Wednesday, June 22
Today was a chill day. It was our LAST DAY HERE (so sad) so we spent our time in the morning to finish editing our pictures and getting things ready for our books. In the afternoon we were able to go to the beach again! Third day in a row, score! By now, I have gotten really really tan (yay) and everyone has been telling me that I look like a local (yay, again). We didn't stay for very long, but I was happy we got to spend some time at the beach on our last day here. The beach is my favorite. The rest of the day we didn't do anything blog-worthy, so don't fret because of the lack of entry this time. Our bus is picking us up at 2:30 this next morning to take us to the airport in Athens. No sleep tonight. Wish us luck.
Tuesday, June 21
Off to the island of Hydra!!!! We woke up early, took a 2 hour bus ride to a dock, and boarded a boat that took us to Hydra! They do not allow cars onto to island so their mode of travel is donkey!
The donkey owners do not treat them very well and they rip you off on the cost of donkey rides, so we were not able to ride any. But I wasn’t too bummed because I already have ridden a donkey in Tanzania. We had a couple of hours to shop and take pictures of portraits of people before we went to lunch. I’m pretty sure whenever we are able to split off into groups to explore or eat or do whatever we want, I am 99% of the time with Erin. Let’s just say we’re besties now (plus we take ADORABLE pictures together [they’re all on other people’s cameras so hopefully they will upload some so you can see!])
I do have one...
After lunch we went to a "cliff" and went "cliff jumping"! It wasn't a huge cliff but it was alright and we jumped off rocks that were about high dive-height. It was so fun! The water is soooooooo salty over there. Almost unbearable. I had a slight runny nose pre-jump, and when I got out my sinuses were cleared. Two-in-one's are always fun.
The Greek boys love us. Especially in bathing suits. (We can't help it.)
The donkey owners do not treat them very well and they rip you off on the cost of donkey rides, so we were not able to ride any. But I wasn’t too bummed because I already have ridden a donkey in Tanzania. We had a couple of hours to shop and take pictures of portraits of people before we went to lunch. I’m pretty sure whenever we are able to split off into groups to explore or eat or do whatever we want, I am 99% of the time with Erin. Let’s just say we’re besties now (plus we take ADORABLE pictures together [they’re all on other people’s cameras so hopefully they will upload some so you can see!])
I do have one...
After lunch we went to a "cliff" and went "cliff jumping"! It wasn't a huge cliff but it was alright and we jumped off rocks that were about high dive-height. It was so fun! The water is soooooooo salty over there. Almost unbearable. I had a slight runny nose pre-jump, and when I got out my sinuses were cleared. Two-in-one's are always fun.
The Greek boys love us. Especially in bathing suits. (We can't help it.)
Monday, June 20
This morning I had 2 bites of toast and strawberry jam, half of a bowl of cereal, and 2 cups of coffee. I usually eat three times that much. My stomach doesn’t hurt anymore, but I can’t eat as much as normal and I can’t eat any meat here- I’m scarred from Saturday. We climbed up 999 stairs to an old monastery/castle around 10 o’clock. It was difficult but nothing like the Cinque Terra hike. THE VIEW WAS MAGNIFICENT! Everyone said the view was worth the hike, and let me tell you it really is. It was so bright outside that I couldn’t get a quality picture- but this was the best I could do:
After lunch we finally went to the beach!!!!!! The public beach is about a 15 minute walk from our hotel, and it was amazing! The only weird part was that the beach had no sand….it was just rocks about the size of apricots/kiwi and other sorts of shapes and sizes. But it was still fun! I got some sun, finally. OH and we managed to turn many more heads walking up and down the beach! (No, we did not walk up and down right in front of a group of cute guys on purpose....) There were two guys tanning on the beach close to us (yes, men here in Europe tan- you won't see that very often in the states) and one of them was the spitting image of Cristiano Ronaldo!!! And he kept staring at us! I'll just say that Cristiano Ronaldo liked us. Sounds good to me. The men here, as you probably have gathered by my stories, are not ashamed to stare. It took me awhile took get used to it but now that I am, and once I get back to the states, I think I will be offended when I don't see guys staring at me anymore.
After lunch we finally went to the beach!!!!!! The public beach is about a 15 minute walk from our hotel, and it was amazing! The only weird part was that the beach had no sand….it was just rocks about the size of apricots/kiwi and other sorts of shapes and sizes. But it was still fun! I got some sun, finally. OH and we managed to turn many more heads walking up and down the beach! (No, we did not walk up and down right in front of a group of cute guys on purpose....) There were two guys tanning on the beach close to us (yes, men here in Europe tan- you won't see that very often in the states) and one of them was the spitting image of Cristiano Ronaldo!!! And he kept staring at us! I'll just say that Cristiano Ronaldo liked us. Sounds good to me. The men here, as you probably have gathered by my stories, are not ashamed to stare. It took me awhile took get used to it but now that I am, and once I get back to the states, I think I will be offended when I don't see guys staring at me anymore.
Sunday, June 19
Waking up was not fun. My stomach still felt bad, not queasy thank goodness, but still upset. I literally had nothing left in my stomach and I could not eat breakfast. So I drank water. We loaded up our bags and things into a bus and started the last leg of our journey to Nafplio. David bought me some Gatorade and Carolyn bought me a bag full of pita bread. I ate about a quarter-sized piece of the bread and didn’t feel well so I stopped. I drank all of the Gatorade. Thankfully I managed to fall asleep on the bus and 2 and-a-half hours later we arrived in Nafplio! It’s beautiful! It is quiet, but not as quiet as Delphi, and it’s busy but not as busy as Athens by a long shot. It is the perfect city in my perspective.
We went to dinner just down the street and then went to see Whirling Dervishes! It was in a local gym about 3 blocks from our hotel, and we were able to catch the last 20 or so minutes of the performance. It was very interesting and I cannot fathom spinning for the amount of time that they were spinning. I think I would fall over and die. But props to them for mastering that art.
(We didn't have a good view- sorry for the poor quality)
We went to dinner just down the street and then went to see Whirling Dervishes! It was in a local gym about 3 blocks from our hotel, and we were able to catch the last 20 or so minutes of the performance. It was very interesting and I cannot fathom spinning for the amount of time that they were spinning. I think I would fall over and die. But props to them for mastering that art.
(We didn't have a good view- sorry for the poor quality)
(The better part of) Saturday, June 18
After lunch we saw a protest. There were hundreds of people with flags and signs chanting and yelling as they walked through the streets. It was a peaceful protest, there was no violence, but nonetheless it was really cool to see and watch. I was practically in the middle of a protest in Athens, Greece! What a cool claim.
After the protest we went to another museum, but this time it was actually interesting. There were old Greek outfits and costumes as well as tons and tons of ancient jewelry. It was fantastic.
We were also able to see the changing of the guards in front of the legislative building. The guards had to keep their serious facial expression the whole time and we were able to take pictures with them after they were done! Madeline accidently stood on the wrong side of one of them and he stomped his gun at her. It was funny.
After the protest we went to another museum, but this time it was actually interesting. There were old Greek outfits and costumes as well as tons and tons of ancient jewelry. It was fantastic.
We were also able to see the changing of the guards in front of the legislative building. The guards had to keep their serious facial expression the whole time and we were able to take pictures with them after they were done! Madeline accidently stood on the wrong side of one of them and he stomped his gun at her. It was funny.
Saturday, June 18
Today was an awful day. I hate Athens, so I threw up on it. Let me start from the climax.
19:30
An innocent American girl walks in the back of the group heading to shop in a square. With her shades on, she tries to hide her face. Behind the opaque plastic, lie 2 droopy eyes with tears getting ready to rush down. She holds them back. People bustle around her. Her stomach is in knots. She feels her stomach rise through her throat and she stops in the middle of the square. Puke. Before she can make it to a nearby bathroom she pukes right smack dab in the middle of the square in front of everyone. Carly holds her hair. Everyone stares. Embarrassed beyond thought possible, she lets out her tears and is walked over to a bench. She is mortified. Across the square she eyes 2 boys looking at her laughing. The least of her worries. Within seconds, a group of pigeons swarm the fresh puddle of liquid and undigested chicken, and start eating the chicken. EATING IT. It was disgusting. But kind of funny because it was so extremely gross. The girl starts laughing. Her stomach feels a little better.
From the beginning…
9:00
Greek yogurt, as you have learned, is one of Rachel’s favorite foods for breakfast and for dessert. Unfortunately, Greek yogurt will turn on her and cause great grief and pain. (She doesn’t know that at this point, so she digs in.) Around lunchtime her stomach feels a little queasy, but nothing to be worried about (she assumes), so she eats chicken and pita. Yum. After lunch the group was allowed to have a 2 hour break because everyone was so worn out, and Rachel went to her room, threw up, then promptly went to sleep, and continued to sleep until the 2 hours was up.
19:30 happens.
20:30
A man walks up to the girls and asks if they are married and then offers them a cigarette. They ignore him. He persists and the girls leave. He follows them. They find a place to sit away from him. Another man stumbles up to the girls and is speaking to them in Greek asking for money. He is overtly drunk, and the girls yell at him to leave them alone. The man reaches over and touches Rachel on the arm and is about to touch her face when she brushes him off, yells at him, and raises her arm ready to smack him in the face. He stumbles off before she is able to do so. Carly suggests they go to a nearby café so they will be free from creeps. The girl orders apple juice. Within about 15 minutes the girl’s stomach turns upside down again, and she rushes to the bathroom. She throws up all of her apple juice.
21:30
After walking about 20 minutes back toward the hotel with Carolyn, while the rest of the group continued on to dinner, Rachel again has an unmistakable queasy urge to expel what’s left in her stomach all over the ground. She finds the nearest bathroom. There is nothing left. She still has that feeling, but her body cannot find anything left in her stomach to get rid of, so she continues to feel miserable and finds the energy to make it all the way back to the hotel. She makes it up to her room and tries to fall asleep, but her body is so uncomfortable that between crying and cringing she lies awake for an hour.
23:30
B-lining it to the bathroom, Rachel discovers that her body has found more food to get rid of, and boy does it want to get rid of it. 8 minutes later her body is finally done. With the food. She manages to feel a little bit better, drinks some water, and falls asleep.
25:30
Sleep doesn’t last for long. She can’t digest her water and her body doesn’t want it anymore, so it attempts to get rid of it as well. Success. 6 hours and a truly empty stomach later, Rachel finally manages to fall asleep, and stay asleep until the morning.
19:30
An innocent American girl walks in the back of the group heading to shop in a square. With her shades on, she tries to hide her face. Behind the opaque plastic, lie 2 droopy eyes with tears getting ready to rush down. She holds them back. People bustle around her. Her stomach is in knots. She feels her stomach rise through her throat and she stops in the middle of the square. Puke. Before she can make it to a nearby bathroom she pukes right smack dab in the middle of the square in front of everyone. Carly holds her hair. Everyone stares. Embarrassed beyond thought possible, she lets out her tears and is walked over to a bench. She is mortified. Across the square she eyes 2 boys looking at her laughing. The least of her worries. Within seconds, a group of pigeons swarm the fresh puddle of liquid and undigested chicken, and start eating the chicken. EATING IT. It was disgusting. But kind of funny because it was so extremely gross. The girl starts laughing. Her stomach feels a little better.
From the beginning…
9:00
Greek yogurt, as you have learned, is one of Rachel’s favorite foods for breakfast and for dessert. Unfortunately, Greek yogurt will turn on her and cause great grief and pain. (She doesn’t know that at this point, so she digs in.) Around lunchtime her stomach feels a little queasy, but nothing to be worried about (she assumes), so she eats chicken and pita. Yum. After lunch the group was allowed to have a 2 hour break because everyone was so worn out, and Rachel went to her room, threw up, then promptly went to sleep, and continued to sleep until the 2 hours was up.
19:30 happens.
20:30
A man walks up to the girls and asks if they are married and then offers them a cigarette. They ignore him. He persists and the girls leave. He follows them. They find a place to sit away from him. Another man stumbles up to the girls and is speaking to them in Greek asking for money. He is overtly drunk, and the girls yell at him to leave them alone. The man reaches over and touches Rachel on the arm and is about to touch her face when she brushes him off, yells at him, and raises her arm ready to smack him in the face. He stumbles off before she is able to do so. Carly suggests they go to a nearby café so they will be free from creeps. The girl orders apple juice. Within about 15 minutes the girl’s stomach turns upside down again, and she rushes to the bathroom. She throws up all of her apple juice.
21:30
After walking about 20 minutes back toward the hotel with Carolyn, while the rest of the group continued on to dinner, Rachel again has an unmistakable queasy urge to expel what’s left in her stomach all over the ground. She finds the nearest bathroom. There is nothing left. She still has that feeling, but her body cannot find anything left in her stomach to get rid of, so she continues to feel miserable and finds the energy to make it all the way back to the hotel. She makes it up to her room and tries to fall asleep, but her body is so uncomfortable that between crying and cringing she lies awake for an hour.
23:30
B-lining it to the bathroom, Rachel discovers that her body has found more food to get rid of, and boy does it want to get rid of it. 8 minutes later her body is finally done. With the food. She manages to feel a little bit better, drinks some water, and falls asleep.
25:30
Sleep doesn’t last for long. She can’t digest her water and her body doesn’t want it anymore, so it attempts to get rid of it as well. Success. 6 hours and a truly empty stomach later, Rachel finally manages to fall asleep, and stay asleep until the morning.
Friday, June 17
Greek yogurt with honey was an amazing way to start off the day. We then packed our bags, piled up in a bus, and laughed to My Big Fat Greek Wedding on our way to Athens.
I just bought a French newspaper from 1953 in Athens! There was this incredible thrift store that was literally COVERED in old trinkets and items that was 4 stories high. I met the owner, a man who was around 30, and I asked him how long it took him to collect all of these items. He told me that I would not believe him. Then he asked if I would believe him if he said it took him less than three years. I said no. To my surprise, that is how long it took him. My jaw dropped to the littered wooden floor and bumped a couple of tea sets along the way. LESS THAN THREE YEARS! Here are some pictures just to give you a glimpse of how CRAZY this place was:
Things I have learned from walking the streets of Athens:
-The men who butcher pigs are pigs themselves
-I know how to tell someone off in Greek if need be. That’s all I’m saying.
-Men will make kissing noises and whistle at you. Don’t turn around or look.
-Don’t walk through a meat market if you are just in a group of girls. Especially if you are in a group of AMERICAN girls. And if you are American yourself.
-If you are in a Greek restaurant and you get the chance to dance, dance.
-Dont' make eye contact with gypsies
-Stray dogs are everywhere on the streets, especially at the acropolis (we saw a dog carrying a dead cat through the Parthenon. I wish I took a picture but I couldn't fast enough)
The Acropolis and Parthenon were AWESOME! Again, having seen pictures all my life made it all the more special seeing them in person. They're huge.
Greek yogurt with honey was an amazing way to end the day.
I just bought a French newspaper from 1953 in Athens! There was this incredible thrift store that was literally COVERED in old trinkets and items that was 4 stories high. I met the owner, a man who was around 30, and I asked him how long it took him to collect all of these items. He told me that I would not believe him. Then he asked if I would believe him if he said it took him less than three years. I said no. To my surprise, that is how long it took him. My jaw dropped to the littered wooden floor and bumped a couple of tea sets along the way. LESS THAN THREE YEARS! Here are some pictures just to give you a glimpse of how CRAZY this place was:
Things I have learned from walking the streets of Athens:
-The men who butcher pigs are pigs themselves
-I know how to tell someone off in Greek if need be. That’s all I’m saying.
-Men will make kissing noises and whistle at you. Don’t turn around or look.
-Don’t walk through a meat market if you are just in a group of girls. Especially if you are in a group of AMERICAN girls. And if you are American yourself.
-If you are in a Greek restaurant and you get the chance to dance, dance.
-Dont' make eye contact with gypsies
-Stray dogs are everywhere on the streets, especially at the acropolis (we saw a dog carrying a dead cat through the Parthenon. I wish I took a picture but I couldn't fast enough)
The Acropolis and Parthenon were AWESOME! Again, having seen pictures all my life made it all the more special seeing them in person. They're huge.
Greek yogurt with honey was an amazing way to end the day.
Thursday, June 16
This morning we were able to sleep in a little bit, which means 9, and our breakfast was amazing! I had Greek yogurt with honey, and I've never had anything SOOO good! Definitely my favorite breakfast here so far. Their coffee is really good too (Dad, we need to look into getting a European coffee maker).
Things I have learned from walking around Delphi:
-there are kittens and cats EVERYWHERE! They literally litter the streets (excuse my poor pun)(and awful alliteration).
-I have recently declared that flies are the most annoying bug. You cannot escape them here
-Greek food is AWESOME! So far what I have eaten includes moussaka, dolmades, gyros and gemista- my favorite being gyros
-Greek guys in general aren't as attractive as Italian guys (sorry!) But here is another scenario:
The same innocent American girl that has been aforementioned several times, this time accompanied by a couple of other girls, was walking casually down the winding road in the mountanous city of Delphi. With full stomachs and newly purchased jewelry and gifts for friends and family (try to contain your excitement) they made their way back in the direction of the quaint hotel. Much to their surprise, a young man (very attractive) standing casually in a doorway (posing OBVIOUSLY for the American girls) gave the girls a charming smile and a flirty "hello". Giggles. After that flattering encounter as the girls continued their stroll down the street, a car stuffed with about 8 roughly 20 year olds (in a truck that would usually fit about 4 by the way) hooted and hollered as they passed and then overtly attempted (emphasis on the word attempted) to peel out in their old truck. Definitely was not impressive in any way. Despite their failed maneuver, the girls were flattered once again, and once again reminded that they turn heads and stop traffic.
Just down the road there is the Museum of Delphi. We took a tour of its museum about Delphi’s history and learned SO much about the ancient world and about what the Greeks contributed. Inscripted in one of the temples were two things to live by- Know thyself and Nothing in excess. There were statues everywhere and we then toured the ruins just outside.
Things I have learned from walking around Delphi:
-there are kittens and cats EVERYWHERE! They literally litter the streets (excuse my poor pun)(and awful alliteration).
-I have recently declared that flies are the most annoying bug. You cannot escape them here
-Greek food is AWESOME! So far what I have eaten includes moussaka, dolmades, gyros and gemista- my favorite being gyros
-Greek guys in general aren't as attractive as Italian guys (sorry!) But here is another scenario:
The same innocent American girl that has been aforementioned several times, this time accompanied by a couple of other girls, was walking casually down the winding road in the mountanous city of Delphi. With full stomachs and newly purchased jewelry and gifts for friends and family (try to contain your excitement) they made their way back in the direction of the quaint hotel. Much to their surprise, a young man (very attractive) standing casually in a doorway (posing OBVIOUSLY for the American girls) gave the girls a charming smile and a flirty "hello". Giggles. After that flattering encounter as the girls continued their stroll down the street, a car stuffed with about 8 roughly 20 year olds (in a truck that would usually fit about 4 by the way) hooted and hollered as they passed and then overtly attempted (emphasis on the word attempted) to peel out in their old truck. Definitely was not impressive in any way. Despite their failed maneuver, the girls were flattered once again, and once again reminded that they turn heads and stop traffic.
Just down the road there is the Museum of Delphi. We took a tour of its museum about Delphi’s history and learned SO much about the ancient world and about what the Greeks contributed. Inscripted in one of the temples were two things to live by- Know thyself and Nothing in excess. There were statues everywhere and we then toured the ruins just outside.
Wednesday, June 15
Bon voyage Italia, yasu Greece.
(Yes, that is 4 different languages in the same sentence using only 5 words. I am proud.)
3 hours of sleep. Waking up at 4 am. 3 hour bus ride. 2 hour wait in the airport. 2 hour plane ride. GREECE HERE I COME!!!! I have been learning Greek words on the plane ride. So far this is what I know (excuse my spelling Christian):
Efkaristoh- thank you
Parakaloh- please
Ne- yes
Ohi- no
Then thelo- no thank you
Signome- excuse me
I have been practicing on the flight attendants and I have to say that I am picking it up pretty quickly! The food on the plane was delicious and if the plane food is this good I can’t wait for the real food when we get there.
3 hour bus ride to Delphi…..
We watched the Lizzie Mcguire Movie!!! (Don’t judge). The whole time we were in Rome we girls wanted to live out the Lizzie Mcguire Movie, and since that didn’t happen, we needed to watch it and continue to live vicariously through Hilary Duff’s imaginary foreign love affair. Whenever they used Italian in the movie I could understand them! Though basic, it was neat to be able to know what they were talking about.
THE VIEW FROM OUR HOTEL IS AMAZING!!! I cannot describe it. Therefore I will rely on pictures to take place of my words.
On our drive to Delphi along the side of the mountains, we could see a rainbow that descended into the valley in between peaks. Jaw dropping. I wish I had a chance to get a picture of it but I didn't. David did though, and maybe he will post it sometime.
Upon arrival we unpacked our belongings and went to eat at a restaurant down the road. I had lamb with vegetables. SOOOOOOOOO GOOD. Erin ordered rooster and I tried some of that as well! It was delicious! Experiencing the food from different cultures is one of my favorite things, so be looking forward to more stories of interesting cuisine! This is the view from the restaurant:
(Yes, that is 4 different languages in the same sentence using only 5 words. I am proud.)
3 hours of sleep. Waking up at 4 am. 3 hour bus ride. 2 hour wait in the airport. 2 hour plane ride. GREECE HERE I COME!!!! I have been learning Greek words on the plane ride. So far this is what I know (excuse my spelling Christian):
Efkaristoh- thank you
Parakaloh- please
Ne- yes
Ohi- no
Then thelo- no thank you
Signome- excuse me
I have been practicing on the flight attendants and I have to say that I am picking it up pretty quickly! The food on the plane was delicious and if the plane food is this good I can’t wait for the real food when we get there.
3 hour bus ride to Delphi…..
We watched the Lizzie Mcguire Movie!!! (Don’t judge). The whole time we were in Rome we girls wanted to live out the Lizzie Mcguire Movie, and since that didn’t happen, we needed to watch it and continue to live vicariously through Hilary Duff’s imaginary foreign love affair. Whenever they used Italian in the movie I could understand them! Though basic, it was neat to be able to know what they were talking about.
THE VIEW FROM OUR HOTEL IS AMAZING!!! I cannot describe it. Therefore I will rely on pictures to take place of my words.
On our drive to Delphi along the side of the mountains, we could see a rainbow that descended into the valley in between peaks. Jaw dropping. I wish I had a chance to get a picture of it but I didn't. David did though, and maybe he will post it sometime.
Upon arrival we unpacked our belongings and went to eat at a restaurant down the road. I had lamb with vegetables. SOOOOOOOOO GOOD. Erin ordered rooster and I tried some of that as well! It was delicious! Experiencing the food from different cultures is one of my favorite things, so be looking forward to more stories of interesting cuisine! This is the view from the restaurant:
Tuesday, June 14
The amount of stairs we climbed today would add up to around a THOUSAND. Yep, that’s a lot of stairs. And yep, I walked every one. Today we took a day trip to Cinque Terra, which is on the west coast of Italy. There are many little towns near each other and we hiked along the side of a mountain for about 3 kilometers from one of the beautiful towns to another. Even though it wasn't that long of a distance, we hiked up and down the most difficult trail that was available. The view was impeccable.
And SO worth the climb. I am proud to tell my soccer coaches that I was able to work out on this trip, and boy was that a work out. Best day so far. We hit up the beach after for a couple hours and soaked up the hot Italian sun. Oh yeah, and did I mention that most of the men wear speedos? Unfortunately I have gotten used to it.
And SO worth the climb. I am proud to tell my soccer coaches that I was able to work out on this trip, and boy was that a work out. Best day so far. We hit up the beach after for a couple hours and soaked up the hot Italian sun. Oh yeah, and did I mention that most of the men wear speedos? Unfortunately I have gotten used to it.
Monday, June 13
It's officially been a week since I last saw the United States.
Back to Roma!
I finally stepped foot in the Colloseum! After learning about and studying it in Latin for the past 3 years, I finally got to see it in person and walk where the Romans walked.
I have seen the Roman Forum innumerable amounts of times in my Latin textbooks and online, and being able to walk in it and see the ruins and THE ARCH OF TITUS (which is my favorite thing that I have been looking forward to this whole trip) was ah-mazing. Lots of walking. But worth it.
We walked to the Capital building of Rome as well as the Trevi Fountain!!!! Let me paint another scenario for you:
A young innocent American girl (me again!) finds herself eye-to-eye with an ancient fountain of love. Hundreds scurry past her. Men, women, children, families, even a really REALLY cute Italian boy....beside the point. She walks down the steps to the edge of the water. Mist sprays across her face. It feels nice on that hot day in Rome. Clasping a one euro coin from her purse pocket, she takes her stance by the edge of the fountain and turns her back to it. A friend takes her place with her camera. On 'three' after making her wish, Rachel throws the coin over her RIGHT shoulder (very very wrong) and hears the click of the camera followed by the clinking of a coin. She missed. A couple stood by watched the whole event occur and quickly told her (in the best half-english, half-who knows what) that she needed to throw the coin from her right hand over her LEFT shoulder. She picked up her failed coin and had a second chance! This time she closed her eyes, made her wish yet again, and let go of the coin mid-air, only to hear a splash this time. It worked. And she hopes that her wish will come true.
Following that experience, we all walked to the Pantheon, which is the oldest standing church in the world (I believe). THEN we went to the Spanish Steps. Massimo told us that this is where young boys and girls hang out and meet each other. Sounds like my place. Madeline and I posted up on one of the bottom steps to scope out the boys. Let me tell you, this is the place where all the cute Italian boys come. And let me tell you, we got many many looks and stares. Mission accomplished. Massimo didn't hesitate to come over to us and talk to us. Our conversation went somewhat as follows:
"Stop trying to get the Italian boys!"
"But, Massimo, we're just sitting here! (giggles)"
"They are dirty pigs and you are just a number to them. You should try to be more than just a number. I am going to make you wear nun costumes tomorrow if you don't stop"
"But papa! (we are all his little girls) they are the ones looking at us!"
"No! Forbidden! Go sit with the others!"
Hahaha, Massimo was very protective over us, and though more was conversed, that was the gist of the banter. I will miss him very much.
Back to Roma!
I finally stepped foot in the Colloseum! After learning about and studying it in Latin for the past 3 years, I finally got to see it in person and walk where the Romans walked.
I have seen the Roman Forum innumerable amounts of times in my Latin textbooks and online, and being able to walk in it and see the ruins and THE ARCH OF TITUS (which is my favorite thing that I have been looking forward to this whole trip) was ah-mazing. Lots of walking. But worth it.
We walked to the Capital building of Rome as well as the Trevi Fountain!!!! Let me paint another scenario for you:
A young innocent American girl (me again!) finds herself eye-to-eye with an ancient fountain of love. Hundreds scurry past her. Men, women, children, families, even a really REALLY cute Italian boy....beside the point. She walks down the steps to the edge of the water. Mist sprays across her face. It feels nice on that hot day in Rome. Clasping a one euro coin from her purse pocket, she takes her stance by the edge of the fountain and turns her back to it. A friend takes her place with her camera. On 'three' after making her wish, Rachel throws the coin over her RIGHT shoulder (very very wrong) and hears the click of the camera followed by the clinking of a coin. She missed. A couple stood by watched the whole event occur and quickly told her (in the best half-english, half-who knows what) that she needed to throw the coin from her right hand over her LEFT shoulder. She picked up her failed coin and had a second chance! This time she closed her eyes, made her wish yet again, and let go of the coin mid-air, only to hear a splash this time. It worked. And she hopes that her wish will come true.
Following that experience, we all walked to the Pantheon, which is the oldest standing church in the world (I believe). THEN we went to the Spanish Steps. Massimo told us that this is where young boys and girls hang out and meet each other. Sounds like my place. Madeline and I posted up on one of the bottom steps to scope out the boys. Let me tell you, this is the place where all the cute Italian boys come. And let me tell you, we got many many looks and stares. Mission accomplished. Massimo didn't hesitate to come over to us and talk to us. Our conversation went somewhat as follows:
"Stop trying to get the Italian boys!"
"But, Massimo, we're just sitting here! (giggles)"
"They are dirty pigs and you are just a number to them. You should try to be more than just a number. I am going to make you wear nun costumes tomorrow if you don't stop"
"But papa! (we are all his little girls) they are the ones looking at us!"
"No! Forbidden! Go sit with the others!"
Hahaha, Massimo was very protective over us, and though more was conversed, that was the gist of the banter. I will miss him very much.
Sunday, June 12
This morning we packed all of our stuff and put it in a taxi to take it all to our new hotel. Our original reservations got mixed up somehow so we had to change hotels. After our belongings left, we made our way to Del Duomo AGAIN. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen all I ever wanted to see of the Del Duomo, so instead of taking pictures of the building again like everyone else, I sat down on the ground and practiced taking pictures of bicyclists using a panning technique.
When we came together again we skedaddled off to a world-famous gelato shop called Grom. Apparently it is imported to New York and because it is so expensive to import, it is the most expensive gelato per ounce in the United States. We were able to watch the workers make the gelato and we got to try some afterwards. It was delicious.
We then began a long walk to an uliveto, which is an olive grove, and ate the best olive oil on bread and different meats. It was delicious!
When we came together again we skedaddled off to a world-famous gelato shop called Grom. Apparently it is imported to New York and because it is so expensive to import, it is the most expensive gelato per ounce in the United States. We were able to watch the workers make the gelato and we got to try some afterwards. It was delicious.
We then began a long walk to an uliveto, which is an olive grove, and ate the best olive oil on bread and different meats. It was delicious!
Saturday, June 11
Today was amazing!
We are staying at this quaint little hostel called Hotel Esperanza (Hope)(also not really a hotel) and our street name is Via De Inferno. Which is very ironic and awesome. We are Hope in Hell. We started off the morning with a roll and jam. Oh and I had coffee. Oh and that's it. Yep, that was our breakfast- I started to think I might lose weight on this trip....until much later, but we'll get to that when it comes. First on our agenda we walked to the Piazza del Duomo, which is a plaza with a HUGE building, Del Duomo of course, as its main attraction. Carolyn and David gave us a scavenger hunt with many things to find pictures of and/or video. We headed out in groups of 4 to explore wherever we wanted in Florence (which in Italian is Firenze) and found ourselves in many neat places. One thing on the list was to video a random couple telling the story of how they met, and my group found a precious British couple who gladly told us their story (it wasn't very interesting). Then we got them to take a picture of our group jumping in the air and this is what we came out with:
Cute right?
After we finished our scavenger hunt, which by the way we found out later that Erin's group accidentally ran into the Jersey Shore's work place AND saw Pauly D (so stinkin jealous), we all headed out to eat lunch. I had their vegetable soup with bread Tuscan style (which means the bread is like in the soup so it actually is not a soup anymore) and it was deliciozo! Also, for desert we had Nutella on a waffle thing which was RIGHT up my alley considering I love Nutella. So I pretty much died and went to heaven. This is what it looked like before I devoured it:
With our full stomachs we continued to trek through the streets and ended up at a museum. The museum showcased Lorenzo Bartolini’s sculptures as well as the Statue of David by Michelangelo!!! The real one! It was amazing to see something that famous with my real eyes. He is huge.
After our fair share of naked men and women viewing in the museum we took about a 40 minute walk to a Giglio Cooking school in Florence, yes I said COOKING SCHOOL! We were able to learn how to cook genuine Italian food! It was fantastic! The menu consisted of:
First course- Ravioli ricotta e spinaci (Spinach and ricotta ravioli)
Main course- Pollo alla cacciatore (chicken cacciatore)
Side- Patate Arrosto (Roasted Potatoes)
Dessert- Tiramisu’
We dined like kings and queens.
Hit on update:
- a waiter at a restaurant on the outskirts of the Piazza del Duomo came up to me and Madeline and tried to get us to eat at the restaurant. He said he had a special dinner for us. We walked away.
- a 50 year old man raised his eyebrows at me and said things in Italian to me while looking me up and down as he walked by. EW.
- At the piazza these two boys walked past our group and kept staring at us. They then strategically walked past us again and said hi to me and smirked. THEN they stood about 10 feet away STARING at me for the longest time. Every time I looked over I would catch them looking and they kept motioning and trying to get me to go over to them but I wouldn’t. Then our group finally left.
- Leaving the piazza while walking with Massimo I received a ‘ciao bella’ from a man walking past us. Massimo felt like he needed to tell me it wasn’t for him.
We are staying at this quaint little hostel called Hotel Esperanza (Hope)(also not really a hotel) and our street name is Via De Inferno. Which is very ironic and awesome. We are Hope in Hell. We started off the morning with a roll and jam. Oh and I had coffee. Oh and that's it. Yep, that was our breakfast- I started to think I might lose weight on this trip....until much later, but we'll get to that when it comes. First on our agenda we walked to the Piazza del Duomo, which is a plaza with a HUGE building, Del Duomo of course, as its main attraction. Carolyn and David gave us a scavenger hunt with many things to find pictures of and/or video. We headed out in groups of 4 to explore wherever we wanted in Florence (which in Italian is Firenze) and found ourselves in many neat places. One thing on the list was to video a random couple telling the story of how they met, and my group found a precious British couple who gladly told us their story (it wasn't very interesting). Then we got them to take a picture of our group jumping in the air and this is what we came out with:
Cute right?
After we finished our scavenger hunt, which by the way we found out later that Erin's group accidentally ran into the Jersey Shore's work place AND saw Pauly D (so stinkin jealous), we all headed out to eat lunch. I had their vegetable soup with bread Tuscan style (which means the bread is like in the soup so it actually is not a soup anymore) and it was deliciozo! Also, for desert we had Nutella on a waffle thing which was RIGHT up my alley considering I love Nutella. So I pretty much died and went to heaven. This is what it looked like before I devoured it:
With our full stomachs we continued to trek through the streets and ended up at a museum. The museum showcased Lorenzo Bartolini’s sculptures as well as the Statue of David by Michelangelo!!! The real one! It was amazing to see something that famous with my real eyes. He is huge.
After our fair share of naked men and women viewing in the museum we took about a 40 minute walk to a Giglio Cooking school in Florence, yes I said COOKING SCHOOL! We were able to learn how to cook genuine Italian food! It was fantastic! The menu consisted of:
First course- Ravioli ricotta e spinaci (Spinach and ricotta ravioli)
Main course- Pollo alla cacciatore (chicken cacciatore)
Side- Patate Arrosto (Roasted Potatoes)
Dessert- Tiramisu’
We dined like kings and queens.
Hit on update:
- a waiter at a restaurant on the outskirts of the Piazza del Duomo came up to me and Madeline and tried to get us to eat at the restaurant. He said he had a special dinner for us. We walked away.
- a 50 year old man raised his eyebrows at me and said things in Italian to me while looking me up and down as he walked by. EW.
- At the piazza these two boys walked past our group and kept staring at us. They then strategically walked past us again and said hi to me and smirked. THEN they stood about 10 feet away STARING at me for the longest time. Every time I looked over I would catch them looking and they kept motioning and trying to get me to go over to them but I wouldn’t. Then our group finally left.
- Leaving the piazza while walking with Massimo I received a ‘ciao bella’ from a man walking past us. Massimo felt like he needed to tell me it wasn’t for him.
Friday, June 10
8:oo am
5170 miles later......
I just ate a quiche in France!!!! Ahhhh!!! We landed in the Paris airport and immediately went to find food.
Let me paint this scenario for you:
An innocent American girl (me, of course) waits in line at a French café. (I feel like I’m writing a book.) As she approaches the counter a young French male behind the counter, in full chef uniform might I add, makes eye contact with her. She starts out by asking, “Do you speak English?” To this she receives confused eyebrows and a slight glance to his colleagues. In an attempt to make things better, and less awkward, she says in a high-pitched giggly voice, “It’s okay I can point!” More confused eyebrows, and this time a slight smile. She then proceeded to point at a bread item with chocolate chips in it. (Chocolate is her favorite.) The man cannot figure out which item she is pointing at, so she awkwardly continues to giggle and points to the pastry she wants. He gets it right. More mutual giggles and smiles. At checkout a French lady starts spitting out full sentences in French and arouses louder awkward giggles from the girl. Did I mention how AWKWARD this situation is? Finally she pays and leaves in a stupor of embarrassment. Couldn’t get any worse right? HA. This is Rachel Owens. Of course it gets worse. The nearest bathroom is conveniently on the other side of this café. With only one way to get to it- through the café. She walks through the café with a safety buddy (standard protocol) and catches eye contact with the French male. Uh oh. He gives her a smirk as she passes by trying to contain her giggles. She manages to pass without any embarrassment. On the way back from the bathroom she was lucky and the male was busy, so they did not see each other that time. She made it through alive.
THEIR PASTRIES ARE DELICIOUS BY THE WAY! French food is worth the trouble.
Erin and I walked around trying to pass time during our layover and found this huge glass bowl for putting money in for an organization. It literally had every type of currency in the world! We saw yen and pesos and dollars, euros, currency from Brasil, an Islamic country, and multiple Asian countries too. It was really cool to see them all in one place. Talk about integrating cultures!
Okay so there is this really creepy Asian guy sitting in our terminal. Let’s place him at around the age of 35. Our whole group of girls is completely off sleeping schedule because we lost 7 hours on the flight to Paris, so we are all curled up on the floor of the airport wrapped in blankets trying to sleep. (Claire took pictures, don’t you worry.) Well, this creepy guy is SUCH a perv and has been staring at us for the past 2 hours! I have been the only one awake, typing away at this keyboard, and whenever I look in his direction I catch him looking at us. Whenever a girl walks past him he looks her up and down at least twice and it makes me want to throw up. Let’s just say I will pick a different way to walk once I have to get up. That’s that.
4:30pm
We just landed in Roma!!! We met our leaders outside of baggage claim, their names are Carolyn and David. So far they seem really cool- Carolyn has been living in Italy for a school program for a couple of years I think so she is our go to girl for communicating and translating. David is cool too, he has a tattoo on his upper arm/shoulder but I can only see part of it. I will find out what it is by the end of this trip.
FLORENCE IS BEAUTIFUL!!!!!
And Massimo remembers me!!! He looked at my face to make sure I didn't have any scars and then he kissed it! He's so precious, I am so excited to have him as our expert again. He has already corrected me on the way I held my camera...typical Massimo. I am going to live here for a portion of my life. I want to work in a café (hopefully meet another cute foreign boy….joking….not really) and own my own mo-ped. In college I have officially decided that I want to take Italian as a language. Watch out, Italy, here I come.
Things I have learned about Italy (from the airport and train station):
-just about everyone smokes
-men are not ashamed to wear hot pink pants
-everything to eat has bread, cheese, and/or tomato
-Italian men are VERY attractive. (If they are not wearing pink pants.)
-trains are a very efficient mode of travel (and you get to feel like you’re going back in time)
-dogs are popular to take to train stations apparently
-people will wear pretty much any type of clothing, whether it fits or not
-there is graffiti EVERYWHERE. Even on the street walls in Florence
-GELATO= my life. The end.
-carrying suitcases up extremely steep stairs is extremely difficult
exhibit A:
5170 miles later......
I just ate a quiche in France!!!! Ahhhh!!! We landed in the Paris airport and immediately went to find food.
Let me paint this scenario for you:
An innocent American girl (me, of course) waits in line at a French café. (I feel like I’m writing a book.) As she approaches the counter a young French male behind the counter, in full chef uniform might I add, makes eye contact with her. She starts out by asking, “Do you speak English?” To this she receives confused eyebrows and a slight glance to his colleagues. In an attempt to make things better, and less awkward, she says in a high-pitched giggly voice, “It’s okay I can point!” More confused eyebrows, and this time a slight smile. She then proceeded to point at a bread item with chocolate chips in it. (Chocolate is her favorite.) The man cannot figure out which item she is pointing at, so she awkwardly continues to giggle and points to the pastry she wants. He gets it right. More mutual giggles and smiles. At checkout a French lady starts spitting out full sentences in French and arouses louder awkward giggles from the girl. Did I mention how AWKWARD this situation is? Finally she pays and leaves in a stupor of embarrassment. Couldn’t get any worse right? HA. This is Rachel Owens. Of course it gets worse. The nearest bathroom is conveniently on the other side of this café. With only one way to get to it- through the café. She walks through the café with a safety buddy (standard protocol) and catches eye contact with the French male. Uh oh. He gives her a smirk as she passes by trying to contain her giggles. She manages to pass without any embarrassment. On the way back from the bathroom she was lucky and the male was busy, so they did not see each other that time. She made it through alive.
THEIR PASTRIES ARE DELICIOUS BY THE WAY! French food is worth the trouble.
Erin and I walked around trying to pass time during our layover and found this huge glass bowl for putting money in for an organization. It literally had every type of currency in the world! We saw yen and pesos and dollars, euros, currency from Brasil, an Islamic country, and multiple Asian countries too. It was really cool to see them all in one place. Talk about integrating cultures!
Okay so there is this really creepy Asian guy sitting in our terminal. Let’s place him at around the age of 35. Our whole group of girls is completely off sleeping schedule because we lost 7 hours on the flight to Paris, so we are all curled up on the floor of the airport wrapped in blankets trying to sleep. (Claire took pictures, don’t you worry.) Well, this creepy guy is SUCH a perv and has been staring at us for the past 2 hours! I have been the only one awake, typing away at this keyboard, and whenever I look in his direction I catch him looking at us. Whenever a girl walks past him he looks her up and down at least twice and it makes me want to throw up. Let’s just say I will pick a different way to walk once I have to get up. That’s that.
4:30pm
We just landed in Roma!!! We met our leaders outside of baggage claim, their names are Carolyn and David. So far they seem really cool- Carolyn has been living in Italy for a school program for a couple of years I think so she is our go to girl for communicating and translating. David is cool too, he has a tattoo on his upper arm/shoulder but I can only see part of it. I will find out what it is by the end of this trip.
FLORENCE IS BEAUTIFUL!!!!!
And Massimo remembers me!!! He looked at my face to make sure I didn't have any scars and then he kissed it! He's so precious, I am so excited to have him as our expert again. He has already corrected me on the way I held my camera...typical Massimo. I am going to live here for a portion of my life. I want to work in a café (hopefully meet another cute foreign boy….joking….not really) and own my own mo-ped. In college I have officially decided that I want to take Italian as a language. Watch out, Italy, here I come.
Things I have learned about Italy (from the airport and train station):
-just about everyone smokes
-men are not ashamed to wear hot pink pants
-everything to eat has bread, cheese, and/or tomato
-Italian men are VERY attractive. (If they are not wearing pink pants.)
-trains are a very efficient mode of travel (and you get to feel like you’re going back in time)
-dogs are popular to take to train stations apparently
-people will wear pretty much any type of clothing, whether it fits or not
-there is graffiti EVERYWHERE. Even on the street walls in Florence
-GELATO= my life. The end.
-carrying suitcases up extremely steep stairs is extremely difficult
exhibit A:
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