11.09.11 Second Day in Rome

My opinion: this day immersed us in the most art, history , and culture than any other during this trip. I wish i could

share with you the excitement and marvel in our eyes as we turned what seemed like every corner and explored every long corridor in the Vatican, St. Peter's cathedral, and finally ended at the Trevi Fountain but it is truly something to see with your own eyes.

One cool thing we learned before we even went in the museum is that Vatican is it's own country and Vatican Museum also serves as their embassy. So it is fitting that the building is surrounded by these beautiful gardens and plazas.

St. Peter's is the biggest cathedral in the world but cathedrals in general are architecturally designed to at least seem to be the biggest structure you've ever seen to impress this feeling of truly being a child and/or servant of God and humble anyone who enters. if i had to describe it in just a few words - "larger than life."

Before we left St. Peter's, Mumfy called us together and gave us tips for Trevi Fountain. Legend has it that if you throw one coin you'll return to rome, two coins and you'll return married, three and you'll return "single again"...? None of us could really figure out what that meant so needless to say no one threw three. In fact, i'm pretty sure everyone threw two ;)

Murano and St. Mark's Cathedral

The second day we went to explore an island named Murano that is known globally for its glass. Every piece of glass was amazing and so carefully done. Almost everybody bought something from there because the glass was so unbelievably gorgeous that everybody felt the need to possess at least one piece. Glass was not the only thing that we saw on Murano, we also so a church that was so silent on the inside that you felt that you could hear the church inhale the salty air. After our visit to Murano we went to St. Mark’s cathedral, it was beautiful and there was a lot to explore inside. We loved the sculptures and the architecture inside of St. Mark’s. The mosaics were especially stirring and the paintings on the dome were unforgettable.

-India and Raghd.

The Last Travel Day: Naples to Venice

The morning began in a hurry as we all attempted to get all of our belongings together in order to move on to the next location. We began our nine-hour drive back to Venice early in the morning. Everyone was asleep within twenty minutes. We made our first stop at a rest station after two hours of driving. Assorted goods ranging from chocolate to muffins were purchased and the restroom breaks were made. We all returned to the bus and continued on to our next stop, Deruta. We went to a restaurant for lunch called Taverna del Gusto. Sarah Parry’s mother had called ahead of time and made reservations for us. The restaurant was amazing! A special THANK YOU! To Mrs. Parry for paying for our lunch as well as setting it up. Also a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! To Sarah Parry whose birthday we were celebrating. After lunch we returned back to our vehicles to drive on four a couple more hours. We stopped at another rest station before finishing our journey to the Venice airport. Once we arrived Mr. Mumford and Mrs. Miller went to retrieve our vans that we would be using for the next week in Buja. They returned with vans as well as Mrs. Stewart. We loaded the vans up with all of our luggage and then set off for the Stewart’s villa in Buja. It took much longer than anticipated for there was a construction blocking the path that we were intending on using. We decided that it was time to eat dinner and at 11:45 we finally stopped at Al Fungo for pizza. WE stayed there until almost one, and then finally made our way to the villa. It was amazing! We much time and much struggling attempting to put the covers and mattresses on the bunk beds. After everyone was finally settled down we were finally able to sleep around two in the morning.

11/16/2011

As usual today started out in chaos, which derived from the fact that there are twenty-one people staying at the villa and there are only two bathrooms. After showers were taken and breakfast eaten Franco arrived at the villa ready to take us on an adventure around Buja, Italy and the surrounding area. Dr. Stewart’s cousin Franco is a stout man with grayed hair and a sweet face. He has a charming and kind personality, going above and beyond what was expected of him. The whole day was organized by him to show us his favorite places in Buja.

The first stop was his small farm which was divided by a small gravel road. On the left was the house, two stories high with white walls and clay tiled roofs. We pulled into the small gravel lot in front of the house and jumped out to follow Franco. Around a small garage against the wall were wood pens with metal cages each filled with different bunnies. Franco opened up one door and pulled out a small bunny he said was only two months old. They were smaller than the rest but did not compete in cuteness to the fifteen day old bunnies. Everyone took turns holding the precious furry balls of warmth. When asked why he had so many bunnies, Franco replied with a motion of eating. Everyone looked at him with a gasp while he shrugged his shoulders. After all the bunnies were put back we crossed the gravel road to a large barn parallel to the house. The stench leaking from the barn told us that cows were on the other side of the large door. The cows mooed and kicked at the sight of their strange new visitors and sniffed with great interest and curiosity.

Again we loaded up into the vans and drove out to a field of green and on the side was a small but long building with large windows on either side and in the middle a cement basin constantly flowing with water. Franco explained to us that when he was a boy the girls would come here and wash the laundry and the boys would follow in an attempt to woo their young ladies.

Packing back up into the vans the shirt drive stopped at a cheese factory. The cheese of this region is called formaggio, each sub-region has its own twist on the flavor. Large metal machines that looked like large bowls, took up a vast amount of space in the small room. On the side of the wall were compressors in which, the cheese was left for 24 hours. Around the other side of the wall was the storage room containing shelves of delicious looking cheese.

After, we drove off to the bocce ball court where we met four of Franco’s friends that he plays with. The rules of bocce ball are simple, there are two teams of two and each team gets four balls. One team throws a small ball across the court but must not hit the other side of the court wall. Then that team throws their first ball and tries to get it as close to the small ball as possible without hitting it. Then the other team goes and tries to get closer if they do not than they keep going until they do or run out of balls and then the other team goes. The team with the closest ball wins the point. Seems easy enough yet it is much harder to control the balls. After we played for a while we watched the pros played. Lets just say they rocked it!

After bocce ball it was time for lunch at The Horse. Everything that you eat there is home grown, vegetables, meat, and wine (don’t worry we didn’t have any wine). We had salad, amazing pesto, and tiramisu that was a religious experience. After we walked around the farm, petted the horses and cows, we drove to Gemona up a small mountain to the fort which most of was in ruins. If you were patient or adventurous enough, you could find hidden passage ways under the fort. Climbing through them took some courage but it was worth it to find that the tunnel led to the end of a cliff or the middle of the cliff or to complete other set of tunnels!

We then headed into town and went to the Earthquake museum. The earthquake was in the 70’s but the devastation still remains. Hundreds of people died and many more were destroyed. The pictures displayed were breathtaking and heart wrenching.

Franco then took us on a hunt for gelato, after visiting three different places we finally discovered one that was open and was extremely delicious.

Finally, Franco insisted that we return to his home for some little treats, and with a face like his you cannot refuse. We climbed the stairs up to his modest apartment and was greeted by his wife Erica. When asked about his wife and how they met, Franco replied that they met on their way to get milk and when he looked into her eyes he never looked away. They brought out fresh squeezed grape juice and cookies and Franco showed us all of his Bocce ball awards. The first metal he won Erica melted into her wedding ring. Although he begged us to stay longer we knew we had to leave. With tears in their eys Franco and Erica hugged and kissed each one of us. Franco said right before we left “This is not good bye, just see you later!”

November 13th, Our first day in Buja!

Today was our first day in Buja. After arriving late last night and having pizza at Al Fungo, we all settled right into our rooms and quickly fell asleep. All the girls are rooming together, dorm style with bunk beds, and same for the guys. We're all extremely grateful that Dr. Victoria Stewart and her husband John are letting us stay in their villa in Buja.

This morning we all woke up at different times since we had the opportunity to sleep in. We all sat in the living room/breakfast room area downstairs in the villa. Franco, Victoria's cousin who lives in Buja, came to meet us all before he took us out to a festi

val in Gemano. Franco is the sweetest person and it seems as though he runs the world, he knows everybody. Franco doesn't speak any English so Victoria had to translate everything he was saying for us. Franco took us to an agricultural festival in Gemano, a small town near Buja. The festival was amazing! Because it was an agricultural festival there were lots of farmers who were selling things like mozzarella c

heese, parmesan cheese, prosciutto, jam, bread, honey, wool slippers and scarves, and fresh fruit.

We wandered around Gemona for awhile stopping at different stands and trying different foods before we headed to the basillica of Gemona. The church had been damaged by an earthquake on May 6, 1976. The basillica has been reconstructed as close to its past form as possible. The church is beautiful. When we ended our tour around the church and Gemona we walked all the back down to where we had parked the vans. That night we were going to a horse farm, also a stop on the agricultural tour, to have dinner.

After getting a little dressed up, all 21 of us headed to the horse farm. It was a chilly night and we were all ready for food. The first course we had was a meat and cheese plate, just cheese for the vegetarians. The second course, probably the best meal I had in Italy, was pumpkin gnocchi with smoked mozzarella cheese. Everyone devoured their's. The next course, the main course, was pork ribs and beans with a bunch of sides and sauces that included ratatouille, cabbage, mushrooms, potatoes, and zucchini. It was delicious. Then for dessert we had a pear and chocolate strudel and some Italian style coffee. The meal was amazing, and we were all ridiculously full after. So we headed back to the villa, climbed into our inviting beds, and went to bed.

Last Day of Italia

After 15 straight days of roaming Venice, Florence, Rome, and Naples, we finally come to an end in Buja. We started the day by visiting an Italian school, however, this school is not the ordinary school you'd think of. Forget the history and english classes, this school is a trade school, a school that provides vocational education. Here, students are taught the skills needed to perform the occupations and careers they desire. Students, aging from 10 to 17, here are taught things from rewiring electrical circuits to assembling cars and motorbikes. It was truly a unique experience to visit a school without the usual the classes, but with factory-like rooms full of machinery.

Next, we followed Franco who was leading us towards a castle. We got to the area of the castle, but could not find any parking spaces, and the ones we did find could not fit the two bulky, white vans we had. After about twenty minutes of stressful strugglin', we decided to cancel the trip to the castle and go straight to the Carrefour (supermarket).

John, Franco, Zayd, Madeline, Mackenzie, and Emily arrived twenty minutes earlier than the vans did. During this time, some of us used the desperately needed wireless internet and played on the flat-surfaced escalators :3. Once everybody arrived we were all instructed to pick out out foods for lunch and breakfast for tomorrow. While most people got wimpy little sandwiches, Zayd and I ordered a humongous 14inch 8 euro margherita pizza, along with two sprites. And for breakfast, Baked Ritz Crackers. While waiting for the others checking out, I, with the assistance of Zayd, clawed out a red Nike soccer ball from the claw machine on the first try. Then we head home to the villa.

After devouring our delicious lunches, John thoughtfully created a random drawing that assigned each of us two house chores ranging from brooming the balcony to cleaning the toilets. Luckily, I was assigned to clean windows for both my chores, (sooo easy). So yeah, the rest of the afternoon consisted of us cleaning, eating, and sleeping.

Then for dinner we ate at the same restaurant we ate at on the night of arriving in Buja. Unfortunately, on the way to the place, we lost Mama Mumf and the students in her van. Luckily, Dr. Stewart and John found them in one piece back at the villa. After finishing out last Italian meals, we headed out to eat out last gelato. Then Franco invited all of us to his place. He graciously offered all of us snacks and drinks, including some grappa. It was getting late, none of us wanted to leave, but eventually we all said our goodbyes. What better way than to end our trip with Franco.

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Ciao Italia - November 18, 2011

The past sixteen days had flown by, and it was finally time to say ciao to Italy. Although it had been an outstanding trip, we were all anxious and excited to go home to our families. We started the day with an early wake-up call in attempt to make it to the airport on time for our flight. We were out the door and in the vans by six am as we said bye to Buja. After about a two hour car ride we finally reached the airport in Venice and said our "goodbyes" and "thank yous" to Dr. Stewart and Mr. Stewart.With only a little over an hour left till our flight began boarding, we rushed to get our boarding passes and check in our luggage. We ran into a couple complications with some boarding passes but we made it just in time for our flight. The view was spectacular as we took off over the mountains and said ciao to Italy.

We landed in Paris on time, leaving us with about a two hour layover. After going through a customs check we began the long walk to our gate, which happened to be on the other side of the airport. In the process we lost Emily for a short five minutes, but she found her way back to the group with little delay. By the time we reached our gate we had just enough to time to buy ourselves some lunch and stop at the restrooms. Finally we boarded the plane and began the long flight that would bring us home. Throughout the course of the eight hour flight, many of us watched movies, listened to music, snacked, and slept in hopes of making the flight go by faster.

After what seemed like forever we finally landed in Detroit. Although the line for customs seemed endless it actually moved pretty quickly, and we had no trouble claiming our luggage either. The fact that we had been on a farm in Italy as well as handled live stock didn't play in our favor. We were sent to another line where we had to have the shoes that we wore on the farm sprayed. While waiting for our shoes to be returned we went through another baggage examination. As soon as our shoes were returned we were allowed to leave and meet our families who were all waiting outside. Italy had been the trip of a lifetime, but everyone seemed happy to be home, knowing that they would be sleeping in their own beds.

11/11/11

Today was our second day in Naples. Since the hotel would over charge us to eat breakfast there Mrs. Miller and Micheal woke up early and went to get pastries from a Patisserie nearby. They then brought them to our rooms and we ate breakfast there. Once everyone was ready we took the bus to Mount Vesuvius. We got there somewhere around 9:00. We started a bit more than halfway up and it took till around 10:15 till everyone was at the top. The even had small stores set up as checkpoints all the way up if you wanted to take a break and maybe buy something as a souvenir. The sold lots of statues and jewelry made from mostly obsidian plus drinks for the climb. When we finally got to the top we had an amazing view!

After that we went and drove over to Pompeii. We ate lunch at a pizzeria nearby be fore we went in that our bus driver Francisco suggested. He also suggested that we all get their special which consisted of a margarita pizza, french fries, and coke. It wasn't that bad but I wasn't impressed either. Truthfully I believe we could have found a better place to eat. But afterwards we got to go into Pompeii and see the ruins We got to see the forum and the temple of Apollo first. Then we wandered around the city a bit. My favorite part was the theater. The place was amazing, we even got to talk in the center of the theater so that our voices echoed. The best part was when Zerby gave his speech piece there for everyone.

We Also visited one of the villas in the city and the amphitheater. For a bit we couldn't find out where the entrance to the amphitheater was. We were about to give up when we saw

someone else disappear through a passage. The amphitheater was very overgrown, All the steps and the arena where covered in grass. After we were done there we walked back to the forum to take a look at the ash people who were still in Pompeii. We did stop one the way to look at a "good luck symbol" carved into the road from roman times. As we moved on past the bath-houses we also noticed a shop that had been set up replacing a large building. They had set up in the middle of Pompeii to sell food and drinks to the tourists. As we waited outside as some of us bought drinks and candy one of the dogs walking around came up and we noticed that it had one silver eye and one red one which looked really weird , but he was really nice.

To finish up our tour of Pompeii we went a bit farther into the city and looked at one of the brothels. Then we decided to head out. We drove back to our hotel and we had planned to eat lunch at a MacDonald that was on the map nearby. Unfortunately when the Adults went to

check it out before hand they noticed a slight problem. The place was abandoned and all the windows were smashed. Everything had been destroyed. So with that we decided we had no choice but to eat dinner at the same restaurant that we at at the night before. And that summarizes our second day in Naples.

-Luke Odenthal

November 15, Bonjourno Miramare

We started this beautiful November 15th day with a drive to Trieste. On the way we had some unexpected detours and somehow ended up getting off of the main highway, the autostrat, and then getting back on. In short, it was an eventful morning. When we regrouped we had a scenic drive to the Miramare Castle. The name Miramare means 'ocean view' and this gives you a pretty good idea of what we saw: the sea. To be exact, we saw the glorious Adriatic Sea from the vans and the trrace of a storybook castle. The Miramare Castle was inhabited by the Belgian Princess Charlotte and her husband Maximillian of Hapsburg, future king of Mexico. Oddly, we were in an Italian castle that was occupied by a Belgian Princess and a Mexican King. Well that is Italy for you.

After our educational and scenic morning at the castle we drove over the Italian border and had lunch in Slovenia. The best part about lunch in Slovenia was discovering that there was free wifi at the cafe. Promptly everyone whipped out their i-pods and i-phones and facebooked and what-not. Finally, we drove back to the villa where we got gelato at the local gelatteria. Today was a beautiful and and educational day in Italy and Slovenia! Ciao!

First Day in Rome

Our first day in Rome wasn't exactly how we planned it to be. First, we had to wake up early in order to not miss our train from Florence to Rome. We dragged our luggage from our hotel in Florence to the train station and rode on it for a little less then 2 hours till finally we got to Rome, where bad luck first struck us! We arrived and had no idea where we were going at first. We gave Michael and he led us the whole way to our hotel which was a little over 2 kilometers away. It was a long cold walk and wet leaves and puddles were all over the floor, so by the time we got to the hotel, our bags had mud on them and leaves stuck in the wheels! We stayed at the Holiday Inn and arrived in the early afternoon. We all got assigned our rooms and then headed upstairs to freshen up, while the teachers figured out what we were gonna do next. After about 10 minutes and after eating lunch, the teachers told us that we should just stay in our rooms and they would get us once the metro strike is over, that apparently has been going since the morning. the metro strike lasted all day till about 6 in the evening, when we finally decided to go to the Colosseum and the Ancient Roman Ruins at night. So we found our way to closest metro station and Mr. Mumford bought our tickets and distributed them to everyone. We put the tickets through the machines and went through the doors and down the stairs to wait for the next metro to come. The metros were PACKED at night and we all had to separate into smaller groups and remember what station to get off at. Thankfully, we didn't lose anyone and hurried on up out of the station to see the glorious Colosseum all light up at night. We all were starving, so we found a nice little place to eat at and then went to the Ancient Roman Ruins to look around and see the remains left of what Rome used to be. Then, we headed back to the metro station and passed by the Colosseum again and took pictures of it at night and then we headed back the hotel, having to go through the packed metro and in groups again. Once we got back to the hotel, we were free to go upstairs and sleep for the night, hoping tomorrow would be better and we wouldn't be stuck in the hotel for 6 hours again.

-Ruchi Rana

Second Day in Buja

Today, Nov. 14th, we started our second day in Buja getting up and ready to go to the city of Aquileia. While we were in Aquileia we saw Porto Fluvial and Cimitero dei Caduti which were all historical ruins. The ruins of Porto Fluvial were remnants of an old port which linked the city to the sea. The Cimitero dei Caduti was an ancient cemetery which all the grave stones were wrought iron crosses. After visiting the ruins, we headed for lunch at a Pizzeria Trattoria. The margarita pizza which is just cheese pizza was delicious. We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping around a designer outlet mall in Palmanova. They had stores such as Lindt Chocolate, Guess, Nike, Adidas, Puma, and multiple leather shoe stores. Once we left the mall, we drove to the grocery store Carrefour to get food for dinner and any other personal foods for the plane ride home. After the Carrefour, we drove back to villa in Buja while looking for a gelato restaurant togo eat dinner at. Sadly, all the gelato restaurants were closed so we continued our way back to the villa to eat dinner there. Mr. Mumford, Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Mumford, and Dr. Stewart made us all spaghetti. We spent the rest of the night relaxing at the villa after eating the delicious meal.

-Madeline Abdoo

Nov 10th 2011, Arrivederla Roma

Today began for everyone with a 7:00A.M. breakfast and a group meeting in the lobby at 7:20A.M. so that we could get ont he bus at 7:30. As usual, things did not go as planned -- students were still eating their breakfast at 7:20 and the bus was slightly late. All in all, we were getting on the bus at 7:45 and were on the road at 7:55, leaving the Western Globus of Rome. The first section of the charter bus ride was from Rome to Naples, which had a break at a rest stop after two hours. This portion of the ride was composed of beautiful views of the mountains. We would see shepards directing large herds of sheep at times, but most of the time there was grapes trees and olive trees where there were not mountains.

After two hours, we stopped at a rest stop and got out to stretch our legs and grab snacks. A large amount of students were amazed at how much chocolate there was. After we had bought our snacks and chocolate, we were off again towards Naples. While on our way to Naples, Mr. Mumford pointed out to the 10th graders in his history class that the mountains that we were passing had importances to World War II. When we were finally able to see Naples, we could see that a giant mountain was shadowing it. Mr. Mumford pointed out to the few of us who were awake that it was Mt. Vesuvius far off in the distence and that we will be continuing through Naples to Sorrento. As we continued past Naples, we gained altitude and the road began to get smaller (please remember that we are in a rather large charter bus). At one point we were hugging against another mountain across the bay from Naples and had a beautiful view of Naples with the silhouette of Mt. Vesuvius behind it.

We continued to move along the mountain, going up the side, until we reached Sorrento, a town among the lower reaches of the mountains. Sorrento is famous for its large lemons. While at Sorrento we stopped and walked around to find somewhere to have lunch at. After lunch, the group looked around the town. A beautiful view that was found was from the edge of one of the main plazas. If you look off of it you can see a straight drop about 50-100 feet to a road that is crawling up the mountain with greenery draping down the sides. We returned to the bus at 2:00 and were off to make our finaly push to the Amalfi Coast.

We continued to drive upward and the roads began to hug the mountain more and more with tighter switchbacks and narrow roads. I began to worry what would happen if we met another bus on the same path. On our way up we noticed on the opposite mountain there was a large cross sticking out at the top of the peak. Mr. Mumford informed us that it was the cross fo a church that was built into the rock of the mountain. When we reached the point when we would cross through a tunnal to the other side of the mountain and to the Amalfi coast, the unfortunate occured; the road was closed for repair. We stopped and our driver threw his hands up in defeat.
After a moment, he remembered an alterinative route that began in Sorrento that was much longer and would take us higher up on the mountain, but would takes us to Amalfi. He turned us around and we began our terk down to do Sorrento.

In this time that we turned around, Mr. Mumford told me (I was the only one awake) that there was a seat at the front next to the driver for the tour guide that I could sit in to take pictures. I gladly accepted. Once we began our rout from Sorrento up the mountain, I realized it was a bad choice; the road appeared to be as big as a one way in Ohio and it was meant for two tour buses at times. As we continued up the side of the mountain, the environment changed from a temporate forest that had changed colors and was just starting to lose its leaves to a damp and lush temporate forest that was just changing colors. I would call it a temporate rainforest but Mrs. Miller (being an environmental science teacher) would probably disagree with my assumption. The bus driver was in the zone with his turns the whole time; honking his horn when making turns when he could not see the the other side, slowing to the gentlest crawl on the switchbacks and then to a stamped along the straights. Most of the group, again, was still asleep. After many switchbacks and rather bothersome motorcyclists zooming past the bus, we had made it past the side of the mountain and onto the top of the of the cliffs of the Amalfi Coast. We quickly began to wake people up due to the amazing view.

The first thing that caught our eyes was the sea; it had a beautiful mix of teal and a very pale blue that stretched off into the horizon. The water was so still that it looked like glass from above. As we grew closer, buildings and houses began to appear more often while the inner side of the cliff began to have rows of parked cars. Please keep in mind that road has not changed and is still narrow and right against the side of the cliff. Around this time we had a close encounter with another bus in one of the switchbacks on that narrow road with the rows of cars packed by the buildings that were sticking out into the road. Somehow after 20 or 30 seconds the busdrivers were able to move around each other. By now, all of the bus was wide awake and looking off from the cliffs of the Amalfi Coast down to the town of Amalfi and the Mediterrenean Sea. Our driver joked how it was my turn to drive the bus after we got out of a very narrow strip. Mr. Mumford quickly and quietly said no to him, then turned to the rest of the bus and told them how I was going to drive now. Everyone shouted no.

In the heart of the porttown, the buildings looked like they were carved into the mountain side with some looking like they had not been a day old while others time had forgotten. Once the we reached sea level and were at the coast, the bus stopped and let us out. The group took off to look at the sea and a large amount of the group went off to put their feet into the Mediterrenean (this included Mrs. Miller). While we were having our feet in the sea, it was noted how deep and clear the water was. It appeared to be at least 10 feet deep and crystal clear. Students in the group continued on down the dock, some were taking pictures of others or the sites while others climbed on the large rocks along the shore, and some even got gelato. Once this was all said and done it ws time to hop on the bus and return to Naples for the hotel.

The drive back was just as tight - even tighter because there was more traffic. The road was dark and the busdriver would use his flash on his headlights around the corners to alert the oncoming drivers that there was a large vehicle coming towards them. Eventually, we made it to the hotel and checked in for the night.

11/8/11

Italy Blog 11/8/11

We woke up this morning to take on our first full day in Rome. The weather was beautiful and breakfast was satisfying. We started out towards the Colosseum after waiting for about a half an hour to push our way onto the overly crowded metro. The Colosseum was absolutely gorgeous. It was so amazing to see.

We walked around for about an hour and then met up to go to the Forum. We had read and learned about the Forum in history class, but it was an amazing experience to actually see it.

After a few hours and a lot of walking, everybody was ready for lunch. After we walked for a bit we decided on a pizzeria (with gelato on the first floor, of course). After we stuffed ourselves with pizza, spaghetti, etc. (the usual), mostly everyone still wanted gelato. We were set on sitting back down to eat our variously flavored gelato, but instead, our waiter ushered us outside...Into the pouring rain. Unprepared for the complete turn of weather conditions, we dodged puddles and bought umbrellas on our way to the Spanish steps...Which we couldn't find...Drenched and tired, we headed back for the metro, which was just as crowded as it was when we arrived. Shoes soaked and hair ruined, we trudged up to our rooms...Where we slept/hung out/watched tv/went to the market until dinnertime came around. Because many people didn't have the energy to go out for dinner, our teachers came to our rooms, took our orders, and went out and got food for us (like room service, but better). With a well deserved rest, we were anxious and ready to take on the next day.

November 5, 2011

We started out our early morning around 8am, so that we could take a water taxi (yes, I said water taxi! It is just like a boat) to Florence, the next city to visit planned on our adventure. After taking the water taxi, we arrived at the train station. The train station was nice, the train itself was nice, but the luggage room on the train was very very limited. Luckily, we all boarded the train before anyone else, thus, not struggling to find places to put our luggage.

We arrived in Florence around noon and checked into our rooms. (The rooms here were much much larger and nicer than the tiny rooms in Venice). After checking in, we had until 1pm to get situated in the room, relax, chit chat, excetera. At 1pm, we headed to lunch at a nearby park called, "Piazza Della Independenza." The park was splendid! All of us grabbed our bags and food and sat on a park bench by the pigeons, feeding them our pizza crust, occasionally, while orange leaves from trees danced in the air.

After lunch, we went to Medici Chapels, then to the dome of Brumellesi. The chapel was beautiful, but the dome was more exquisite, in the opinion of most students. Afterwards we trotted down to the Palazza Veccio, and then to a bridge that is famous for its gold and precious jewls (which were extremely high priced!).

At 5pm we started walking back to the hotel, and from 5pm until 8pm we were given free time to shop in the "mercado" (market), where we found bags, shos belts, scarves, and leather jackets. Just warning you parents, there are only about 7 students who have not purchased a leather jacket so far. So, if you are wondering what happened to all the spending money you gave them, now you know!

Dinner started at 8:15pm at an authentic Italian resturant. The food was great.

That night we all went to bed and could not wait for what was in store for us the next day, Sunday.

Day 2 In Venice (November 4, 2011)

After getting some good rest, we headed out into the city of Venice one last time before continuing on. We boarded the waterbus and headed to the Island of Murano, the island of glass works. The view on the waterbus was mesmerizing and we soon saw the island approach us. Several of the students purchased works of glass from necklaces to plates. I know Olivia struggled to find a red glass bowl at a reasonable price; however, she was successful. The church on the island also amazed Alex; the architecture was a sight to behold. We spent about 2 hours at this island, and the time came for us to head to the Saint Marco’s Cathedral, which was on the main island of Venice. However, we ran into even a greater dilemma on our way to this cathedral. Venice has proved to be quite the labyrinth; we lost Our way as we went into the Saint Marco’s Cathedral. It was pretty amazing, and Peter was able to sneak a video and photo here and there. What a rebel! We grabbed some lunch afterwards near the square. Soon after eating lunch, Mr. Mumford and Mrs. Miller graciously gave us free time to explore the city. Many students returned to the hotel with interesting purchases such as tri–colored pasta, masks, and many articles of clothing. It was six o’clock now and several students returned to the hotel to take an hour nap prior to dinner at eight o’clock. We ate our last dinner in Venice at an Italian restaurant near the hotel. It was phenomenal! And of course, we crossed the Grand Canal to get some Gelato, which was delicious. Tomorrow we leave for Florence and say goodbye to Venice.

Sunday, November 6th - Second Day in Florence

Our second day in Florence was definitely an adventure. We started the day at breakfast, which we all had a fairly hard time arriving to promptly. As usual, we were behind schedule, no thanks to the fact that there was confusion regarding the time for mass that Mrs. Miller and Mama Mumford were supposed to have attended. After people struggled to realize that no, Italy does not observe Daylight Savings, (which caused some confusion with people's alarms being set an hour behind) we were filled with breakfast and off on our long day, only an hour or so behind schedule.

We began our day at the Uffizi Gallery, which is a large art gallery in Florence, and one of the major ones to see in Italy. Thanks to advice from Sarah's grandmother, we stayed only a few hours looking at the amazing artwork, although we could easily have spent days walking around in awe of the masterpieces. We looked at so many pieces in various rooms, including works by Botticelli, Michelangelo, and so many other famous Renaissance artists. Several students had works of art created by the artist that they had to study located in the Uffizi, so many of them explained to us all about the history of that artist and their work.

After spending a few hours in the Uffizi and getting lost in the artwork, we left the building and walked into the plaza that it was near, which we discovered had several members of the Italian Military in it trying to recruit. There were cars and flags and people in uniforms everywhere, and so naturally we had to go and have our pictures taken with a few of them (very quickly so they wouldn't get in trouble). By this time, it was late and we were all starving, so we split up into groups and had lunch in restaurants surrounding the plaza, all very delicious as usual.

After lunch, we met back up in the plaza, The Piazza di Santa Croce, which was near a large church called "Basilica di Santa Croce," a huge Franciscan church in Florence. We then went to buy tickets into the church, and wandered in (very quietly) to look around. As I had begun to notice was a recurring theme in all of the churches that we saw in Italy, it was incredibly beautiful and complex. This particular church was different, however, because it was the burial place for famous Italians such as Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, and Rossini, among others. These incredibly well-known people are buried in what is known as "The Temple of the Italian Glories" in English.

Behind the church there was a huge courtyard, beautifully decorated, sitting next to a building that you could walk through to look at various names of people buried there.

After taking pictures at the church and in the beautiful courtyard, we went off on the ultimate quest: to locate what is supposedly the best gelato shop in all of Italy. Being a gelato enthusiast myself, it comes at no surprise that I was very intent on locating this shop. With a map in tow, we wandered toward where it should have been located in Florence, to no avail. We passed the same street several times, going into shops and asking storeowners where to go. Finally, we spotted a man and woman eating gelato! We quickly questioned them as to the whereabouts of the place that they received it from, and we were off. Soon, we located the shop down a small, secluded street and quickly dove into the shop. True to the rumors, it was indeed the best gelato any of us had during the entirety of our trip, with no flavor falling flat. Personally, I enjoyed it so much that I ate enough for at least five people. It was worth every bite.

After getting our fill on delicious gelato, we head out for one last location: The Pitti Palace. We don't plan to go inside the palace, but we definitely want to look at it, and so we're off. Sarah, however, begins to feel very sick, and so instead of continuing Mr. Mumford has to take her back to the hotel. We continue without him, however, arriving at the huge Pitti Palace and taking some snapshots. After getting our fill of that, we head back to the hotel, where we learn that Sarah is sick and continuing to get worse. While she is forced to lay in bed, the rest of us are given a few hours to go to the marketplace that is located directly next to our hotel and shop. We bargain for tons of great new things, (namely leather jackets), and return to the hotel toting several plastic bags.

Later, they return back to the hotel, and we all begin to pack for our early train the next morning to Rome. Florence was a great success, and we all enjoyed ourselves there.

Venice!

After a loooong travel day, and a lengthy attempt to use the Italian version of the website to post to the blog, we wanted to let everyone know we arrived safely. Dinner was at an excellent pizzeria/pasta place (of course!) and then we spent a great evening walking around and window shopping. Lots of great photo ops, so look for pics and video to be posted soon.

More later. We are off to the island of Murano, as in the world famous glass maker.