Huge marble penises! Everywhere!

Tell me to describe Florence in one phrase and that has to be it.
Seriously.

I went to Florence this last weekend with a bunch of Marquette kids (Claudia, Zach, Chris, Stephanie, Michael, and Katherine) and honestly, words cannot describe it.

We got in and I was ready to catch the next train back to Roma. It was dirty and there was graffiti everywhere and we had to walk 3 miles to our hostel. I was less than impressed. Then I realized that that really wasn't Florence. It's like how the Tower Drive Bridge gives a less than ideal first impression of Green Bay. We walked and walked and walked and just when I thought I was going to collapse, we ran straight into the Uffizi, which is one of the biggest art museums in Italy. I had only done a little bit of research on Florence before we left, but even I knew that the Uffizi was huge! Then we began to see the huge stone penises everywhere. Outside the museum. Outside the churches. Inside the churches. Around the piazzas. In store windows. In the markets. Okay, I may be fudging the last two, but you get the idea.

We literally walked around the corner and found our hostel and because we were a group of 7, we actually got out own little apartment, with 2 bedrooms, a living room, a closet-sized kitchen and a kitchen-sized bathroom. We threw down our stuff and headed straight for the Uffizi because it closed in a few hours and there wasn't any line.

The Uffizi was amazing. I saw so much art this weekend that my head is starting to spin, but in a good way. I have a few favs from the Uffizi, though: The Birth of Venus (obviously), The Annunciation of the Magi, and Madonna con Bambino. Of course, we saw more stone penises. We didn't want to pay for a tour, so we just looked around by ourselves, but I, of course, creeped on a few different tours, the first being in Spanish. God, I miss Spanish... The second and third were college classes, like my Art in Rome class.

We were some of the last ones out of the museum and then headed back the apartment for some water/ bathroom use. After, we split into two groups: one went out for a few glasses of wine and the other went to find the best gelato in the city. Guess which one I did? Hint: Uncle Jon, you would be so proud! We must have looked at at least 8 different gelaterias before deciding on one called "Festival del Gelato." It. Was. Amazing. Nutella, chocolate, and tiramisu. My mouth just watered writing that...

In between gelato shops, we heard this weird organ music down a side street. Being curious, we naturally followed it into this dark church, Santa Maria di Ricci. No one was in it, except for the 3 of us (me, Zach and Chris), the organist, and this adorable dog that would come and go as he liked. It was straight from Phantom of the Opera. We stayed in there for a bit and it was just so cool stumbling on something like that.

We walked around a bit more and eventually ended up at Ponte Vecchio, which is Italian for Old Bridge. It's actually one of the most famous bridges in Italy because it has a bunch of stores on the bridge and because Hitler didn't blow it up in WWII. Yay, Hitler! I bet he just didn't want the antique stores to go out of business. I got some great pics of Florence at night there, too. We met a bunch of (American) girls who just came to Florence to study for the semester, and told them what a great town it was. We also saw this weird little Florentine statue with a gate around it where you put a lock on the gate w/ you and your boyfriend's names and that means your love will last. I thought it was cute... The guys I was with? Not so much.

The next morning we all headed to the Accademia, where we saw The David. If you are ever in Florence and you don't see The David, don't tell me because I will hunt you down and hit you over the head. We couldn't take pictures, but I'm glad because it wouldn't do it justice. It's just huge! It was so hard to imagine that it was once just a huge piece of marble. More stone penises...

We split up into a few different groups: one went to Pisa, one went to the gardens, and I chose to wander around Florence. There's just so much to see that I didn't want to leave just to get a picture of me pretending to hold up the tower. Uncle John Blaney can just photo-shop that! I stumbled on this huge outdoor market, which was really cool, saw a few more churches and then we all met up for dinner.

Ok. About this dinner. Have you noticed that besides the gelato friday night I didn't mention anything about eating? There's a reason. We didn't. We just waited and survived on salami and cheese until Saturday night because we wanted a good meal. And we did. (after wandering trying to find a place for a solid 45 min). We found a place down a side street and ate like I've never eaten before. We had lasagna, chicken, french fries, bread, and wine.

Of course, we were so full that we went straight home and passed out right after. =-)

This morning, the plan was to get up at 6 to go see the sun rise, but due to some communication errors and a little too much wine, we didn't get up until 8. We all split up again and I ended up at Santa Croce, which was just down the street. We were actually walking out of our apartment when I heard the church bells. I thought I'd take my chances and sure enough, mass started 5 minutes later. It was in Italian, but they had the reading, prayers and responses written down, so I could actually follow along. I was so proud that I pick out the reading from Corinthians: When I was a child, I thought like a child, reasoned like a child, talked like a child... and the greatest of these is love. <3

In the Basilica, it turns out Galileo, Michelangelo, and Machiavelli are all buried. Not together, of course... How's that for something just to stumble upon?

I did some more wandering, took some more pictures and then we all met at the Duomo before jumping illegally on a train to our train station. We just couldn't do that damn walk again...

Our train was delayed close to an hour, and at this point, our biggest concern was whether or not we would make it back to the JFRC for mensa (dinner). We strategized what buses to take, where the nearest bus stop was, what time mensa closed on Sundays. Thankfully, we made it and you have never heard a group of 7 college students so quiet as us as we ate as much free food as we possibly could.

On getting pictures: I don't know how, but I will finally accept you as a friend on facebook so you can see them!

Florence= amazing.
Feet= 7 blisters and counting (yeah, I didn't switch shoes like I should have)
Penis count= priceless

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum...

Finally. I've been waiting to use that title since I decided to blog from Rome.

But something funny really did happen-- your favorite blogger tripped and fell flat on her face before (therefore: on the way) even entering the place.

I went to the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, and the Palatine today for my Art in Rome class. Honestly, last night I was thinking about dropping the course. I was reading the unit in preparation for today's class and it was the most boring thing I have ever read, except for my Calc. book. God, that was horrible... But anyways, this was awful, too. I couldn't care less about how the Arc of Vespasian was erected to commemorate his looting of some city that I'm sure could not defend itself. Hooray! Let's celebrate NYC's ability to kick the crap out of of Podunk, Louisiana! =-/

But today was awesome. I got up ridiculously early (6:45) and was ready by 7:15, as my friend said we should leave a little after 7. 7:30 rolls around and I knock on his door and wake him up. Needless to say, I was less than amused... We still got to the Forum with 15 minutes to spare, though, so I should probably just let it go.

Picture this for a second: a tiny older man surrounded by 25 Italian speaking 20 year olds, who are all wearing what appears to be large, electronic hearing aids with big old battery packs touring Lambeau, because that is what we looked like to the Italians. We all had what I can only describe as walkie talkies, with the professor having the ability to talk to everyone. Hypothetically, we could turn him off and just pretend to listen...

My prof reminds me so much of Fr. Gilsdorf, in that he knows everything about everything. We could (and did) point to an obscure part of an ancient arch and ask him what it meant and he could (and did) go on about it. I was tempted to pick up a pebble, show it to him and say, "Now this pebble. How long has this pebble been here?"

We did the Roman Forum in depth and then went to the Colosseum, but didn't go in as a class. He gave up some background info and then dismissed us. I explored it (and got some great pics) with a few friends and then went to the Palatine. The Palatine basically is a bunch of ancient ruins (surprise! more ruins!) that used to house the emperor and his family.

Now I'm back at school, a mere 8 hours later, to change and I'm off to the Mass of the Holy Spirit at the Church of San Ignacio!

Arrivederci!

ADRIAN!!! ROCKY!!!

Yeah, not one of my best titles, but Hadrian's Villa (or the Roman spelling "Adrian") really was rocky, but mostly I did it for the reference.

Saturday I went to Hadrian's Villa and I honestly don't remember where it is located but I do remember it was in the town of Tivoli.

For you history enthusiasts (::cough:nerds:cough::), Adrian was an emperor in the second century a.d. Apparently, his palace on Palatine Hill in Rome wasn't cutting it, so he built this, which can only be described as a town in itself. Spanning 60 acres, his villa had no less than 10 dining rooms, 6 gymnasiums, libraries and galleries galore, and what I can only call their version of bathrooms, which consisted of a water stream, a stick and a sponge. I can't imagine where they would put their antibacterial hand gel!

Really, though, it was gorgeous. We had the choice to go to Hadrian's Villa or Villa D'Este, and I personally didn't care, knowing they would both be great. We honestly just got on a bus and then asked where this one was going.

I'm sorry I don't have pictures yet, but my internet is still on working (thank you, Loyola).

In other news, I will be spring breaking it in TUNISIA! It's an Islamic country in the north of Africa. We'll be spending the majority of the time in Tunis, it's capital and then trekking it to the Sahara, where we will spend a few nights. Oh, and we'll ride camels, no big deal... =-)
Be jealous. You know you always wanted to ride a camel since you saw Aladdin.

It's VatiCAN, not VatiCAN'T

I know, I know. I haven't blogged in a while and I'm sure you all are both devastated and on the edge of your seats. If not, you should be.

I think I left off on Thursday.

Friday was V-Day. That's right. I finally went to the Vatican. And it was good. It was like being in Disneyland. Seriously. First things first though, I had gelato from this one place everyone says is the best and they were right! As with most of my Italian transactions, it involved a lot of pointed and smiling, and compromising because I don't know words like "dish."

I went with a bunch of girls I met in Assisi, who shared my affinity for Catholic culture (if you get the reference, five points) and we did the typical mass picture-taking thing in front of the fountain in the Piazza. Then we saw a long line and thought, "Hey! They seem to know what they're doing!" So we jumped in line w/ them and ended up going into St. Peter's Basilica. Before, though, we were screened by Swiss Guards, who, by the way, weren't wearing the full costume, so a part of me is thinking that they were just creeps.

What a beautiful place! My one big regret, though, is that I didn't get a tour and didn't do research beforehand. I completely missed the Pieta! I did, however, see Pope John XXIII, Pope Pius XI, and, most importantly to me, Pope John Paul II, who had a Swiss Guard at his, along w/ a dozen or so people praying and a 1/2 dozen roses. St. Peter's still had their creche scene up. For my parents/ those in on the story: I verified that indeed, Judy with the jugs is part of the creche scene. I took pictures to prove it. We debated on whether or not to go to the Vatican Museum, but seeing that we are poor college students and that I'm sure my parents will be more than happy to pay my admission when they come to the Vatican, we passed. All was not lost, though. On our way out of St. Peters, we (FINALLY!) saw Swiss Guards in the full get-up and yes, I got pictures. And yes, I have no shame.

On to lunch, where there was more pointing and nodding, and then we went to Castel Sant' Angelo. Little known fact: Castel Sant' Angelo was actually the secret Church of Illumination, the Illuminati Lair. I learned that from Dan Brown. Once again, we didn't do a tour because it was getting late and we were trying to meet up with some girls.

We headed back via Piazza Cavore to Via Balduina to Via Massimi.

I don't want to overload you, so I'll write more later!!

This blog is brought to you by the letter C...

No, really.

Yesterday was my first real day of classes. For those of you saying, "Hey! You said your first day was 2 days ago!" I lied. Well, kind of. I did have a class on Wednesday morning, but I didn't go. Because the Italians are apparently paranoid that we are just going to stay here forever and ever, I had to do yet more paperwork, which involved going to l'ufficio postale, which sounds cool until you realize it's the post office.

I had my first day of Italian and then the Immigrant Experience class. Both of my professors seem very nice, the IE one might be a bit crazy, but in a fun way, and the Italian one is very sweet, knowing that when she was talking in rapid Italian, we all had a glazed-over looks on our faces. Then we learned our alphabet and spent a good 15-20 minutes talking about the letter "C" and the many different ways it can be paired up with vowels.

After class, I went to UPIM , which is the Italian equivalent of Target, but so much nicer, with a girl I met in Assisi. It's probably a mile away, going downhill on the way there and up on the way back so when you have a bunch of groceries, you'll get a workout. I stopped at a supermarket and bought some biscotti and wine. The wine came to a grand total of 2,10 euro, so you know it must be good stuff.

Then came dinner, and a chill night hanging out in Reinaldos.

I'm off to the Vatican, but I'm sure I'll regale you with stories from this trip later!

Assisi-mazing

Yes, I know all of you sarcastic Blaney family members are rolling your eyes. I can feel it all the way over "the pond" (:cough::Kathleen::cough).

I honestly have never seen a village as beautiful as Assisi. Words can't do it justice, but y'all know I'm going to try anyway.

We left at the crack of 8 Sunday morning, 8:45 JFRC time/AXO time. Dad, you'll be glad to know that the alarm does, in fact work; however, I realized yesterday and this morning that you actually have to take it along to Assisi in order for it to wake you up...

After stopping for a short (45+ min) break at the Italian version of a truck stop for a snack break and a grueling, yet hilarious game of Triangle with Stephanie, Zach, Chris, Claudia and Katherine, we stopped for lunch in a little town outside of Assisi. Without knowing it, we had literally stumbled upon a town festival, the stumbling being over all the animal poo in the streets. We made our way to the church/ center of the festival to try to go inside, but somehow managed to find ourselves quite literally in the middle of a huge procession out of church. Claudia, Mike and I were almost hit in the head by these men with these huge trumpets, dressed up in what I can only described as costumes too gaudy for the Swiss Guard.

Did you know that Assisi had hills? I do. Now.

Imagine the steepest, longest hill you have ever seen. Now increase the incline about, oh, 35 degrees. That is the smallest hill in Assisi.

After cussing myself out for not dancing for 6 years, we were ushered into the auditorium where we were given room assignments and then returned for a group discussion about community. Then came dinner and mass at a small chapel called S. Pietro near the retreat center.

It is my, what, 5th day in Rome? This is also the first night without having wine.

After dinner, we went back to the auditorium and got introduced to our JFRC director and one of the professors, which was awesome. They're so sweet. The prof just got knighted a few weeks ago. Honestly-- who get's knighted these days?

Then came the night out in Assisi. After thinking I couldn't possibly go up anymore hills, I worked my way up to the top of the town and a bunch of us, re a good 100, found an open pub.

We woke up the next morning and went on a walking tour of Assisi. We first saw Chiesa Nuova, the church built where St. Francis's home once stood. Very nice, but I was less than impressed, thinking at this was the big basilica of San Francesco. Then we went to La Basilica di Santa Chiara. Oh, I'm sorry. You all don't speak Italian. That's the Basilica of St. Clare, which was about 6 times bigger than San Francesco's. Sorry S. Francis... I was able to pray at the same church that held the relics of my patron saint, which was a surprisingly powerful moment. But then I went across the piazza and bought some souvenirs.

After Santa Chiara, we made our way to the real Basilica di San Francesco, which had no less than 4 floors. I've never seen a bigger church. If you remember the famous painting of San Francesco and the birds, you probably know where the original is. That's right. I saw it... No big deal.

We went back to the retreat center, ate and headed to Gubbio, a village just north of Assisi.

As much as I loved Assisi, I think I loved Gubbio just as much, but for totally different reasons.
I realized I wasn't being as independent as I wanted, so I had grabbed my journal before leaving. When we pulled into the town, I found a little bar (bar= cafe), and ordered my first cappuccino and observed real Italian life. It was so unbelievably cool. I reflected and was able to write down what I had seen and my memories of the last few days. Afterward, I saw Chiesa di San Francesco and left.

We went back to Assisi, ate (of course), and after I met up with a bunch of girls and we just played cards for a few hours, as none of us had any energy to go out again.

This morning, we all got up, had lunch, and headed back! I'm now exhausted, but energized.

Few notes:
**The patron saint of Assisi is not St. Francis, but St. Rufino.
** St. Francis's father would lock him up in a cell to try to convince him to return home, only to have his mother release him when he left town without his knowledge.
** The Basilica di San Francesco is actually owned by the Vatican.
**The term cappuccino is named after the Cappuccin order. If you mix equal parts coffee and milk, you get the exact color of their robes.
**The Fransicans were the first religious order to wear underpants. Because their frocks were shorter and they bent over in prayer, they needed to cover themselves.

For those Blaney's keeping count, that's 7 churches: Temple of Minerva in the forum in Assisi* Chiesa Nuova* Basilica di Santa Chiara* Basilica di San Francesco* Chiesa di San Francesco in Gubbio* Chiesa di S. Pietro* Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeles in the town outside of Assisi*

Sorry it's so long!

Classes tomorrow... =-/

Um. False.

Whoever said I'd be over my jet-lag by now was lying... Just saying.

On a positive note, we, all 235 of us, are going to Assisi tomorrow at the crack of 8 a.m. Trying to be honest here, I knew nothing about Assisi except that it was where St. Francis was from. I did just look it up (thank you wikipedia and Rick Steves!) and found a really cool church (and yes, that's not an oxymoron) that I want to visit. La basilica di Santa Chiara= the Church of St. Clare, where she was buried.

Interesting notes for the day:
**Italians apparently don't enjoy hot water. The water here is freezing! Should be good for spring though...
** St. Clare is the patron saint of television. Apparently, she was so upset that she was hospitalized at Christmas and couldn't hear St. Francis sing at mass that she began to see and hear the mass on her hospital wall.
** I learned my numbers in Italian, which means I can now talk to a 3 year old. Maybe tomorrow I'll tackle those pesky colors...

~*Erin*~

The ride to Rome was fine...

The ride to Rome was fine. Freakin' long, but fine. I, along with ALL of my luggage, arrived unscathed, with only one casualty. No, it wasn't the annoying woman next to me who hogged the armrest (really? who does that??). It was my shirt. If you look closely, you can see my entire journey. There's the stain from my dinner! There's the stain from my bloody nose! There's that awkward stretched out part where I tried to clean up the dinner! And the blood!

Really, though, the ride was fine. The Rome Cab worked out well, too. We had a guy waiting at customs for us. At first I thought it was because of the 30+ unmarked white Melatonin pills Kate had stuffed in a ziploc baggy, but it was our driver.

My roommate is actually a girl from Marquette, who seems really sweet. The group from Marquette is really close, which is very nice. I've met a bunch of great people so far, but have yet to see Pope Benny, although that may be a good thing, considering I may not be able to stop myself from jumping the barrier.

Cultural experience of the day: I had never seen a bidet until today. Still not sure how to use it, so I think I'll steer clear of it.

Notes about Italians/ Italy:
* IT'S HILLY!!! No really, it's unbelievably hilly, and cobblestone-covered, yet girls still wear high-heeled boots. Told you, Mom!
** Italians sure can eat: I, along with my 100 new friends, went to a restaurant Capperi! (yes, with the ! in the name). We were told it was a traditional Italian meal, so I expected exactly what you get at Buca's, because you can't get more authentic than that! We had had 3 small things to eat, and I was stuffed, when my friend Stephanie said, "Oh, just wait until the first course!" Yup, there was still a potato dish, a rice dish, a meat thingy, pasta, and dessert. I thought I was going to explode. All I could think was "HOW ARE YOU PEOPLE SO THIN???" Then I remembered the hills.

It's 10:00 pm. I haven't slept since wednesday night, I think today's friday, but I'm not possitive, so I'm taking this as a hint to go to bed.

Amor d' Roma,
Erin

Is this thing on???

Hey everyone!

I've never really done an actual blog, but here it goes!

I'm leaving for Rome in 8 days... which is both terrifying and exhilarating! Right now, my biggest fears include (but aren't limited to!) getting there with all these new security measures and meeting new people. My poor family! I'm sure I've been driving them all nuts the last few weeks with my little outbursts of "What if I don't make my connections?" and "What if I can't understand them?" Fact: I have never taken Italian, although a friend told me I should just speak Spanish with an Italian accent....

Here's another reason I love my family: Skype. My dad got a camera and has set Skype up. Partly because he didn't want to be technologically outdone and partly because my aunt might have separation issues, my uncle Jon installed Skype on his and my aunt Mary Jo's laptops. Picture this: my dad, my uncle Jon, my aunt Mary Jo, and my sister, all on separate laptops Skype-ing each other while they are all in the same room. It. was. epic.

Ciao for now! Hopefully, I'll learn how to really speak Italian soon...

Erin