Morning, 3 June (Venice, Day Two)

This morning we had breakfast while listening to the pouring rain outside. I thought we had left Oregon back in the States! I wasn't too upset about it though because....I mean, come on...we're in Venice! Who cares if it's raining?! Plus, they have thunder and lightning there. Rain is always better with thunder and lightning.

The plan for today is to go to the Basilica (church) and Doge's palace.

"Thankfully I slept well last night. Unfortunately, my roommates decided to get up a whole hour and a half earlier than I was planning and woke me up with their whispering. Thus, I have spent much of my morning wondering what to do with myself."

Instead of going out in the rain to explore Venice, we decided to wait until it cleared up a little. Mark something along the lines of "We don't have to be the tourists that prove they can tough the rain; we're from Oregon, we know we'd get along fine in the rain, but we might as well just wait it out."

I went back upstairs to our room. I laid down to rest; I was still tired and I couldn't decide if my dizziness was due to the traveling or being able to feel the buildings sway slightly. I'm pretty sure I took a nap, falling asleep to the (possibly mind-induced) rocking, sound of the rain and the thought

"I wonder what the gondolas do when it rains like this."

Venice! (Day One)

"We're in Venice! I can hardly believe I'm here. I've wanted to come to Europe all my life & I thought I would have to wait longer to actually be here. It's pouring rain and it's beautiful.

"We took a boat 5 stops around the city, then navigated through allies to get to our lodgings. I can't believe how beautiful it is. Venice is exactly what you think when you think of the city on the water & Tuscany. There are gondolas everywhere, flower boxes hanging from the windows. Best of all, it's warm!"

* * *

Venice truly is exactly what you would imagine it to be.

Water everywhere (of course), boats everywhere (obviously) and the men who work the gondolas even wear striped shirts. The city is made up almost purely of allies that open up to unexpected squares.

We were all in kind of a weird place when we arrived in Venice. Though the whole group was in various states of alert/tiredness, after we checked into the hotel our professors insisted on taking us out. We went out to St. Marc's Square, had our first gelato (ice cream has now been ruined for me) and were sent off on our own to figure out dinner.

Actually, Mark helped a group of us find somewhere to eat. A couple of the girls ordered gnocchi, and the rest of us ordered pizza. A margarita pizza. Just a "plain" pizza. Thin crust, gooey cheese slipping off the marinara sauce, the whole pie the size of the plate. It was so completely un-American, it was beautiful. Our first real Italian pizza. So darn good. Each of us stared at the pizza the size of our plate when it first came to us. We thought maybe we should have split a couple. We each finished our own. All of it. Pizza in Italy is meant to be eaten. Every dish you are given is meant to be eaten in whole. And it is very poss

ible to. I doubt to-go boxes for your leftovers even exist in Italy. The thin crust makes it so easy to eat all you are given. (I'm sure all the walking everywhere doesn't hurt either.)

After dinner we walked around Venice. It was the perfect city to start off in; you could only go so far until you hit water. Then you turn around and go a different way! I truly couldn't even believe we were actually there for the whole afternoon. Not until we we were walking around and I looked at some of the pictures I took did I believe that we were actually there. I had wanted to go to Europe for so long and I never thought I would get the chance to go so soon. I figured I would be at least fifteen years older than I am now before I went. Yet there I was!

In the sinking city

with people that I'll never forget.

(The picture that made me realize: We're in VENICE!!!)

2 June 2010 (In the Frankfurt airport)

(From my journal)

"We're in Germany, waiting to board onto Venice. I am so incredibly tired. The whole flight here we were in this time warp of changing days in the middle of the night. I didn't sleep at all on the plane and I'm so tired now. Hopefully I can sleep on this short flight."

* * *

I didn't sleep at all on that incredibly long flight. I watched Valentine's Day, part of Planet 51, part of Inglorious Bastards...maybe that was the returning flight.

We flew above the night the whole flight. Finally, we reached Frankfurt.

So close!

Leaving Portland

Days before the trip began, one of my housemates, Jessi-Ann, and I had begun to pack. We were constantly running into each others rooms asking "Are you bringing this? What about this? Do you thing we'll need this? I don't know how this is all going to fit...." I was constantly down-sizing myself. I tend to over-pack and that was not something I wanted to do if I was going to carry all my stuff for three weeks (plus whatever I bought while I was there). I was amazed to see all of this this:

fit into this:

The morning that we were leaving, my wonderful boyfriend called me to wake me up. Anyone who knows me well knows that I am not a morning person. There was no way I was going to wake up at 6 and actually get up on my own, even for the trip that I had been looking forward to for over a year. Josh repeatedly asked if I was actually up and out of bed. (Since he's in Illinois, the two hour time difference makes it convenient for this kind of thing to work.)

Jessi-Ann had already been up for quite some time and had gotten us coffee, bless her. Four of us drove to the Portland train station where we waited for everyone else to get there. That's when the adventure began - on the way there. Downtown Portland is a maze of one and two way streets. We made a left turn from a one-way street onto what the driver thought was another one-way street. It wasn't. Thankfully the on-coming traffic was far coming and shouts of "TWO-WAY! TWO-WAY!" from all parts of the car saved us. Everyone got to the station (Mandy just barely in time) and we got on the train to Seattle.

FINALLY!

It's been a long time coming, but I'm finally going to write about the trip! I've been meaning to, I made up excuses not to, I still don't have all my (over 1,000) pictures from the trip off my memory cards....blah, blah, blah. I've had it with myself.

So for those of you who care, I'm finally going to start writing about my amazing trip!

I'm back!

A little jet-lagged.

Still digesting all the beautiful things I saw.

We've been home about four days now and I'm very thankful that I live with one of the girls that was on the trip. Otherwise I might have been going through withdrawals.

I'm getting to the point where I can begin looking back on the trip; I've had to let distance develop to think clearly. As I get settled in back here at home (though not too settled; I move out in less than two months) I'll begin writing up the trip here on the blog to share with you all. Pictures will come....eventually. I took tons. Over a thousand. And have the tiniest smidgen of memory on my computer. So it may take me a while to figure out how that's going to work.

But look for a walk through of the trip soon!

When in Rome...

I look like a frickin' tourist!

But thanks to the giant group I'm with and the wonderful Target bag I have, no one has even tried to pick-pocket me.

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness. This city is huge. I suppose I'll write up a summary of our trip thus far -- it would be logical to do so in chronological order.

VENICE:

Was nice. Small. Very touristy. (That gave it minus a few points) But in the evening, when most people had gone back to their cruise ships and it was cooler, the city was wonderful. My favorite was the water front. A cool breeze, great gelato, and lots of laughs. It was the perfect place to start with because you can never really get lost. I mean, you're on an island.

FLORENCE:

Oh. My. Goodness. My favorite city so far. The place reeks of history, art and Michelangelo.

*sigh*

Can I go back please?

We saw Michelangelo's David. I cried. Honesty.

ROME:

Get me out.

Okay, so the ruins are cool, the coliseum was neat. The Sistine chapel was beautiful, but I was jaded from the museum by the time we got there and couldn't fully appreciate it. The Vatican was beautiful, but again, I was tired. What made that trip was getting to see Michelangelo's Pieta (through bullet proof glass...). I teared up. (Can you tell I'm a fan?)

If I was here with perhaps one other person and we had more time, I would like Rome. But in this heat and large group I just get tired and feel dirty.

Get me to the Italian coast please! Which is where we are going tomorrow. Thank goodness.

Dear Mom, Dad Rick, Dad Mike, and Jen,

I am having a wonderful time in Italy. The art is beautiful, the people mostly kind. I think I like the smaller towns better here, but it is all a wonderful experience. I promise I am being safe, I'm even remembering to put on sunscreen. I am having the best food of my life and am planning on trying to recreate it for the rest of my life. I am also seeing beautiful art that is completely changing me. I'm gaining new ideas, knowledge and am eager to be back in a place where I can work on my own art. This trip is creating in me a thirst for learning I've never had before. I am quite disappointed that next year will be me senior year. I feel like I am just getting started. Thank you for always letting me peruse what is in my heart and supporting me in what I choose. I love you all; tell my sisters the same.