all without sound. Of course, I picked them because I had seen them before and could fill in the dialog in my head. So that was fun.

I had a quick hour layover in Charlotte (mainly because I'm not counting the time it took to get through customs or get my bags for rechecking (it wasn't that bad, but it didn't really feel like a layover)) and then hopped on my flight for Dallas!

Compared to the previous flight, 2 hours and 45 minutes didn't really seem like that big of a deal, so I just read and waited for the plane to land. Getting off and getting to see my family was great. Plus, they had chocolate, so you know, priorities.

                                                  Serious face, at Jack's request.

Shelby and Dad weren't there because they were in Mississippi. Obviously looking at prospective colleges is more important than welcoming home your sister that you haven't seen in two months. But like I said before, priorities. C'est la vie.

But yes, I had an amazing time in Italy and I will miss all of the people I met and the things I saw while there. At the very least, I have over 1600 pictures to help me keep the memories alive. So thank you Italy for being a beautiful and magical place to study and grow, and I will see you again someday (probably in approximately 4 or 5 years)!

Arrivederci!

Last Full Day in Italy

Buongiorno tutti! Today is my very last full day in Italy as tomorrow I will be leaving on a jet plane, and don't know when I'll be back again. So here's a quick rundown of how today went.

I woke up a little early so that I could get started on figuring out how to put everything in my luggage (because honestly, it's a science) and then I headed out to meet Kirsten before we went to the Saturday market.

Despite the fact that I've been living in Arezzo for five weeks, I never actually went to the Saturday market until the last day. Obviously I don't always think ahead. And let me tell you, the market was absolutely amazing! They had everything there. And I mean everything!

                                                        Your 5 euro shoes.

                                                       Your summer wear.

                                                 Your invaluable accessories.

                                                        Your kitchenware?

                                                    Your meat and cheeses.

                                                 And all your fruits and veggies!

After the market, I went back home to finish packing and start saying goodbye to my host family. I was gifted with three books (in English!) about Arezzo, each with a dedication on the inside front cover. It was super sweet. We then went to the train station to head to Rome, saying goodbye to Arezzo and the Zampolin/Detti family. I'll miss you guys so much! Come and visit soon!

And then, anticlimactically, Bethany, Kirsten, and I all had to sit on a very hot train for about 2 hours and 45 minutes. It wasn't that fun, to say the least.

                                         All you can do is sleep to pass the time.

                                               Everyone with their suitcases.

After the train ride, we took a taxi to our hostel Maison de Julie for the night, which in reality was more of a 'bed and breakfast.' It was super nice though, and the lady who ran the place was very helpful and sweet.

After chilling there for a while, we decided to head out and spend our last night walking around Rome.

                                                           Via Nazionale!

                                                  Three monuments of Rome!

                                      This random talented band in Piazza Navona!

After walking around we ate at our last legitimate Italian restaurant, ending our trip with pizza (Kirsten), and appetizer dish (Bethany), and lasagna (me!). It was delicious, which is good, because otherwise we might have cried.

                                                     Final noms in Italy!

So then we headed over to the Trevi Fountain, mainly because it is Bethany's favorite place in Rome, and it is just as beautiful at night as it is during the day.

                                                         In front of the Trevi!

So yeah, that was our last night in Italy, living it up in Rome. We had an early night because of how early we have to get up in the morning, so we just headed back to Maison de Julie.

Interesting Stories of the Day:

• There were some unexpected people at the Saturday market. I mean, you just don't think that they'll be partying it up in Italy.

                                                  And they still wear ties!

• Also, bookstores smell the same whether you're in Italy or America. So if you ever feel really homesick, just stop inside here and you'll feel better.

                                                          I feel so at home!

• There was also a time-traveling Roman soldier in one of the shops. I figured he was trying to go incognito, so I only took a picture from a distance.

                                                     So...where's the Doctor?

• Also, we ran into this lady who was staying Rome for the night before they headed to the airport in the morning. So we got to talking and it turns out that she was flying to Charlotte on US Airways at 11:05 am. Which is my flight. So see you tomorrow, Rachel!

A dopo!

Saying Goodbye to Ciao Italia

Buongiorno tutti! As my time in Italy comes to a close, I find myself vaguely nostalgic. I’ve seen so many interesting things and met so many awesome people, it almost seems a shame that I have to leave.

Today we had our final exam for my Italian course, I finished up both my 10-page internship research paper AND my 10-page art history paper, and I gave a quick presentation on what my internship experience in Italy has been like. Otherwise, I’ve only been packing my bags and getting ready to hop on a train tomorrow to Rome.

I’ve successfully bought gifts for all my family members and taken more pictures than I probably needed to, but as many of the students here are fond of saying, you never know if you’ll come back. (I, of course, will be coming back. No doubts.)

We ended the night with a party at the Eden, where I saw that movie earlier in the summer with my host family. Actually, host families were able to come to the going away party, so everyone was there.

                                                        The infamous Eden.

                                                 Yes, that's a bar over a pool.

                                            Kirsten with my host mom, Tiziana.

                                               Everyone is having a good time!

We had a buffet style dinner and lots of drinks and it was absolutely beautiful. 

                                                                 Be jealous.

After 'partying hard' at the Eden, some of us left to go hang out at MyWay Bar and then Caffé dei Costanti, which is known as ‘that place with the lights.’

                                              Cale with his host brother, Ricardo.

                                 Luca and I with McClane creepin' in the background.

                                               See, look at the pretty lights!

                                                          Last night out!

So yeah, there were lots of tears and mournful goodbyes. It was emotionally devastating for some, especially those who had to leave at midnight (Like Cinderella!). But it was an awesome experience and we all had an amazing time in Italy. For anyone who's thinking of going to Italy, this is challenge to do so. I promise you won't regret it.

                                                      Ciao Italia, 2012

Interesting Stories of the Day:

• Our final started at 9:00 am, but only four of us were there on time. Slowly, the other people in, except for Kirsten. After about 15 minutes I was pretty worried that she'd overslept. So I had McClane text Christina, to check and see if she was still sleeping. She was.
• The Olympics started tonight, but since we were having our goodbye dinner, no on e got to see the opening ceremony. But when we went to Costanti, they were playing it on their TV. So instead of drinking, I watched the Olympics. Yeah. I'm cool.

A dopo!

Another Day in Siena

Buongiorno tutti! Today was a lovely day with cloud cover and a slight wind, which was nice since the last time I went to Siena, I was basically cooked alive.

We headed off at 8:00 am on the bus (not a train! I’m shocked!) and it took us about an hour and 15 minutes to get to Siena. We started off the day with a trip to the Duomo, which was constructed around the end of the 13^th century and beginning of the 14^th century. They were going to add on to it, but then there was the flooding, the famine, the bankruptcy, all cumulating in the Plague. So yeah, that never got completed. Still pretty epic though.

                                                                Duomo!

                                                     Altar Space in the Duomo!

                                                       Dome and Bell Tower!

After the Duomo, we walked across the way to the museum of the Duomo, which has Duccio’s Maesta and other cool pieces of art that I wasn’t allowed to take pictures of.

However, we were able to climb to the top of the façade tower and get some great pictures of Siena from high vantage point.

                                                            Il Campo!

                                                       Siena from on high.

                                                     Oh, hello. It's me!

After this, we walked over Il Campo and broke for lunch. Of course, my host mother made lunch for me, so I got to have tuna and tomato on real Tuscan bread (my host mother emphasizes this fact). After lunch, we went to see the Crypt of the Duomo (kind of disappointing. No dead bodies.) and the Baptistry. Which had some pretty cool stuff inside.

                                                         Some fountain thing!

                                                     Some gorgeous art thing!

Following the amazing Baptistry adventure, we all met up at the Siena Municipal Building and headed upstairs (Everything has stairs in Siena. It’s kind of annoying. For example:

                                                                  Yeah.)

We went through the fresco series, which tell the history of Siena and show the secular and religious influences on the political world during its time as an independent city-state. Look up the frescos called the Allegory of Good and Bad Government. It’s extremely cool.

Then we just wandered around Siena for an hour, looking for gelato and randomly chatting. It was nice, mainly because of the very helpful cloud cover. Seriously, it was a Godsend.

Then we left at 4:30 pm, returned to Arezzo around 5:45 pm, and I headed home to get some work done on the papers that I have due on Friday. Yeah, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Interesting Stories of the Day:

• After lunch we had some time to shop around and we ended up going inside this awesome candle shop. They actually hold the patents for some of the candles that they make, and they were working on creating a new candle while we were there.

                                                             So talented!

• At the museum they had some gargoyles that used to be on the Duomo. Some of them were particularly creepy. Like this one.

                                               Why does it have a human face?!

• At the Duomo, they have the popes carved into the upper parts of the walls. They have a name for it I'm sure, but I don't know what it is. Anyway, I found Jesus and Peter, the first Pope!

                                                       There they are!

A dopo!

Le Grotte di Frasassi

Buongiorno tutti! Today is a lovely Sunday and I got to spend it with my host family! We left the apartment at about 8:30 am. To be honest I had no idea where we were going in terms of directions or the name of the place, so it was a cool little surprise.

We drove for a very long time (3 hours?), left Tuscany and entered Umbria, and then there were sunflowers.

A lot of sunflowers.

                                                      It was kind of ridiculous.

                                                      But beautiful nonetheless.

I actually fell asleep for a while because, honestly, I'm used to doing that on long car trips. From Dallas to OU, from Dallas to Galveston, from Dallas to San Antonio, my first reaction is, 'If I sleep, this will go a lot faster.' So yeah, I conked out for a while there.

However, we finally arrived at Le Grotte di Frasassi! It's a huge network of caves that we discovered on accident by some hikers in 1948. Technically we weren't allowed to take pictures, but I did manage to snap a few.

                                                              Welcome!

                                                On the bus up the mountain.

                                                       Tunnel to the caves.

                                                    Map of the cave system.

                                      That ceiling is actually about 200 meters away.

                                    The Giants, the largest of which is 20 meters tall.

After going through the caves, we rode back down the mountain and had some lunch.

                                                                Yum!

So after that we drove home (more sleeping! Yay!) and have proceeded to chill for the rest of the day. I have also been productive in terms of paper writing, so I'm going to count it as a win for all.

Interesting Stories of the Day:

• You know someone is a good mom when she lets her husband and child do this to her.

                                                             You just know.

• My host family reserved the English speaking tour so that I would be able to understand and because they've already had the tour before. Being a English tour, you'd assume that the majority would be from North America, Britain, or Australia. We were definitely overpowered by the Germans. So there was that.
• I got to Skype with my family before my siblings go off to summer camp for two weeks, so that was nice. More importantly, my mother finally has learned how to use Skype! Yay!

A dopo!