The Band blog has been updated....bum bum BUM BUM BUM BUUMMMM!!!! Go see...
Jon
This is me and Rachael at a Vivaldi "Four Seasons" concert at Chiesa San Vidal in Venice. It was the most wonderful and inspiring part of our entire trip, hands down. We had been to a million churches and didn't feel a thing spiritually, but the minute they started playing, we were near tears. What a memory.
Here's a close up of this shot. So much fun. We were literally speechless afterward. That was a great night. I highly recommend Venice.
LoL. Here's an artsy picture Rach took at the upper garden at Palazzo Pitty, a highly overrated palace in our opinion :-) (Actually it really wasn't as amazing as others, but seeing the south side of Florence from a garden is something else.
Well I haven't had the time or money to upload images from Rome, though to be honest, it wasn't nearly as picturesque as the other cities. It was amazingly historical, but we were so tired, sweaty and haggard looking that, well, photoshop might be essential prior to public viewing :) I took some great black and whites of Rome. I can't wait to get them developed. In the meantime...(click on link)
Rachael and I are officially separated right now. She left not one hour ago on a train for Stratford-Upon-Avon. I'd have to say, that although the parting was rushed, it was actually really difficult to say bye. I got really emotional after she left. Now I'm by myself in a foreign country. New experience, definitely. But this is probably THE place I've always wanted to go and I am so excited to be here. I just took a long stroll through the city and I am simply in awe. I've been somewhat skiddish to ask people for help mostly because I'm so intimdated by the city itself. I feel slightly insignificant. But overwhelmed at the fact that I'm here, finally.
I cannot wait for my program to start, to study Lewis in his "natural habitat". That's a little discovery channel lingo thrown in there just for Davide. :) {We miss you, Davide, by the way. Hope you're having a blast in Wales!}
Oh, did I mention that Rachael and I had lunch at The Eagle and the Child?!?! It's the pub that Lewis, Tolkein, Williams and others met to read aloud and critique each other's work. I think I already mentioned that in my last post. Anyhow, we sat right where they did and had lunch. That was truly amazing. I think I'll go back there most of my free time and just read. How cliche am I? Well, I've gotta sign off now. Hope you're all well. Wish you were here to see all the things I have.
Emily
Oh to finally be in a land where I don't have to say., "Um...Dove my house?" lol. If you're me, you're laughing right now. :-) And as soon as Rachael sees this she'll laugh to.
So, I'm at an internet cafe right now that is right across from Magdalen College...the same school that C.S. Lewis taught at!! Aaaagh! I'm so giddy and excited. I've dreamed about coming here my entire life, and I know that's not long and I also know that it sounds cliched, but I'm completely serious. Ever since I was a little girl, I've wanted to study at either Cambridge or Oxford, and now I am.
This is also the first time that Rachael and I have traveled long distances and we're not wracked with soreness or extreme fatigue. I'm actually very alert and excited. Though my brain is on overload, what with all the Latin, Italian, Greek and Roman mythology, Etruscan history, Napoleonic history, the history of the Medicis, the Borgheses, the Doges, the Saints, and ah yes Jesus. And now I have to switch gears and try to remember all of the history from the other country second in its responsibility for the development of our nation and much of Western Civ as we know it.
Well, this cafe doesn't have a plug to upload photos, but its sister cafe does and I think we'll go there tomorrow after taking an Inklings walking tour and eating at The Eagle and the Child, the pub that Lewis, Tolkein, Williams and others used to frequent to read their manuscripts aloud...manuscripts like The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings! Can you hear the absolute giddiness in my typing. If not, listen harder.
Love you all. I'll update soon.
Me
Ciao Everyone! I am so sorry it's been so long since my last post...oh wait, no I'm not, I'm in Rome. :-)
Well, Rachael and I nearly missed our train to Rome (long story), sat on the train next to a very handsome and quite helpful with unloading our luggage Italian young man, and got into Rome while it was raining. Mind you, we never thought it would rain in Italy, so we trecked through Rome in the rain...exciting times. It was actually kind of fun. Then, we got to our bed and breakfast, dumped the luggage and walked to the Tiber River. I have some hilarious photos of our arrival, but alas, this internet cafe is not nearly as user friendly as the one in Florence, so you'll probably have to wait til I get to Oxford to see them. :-(
We are totally and utterly exhausted from all of the travel. Even as I type, I am willing my fingers to work. But we love Rome. Last night, we journeyed to the Colosseum and just stood and stared. It is indescribable the feelings that run through you when you're looking at something with such history and importance. We had to go to the bathroom for close to an hour prior to seeing the monument, but stayed and stared and pondered for a little over 2 hours once we got there. Then, we saw glimpses of the Roman Forum and other ancient sites while dying because we REALLY needed to go to the bathroom by that time. Then we were hit on by a really handsome Italian cop, hit on again by really annoying Florentines and finally got to a restaurant and found relief.
Today, we're going back to the Colosseum to go inside, then we're off to buy tickets to an opera we're seeing tomorrow. After that, we're going to St. Peter in Chains where we'll see the prison that Paul and Silas and Peter were all thrown in a number of times. They also have the chains that apparently held Peter when the angel lead him out of prison. Then, we're going to the most beautiful monument dedicated to unknown soldiers. Then we're going to the Borghese Gallery. I feel like I'm leaving something out.
Oh!! Did I mention that we saw the Sistine Chapel yesterday!?!?! Again, no words match the experience. I stood in awe of that room. We also went to St. Peter's Basilica which is the site that Peter was crucified upside down. His remains are also in the church. That was quite possibly one of the heaviest experiences of my life, knowing that one of the rocks of the church as we know it today was killed by order of Nero there.
Anyhow, I've got to get going. Keep the emails coming. I really won't have time to respond until after the 31st, but I love reading them. Pray for our physical well being as our bodies are just tired of traveling with all our luggage. We are having a fabulous time and are sad to leave Italy but very excited about the next leg of our journey...another ancient civilization and world power, England.
Until then. Much love,
Emily
The Bridge of Sighs. Literally yards away from where we're staying. We love Venice.
So Rachael and I are now the city most heralded for its romantic atmosphere. I can tell you firsthand, Venice is charged with romantic electricity. It is wonderful here. We are staying in a beautiful hotel literally yards from the water and just behind the Doge's Palace, which we were blown away by when we visited today.
Last night, as we walked through Piazza San Marco, we witnessed only what we've read about in books while planning this trip. We saw the "dueling orchestras." Saint Mark's square has three incredible and huge restaurants. They all have about 100 tables each outside (in the square) and each restaurant has a small platform for a mini orchestra so that customers can listen to classic Italian songs. All three mini orchestras play during the same hours, hence they duel. However, it doesn't sound like mass chaos when they all play. (For Pics...click link)
We had already eaten dinner but decided to splurge and eat at Cafe Florian. It is a restaurant that has been around since 1720 and was the first cafe in the world to serve coffee. Amazing authors such as Rousseau, Goethe, Dickens, Lord Byron and others have dined here and it has also been known to be a place of secret meetings throughout it's lifetime. We sprung for Tiramisu and dessert wine under the stars as we were serenaded by a lovely orchestra with a rather handsome first violin, who quite often played directly to us (very fun). It was wonderful. Probably the most romantic and relaxing evening of our lives. We laughed so much just reminding ourselves that we were in Venice, listening to songs from the Godfather, Life is Beautiful, Vivaldi, Mozart, Sinatra and more. It was easy to see why it's so popular to make movies about this place. It's inspiring just walking around.
Tomorrow is our last full day here and then we're off to Rome on Sunday morning. We're having a blast and trying not to think about the fact that we're leaving Italy in 7 days. This has been the greatest trip ever and in one of the most beautiful and epic countries on the planet. I'm definitely coming back next year.
One more thing, as far as email goes. I really miss getting personal emails from everyone, as opposed to forwards, so keep them coming. I may not have time to reply to them all but I do really enjoy getting them. Grazie mille (thanks a million), Emily.
Us at Cafe Florian. Can you see the little orchestra behind us?
Rachael on a ponte (bridge) near our hotel. We walked and walked yesterday just finding our bearings in this new city. It's gorgeous.
Me and Rach outside a great little restaurant with really "friendly" waiters. :-)
Well, it is with great sadness that I say goodbye to Florence. Tonight is our last night here. (Yes, it's nearly midnight right now in Italy.) Rachael, Lorenza and I met up with one of Rachael's old roommates Katie to have dinner and celebrate our last night in one of the most epic cities in the world. I really don't want to leave. The fondness I have developed for this gorgeous city is really unlike anything I've ever experienced.
I saw Michaelangelo's David today. I turned the corner in the gallery and literally became breathless when I saw him. I actually had to stand there for a second and catch my breath. He is beautiful and remarkably preserved for a piece nearly 500 years old. It was truly an amazing experience. I just sat there and stared at him for goodness knows how long. He is captivating.
Rach and I also went to the Uffizi Museum today where we saw original works by Botticelli (Primavera and The Birth of Venus), Da Vinci, Raffael, Durer, Rembrant and many others. It leaves you with such a dumbfounded loss for words after seeing such beauty. We've really felt quite stupid and inarticulate this whole time...but we've laughed a whole lot, and that's important, right? :-)
As for the shopping in Italy, if anyone wants really nice gifts, let me know and you can give money to my parents or something to deposit in my account, or a really good IOU for when I return. The shopping is great, but I simply cannot afford anything right now. Nick, I did get your wine. We tried the brand tonight at dinner, it was made at one of the vineyards the restaurant owns. You'll like it. I still have a little more money to get you tea as well...remember the exchange rate is awful here.
Well, that's about all I have time to write about right now. Rachael and I make our way to Venice at 12:39 PM tomorrow, which is nearly 10 PM your time. We'll arrive close to four hours later and jump on a gondola (lol...right, if only they weren't $100 dollars a ride...not joking).
I love you all and want you to come visit this city someday. What a growing experience.
Here are a few more pictures. I'll probably check email and post in the next few days. I have to find an internet cafe in Venice first. Pray for our safe travel now that we have a little more to carry (presents and all).
Ciao, Emily
Last night, our hostess took us up to this square overlooking all of Florence. You can also see the walls that used to guard the city hundreds upon hundreds of years ago. It was such a hike, but so worth it. I think Rach and I have averaged walking close to 5 or 6 miles a day...many of those miles uphill. Buns of Steel ain't got nothing on us. :-) We're hoping.
Here's a semi unflattering pic of us on the terrace of Piazzale di Michaelangelo. The sunset over Florence was so beautiful. There were tons of people there also taking loads of pictures. It was a gorgeous night as well. We just walked around, explored and talked. So relaxing.
...First to translate that one gets an extra postcard from yours truly. :-)
This is a villa in Lucca...bellisima!
Allora, siamo avere una volta fabulosa. We are having a wonderful time. We are both pretty convinced that we could live quite comfortably in Florence. This city is amazing. We have been so blessed to be surrounded by fellow believers who have really taken us in under their wing and have done a fabulous job of making us feel welcome, comfortable and protected in this city. We have had a couple of little mishaps here and there...a psychological scare thinking we were being kidnapped by a bus driver, proposed to by some Africans and wandering around exhausted and disoriented in the center of Florence for over an hour last night. But, we are safe and sound and still enjoying this city immensely.
I have never been anywhere that felt so much like a home away from home as it does here. It is also incredible knowing that half my heritage is in this country. And, to top everything off, my Italian is improving every day. People are beginning to respond to me in Italian, which is a huge complement but also problematic as my comprehension is still really that of a third grader :-) But we're managing, and Italians really do use huge gestures to illustrate their conversations, so that certainly helps two unilingual girls like us.
Oh, and what would an update be without speaking of the Italian men. (lol) What can I say? They love their music, their wine and their women. We've had men yell out things like "Belle!" (most common), "Barbie!", "What's Up?!", "Bon jour" (very funny...this was yelled to us when we didn't respond to the 'what's up'), and today, one man yelled from his shop, "I Love you!" Rachael and I walked past and burst out laughing. We certainly weren't helping the guys by wearing bright pink tank tops...not planned, so we stuck out among a sea of less florescent colors.
We're having a great time. Can't say it enough. Davide has teased us that we are going to have boyfriends in every port. We've had a couple of offers. Rachael got her hair done today by a man named Jon Luca. Oh my gosh, if there ever was your typical Italian lover, this was your man. We were laughing so hard at his never subtle overtures. I'm not kidding when I say that every single thing out of this man's mouth was some type of innuendo. We envisioned some type of Herbal Essence commercial happening in his mind when he was cutting her hair. I've never laughed so hard as I have here.
We have yet to try good Italian wine. That's next on our list. We have had amazing cappuccinos, gelatto (this stuff is from heaven), and after dinner liquer (Italians use it to help digest their Sunday lunch, which took four hours at Davide's house).
Here are some more photos for your viewing pleasure....(click on the link)
This is Rachael and I on the River Arno. It's so beautiful.
This is that other bust that we developed a slight crush on. The sculptures and artwork in this city are unparalled. And that's an empirical statement...Florence is really the art capital of the world.
...First to translate that one gets an extra postcard from yours truly. :-)
This is a villa in Lucca...bellisima!
Allora, siamo avere una volta fabulosa. We are having a wonderful time. We are both pretty convinced that we could live quite comfortably in Florence. This city is amazing. We have been so blessed to be surrounded by fellow believers who have really taken us in under their wing and have done a fabulous job of making us feel welcome, comfortable and protected in this city. We have had a couple of little mishaps here and there...a psychological scare thinking we were being kidnapped by a bus driver, proposed to by some Africans and wandering around exhausted and disoriented in the center of Florence for over an hour last night. But, we are safe and sound and still enjoying this city immensely.
I have never been anywhere that felt so much like a home away from home as it does here. It is also incredible knowing that half my heritage is in this country. And, to top everything off, my Italian is improving every day. People are beginning to respond to me in Italian, which is a huge complement but also problematic as my comprehension is still really that of a third grader :-) But we're managing, and Italians really do use huge gestures to illustrate their conversations, so that certainly helps two unilingual girls like us.
Oh, and what would an update be without speaking of the Italian men. (lol) What can I say? They love their music, their wine and their women. We've had men yell out things like "Belle!" (most common), "Barbie!", "What's Up?!", "Bon jour" (very funny...this was yelled to us when we didn't respond to the 'what's up'), and today, one man yelled from his shop, "I Love you!" Rachael and I walked past and burst out laughing. We certainly weren't helping the guys by wearing bright pink tank tops...not planned, so we stuck out among a sea of less florescent colors.
We're having a great time. Can't say it enough. Davide has teased us that we are going to have boyfriends in every port. We've had a couple of offers. Rachael got her hair done today by a man named Jon Luca. Oh my gosh, if there ever was your typical Italian lover, this was your man. We were laughing so hard at his never subtle overtures. I'm not kidding when I say that every single thing out of this man's mouth was some type of innuendo. We envisioned some type of Herbal Essence commercial happening in his mind when he was cutting her hair. I've never laughed so hard as I have here.
We have yet to try good Italian wine. That's next on our list. We have had amazing cappuccinos, gelatto (this stuff is from heaven), and after dinner liquer (Italians use it to help digest their Sunday lunch, which took four hours at Davide's house).
Here are some more photos for your viewing pleasure....(click on the link)
This is Rachael and I on the River Arno. It's so beautiful.
This is that other bust that we developed a slight crush on. The sculptures and artwork in this city are unparalled. And that's an empirical statement...Florence is really the art capital of the world.
I only have a few moments on the computer, so I'm just going to give brief explanations to a few recent photos. Here they are. Enjoy and be insanely jealous! :-)
This is us at dinner in Florence the last night Jimmy and Juli were with us. In the booth next to us, there were these slightly creepy young Italian guys staring at us all night long and then eventually resorted to sneaking photos of us with their cell phone. It was obvious when the cell was pointed straight at me and the friend moved his head so the phone got a straight shot. Pretty funny...they weren't old and lechy at least.
This is Rachael and I with some young wonderful Italian guys from Davide's (he's next to Rach) church. They were great. They took us to Lucca, which is a town with a history that dates back to before the Roman Empire. The piazza we are in in the picture is an old Etruscan town! How cool is that?!?
The last is Rach and I having a bit too much fun at the Palazzo Vecchio where there were plenty of good looking busts. We were slightly carried away by this one and another one, as you can see. You can't be reverent all the time. More to come later. I have no software to crop and zoom on pictures, so just click on them to see the full size. Love you all. Ciao!
Ciao L'Italia!!
What an experiene to be updating my blog from one of the greatest cities in the world. All I can say is, I LOVE Florence. I LOVE Italy. It's everything I ever imagined.
The picture is me and Rachael on our first real day in Florence with our friends Jimmy and Juli. We are on a hotel Terrace and in the background you can see the Duomo. Later in the day, we were taken around Florence by our charming young Italian friend Davide, whose church we will be going to tomorrow morning. We have had a blast so far. We are staying literally feet across from Michaelangelo's house. We are in a palazzo (apartment bldg) previously owned by the Medicis.
There is so much to tell, so much I don't think it would be possible to do all in one sitting. I'll just tell you that we are having an amazing time. The food is wonderful, the people incredibly gracious, and the scenery is indescribable. (Click on the continue link to finish reading my post. I don't want this to take up the whole page.)
Well, here are a few more pics. The first is of Juli, Rachael, Lorenza and I at Lorenza's work (a great little Italian shoe store). She's a very smiley person, I swear.
This is me today in just a tiny fraction of the Giardini Boboli (Boboli Gardens) at the Palazzo Pitti, once owned by the Grand Dukes of Tuscany, and the Medici family. Unbelievable!!
Okay, now click on the rest of the story...
We had the most insane travel schedule. Neither Rachael nor I slept at all on Monday night, and we drove to the fly away at 5 am Tuesday morning. Three flights, two bus rides, one train ride and many rude and unaccomodating people later, we arriving in beautiful Florence. It's made the miserable, sleep-deprived travel completely worth it.
We will be in Tuscany (Florence) until July 22, when we'll leave for Venice. We'll be in Venice until the 25th, when we'll leave for Rome, and on the afternoon of the 29th we'll be back in London. In Italy, the time difference from home is 9 hours, from London, it's 8. Just FYI.
The history here and the art is something that you'll only fully get a taste for once you visit. It is unbelievable to see all of the art and sculptures and buildings that I had only read about or seen pictures of. It's like seeing things in color or 3-D, viewing them as they should always be but never have been by these eyes.
I love you all. Hope you're doing well. We are cherishing every minute here. I'll try to update again in a few days. I'm having so much fun and am so busy that it's hard to find time to get to an internet cafe. Until then,
The American finally a little more in touch with her Italian side. :)
Emily
I cannot believe that in just over one day, I'll be well on my way to beautiful Tuscany. :) Every time I think about my trip now, I just smile. I can't help it. I'm going to one of the birthplaces of Western Civilization. Where I will see Michaelangelo's David, and the Sistine Chapel, and the Grand Canal of Venice. The history in this country is amazing, and I'm actually going to see it all firsthand. I can't tell you how bizarre it is to think that I'll see all of those sites, monuments, works of art that I've only read about or seen pictures of.
After that, I'm going to spend nearly two weeks on one of the oldest college campuses in the world.
I'm completely over the stress and basically giddy now. How amazing. I've always wanted to go to these places but honestly never thought it would happen. I've put my money (loads of it) where my mouth is and now I'm on my way. And God has been truly faithful and wonderfully unpredictable the entire way.
More on this later,
The happiest little Italian American this side of the Mississippi :) (I don't actually know why I said that.)
Emily
To my friends on the Left side of life,
You are more than welcome to visit this site and peruse the numerous posts made by yours truly. In fact, I cannot tell you how happy it makes me when people who disagree with me read my posts. I've always enjoyed lively and productive debate, and that is more than welcome on this site. However, you are not welcome to do one thing, and that is to attack me, my beliefs or anyone else affiliated with this site (i.e. my friends and allies).
This site will not be debased by meaningless, baseless rhetoric, namecalling, and/or inflamatory speech merely aimed at provoking others to anger. I won't have any of it.
I am more than happy to field your personal criticism via email. You may click on the "Email Me" link to the left of your screen. Feel free to sink to whatever level you wish in that medium. But leave it off my site.
In the meantime, I do welcome cordial debate, and if you choose to do so, great. I look forward to it.
Sincerely,
The Keeper of The Last Word,
Portia,
Proud owner and manager of one lovely weblog. :)
That line always comes to mind when I say goodbye to people going to Europe. It's from Home Alone and that line has always stuck with me.
Okay, enough of the random. The reason I wrote that line is because I am accepting money and requests from people who want me to buy them things from Italy and England. I've had requests for English tea and Italian wine. So, the invitation is open. If you all want me to get you something, find me, give me cash and write down what you want. I will make sure to get it for you.
I can't believe that at this time next week, I will be in Florence. I'm so excited. Still quite stressed, but excited. I'm sending you all an invitation for an informal bon voyage party for me and Rachael. It's going to be this Sunday, I'm just trying to figure out if it will be at mine or Rach's house. You'll get the invite soon.
Other than that, not much to report at the moment, just tons to do.
Oh! By the way, check out the recent posts on the right side of my blog. We've got some brilliant minds on the left. You'll see what I mean. :)
I leave in just over 7 days for what, from all appearances, is looking like the trip of a lifetime. Basically everything is done in terms of lodging (we just have to pay our balances in cash upon arrival) and trains (we paid nearly $400 for three train rides, including a $30 shipping fee...travel is expensive, that's all I've gotta say). Now we've gotta figure out various fly aways and bus services when we get there. We've also got to nail down lodging in London for a few nights when we get back from Italy. The liason for my program is working on getting us a room at Oxford, which would be great because I wouldn't have to go anywhere else prior to my seminar.
So, here are a few pictures: This is where we're staying the first three nights in Rome. It's in a 15 century building!! How amazing is that?!
Here's the inside. They didn't have bigger pictures, but we'll upload some when we get there.
Our last night in Rome, we are staying somewhere slightly closer to the train tracks so we can book it to the airport with fewer delays. This is it.
I'll have pictures of Oxford and things soon. I will be updating my blog from Italy and England, so make sure to check it and post comments. Oh, I will also be receiving email, so please drop me a line, so to speak. I'd love to get stuff in my inbox so I don't feel like my trip to an internet cafe was a waste.
I'll post more later. For now, I've got to get back to reading more Lewis (5 books to go, or something insane like that) and more packing preparation (to be discussed in more detail later).
Until then,
Emily
