Venezia!

Can't wait to explore Venice today!

More posts to come...

Florence Frenzy

Yesterday involved a 5 hour drive from Rome to Florence, for which I was very grateful and took full advantage of. I.e., nap.

Wen we got to Florence, we walked around the city for a bit and wear given an hour of free time during which I explored the Medici palace and Florence's "Golden Bridge." 

The city is beautiful, and it seems to have a similar vibe to Tours. We stopped at Piazza Michelangelo on the way to Florence for a beautiful bird's-eye view, and we had a pretty good dinner at the hotel. 

I tried some excellent wine Dr.Durham'd purchased. Cant wait to try more!

Eat, Love, Rome.

Yesterday, I had the most glorious day.

It was our one day to spend time exploring Rome, and although I chickened out of climbing to the top of the dome at St. Peter's Basilica, I had a terrific day nonetheless.

My plan was this: sneak out of the hotel between groups so I could explore Rome on my own. unfortunately, I ran into our tour manager while I was waiting in the lobby for the first group to leave, and I had no choice but to leave with her to see the Spanish Steps.

I could not've planned it better! I'd taken a walk with the two conductors on the trip to go to the ATM two evenings beforehand and felt somewhat familiar with our section of Rome. Yesterday morning, I ended up escorting one of the guys on the trip to the metro station because he'd missed the group bound for St Peters. From there, I snuck to the grocery store--Simply Market, the same chain I used to  shop at in Paris!!!!!!--to buy (you guessed it!) Camembert and bread for lunch.

I found my beloved individually wrapped Camembert bites immediately, in addition to the super yummy granola and  Kinder bars (nearly emptied the shelves, it felt like), but I felt completely lost en it came tie to buy bread. I wasn't sure what the Italian equivalent to baguette was, so I waited and watched a lady order pizza crust at the deli counter. I figured I'd follow her example, and even thought I knew no Italian in their right mind would eat Camembert with pizza crust, I knew that somewhere, some Italian woman was enjoying the same crust so I decided to give it a go. I managed to order a quarter crust and some olives 1 euro worth) from the deli man, and rarely have I felt more proud!

My loot:

After waiting in line at the register for what seemed to be forever--they were severely understaffed--I made it back to the hotel with just enough time to store my purchases in the room before meeting the rest of eye group at 10 to leave for the Spanish Steps.

Did you know that the Spanish Steps aren't actually Spanish? (Leave it to translation for such an almost predictable and certainly unfortunate misunderstanding.) According to Laura, the tour manager, the piazza beneath the steps was Spanish territory, while the church and surrounding area at the top of the steps was French(!) territory. The Pope decided he'd had enough of their fighting, so he built the steps between the two territories that would conveniently lead to the Vatican. Cool, n'est pas?

I also had a major girl moment and bought a magnet with a picture of Audrey Hepburn at theSpanish Steps from her terrific film Roman Holiday AT the Spanish steps! OMG YAY doesn't begin to describe how excited I am to put it on my fridge..,

ALSO, turns out Keats once lived at the base of the Steps, and I couldn't resist visiting the museum! Not only was the girl working in the bookstore American who taught English in Rome after graduating college, but the girl living upstairs in the museum itself--Taryn--was from Dublin!!! She'd studied in Rome in college (they were both literature majors!) and decided to stay to better her Italian! It was super cool getting to talk with them!

Anywho, there was a huge collection of first edition Shelley and Keats in the museum, as well as some Byron and Oscar Wilde! (Apparently Wilde once lived in Rome, too, and used to send mail from the steps! It was pretty neat having seen his grave in Paris and studied at Magdalen, his alma mater.) Also, while I was in Keats's bedroom, I got mega chills on the back of my neck while looking at his death mask, only to later find out that he ACTUALLY DIED IN THAT ROOM!!!!! Who knows?! Maybe I have a new friend?

Did I mention they had a lock of Milton's hair?!

Yes, the same one--or rather, the other half--of the lock I'd seen at Milton's house. Apparently Shelley'd divided up the lock and mixed one half with his wife's hair. This was the half on display at Keats's house.

I nearly died.

Afterwards, I roamed around what I thought might've been Elizabeth Gilbert's street during her stint in Rome. And I ate my delicious lunch at one of the entrances to the original walls of Ancient Rome. It was pally special knowing that I was walking where those had walked 3,000+ years ago as they made their way into the western world.

From there I stopped by the Augusteum from EPL, and although Gilbert says its one of the most quiet places in Rome, it looked like a pile of ruins that had been allowed to deteriorate. I wasn't super impressed but it was still worth seeing.

What WAS super exciting, though, was going to Rome's cat haven! Yes!!! CAT HAVEN! Turns t, there are a bunch of ferrule cats that live at the square where Julius Caesar was murdered! Ironic yes? I would've thought they would have stayed away! Anyway, there all of these cats just lounging around these ruins, though they stayed away from they stayed away from the temples. They were also filming a documentary about the haven, and had signs posted that said , "come visit the cats!"

It was all I could do to not scoop one of them up and take them home! I also at lemon gelato at Gilbert's main gelato chain, bought some souvenir coffee at her cafe!

Walking to the Vatican was beautiful, but I was surprised with the number of seemingly illegal merchants selling any number of junky, touristy souvenirs virtually on the steps of one of Christianity'smostimportant churches.

The line to enter St. Peters wrapped twice--once, both ways---around the inside of the Vatican colonnade, but we eventually made it inside....and I was not impressed. It was grand, sure, but in a very flamboyant, non-Versailles sort of way. The giant 3D, gold sculpture of Peter and the heavenly host behind the high altar was so tacky, I thought, and the marbled dome, as beautiful as it was,was nothing compared to the arches of Canterbury or the flying buttresses of Notre Dame.

Singing at the Vatican felt like a complete blur. We had no wait in a chapel in the left part of the nave until vespers ended and had to RUSH to the choir loft--or, ya know, the 5 pews crammed together behind the organ, which itself was rammed off to the side. (It was clear that St. Peter's didn't place music at the forefront of its concerns. The organist had to keep playing pitches to keep the priest in tune...) 

Back to rushing. W we so rushed, we started singing the first anthem before we were even seated in the choir pews. In short, our performance was mediocre, but the best part of the service was interacting with the clergy. The presiding priest recommend us directly, in English, at the beginning of the service AND he directed the end of his homily to us. He encouraged us to live our lives as an adventure with Christ and to look to him for the adventure. It was really special to be spoken to directly by someone of such prominence. My favorite part, though, was the transfiguration.

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During my Milton class, we studied the transfiguration, the moment during which the priest blesses the  communion, as a larger metaphor for the relationship between a text and its meaning. We also learned the historical significance of the transfiguration, for while Catholics believe the bread/wine literally becomes the blood/body of Christ, Calvinists and Lutherans believe that it's merely a symbol and not the actual thing itself. Knowing this significance of the transfiguration and watching this supposed transformation AT THE VATICAN still gives me chills. (I also couldn't help but daydream, 'What would Milton say if he saw me here?', for he vehemently hated the Catholics...)

We ended the evening with a few bottles of wine sitting in the hotel lobby and enjoying each others company.

What a great day!

Viva la Roma

Ya'll, I love Rome.

Yesterday, we walked through five thousand years of history, seeing the colosseum, the Ancient Roman ruins, the place where Caesar was cremated and where Marc Antony would've delivered his famous speech had, ya know, Shakespeare lived a few thousand years earlier.

Today--oh, today!--we strolled through the Vatican museums and although we only saw the painting exhibit, it was fascinating to literally live art history, culminating at a Raphael exhibit.

Then, the Sistine Chapel. The Sistine Chapel! THE SISTINE CHAPEL!!! (Nope, still doesn't feel real...) Im going to geek out for a moment and admit that I nearly cried at seeing The Creation in person (did you know there's a Creation-of-Eve just above that of Adam?!) in all of its restored, brilliant perfection. It was as if, through his art 500 years later, Michelangelo was reaching out to us, present mankind, and touching our souls and breathing into us the breath of life and of appreciation for divine-like talent, as God so does with Adam in the creation. Besides the Sistine Chapel's role as the election-site for the papacy, it is truly a source of divine inspiration, drawing man's gaze forever to the heavens.

We also visited the Trevi Fountain (swarming with tourists claiming their good luck penny toss), after which I found the most impressive apartment courtyard, stopped in Piaza Novona, and the Pantheon (RAPHAEL IS BURIED THERE!!!), where we sang one of our more impressive intro pieces. It was amazing singing in an architectural phenomenon over 2,000 years old and hearing our voices soar to the gods as the pagans' would have done so many years ago.

Speaking of holy, I found the most incredible coffee shop today. It was just around the corner from the pantheon, and I think it just might be the cafe Liz Gilbert, author of Eat Pray Love and subject of one of my all-time favorite movies, frequented for an espresso during her time in Rome! (I found the text of EPL online tonight, and after skimming through it, I must agree with my friend Julie that Liz is entirely too whiney. Many of the other people on the trip are getting whiney, too: my feet hurt, it's so smelly!, this isn't sanitary, do they have real bathrooms here?, I like SUVs better... People, get over yourselves. It's Europe(!) and if you're too blind to whiteness it's true magic, then fine. Just don't ruin the pixie dust for the rest of us.)

Anyway, I treated myself to the most gloriously bitter and froth-topped espresso a burgeoning coffee connoisseur could hope for. Props, again, to Julie for opening my eyes to the wonders of the cocoa bean.

  

(So far, this whole iPad-picture thing is working out, n'est pas?)

We had a marvelous 3 course dinner of penne in a meat sauce, procutto and pork in a white wine sauce and sautéed potatoes, with tiramisu for dessert (yum!) and headed to the church for the concert.

Oh my, the church. No, it wasn't extravagant like the Francescan church yesterday or supremely beautiful like Notre Dame, BUT St. Catherine was buried there, as well as 4 popes! In addition, two popes were elected there because the church is older than St. Peter's and was used for the papal elections before the Sistine Chapel was a twinkle in Michaelangelo's talented eye. So yeah....I sang within feet of where Catherine is buried. Oh, and get this! The priest on duty saw me drooling over the high choir and he LET ME IN!!! That's right! He let me in (didn't even have to sneak!) the high choir in one of the oldest and most prestigious churches in Rome. (Ill have to get back to you with a name. magedelena something.) 

The concert was frankly splendid, with every seat filled. Judging by the faces in the front, they absolutely enjoyed the concert, and it was nice being able to give back to a city after it has already given so much to us in the two short days.

Roaming Ancient Rome

Thanks to two Zzzquils and a fuzzy travel pillow, I slept like a baby on the plane, allowing me to fully enjoy my first day in Rome!

We started the day at 12:30 with a drive into the city, a quick stop for gelato near the colosseum, followed by a colosseum tour and walk through the Roman Forum. We stopped at the first franciscan church in Rome--it was stunning!--and a drive through St. Peter's Square en route to the hotel.

After a delicious (and ungodly noisy) dinner of yummy pizza and bruschetta, I took a walk with the choral directors in pursuit of an ATM in the now dark Rome.

Although my director described the area as the"ghetto," not to be mistake for the actual, Roman Jewish Ghetto, I found it to be remarkably similar to my corner of Paris! Theres even a Simply Market! (You know where Im going first thing tomorrow!) It had the same edgy vibe, the same windy streets, the same trash piles, the same halal grocers.

So here's to a wonderfully historic and beautiful city, ghetto or not, for Rome seems to have wiggled it's way into my heart.

Bienvenue a Frankfurt

Im here. In Europe.

Where scarves are an everyday accessory and where there is no shortage of capri-clad, satchel-bearing men.

Where the array of languages spoken--German, FRENCH, Spanish, Italian, Chinese--wraps around you in a disorienting blanket with the promise of adventure.

I'm home.

I return to writing--a commencement of words--after a commencement of my own. Four days ago, I graduated Magna Cum Laude from Clemson University as a bright-eyed alumna ready to take on the world.

What better way to begin than with a trip to Italy?

Yes, Italy. (Don't worry, Paris. It won't be long before we see each other again.)

I'm embarking on this voyage as a member of CU Singers, Clemson's audition mixed ensemble. We're scheduled to sing at both St. Peter's Basilica in Rome(!)--maybe the Cardinal Who caught me sneaking a picture of him during a mass at Notre Dame will finally forgive me (guess who I inherited my photography mischief from???)--and at St. Marks in Venice(!!!!). 

I know. Be jealous.

But for now, Im sitting here in Frankfurt (last time I was here, I was waiting to board for ma chere Paris) eyeing a photographer with a tripod in his book bag's mesh cup holder and sitting next to two Chinese women. It seems that I'm on the threshold between to lives: the first as a Clemson student and returning traveler to Europe (the phrase travel addict or even road warrior comes to mind), the second as a future expat in Asia. 

Yes, Asia.

By this point, Im sure its no surprise that I love to travel, and what better way to begin my new post-college life than abroad? Only this time in a place where I know little of the culture and none of the language. Sounds like a growing experience to me!

And so I will spend the next year as an Assistant Language Teacher with the Japanese Exchange Teaching (JET) Program. I've not been formally placed in a location, but I specifically requested to live in Kochi, located on Shikoku island. 

Terrifying? Yes. 

Overwhelming? Yes. 

An unparalleled opportunity?

Absolutely.

With this I begin my new life as an alumna of Clemson and as a new student at the university of life. 

Ciao!