tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28126859875148792062024-03-18T23:57:43.171-04:00Attraversiamoor Let's Cross Over
or Emily Joey and Katy in ItalyEmily, Joey and Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07526209848238608237noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812685987514879206.post-23879258904255795752009-04-16T19:46:00.012-04:002009-04-16T19:58:10.075-04:00Leaving Florence with an aching in my heart...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1XxpP8Y2o5FynHFIwVg76RZ-3I6nIHmj_rUkiPIUPBtFqQ8n7U5Uyr0fDQKdRN-E0-xUe2wuYxWLUwbSYe2d8-y5ppQOhZWRYrKyKZ_uRsOh83cwgQJEW5fbLhOhNsbtHgDY88FOSQ-g/s1600-h/DSC_0369.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1XxpP8Y2o5FynHFIwVg76RZ-3I6nIHmj_rUkiPIUPBtFqQ8n7U5Uyr0fDQKdRN-E0-xUe2wuYxWLUwbSYe2d8-y5ppQOhZWRYrKyKZ_uRsOh83cwgQJEW5fbLhOhNsbtHgDY88FOSQ-g/s400/DSC_0369.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325442090964306114" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman"font-family:";">My<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> goodness, it has been a while.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I’m sorry about this, but things have been quite busy.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Last week there was a bunch of art shows to put up and attend, and this week was finals.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Oh mama mia!</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span style="Times New Roman"font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Its strange, to think about leaving.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">My</span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Lucida Grande"font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span style="mso-bidi-Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Lucida Grande"font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">last few days in Florence are going to be spent walking around, crying, thinking...I don't know.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I'm so terribly sad.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Not in a depressed way, but in a quiet, calm way, as if it is a calm, deep stream that flows within me.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I feel like I am leaving a lover, in a way.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Not in a violent way, but in a way that must happen when both parties know it must be done. It is so strange.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">My heart feels strange.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It is all just a dream and I'm about to wake up.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman"font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It’s also very strange for me to think about how much I’ve changed. There are things about me that are so much different than before.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I deal with unpleasant situations so much better than before.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I can let go of things so much more easily.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I freak out a lot less (I still have a long way to go with this though).</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">There are also things that are different about me that are the result of living in a city.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I’m completely desensitized to the homeless.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I can remember being a little girl and being afraid of homeless people when I was in LA.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I rarely see something that makes me jump due to despair or fear these days.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I’m also much more assertive and pushy, compared to how I used to be.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Only because I’ve had to become this way; when you come face to face daily with about 400 people trying to sell you something, or saying inappropriate things, or begging for money, you have to be able to say no firmly, push around a person, or simply walk away.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">There are many positive things that have come with living in a city, too, though.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I love living in a city, for so many reasons.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Every day I look out into the same courtyard and walk on the same streets and every day it is different.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Every day I come into contact with human beings.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I smell them, brush past them, and accidentally end up in their photos.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I come face to face with people I will never see again, and these simple moments are so beautiful and have made me so deeply aware of how interconnected we all are.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman"font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Coming here has really helped me to simplify my life, something I have been working on for the past two years.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I don’t text people constantly, I don’t watch television, I’m not on the computer often, I don’t online shop, I don’t read tons of magazines, and you know what, I don’t miss any of those things.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This simplification goes much father than no longer wasting my time in front of screens, though.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I find joy in simple things: cooking, reading a good book, writing, taking walks.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I am so much more aware and open to the simple beauty all around me.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I no longer (most of the time), waste my time with negative thoughts, self-destructive thoughts, and habits that go along with such thoughts.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I’ve become, not more self-confident, but more self aware, accepting and loving of who I am.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I hope, I sincerely hope, that once I am home I continue to keep my life simplified.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I am so much happier than ever before.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I think that the American way of life really goes against simplification, in many ways.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">But it is so important for all of us to really earnestly search, within ourselves and our experiences, to find the lives we are supposed to lead.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We get lost in what is the culturally and socially acceptable way to live, but that is not how we are all meant to live.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I believe, in fact, that most of us are not supposed to live that way, and yet we do, because we do not know how to live another way, because we have not taken the time to find out what our own constitution is, and how it leads us to live.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Or we have figured that out, but we have not worked to live that way.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I am now, since coming here, beginning to see the way I am supposed to live, what my system and constitution is.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">And I am going to work hard to live my way.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman"font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Since coming here I’ve been able to really feel what my priorities in life are.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">People are the most import part of my life.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">My friends and family really are the most important things to me.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I also really do love travel.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I want to learn, I love to learn, I want to experience as much as I possibly can.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I don’t know what I want to do when I graduate.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I have no idea.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I don’t</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">know that I want to try to get into the art world.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I don’t know if I want to find a career path.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">But I do know that I want to travel, as much as possible.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">And not just hostel through places, I want to experience life in places.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I want to live in Morocco for a spell, I want to live in France, I want to live in India…I want to experience life in places, not just look at famous things.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman"font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I know, of course, that I have changed quite a bit, and that I won’t see the half of it until I’ve been home for a while.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I might not see the full effect until some time next year.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I don’t know.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">That is very exciting, and is a big part of why I wanted to study abroad.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This whole experience, I don’t even know what to say, what to think! </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman"font-family:";"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman"font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">You know, its funny, I came here to make art and become a better artist.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I don’t really know if that’s happened.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I’ve learned a lot about Baroque art and Italian Opera, two subjects I am much more interested and in love with than before.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Oh! I love Opera now.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">And I love Batik, as well.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">But I haven’t become much better of a painter.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I am more aware of why I paint and what painting means to me, which I suppose is good.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I’ve grown a lot as a person, so I think in the long run that will make me a better artist.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman"font-family:";"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman"font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">All my love,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman"font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Emily</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Emily, Joey and Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07526209848238608237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812685987514879206.post-24967426140246779322009-04-02T08:42:00.005-04:002009-04-02T09:12:00.351-04:00We do actually do work...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOwuskc6Q503NNYe-uIiRVMLz2dEZ43KYjmLgqsQdS8NrGm-s1mcqW7LCax8k3ddKC7MucMwilfuqP5aT33_7C3m3P2aoAtTsND7zhXz9IszXBn8Cpr5ogzxTJ2z-FfDf-dyDPLL5Tvx8/s1600-h/P1040254.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOwuskc6Q503NNYe-uIiRVMLz2dEZ43KYjmLgqsQdS8NrGm-s1mcqW7LCax8k3ddKC7MucMwilfuqP5aT33_7C3m3P2aoAtTsND7zhXz9IszXBn8Cpr5ogzxTJ2z-FfDf-dyDPLL5Tvx8/s400/P1040254.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320076320450450834" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzlhHYvsVaQqV4jv3fjM_U8hbzkoehGg-U11P-VZljH2Nsl-arteckdMowGYt1mudGdWapsttwAPG_jJsAhB7jWMU_UDZp-Fg3UIZJ2D4wAHd3ff1pX7pG-P2pCc3vJmwr9JSSzHB5v6s/s1600-h/P1040256.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 261px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzlhHYvsVaQqV4jv3fjM_U8hbzkoehGg-U11P-VZljH2Nsl-arteckdMowGYt1mudGdWapsttwAPG_jJsAhB7jWMU_UDZp-Fg3UIZJ2D4wAHd3ff1pX7pG-P2pCc3vJmwr9JSSzHB5v6s/s400/P1040256.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320076316124240594" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKmxBME-u6MMi9TWKUuRm8DlL76OTi27QyifKBf7JKdUOiKZ7b7YJph7nFVE6cxjxl9iMBniuhfNrOhNt79HYyAEIdvIU64J2QIHelpC-j4SEfuW35truTyclmBdplK46Tsoc-di-1bo8/s1600-h/P1040425.JPG"><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 248px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKmxBME-u6MMi9TWKUuRm8DlL76OTi27QyifKBf7JKdUOiKZ7b7YJph7nFVE6cxjxl9iMBniuhfNrOhNt79HYyAEIdvIU64J2QIHelpC-j4SEfuW35truTyclmBdplK46Tsoc-di-1bo8/s400/P1040425.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320075488672187138" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSTqRAF4DB7JrZjRUcv6I027X5gHS9URch549NbP2uwIv9R7dsY38tViJS5J0wbCjiGbGkkXKrc4OdCT-VyAZwDd2raXmBuidtLneGqDwpLOFAFKe9LjMJh8s-CIPxPhhXjK_O98B5LV4/s1600-h/P1040442.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSTqRAF4DB7JrZjRUcv6I027X5gHS9URch549NbP2uwIv9R7dsY38tViJS5J0wbCjiGbGkkXKrc4OdCT-VyAZwDd2raXmBuidtLneGqDwpLOFAFKe9LjMJh8s-CIPxPhhXjK_O98B5LV4/s400/P1040442.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320075479542656338" /></a><br />Katy, Joey and I have been talking a lot about places we've been, things we've seen, and things we've tried, but we haven't discussed anything about why we came to Italy in the first place: our studies!<div><br /></div><div>The school here is a lot different than our little art department. There's a lot more students here (around 150!), and of course it's in a city. I honestly miss our department terribly. Our sense of family, the way we interact, critique and encourage one another, and of course how much fun we have together, I just don't think you can find that anywhere else! I find the environment here rather hard to work in. But, nevertheless, I have been working!</div><div><br /></div><div>I love my Batik class. We paint on silk, and we also dip silk scarves into different dye baths. I am really on a roll with it right now; I can't get enough of it! Up above you can see a detail from a scarf I just finished, with Pinocchio dancing!</div><div><br /></div><div>I've also been painting, of course. I'm not as much into painting right now as I would like to be. Batik, writing and photography have been taking over my creative mind. I have done some paintings based off of Paris architecture (the first painting), and some small paintings based off of quiet moments in my life (second painting). I am also in the middle of two paintings based off of Pere-Lachaise (you can see one of them, the last). My trip to France gave me a lot of inspiration, if you couldn't tell. </div><div><br /></div><div>So thats just a bit of what I've been doing. Katy and Joey have been busy as well. I don't want you guys thinking we've completely forgotten about our studies!</div><div><br /></div><div>all my love,</div><div>Emily</div>Emily, Joey and Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07526209848238608237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812685987514879206.post-58106124148845575572009-03-27T18:13:00.002-04:002009-03-27T18:47:24.923-04:00a Roman holiday of sorts!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Wicrr4Kzs3TCuAnpC9yz64KUq-XLBxoVIAxiLSR9pg-64-eAHS2TGX4ePBbLS8GubA4GbZ85tz3lps5fkeU8f5BiCt19vGx71Vg3Oh9cVoQ5mVVB2dPyqI8Zs42g7ow9zPqie21OS1c/s1600-h/P1040375.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Wicrr4Kzs3TCuAnpC9yz64KUq-XLBxoVIAxiLSR9pg-64-eAHS2TGX4ePBbLS8GubA4GbZ85tz3lps5fkeU8f5BiCt19vGx71Vg3Oh9cVoQ5mVVB2dPyqI8Zs42g7ow9zPqie21OS1c/s400/P1040375.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317997053129702562" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAXaz70wMZLMAK1Qa8pVNUWzgF76LnDThvqPOJzj8UqjSTKaicrJRWWCCRBnVHhZ5sG2hSbtjW88_iQwkYeYnP0885-HiHoeLpHLGvZocfPtcH9FavO5IiKndtgmF54755IJZchTrmb7M/s1600-h/P1040329_2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 161px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAXaz70wMZLMAK1Qa8pVNUWzgF76LnDThvqPOJzj8UqjSTKaicrJRWWCCRBnVHhZ5sG2hSbtjW88_iQwkYeYnP0885-HiHoeLpHLGvZocfPtcH9FavO5IiKndtgmF54755IJZchTrmb7M/s400/P1040329_2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317997051490729554" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPsoMjTyvv8lQKYZ_z7uYj1Uk6BGbAO1_huLOXagpUIQmOB6IwAl_MLsGFvT9hl_AYNjQhkz6TC6m1u0mhbv4s8krc41sORQCckJARbjo5mB_9iyXt3i2sydoxDAWWSkA9k5cyGCcwbto/s1600-h/P1040331.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPsoMjTyvv8lQKYZ_z7uYj1Uk6BGbAO1_huLOXagpUIQmOB6IwAl_MLsGFvT9hl_AYNjQhkz6TC6m1u0mhbv4s8krc41sORQCckJARbjo5mB_9iyXt3i2sydoxDAWWSkA9k5cyGCcwbto/s400/P1040331.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317996121083782354" /></a><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">Well my dearest of dear friends,</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Today, this fine Friday March 27, 2009, I went on a Roman holiday of sorts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I went for an adventure. I woke up (really early), and went to Rome for the day, all by my lonesome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I wanted to go back to Rome for a number of reasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I wanted to see the Sistine Chapel and Vatican city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I wanted to hang out in another country for a while.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I also wanted to be brave!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">So I know that going to Rome for the day isn’t an entirely courageous thing to do, not in the least.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But I’ve wanted to be less regimented and worried about planning things out perfectly here of late.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I want to have the ability to go with the flow, let things happen and not worry all the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I have a friend, Kas, who I quite admire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>She is a neuroscience major but decided to come to saci to study art for a semester.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Kas is funny, incredibly smart, a talented photographer, and a generally nice person to be around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I admire her ability to simply let things happen and not worry about the future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Recently I asked her how she does this; this going places and doing things without worrying about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>She told me, quite simply, “Emily, sometimes you have to just go. Just go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Leap and believe in the universe to catch you, or at least let you land where you need to be.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">So today, I went to Rome in an attempt to push myself out of my hermit-y comfort zone (and to see some great art!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I didn’t plan anything beyond getting my train tickets the night before, and I just went.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">And you know what, I had a really nice time!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Wandering around the city with just myself, deciding what to do as I went, working hard to not freak out about the little things, taking my time places, stopping to look at weird postcards…it was great! I enjoyed the time alone and spent a good deal of time reading in the Piazza San Pietro (you know, that area outside Saint Peter’s that’s supposed to be like two arms reaching out to the faithful to pull them into the safety of the faith, but really it just makes me think of a phallic symbol). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Seeing the Sistine Chapel was neat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The more time I spent straining to see it the more interesting and impressive it became.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But at the same time, all of the people talking and taking pictures and the attendants shouting for “silence!” and “no photos!” really kept it from being any sort of a religious experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I know people want to see it because it’s so beautiful and impressive, but all those people trying to see it make it so much less beautiful and impressive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Its hard, this whole tourism situation.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">It was strange, at one point while I was looking up, I realized that someday this ceiling would be like the ruins that are scattered throughout the city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Someday people wouldn’t know who painted it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Someday the whole ceiling might not even be there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Someday there will not be people crowding to see it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was a humbling moment, and a shock as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I also went into Saint Peter’s, which is large and in charge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That’s really the only way that I know how to describe it, or the whole of Vatican City.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The interior is quite powerful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>What I liked about it most was the floor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Beautiful different marble tiles in circles and squares (So of course I would like it)!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was really quite impressive and beautiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I don’t know how many people notice it because of the ceilings and sculptures, which is unfortunate. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">On the way home from my grand adventure, I got to watch the sun set over the Tuscan countryside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>All of the colors!; the blues and greens and purples, all fading off into the distance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The last beams of sunlight falling on long-abandoned farmhouses illuminated their age and longevity, but stated quite plainly that these structures too would fade away, just as the sun was fading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">My day of adventure probably doesn’t seem like much of an adventure to most people; wandering around a city, hanging out in a church and reading isn’t all that exciting I suppose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But when I got to Rome, I knew what I wanted to do, and I just did it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>So I guess I can just go! and do things, my hermit-y things, all over the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Whenever and where ever I like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I just have to go, like Kas says. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Emily</p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglGgzneQfGw9CHtRKWq72H_sGNxdEFSVuHYxODHzAM1rL58I9p05tu9PHNsSolrkjpFwaZhxg1EJNhtQPif8CsvMHszd3dWJ339upToJzil2RU9mkuqb3k2s-6aWPyyDbyDjJ8poScCHA/s1600-h/P1040362_2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglGgzneQfGw9CHtRKWq72H_sGNxdEFSVuHYxODHzAM1rL58I9p05tu9PHNsSolrkjpFwaZhxg1EJNhtQPif8CsvMHszd3dWJ339upToJzil2RU9mkuqb3k2s-6aWPyyDbyDjJ8poScCHA/s400/P1040362_2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317996120811979554" /></a>Emily, Joey and Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07526209848238608237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812685987514879206.post-43125645854005215712009-03-27T16:58:00.004-04:002009-03-27T17:22:39.202-04:00Italy vs the US of A<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGoiy1mQ3L_d8I_aV_qy9MWXTHLLjZYT2kD382BwWJH05gtdUxNAMPts9eRo-BfdkdurI43sQU7ju59tx_HdOTc9h5j2J-xW3a8_rGB5TzM-X_qNzuTGxEeR2dQ0c4OEvkUPUtHtSgxl4/s1600-h/P1040242_2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGoiy1mQ3L_d8I_aV_qy9MWXTHLLjZYT2kD382BwWJH05gtdUxNAMPts9eRo-BfdkdurI43sQU7ju59tx_HdOTc9h5j2J-xW3a8_rGB5TzM-X_qNzuTGxEeR2dQ0c4OEvkUPUtHtSgxl4/s400/P1040242_2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317978256977817650" /></a><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">I must admit, that you really could just come to Italy for the food alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It fabulous, filling, lush, rich, decadent, simple….any kind of meal you want, you can get, better than you ever imagined, in Italy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t times when I’m not wishing for some cheesey-filleds from Padrones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And so, this is how I find myself; torn between two worlds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There are things about Italy that I love, but there are certainly things about America that I miss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I want both worlds, but I guess you just can’t always get what you want.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Things I love about Italy that you can’t get in the US of A:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">-The coffee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You won’t taste anything like it anywhere else in the world.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">-The fresh food markets, which are actually all over Europe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They have fresh local food for dirt cheap….big grocery stores with frozen foods just can’t compete.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">-The ‘oldness’ of everything around you, everywhere you go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There’s something magical and overwhelming about walking on and in history at all times.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">-Cobble stone streets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They’re actually kind of dangerous, because the rocks stick up and move, but they’re cool looking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">-GELATO</p> <p class="MsoNormal">-The windows here are so cool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We don’t have screens; we have shutters!!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Like you imagine in old-fashioned houses, except all the windows here are like that!!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Every morning I wake up and open the shutters, stick my torso out the window to look at the sky, and smile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">-The Duomo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I love this magnificent beauty and make a point to go and see it daily.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">-Hearing about 17 trillion different languages every time you step out your door. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Sometimes this makes me feel stupid, but it’s also really beautiful to my ears, and has really motivated me to work on my French.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s just really cool living around so many different cultures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And we get them all where our apartment is located.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">-Being around and mixed in with tons of people everywhere you walk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I love people watching, I love getting lost in big crowds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I know I can do this in America, but there aren’t as many languages or goofy tourists in the mix.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Sometimes it’s overwhelming with all the tourists being here now, but it’s also really fun to watch them!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">-Um, in Florence, everyone walks in the middle of the street.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’m completely used to just strolling in roads where cars go nowadays.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is going to be a huge adjustment to make when I get back to the states and is probably going to endanger me at some point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">- The ability to walk to where ever to get whatever you need.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I love walking all the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I LOVE not needing a car, ever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">-How fabulous and well dressed everyone is all the time no matter what the day.</p><p class="MsoNormal">-All of the stupendous, beautiful, interesting, (sometimes) decrepit architecture and buildings.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">-Beaver-Rats!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Yes, I actually really enjoy watching these little critters and am going to miss them!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Things I love about the US of A that you can’t get in Italy:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">-the ability to get food from a store after 8 pm. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I love all the fresh food markets, but sometimes I’d like to be able to run into a store and get some Ben & Jerry’s at 10 pm if I feel like it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">-People aren’t constantly cat-calling and whistling at you everywhere you go!!!!! I’m looking forward to hanging out with some nice, funny, down to earth American boys this summer, who don’t act like I’m some sort of animal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">-Cheesey-filleds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Fred Frances knows what I’m talking about (mostly because he had to call Pedrones every other night this fall to order me some so I’d shut up about wanting them).</p> <p class="MsoNormal">-People in lines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Italians apparently don’t know how to make lines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’m being serious here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I read an article that they had line-making practices in Beijing before the Olympics this last summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Italians should think about doing that too…..This is not a whole Europe thing, its only in Italy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">-Organization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You guys think the American government is unorganized and all over the place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You have no idea how organized it actually is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In Italy, phone numbers can be however many digits long, because there is no set length for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I already told you about the line issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Those are just small parts of an over all unorganized painting that is Italy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Who knows about Italian customs and mail…. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">-Using toilettes that don’t run on mechanical grinders, whatever those are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">-Not constantly being around pre, early and high renaissance art.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>OH MY GOSH I SAID THAT!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Yes I know that that’s a terrible thing to say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I love it and appreciate the beauty of all of it, but sometimes it can become daunting and overwhelming, seeing that stuff all the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Oh man was it nice to be in Paris and see art that had nothing to do with Madonna and Child and was made in the 1900s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Or the 1800’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Or just post Renaissance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I like to see the painter’s hand in the work, you know?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">-Um, I miss people speaking American.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I love the different languages, but sometimes I long to hear people saying things that I can understand.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">-My friends, family and my poochies!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That’s cliché, but it’s the truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They’re the most important part of my life.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Ciao!</p><p class="MsoNormal">Em</p> <!--EndFragment-->Emily, Joey and Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07526209848238608237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812685987514879206.post-75213536971051350172009-03-26T14:59:00.000-04:002009-03-26T15:00:45.706-04:00Oh, Vesuvius, you sneaky little mountainHello, all! Sorry it's been so long since my last post, I'm not so great at maintaining these things... just one of those things I need to work on I guess.<br /><br />Anyway, two weekends ago I was able to go on the school-sponsored trip to Pompeii. Sadly none of the roommates were able to join, including Emily and Joey, but I was looking forward to it nonetheless. I didn't quite know what to expect- I'd heard and read about this ancient site for years, but never really had I had a clear understanding of what it looks like now- like the roman ruins? like abandoned cities we have today? a crypt? So, needless to say, I was quite excited to actually go. <br /><br />After a long bus ride (+/- four hours), we arrive at the hotel we will be staying at in the modern city of Pompei, in the region of Napoli. A surprisingly lively city, considering what lies on the other side of the fence. And, actually, the ancient city of Pompeii is just on the other side of a gate from the modern city. Walking down the road, you would never know you are about to enter the ruins if it weren't for all the vendors outside of the gate trying to sell you souvenirs of Pompeii / Italy. So we enter the site on a beautiful, warm day, ready for anything. Everything seems to open up around me as we enter. Ruins, if I haven't mentioned this before, are one of my favorite places in cities, because they are so open and clear and green and quiet. Incidentally, the first road we walk down leads us through the old cemetary... it was odd how well preserved all the tombs were, in this city that really is a tomb in itself. It is also very cool how the cobblestoned streets preserved the grooves from the bronze wheels of ancient carts. And all the streets are still paved in their orginal cobblestone/ pavingstone, complete with stepping stones across some of the intersections so people wouldn't have to step through the muck of the streets. The whole ruins are cool. I thoroughly enjoyed it... I'm also just kind of nerdy that way. For those of you who aren't as into history / as nerdy as I am, Pompeii was silenced and preserved in 79 AD when Mount Visuvius erupted, covering the city in volcanic ash, and killing the inhabitants with noxious fumes and... volcanic ash. Because of this terrible act of nature, we now have a well-preserved ancient Roman site! And it is well-preserved. In the houses (the ceilings have since degraded/eroded away in many, though not all, cases) we can still found beautiful paintings, frescoes, mosaics, etc. The colors are so vibrant!! It's unreal thinking that they are 2000 years old. Animals, geometric designs, people, advertisements, landscapes, graffitti... all can be found in the buildings. It was refreshing seeing some good old-fashioned happy paganism. <br />So, lets talk about the people of Pompeii. They were small. Both short and thin. Also, contrary to the ideas that articles tended to put in my head, they are not all over the streets, preserved in agony. Maybe they were, but now there are a handful on display behind glass in one of the houses, as well as some stacked non-chalantly on shelves in storage rooms by the Forum. Very strange to see. If you see a body of one of the citizens of pompeii, what you are seeing is a plaster cast of the cavity the body left in the ash. The soft, organic material began decomposing as soon as it was uncovered, so this is the solution the archeologists or whomever came up with. It's really interesting, because on some of them you can see casts of the clothing and shoes, and some have bones (skull or finger bones generally) sticking out of the edges of the plaster. The actual bones. It was interesting, sad, strange, and a little surreal knowing that these people were actually people who lived, worked, played, in the streets of this ancient city; they had names, and families, and were part of the unlucky number who were unable to flee the horrors of the nearby volcano. Any yet, in this unlucky tragedy they suffered, they survive, in a way.... they allow us to study their lives, learn about the daily life of ancient Romans, the history of Western civilization, etc. I felt a little bad taking pictures, but I had to. I couldn't not document this moment for myself. So, yes, it was cool. We walked the streets of almost everything that has been uncovered (about 2/5 of the city remains covered), exploring houses, brothels, baths, temples, bars, shops, courtyards, etc. We then took our bus to Herculanium (by the sea!). Now, Herculanium is slightly different from Pompeii in two ways. 1. It was attacked by the volcanic eruption differently (namely lava), and thus has been able to preserve different elements of the city; and 2. A modern city has been built on top of the ancient site, which makes it a little difficult to uncover the majority of the site. Somehow, because of the lava rather than ash, wood was preserved in many places. Wooden window frames, ceiling rafters, etc. can still be found- they look like charcoal, all black and burned-looking, but they remain. It's pretty wild. Not much in the way of bodies, more skeletons, and most of the skeletons or other interesting object you see in the ruins are plaster casts of the original, which lie in the museum at the entrance (built but never opened in the 70s... it is now falling apart itself from lack of use and maintenance. Italian organization at its finest.) <br /><br />After a full day of walking along ruins, we watched the sunset from Mt Vesuvius, then bussed back to the hotel. A friend (and roommate for the weekend) and I found some DELICIOUS and relatively cheap pizza, then sneakily took the elevator to the topmost floor of our hotel- which, come to find out, is the roof. So we hung out up there for a while, looking at the city spread out beneath us, lit up in the night, with lights on roads of distant mountains making strings of diamonds in the darkness. It was pretty cool. <br /><br />Naples, the following day, consisted of museums and longing glances toward the beautiful park outside, full of families enjoying their Sunday in the sun and grass. Then lunch on the harbor next to a castle (that apparently at one point in its history housed a jail, and an escaped alligator which may or may not have been the cause of several prisoners' dissappearances, then masked as "escapes"), then back on the bus for Florence!Emily, Joey and Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07526209848238608237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812685987514879206.post-85340273787714194882009-03-25T16:26:00.004-04:002009-03-25T16:41:19.682-04:00Beaver-Rat!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw4XrfI_vYf0maTOku8iIdcIv6EeyqFALOiU3-Gq26j9hfVESvYztzFh8fGqUSVn8Ifrv8p9u4peOd_7CJSy_AU6eRllmDAIjxENx-a-OGtuw7FVcsLkdnjF1lFxaTx-OkubPwP3wOQCQ/s1600-h/P1040173.JPG"><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw4XrfI_vYf0maTOku8iIdcIv6EeyqFALOiU3-Gq26j9hfVESvYztzFh8fGqUSVn8Ifrv8p9u4peOd_7CJSy_AU6eRllmDAIjxENx-a-OGtuw7FVcsLkdnjF1lFxaTx-OkubPwP3wOQCQ/s400/P1040173.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317227744518742610" /></a>look at that Beaver-Rat swim! I watched him swim across the Arno!!!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhpbUWPAZsy-Ix8D8bfX6fM_qWyLMNInsUff3W_dYKC1XqtEHQ-Qf_okNubgsVgU6w2dfcvNriLpHDIEgVAZcWXXiHpaQMQGDUvj4hqCTGQulsENAdUZWJs5t2JYtsdyM3RZGH5GZ0T9c/s1600-h/P1040169_2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 315px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhpbUWPAZsy-Ix8D8bfX6fM_qWyLMNInsUff3W_dYKC1XqtEHQ-Qf_okNubgsVgU6w2dfcvNriLpHDIEgVAZcWXXiHpaQMQGDUvj4hqCTGQulsENAdUZWJs5t2JYtsdyM3RZGH5GZ0T9c/s400/P1040169_2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317226515966623874" /></a><br />So, I know all of you have probably heard me mention Beaver-Rats. If you haven't, let me explain. Beaver-Rats (their real name is Nutria), are these giant Beavers, with giant Rat tails, that live in the Arno. They swim along in the Arno. They sun themselves on the banks. They relax all the time. Whenever I walk to Cascine park, I see a few of them. Actually, last sunday I saw 9 of them! NINE! How cool is that? Three of them were cuddling. Fred thought that they would freak me out, when I first told him about them. I will admit, at first I was grossed out. But the more time I spend near the Arno (and thus near Beaver-Rats), the more I have come to realize that Beaver-Rats are cute, cuddly, and pretty neat. <div><br /></div><div>So don't be alarmed if you see some when you come to Florence. Remember they're friendly little (okay, not really little) creatures who just like relax in the sun, and don't be grossed out!</div><div><br /></div><div>Em</div>Emily, Joey and Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07526209848238608237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812685987514879206.post-33980986649183387792009-03-22T15:29:00.004-04:002009-03-22T15:44:48.672-04:00The Grass is Always Greener?Ciao! <div><br /></div><div>I don't know what the weather in Ohio was like today, but today in Firenze, it was lovely! </div><div><br /></div><div>Since the weather has turned nice, I have been spending the last few Sundays outside; I go out by myself and explore the city, often plunking somewhere to read, sketch and write. Today I walked along the Arno and stopped in the Cascine park. I ended up spending the whole afternoon there, reading, sketching and relaxing in the sun. </div><div><br /></div><div>Before making it to Cascine I stopped at the Duomo to do some reading on her steps, but ended up talking to an Italian student, who is a friend of one of my friends. He asked what I was reading ('A Tale of Two Cities' by Charles Dickens), and we talked about books and movies. Both of us like Tim Burton movies and are looking forward to 'Alice in Wonderland', whenever that is coming out. Of course he asked me where I was from, and when I told him Ohio he got very excited. He looked at me and said, "You live in the middle of America. The largest university in the States is in the middle of Ohio! That place is like a city!" I found it quite astonishing that he not only knew where Ohio was, but he knew about OSU, and knew how large the campus was. He remarked that he liked it there, and then went on to say "I love America! Every few years I feel that I need to travel to America, and I go there." He is a Florentine, and I had told him earlier how much I loved it here and how sad I'm going to be to go home. He didn't seem to be excited about Florence at all, and talked about how much larger OSU was, and how much he loved America. I wonder, if because we live somewhere, we become so accustomed to the beauty and 'coolness' of the place that we can no longer see it? </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Emily</div>Emily, Joey and Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07526209848238608237noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812685987514879206.post-69849300197419794892009-03-20T20:51:00.002-04:002009-03-20T21:02:29.017-04:00Napping Across EuropeGreetings from the pasta capitol of the world!<div><br /></div><div>So I have been doing some thinking about my travels, and I've come to realize a few things about myself. </div><div><br /></div><div>First, let me start by saying that before I left, I vowed to dance in every beautiful place I came across. Well, I've been doing a lot of dancing. But, I've also been doing a lot of napping. I took a splendid nap in Venice, in the sun, in a little alcove next to the Grand Canal. I took some good naps in various parks in Paris. I took a glorious nap on a beach in Barcelona, sprawled out in the sun. I'm going to be going to Cinque Terre, and I'm planning on taking a nap there. When I go to Sienna in a week, I'm going to nap there. I'm going to go back to Rome for a day, and you know what, I'm going to nap there as well. I think that I'm going to travel the world and write a book on napping my way around the globe. hahaha! Do you think anyone would read it?</div><div><br /></div><div>I've also realized that I love pasta. At this point it might be beyond love, it might be an addiction. Over spring break I went a week (just a week) without eating pasta, and I went into withdrawal. I missed pasta, I even missed boring red sauce. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I eat pasta for dinner 6 nights a week. And the only reason it's only 6 is because about one day a week I have pasta for lunch and don't eat it for dinner because I'm too stuffed to make a big meal again. This could be a problem!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>all my love,</div><div>Emily</div>Emily, Joey and Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07526209848238608237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812685987514879206.post-72085852450897826052009-03-20T20:43:00.002-04:002009-03-25T16:54:51.314-04:00Paris-Day 4<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF-VloTcknd6OBo9Rg0-ld5arVy00dZfq9NdQP5ZTD11zqaDGEtMhspX005y12IhzMcT6wCfAEMvAJoAMFbOhJqIVnaqtVjIrMDQYJFRwisSCSTsHQ8wRHww4fo_rw3FDPysE3NI938RM/s1600-h/P1030853.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF-VloTcknd6OBo9Rg0-ld5arVy00dZfq9NdQP5ZTD11zqaDGEtMhspX005y12IhzMcT6wCfAEMvAJoAMFbOhJqIVnaqtVjIrMDQYJFRwisSCSTsHQ8wRHww4fo_rw3FDPysE3NI938RM/s400/P1030853.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317231554817858754" /></a><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">Paris-day 4</p> <p class="MsoNormal">We had to go to the Louvre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I couldn’t go to Paris and not go to the Louvre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I wanted to see Delacroix’s<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"> Liberty Leading the People</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I wanted to see Nike of Samothrace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I wanted to spend a rainy day all curled up in a big ol’ museum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In the biggest ol’ museum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>So Katy and I got up really early and braved the pouring rain to the Louvre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Joey met up with us later; he’s not quite as crazy as Katy and I.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">So we are walking into the Louvre and I’m bursting with excitement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I am in shock that I’m about to go into the Louvre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That I’m in Paris and I’m about to go into the Louvre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It finally hit me that, oh my goodness, I’m actually over here!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>So I was freaking out before we even got in the place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Katy and I get in there and decide, okay, we should go see the Mona Lisa and just get it over with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>So we orient ourselves on the map and head up some stairs, and there she is, Nike of Samothrace, Winged Victory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Okay, so maybe I cried a little bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But it was beautiful!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was so emotional and impressive and intense!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And so old!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Seeing Winged Victory like that really set the tone for the rest of the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>After we took some time with here, I can’t deal with it anymore and have to see <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Liberty Leading the People.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></i>We walk into this huge room, filled with huge paintings, and people, and there she is , <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Liberty Leading the People.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></i>I cried, I’ll admit it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was so amazing to see this painting that I had studied so closely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The colors, the way the paint was applied, oh my god it was beautiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The realness of it, the emotion, the drama….and it was right there in front of me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I was able to experience it in a completely new way, by being so close to it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was invigorating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I wanted to pick up a brush so badly in that moment; oh it was a glorious feeling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>To actually want to paint, to actually be inspired by something, to actually be moved by beauty…..!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The other paintings in the room were impressive, and massive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>All of Delacroix’s paintings are stunning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’m just in love with him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The way he handle’s color really appeals to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And to see the Napoleons Coronation and Raft of the Medusa….oh my gosh both of them are HUGE.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Larger than life, you are inside the painting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s wild!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">After my little sob-fest and excitement over the large-scale French painting room, we went to see the Mona Lisa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>On the way to see her we passed some really beautiful da Vinci’s that no one was looking at.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And we saw Caravaggio’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Death of the Virgin</i>, which was stunning and upsetting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>No one was looking at these paintings though!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They were all crowded around the Mona Lisa, pushing each other and freaking out and taking tons of photos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was, in all honesty, more fun to look at the people looking at the Mona Lisa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">After all of the morning excitement Katy and I are hungry, so we treated ourselves to our first meal out in Paris, at the Museum café!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We sat and stared out the window, watching the rain and the people outside the Louvre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The rest of the day is a bit of a blur to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We saw so much!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Napoleon’s quarters are maintained there, like they were back in the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They were opulent, over the top, and in all honesty, ridiculously silly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I actually walked into a room at one point, my jaw dropped and I couldn’t say anything but, “this is silly!”, while next to me a French woman was remarking, “Magnifique!”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I think that sums op the difference between the Puritan-inspired American mind set and the French.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The most wonderful thing about the Louvre is that it’s a palace and a museum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>So I was in a palace, which was awesome and played into my girliness, and I was in a museum, which played into my nerdiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was so fun!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was just fun to be in this beautiful huge palace and to see all of this art and artifacts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was also beautiful, exciting and inspiring…but most importantly it was fun!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">By the end of the day, the sun had come out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The three of us had decided to all split up and meet up a bit later, so we could then go and catch our plane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I decided to go say goodbye to all the Delacroix’s, and then I went and sat in this beautiful sculpture atrium.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I listened to coldplay and drew and looked at the beautiful, sunny room around me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I was listening to a song I particularly liked, staring at the way the light was coming in through the windows in the ceiling, when it all sort of struck me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I was so content and moved and filled with happiness because of all of the beauty I had seen and experienced that day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And it all made sense for me then; there is<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>a point and a meaning to painting: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>it’s the beauty of the process, of the paint itself, of the painting, of the seeing of paintings, the beauty is the point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Beauty has meaning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I don’t even know how to explain what I felt, I just felt so happy in that moment, all I could do was smile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was such a perfect day….</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Emily</p> <!--EndFragment-->Emily, Joey and Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07526209848238608237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812685987514879206.post-46172874790483153812009-03-16T06:11:00.002-04:002009-03-17T10:44:07.028-04:00want to see some more photos?Hello! I thought you guys might be interesting in seeing some more photos from spring break. At the bottom is a link to my facebook album. Check it out! There aren't a lot of photos on it yet, but there will be. I took about 1000 pictures on the trip, so its taking me some time to go through them and pick the best to post. <div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-Lucida Grande"font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2038362&id=</span></span><span style="font-family:"Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-Lucida Grande"font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">36003903&l=daa3ad497b</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'Lucida Grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I love and miss you all!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'Lucida Grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Emily</span></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div>Emily, Joey and Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07526209848238608237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812685987514879206.post-26585969801796765782009-03-15T16:01:00.001-04:002009-03-18T13:23:02.469-04:00Paris-Day 3<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzpSXsmVfXP4kUrkB5-PpNXY_W6TuHlr6ryN67R1X-R3vu3YgLMaPV8VCXN4nq0GJlt4rt_w84SzzJlJLI5_fwbHNqXwK5WKb5BfQSrQUMAKV2vHyKw6lDW0MIymFyFQmmLUagjMLTZT0/s1600-h/P1030648.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzpSXsmVfXP4kUrkB5-PpNXY_W6TuHlr6ryN67R1X-R3vu3YgLMaPV8VCXN4nq0GJlt4rt_w84SzzJlJLI5_fwbHNqXwK5WKb5BfQSrQUMAKV2vHyKw6lDW0MIymFyFQmmLUagjMLTZT0/s400/P1030648.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314579064271669586" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEcq1L00_VL0nhzNcs-0XGZT5J8P_U63SZd5ewDy-27rGcFnjnkdWV1aXW0Nm0UbC8YHFvZ38FAAsGrhp2tPtvns0EeVIKAWdscdglSlA2-A9C7skSCLV0DD-gsAMlLGG1loQlUfLsrns/s1600-h/P1030495.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEcq1L00_VL0nhzNcs-0XGZT5J8P_U63SZd5ewDy-27rGcFnjnkdWV1aXW0Nm0UbC8YHFvZ38FAAsGrhp2tPtvns0EeVIKAWdscdglSlA2-A9C7skSCLV0DD-gsAMlLGG1loQlUfLsrns/s400/P1030495.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314578088891255218" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzGJ0MxPYXJ8NwkUgM3ruhQTnbx8ExSbQeeZJL1Pq3e0FJac-8HMxZC8LvzQId6kSuNPBa5CNIlFvdrHW9yLeMHcuy_3OakIJDZUqMJW2lpUrE_AATY7YHPhLp-5NEAVc8pDJCAxDytz8/s1600-h/P1030623.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzGJ0MxPYXJ8NwkUgM3ruhQTnbx8ExSbQeeZJL1Pq3e0FJac-8HMxZC8LvzQId6kSuNPBa5CNIlFvdrHW9yLeMHcuy_3OakIJDZUqMJW2lpUrE_AATY7YHPhLp-5NEAVc8pDJCAxDytz8/s400/P1030623.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314574105503788594" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMx1RQ5nvG30xZP9a-ICVIIJ7ndrO6JqDvAqaoPDcPPhmdO57nUBMhKbUmGW0Nhtl1mlOoA7ToKSIZkK0MN9GoNJYGkQt56H0HhDtBunlxmfZI2wFWN1Om2jqniUajFAnX-92xx43QTJw/s1600-h/P1030471.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMx1RQ5nvG30xZP9a-ICVIIJ7ndrO6JqDvAqaoPDcPPhmdO57nUBMhKbUmGW0Nhtl1mlOoA7ToKSIZkK0MN9GoNJYGkQt56H0HhDtBunlxmfZI2wFWN1Om2jqniUajFAnX-92xx43QTJw/s400/P1030471.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314574097493120594" /></a><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">Our third day in Paris, the three of us decided should be spent at a museum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Melissa told us to go to Musee d’Orsay if we were to only go to one museum in Paris.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I couldn’t not go to the Louvre, and I’ m pretty sure Joey and Katy felt the same way, so we decided to go there our last day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>So that meant we had the whole third day in Musee d’Orsay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Except not really.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Because Katy and I wanted to go back to Pere-Lachaise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">So we woke up to a beautiful sunny day and headed to Lachaise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In the crisp sunlight there was an other-worldly feeling to the place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Its so quite there, so quite and calm its almost eerie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Its haunting, really.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But what really makes it so haunting, what really emphasizes the silence and makes it ring in your ears is the crows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There are crows all over the graveyard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And they squawk and call, and other than your footsteps, that’s the only noise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The graves, the houses, the sculptures, were all illuminated by the sunlight in such a beautiful way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Intense shadows across the faces, the bodies, in the tombs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was beautiful, magnificent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Joey went off on his own to read and find Rossini’s grave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Katy and I wandered around, something we seem to do quite well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There was one sculpture on the top of a tomb that was so sad, it made me cry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This young woman, a beautiful young woman, crying over who I originally thought was her dead lover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I was so focused on the crying girl that I didn’t look at the person under her, until I walked around the sculpture and saw that it said ‘Adieu Mere’, then I looked at the figure and realized it was a woman, it was a mother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was so sad!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">We went and saw Delacroix’s grave, and Katy put a flower on it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We visited Oscar Wilde’s tomb and Katy and I may or may not have kissed it with red lipstick on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">We allotted ourselves only about 3 hours there, so that we would have time for the Orsay in the afternoon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was not enough time there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’m so sad, there are so many graves that I didn’t get to see!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I wanted to pay respects to Modigliani but didn’t have time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I have to go back!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">So next we went to Musee d’Orsay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Most definitely Melissa was correct, every painting in there was amazing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I can’t believe all of the great paintings I saw.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was so weird to stand in front of these paintings I’ve studied and analyzed, to be face to face with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was so wonderful to see the brush storkes of the artists though!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>To see the marks that Van Gogh made, and Cézanne, and Manet, was energizing, exciting!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Olympia is beautiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The way Manet handled his brush, oh its exquisite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And to see Van Gogh’s thick paint, built up almost like a sculpture, it was so exciting!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I was having a hard time in the museum though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I have been struggling with painting, about the meaning of it, about why I do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I love to paint, but I am often afraid that it doesn’t do anything or help anyone, that I simply and selfishly create waste when I paint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>After we left the museum, before heading back to our hostel, we crossed the Seine to enjoy the sunset in the Tullieries garden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>While we were over the Seine I spoke to Katy and Joey about my struggle with painting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I basically blurted it all out, all of my worried and struggles came flying out of my mouth and fell into the Seine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We crossed the bridge and I stood in awe of the sunset, of the beauty all around me, and I forgot about the problems I had been having.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Emily, Joey and Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07526209848238608237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812685987514879206.post-89067870761335351612009-03-11T12:07:00.004-04:002009-03-11T12:25:30.507-04:00Paris-Day 2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQMsgvCpyczYG9-XuEog9ZQ3LLx5plSnwkU15um0pL4oG1UlT-wgyjsR8Ija9oAD-E6mykYMx5MhzhKpnrsnQIOXC4_5AVVTcE0EwvEu6IquZwayxEFSox0xAWLlxA-U3L5cu8VYpNtIw/s1600-h/P1030373.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQMsgvCpyczYG9-XuEog9ZQ3LLx5plSnwkU15um0pL4oG1UlT-wgyjsR8Ija9oAD-E6mykYMx5MhzhKpnrsnQIOXC4_5AVVTcE0EwvEu6IquZwayxEFSox0xAWLlxA-U3L5cu8VYpNtIw/s400/P1030373.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311966798392858178" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ub8akVx0BDVP9bIvjls8owSg_iw_gIsW7uXF2QLaWgHsVMgiPf-g1u_4UY-T18nfyUguL5xI0EE-I9i1_9_D1h_ruTGbPaC9YqKyxr13dAfVVHrzDd0qKtDHlz4tTB8YEoEFR5h9y1s/s1600-h/P1030285.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; 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id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311966787557700978" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcumHIrmcoYXVOWvlEdKdB7yofgIxspkRwfXKaLz8-K7Pau3j4HUyxY-K1urrCEXwh7nEs5JoXkNRXXZs5e50XF83ZrxiVWnRyHXo028sD6cPmARXhXduSXlU5nF0VAgMaKk207gIYv2M/s1600-h/P1030253.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcumHIrmcoYXVOWvlEdKdB7yofgIxspkRwfXKaLz8-K7Pau3j4HUyxY-K1urrCEXwh7nEs5JoXkNRXXZs5e50XF83ZrxiVWnRyHXo028sD6cPmARXhXduSXlU5nF0VAgMaKk207gIYv2M/s400/P1030253.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311966789353034274" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvV1fTl-HdEn0Njna4voFOImwj6eOi1KIzXmuUc5loVWtJ_OzA6UdSKdI5kKG-wa4n_HRTct07iYff3L7Go2GbjwrzK6jqlldxiIU80D80x2O5iQeEO_Zz7907XeyPJ6EMR11hmpQrEqE/s1600-h/P1030206.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvV1fTl-HdEn0Njna4voFOImwj6eOi1KIzXmuUc5loVWtJ_OzA6UdSKdI5kKG-wa4n_HRTct07iYff3L7Go2GbjwrzK6jqlldxiIU80D80x2O5iQeEO_Zz7907XeyPJ6EMR11hmpQrEqE/s400/P1030206.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311963808872758242" /></a><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">We woke up early and went to Luxembourg Gardens, which were right near our hostel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I enjoyed walking around the gardens, there were all these statues of French queens and princesses and saints.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The statues were really pretty, lots of detail, in a lovely white stone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But they all had these huge metal sticks sticking out of their heads!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I know its to keep pigeons off, but it certainly looked silly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">There was also a really cool fountain/statue/monument thing for Delacroix!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I had some big spiritual moments with Delacroix during this trip, and this was the start of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The sculptures in the monument thing was really beautiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Yay Delacroix!!!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">So after exploring the garden, I pulled up a green chair, as did Katy, and we pressed our faces to the sun next to a big old fountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Joey came over and joined us, and read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I drew for a while, and Katy napped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I eventually napped as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was a glorious, sunny, beautiful nap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Thank you Melissa for suggesting to us the best nap spots in Paris! <span style="font-family: Wingdings;mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-char-type: symbol;mso-symbol-font-family:Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type:symbol; mso-symbol-font-family:Wingdings;">J</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">After our nap, we walked around, partially trying to find the Bastille, partially trying to find Pere-Lachaise, partially just wandering to wander.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We met an eccentric man on a bridge who took pictures of the three of us for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He is an artist (katy and I bought each one of his “little masterpieces for the price of a coffee!”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He was very nice and funny and fun-he go into taking the pictures and directed us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I have a few nice pictures of the three of us now thanks to him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">We then wandered and found a boulangerie (a bakery), got a baguette each (and some sweets!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I got a giant piece of chocolate cake) and continued on our quest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Walking through the streets of Paris was so fun!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There were so many people to see, so many little shops, lovely architecture, and trees!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Eventually we found our way to the Bastille. Except its not the Bastille, its just a column where the Bastille was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Which we didn’t know about and which is also VERY lame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">It was getting later in the day, so we decided we should probably take the subway to Pere-Lachaise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We ended up getting there about 50 minutes before it closed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Se we walked around and found Jim Morrison’s grave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Katy and I paid our respects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Pere-Lachaise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I don’t have a good enough vocabulary to give this place an appropriate description.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was quiet, it was calm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I really liked it there, actually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The architecture, the crumbling graves, the aged statues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It had an eerie feeling, but there was a calm there too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was very beautiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was very strange.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>After walking amongst the tombs, I sat outside the walls of the graveyard and ate my piece of chocolate cake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was such a strange contrast in that moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The life of tasting a piece of chocolate cake, compared to the stone people so perfectly personifying death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">In the evening Joey went to climb the Eiffel tower, which Katy’s and my fear of heights kept us from doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>So katy and I decided to check out the Louvre’s courtyard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Oh my goodness it was spectacular!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s all lit up, the Palace looks as if its from a fairy tale and the pyramid is reflected in the fountains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Paris is pure magic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We strolled around there for a while, laughing and smiling at the beauty and wondering how the French monarchy was surprised by the revolt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Then we walked down the Champs d’elysee, which is also lit up and is beautiful!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>My father commented to me, after our stroll of course “Emily Napoleon has walked down that road, so has Hitler.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Do you know how many people have walked down that road and you casually strolled down it one evening!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He’s right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>At the time is was just a beautiful, magical stroll; Katy and I laughed and smiled at how beautiful it all was and at the fact that we were in Paris.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But its also a part of history, we walked where so much has taken place!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We ended up going to the arc d’Triumph and sitting underneath it. We relaxed under it actually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We ate some baguette and chocolate and laughed and chatted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was cold, but we were having a great time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’m still having a hard time grasping that I not only walked down the champs d’elysee and saw the arc d’triumph, but I actually hung out, relaxed, and ate underneath it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There are times when I still cannot believe how blessed and fortunate I am to be over here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Emily, Joey and Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07526209848238608237noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812685987514879206.post-32665023974355865972009-03-08T16:14:00.014-04:002009-03-11T12:06:31.386-04:00Paris-Day 1<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhSp_pbCkkxutLMpXpytQR6Ox99fwTjmK1ppWsKVboqOmrDrmxupwLcCLM5WL2jnCoK5H-CWoNjTk21DZ94I3lWO3QGAc1asMoDizsNRyVJT4S-7tRiN-sZKpmrEc5B98nvUwX8tYv3EQ/s1600-h/P1030122.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhSp_pbCkkxutLMpXpytQR6Ox99fwTjmK1ppWsKVboqOmrDrmxupwLcCLM5WL2jnCoK5H-CWoNjTk21DZ94I3lWO3QGAc1asMoDizsNRyVJT4S-7tRiN-sZKpmrEc5B98nvUwX8tYv3EQ/s400/P1030122.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311962064362783826" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJQBMegnz97-shGoIXny4wfe9bRd8yk1eanubBhcSiGK4pq3yPNvUjzIGHhSwXPmF3VV9rD6S-BUXykfBDiQZ3TNHeAu3qdhMUyo2FGAOW-8x5SGnphhfxQ3g-l-kJUftk_jYq_vq7xLs/s1600-h/P1020982.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJQBMegnz97-shGoIXny4wfe9bRd8yk1eanubBhcSiGK4pq3yPNvUjzIGHhSwXPmF3VV9rD6S-BUXykfBDiQZ3TNHeAu3qdhMUyo2FGAOW-8x5SGnphhfxQ3g-l-kJUftk_jYq_vq7xLs/s400/P1020982.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311961542524329970" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs-T_CYYtWn_Oz0a1l0LBSNT1_OFPe-DTzZlWRJ9VMW5OFBYqTBc86cgKrcf6VcslvSaEFkCjlyHuofxchw8GrVS3Fu4R2pwbmHDl3eyLR_9FCpMJGu2F4xkKdcvqXNp1OdqVFgTYZFTU/s1600-h/P1030008.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs-T_CYYtWn_Oz0a1l0LBSNT1_OFPe-DTzZlWRJ9VMW5OFBYqTBc86cgKrcf6VcslvSaEFkCjlyHuofxchw8GrVS3Fu4R2pwbmHDl3eyLR_9FCpMJGu2F4xkKdcvqXNp1OdqVFgTYZFTU/s400/P1030008.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311960364405768258" /></a><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Hello beauties!</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I miss all of you so much.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Sorry it has been so long for me to write to you, I’ve been in Paris and Barcelona on spring break!</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I’m going to beak up the trip into a few posts, because there is a lot to cover.</span></p> <span style="font-family:Cambria;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-bidi-Times New Roman";mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-USfont-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">So lets start with Paris.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We got there late at night and crashed at our hostel.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The next day we woke up early and went to Notre Dame!</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We were actually there on a Sunday morning and were able to experience Mass, which was beautiful and moving.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Lots of people, singing, chanting, incense, candles, the whole nine yards.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">It was a really cool experience, and a lot better than the masses I’ve experienced in Florence.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The cathedral was full of people too-which I have yet to see in Italy. </span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Cambria;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-bidi-Times New Roman";mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-USfont-family:";font-size:12.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">After we explored the interior of the Notre Dame we climbed to the top!</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">(But first we had crepes, and I’m pretty sure that my life changed when I took that first buttery, sugary bite.)</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We got to chill with some gargoyles and see the Parisian skyline.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The Gargoyles are so interesting.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">There is one guy who is sticking his tong way out.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">And another one who is looking greedily below.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">And yet another whose face had been so worn by time that you cannot even see details.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">But my favorite is this guy who is munching on a bird or a sheep or a goat or something.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">He is taking a HUGE bite.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">It’s pretty funny.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">And its pretty awesome that they are all different, that the time was taken to make each one individual, despite the fact that they are so high up that they can hardly be seen.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The guys who were sculpting them, I think they were having a good time.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Check out my flickr to see some shots of them!</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">www.flickr.com/linepainterj </span><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We also got to climb up into one of the bell towers!</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">There were all these quotes from Victor Hugo’s Notre Dame hung up all over the whole structure, which helped to bring me back to the past and history of the building.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">And made me wish Quasimodo would appear out of the shadows.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">After we climbed down we checked out the Louvre (but didn’t go inside, that will be a post in and of itself), and relaxed in the Tuilleries garden.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We watched children play with sailboats in a little pond.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The man who rented out the boats was older and had such a kind face; he seemed so excited to see every kid.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">He must see so many children everyday, and to still have energy for each one is pretty cool.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I wonder, and hope, he is the one who makes the boats.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">In the evening (this is still just our first day!) we went to the Eiffel tower, which is lit up at night in such a magical and spectacular manner.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Oh my gosh!</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Sometimes lights sparkle and dance across it and it is magical!</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I felt like such a little girl underneath it, wrapped up in a dream.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I know it seems silly and cliché, but all I could think about was my sister and our childhood and the magic of that and how that magic was happening for me once again. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Emily</span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </span><!--EndFragment--></div>Emily, Joey and Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07526209848238608237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812685987514879206.post-81857102303074060082009-02-25T11:46:00.005-05:002009-02-25T12:27:46.141-05:00Carnivale<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDi1mLCOtqNjg7MD1r5PFT5O5sFi6Z-iB_D935LhW1Det5bwc93Qv4o3nqLcZKpJoJdAhpAfauk1iBzPhKx1R37WNI2jSYPz90UUVWaWCPBM1_6pl-gyD3ekT2naa_m-8EIpfi9Xo2a_g/s1600-h/P1020751.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDi1mLCOtqNjg7MD1r5PFT5O5sFi6Z-iB_D935LhW1Det5bwc93Qv4o3nqLcZKpJoJdAhpAfauk1iBzPhKx1R37WNI2jSYPz90UUVWaWCPBM1_6pl-gyD3ekT2naa_m-8EIpfi9Xo2a_g/s400/P1020751.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306778152765853922" /></a><br />So hello all! <div><br /></div><div>It is time to update all of you on what has been going on in the past few days. And what has been going on has been pretty crazy, actually. </div><div><br /></div><div>First off, we went to Venice. But we didn't just go to Venice. We were there during Carnivale! If you have been to OU for halloween, imagine it in your head for a second. Now, take away all the drunk belligerent idiots. Add some adults in full costume, masks, and water to the mix, then imagine the whole thing on crack. That is Carnivale. Time passed strangely there, sometimes fast, sometimes slow....sometimes it felt as if there was no time at all. There were so many amazing costumes, masks, colors, faces. I felt like I was in the middle of a Toulouse-Latrec painting, the film Amadeus, and every single one of my childhood fantasies (and nightmares) at once. </div><div>Venice is a beautiful city. The light there is otherwordly. I know now why Turner was so in love with Venice. </div><div><br /></div><div>Katy and I spent the weekend with my friend Biz, and her roommate Liz. The four of us had a lovely time together. Biz is in my digital multimedia class. She is so smart and cool, I really enjoy hanging out with her. She is also an incredibly talented ceramicist. I've seen some of her forms-some of them are quite large. They're beautiful. I want her and Andy to sit down and chat, they would really get along. Actually, I would love to organize a show of the two of their works. Their forms would play well off of one another.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway....by the end of saturday night we were wandering around Venice, lost in quite, deserted residential areas. Some places were eerie, the dark water and the damaged brick seemed like they might swallow me whole. I started to freak out, so walked into a bar and asked how to get back to Piazzale Roma. The most wonderful and strange thing happened...a woman at the bar was walking back to Piazzale Roma and we got to follow her all the way there. She was beautiful and smelled nice. It was such an odd experience, to be following this venetian woman through the small winding streets, next to water, constantly. It was so nice to see the water, to be near it, to hear it. The canals didn't smell all that great, but it was so lovely to see water. I forget that how much I love the ocean.</div><div><br /></div><div>The second awesome thing that has been going on is that Melissa came and visited! Oh my goodness seeing her was just what I needed. Melissa has this way of calming my insanity and also giving me clear and concise answers to problems. But more so than that, it was just fun to hang out with her. It was really really hard to say goodbye to her. </div><div><br /></div><div>You know, I love it here, I love living in a city, but there are things about Ohio that I miss. There are things about Powell that I miss, and there are things about Ada that I miss. I miss being able to go to a grocery store at 9 in the evening. I miss coming back from a run on the Green Monster. I miss a dollar fifty actually being a dollar fifty. But more than anything else, I miss everyone back home. </div><div><br /></div><div>Em</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Emily, Joey and Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07526209848238608237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812685987514879206.post-47354765028543193112009-02-17T09:15:00.003-05:002009-02-17T09:59:49.522-05:00I'm having a love-affair with FlorenceHello all! <div>I just want to check in with you guys. I haven't been doing anything too exciting lately-I've been ill and I've actually having to do work.....But I have been exploring Florence quite a bit. I love this city. She's dirty, she's small, she's quite odd, she's confused, but I love it. <div><br /></div><div>Saturday Anna and I went to Boboli Gardens-they were beautiful. Its at Pitti Palace, the summer home of the medici. It was refreshing being there, there was sunlight, trees and greens, fresh air....it was lovely. There was a woman there feeding all of the cats, girls picking flowers, American tourists getting lost.....it was a lovely way to spend Valentines Day. If anyone is ever in Florence, go to Boboli. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Monday Katy and I went to this place called San Salvi. Its where a mental institution used to lie. It was one of the weirdest experiences of my life, actually. It's all walled up, around the entire (vast) area. The day was beautiful, with sun and birds, which was a strange contrast to the sadness and edgy feeling of the complex. Some of the buildings are falling apart, just literally deteriorating. One of the buildings has been taken over by the anarchists of Florence, and they all just live there. Some of the buildings have been fixed up and are offices. Some of the former patients (who I assume have no where else to go), just wander around the area. But what made the whole area, the whole experience so unnerving for me is that one of the buildings is an elementary school. So I had been wandering around this quite, decrepit, uncomfortable place, then I turn a corner and there are children, many children, running around outside. In this awful place. I didn't quite know how to react to that, or to the whole experience. I'm a bit afraid to let the whole thing sink in, if you want to know the truth. I'm already disturbed. I'll tell you more about it when I'm ready.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>So we're going to Venice this weekend! Carnivale!!! I'm so excited. Except I don't know what to wear! Any ideas? I'm thinking of just dressing in all black and getting a white mask. I'm going to get a mask tomorrow. Maybe I should dress up like Pierrot!!!! </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Anna and I are currently working on a Florence food pyramid. I'll post it when we're done.</div><div><br /></div><div>I love and miss you all so much!!!</div><div>Emily</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Emily, Joey and Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07526209848238608237noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812685987514879206.post-14407484566775863262009-02-07T13:54:00.007-05:002009-02-07T14:38:23.987-05:00We are Rome! (we aren't Pisa)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSsap7BujgAry8AfVk8XSzWhO-s2AyFvn4ybR_o84f37MYqb-539S8Xv_BtS5Itl2puxdwH92qc7bK4PxtCcxHsYs3epQxP2y0jjLmfmOLqwHh7rR4b_d1vSPzHg2laO1Lu4k3IXNGDO0/s1600-h/P1020134.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSsap7BujgAry8AfVk8XSzWhO-s2AyFvn4ybR_o84f37MYqb-539S8Xv_BtS5Itl2puxdwH92qc7bK4PxtCcxHsYs3epQxP2y0jjLmfmOLqwHh7rR4b_d1vSPzHg2laO1Lu4k3IXNGDO0/s400/P1020134.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300141964540479906" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRFB6Cm4bRrgCUbJlYseVIW50GqEI_GFhn6PshDb4EBVtRHzgki6Mf2sq27vlNp-mkxJymUr6mLb-lyskr29cO4a190NXhMqOO408Nz6NjMPLWd-9tjn6e2O9NE-PzJ5-v4QsxR-piK7E/s1600-h/P1010990.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRFB6Cm4bRrgCUbJlYseVIW50GqEI_GFhn6PshDb4EBVtRHzgki6Mf2sq27vlNp-mkxJymUr6mLb-lyskr29cO4a190NXhMqOO408Nz6NjMPLWd-9tjn6e2O9NE-PzJ5-v4QsxR-piK7E/s400/P1010990.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300132437120413730" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Ciao all! I hope you are all doing well.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">So lets see, there is a lot to say. I went to Rome! Joey, our roommie Anna and I went with our Baroque class. I don't know where to start, actually. It was such a beautiful city-much more a city than Florence. I love Florence, don't get me wrong, but she is small and in a certain way trying to retain a past that is so far gone that she becomes a fantasy facade hiding filth behind the initial beauty. I love this about Florence, but Rome is much bigger and busier and real. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Anyway, can we please talk about all of the great art I saw?!!! The Caravaggio's I saw were so moving....he is the greatest painter that has ever lived. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Calling of Saint Matthew </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">was beautiful. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Matrydom of Saint Matthew </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">is horrific. It really is. I stared and stared at it and it was violent and disturbing. The nude body, just bearing down....I really had a hard time looking at it. But my favorite was </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Judith and Holofernes.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> Oh my goodness Judith is so beautiful, the whole piece is a punch in the stomach of a painting. I stood in front of it for about 20 minutes totally transfixed. And the Bernini sculptures (particularly his Daphne and Apollo) were breathtaking, like powerful poetry in the round. There were moments where I would look at a Carravaggio and would be unable to move. I am still so over taken by him and Bernini and completely moved by the power and grace that came out of their hands......</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">We saw the Roman forum-so amazing! And we saw the coliseum! Anna and I are going in two weeks to rome again on our own so we can go in and go to the vatican. But I touched it! I touched the coliseum!!!! and the Pantheon!!! I went in the Pantheon!!! I went in then just starred at the oculus...it was so freaking beautiful. Though, all of the tourists walking around and bumping into me really took away from the experience. It was odd to stand in front of the Forum, to think that this was where everything all began, this was what set everything up for now. "Empires rise and empires fall" our professor said just as the sky cleared and the sun came out. I couldn't help but think that America is the Rome of today, and think that some day there would be ruins of ancient America (okay maybe there will be..."look that was a wal-mart!'...how embarrassing)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Katy and I are currently chilling in the kitchen of our apartment, listening to JC Superstar, singing along like loons. It's pretty fun. We took the train to Pisa this afternoon. It rained like crazy, but it was cool to see the leaning tower. Pisa is weird. Its really quite boring. Its the Cathedral and the tower with green space around them, then urban suburbs. But I love riding on trains; the countryside is so beautiful. Sometimes I look out the window and feel like I'm in a fairy tale. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Thats all for now, I want some foodies!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I love and miss you all,</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Em</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family:arial;font-size:13px;"><br /></span></div>Emily, Joey and Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07526209848238608237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812685987514879206.post-86785938455001349442009-01-30T09:38:00.007-05:002009-01-30T09:56:09.806-05:00Fitting In<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyNe1YhyRA4VnMT9yRQXwqW3AizZhagXnr9feuDbWlynTJWf2uZbQlssiTbjpZ2u0W9GJqAdJNGu25eLKsidgJ_VU18DboB45o1yCPYXZXNwgMauPqbWTqSHawYrgK9qhB3Iu_uESpmyU/s1600-h/DSC00553.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297097656521077090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyNe1YhyRA4VnMT9yRQXwqW3AizZhagXnr9feuDbWlynTJWf2uZbQlssiTbjpZ2u0W9GJqAdJNGu25eLKsidgJ_VU18DboB45o1yCPYXZXNwgMauPqbWTqSHawYrgK9qhB3Iu_uESpmyU/s400/DSC00553.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297099943245982914" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 247px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 358px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4c3V5vgHsCMZjHVc5F5BXcZv56H0hpAhVNdUl7vf6gQEOdrHj-VVlj5btfSnsDMbbRUiAkRBSqRF0lEr_wQsQ7yspJNzCT2GY4SanZPnZlQUdXArIrZwpbNC6oYDvxVyV19yfVquatrk/s400/DSC00554.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div>Ciao Guys!<br /><br />What's that? It hasn't been three weeks since I've blogged last? That's right.<br />I just felt that it was necessary to document the progression that I've been making since I've been here, at least as far as how I've been dressing. At first I was getting by with the clothes I brought from home. No big deal. But the thing is, whenever I would walk to class, go to the Duomo, or wherever, I was feeling a little outclassed by my Italian brethren. So I've tweaked a few things in order to "go with the flow" if you will. Just today, Emily and I were strolling through the San Lorenzo market and I picked up a scarf from a really nice vendor. She was very helpful and I think cut me a deal for my scarf, or at least she said she did. I also bought a pair of snazzy shoes and jeans a couple weeks back. So what do you guys think? Am I fitting in? I'm getting there for sure.<br /><br />On another note, the dinner I cooked (Stilton and Walnut Sauce Pasta) went over pretty well on Wednesday. It wouldn't have without the help of my roommates though. Probably the worst part of it was the fact that I didn't consider that we needed a nut cracker for the walnuts. haha<br />Jill had to hit the walnuts (placed in plastic bags) with the rolling pin, which actually worked pretty well, and then her and Katy sieved through them so we would eat the edible parts. It's really a team effort when we get together to have our family meals.<br />Other than that, Jordan and Katy headed to Rome today, and then Anna, Emily, and I will head out tomorrow via train. Jill heads out there next weekend. It should be awesome and I know either Katy, Emily, or I will let you all know all about it!<br />I hope everyone is well and isn't having to hassle with the snow too much!<br /><br />Ciao,<br />Joey</div></div>Emily, Joey and Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07526209848238608237noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812685987514879206.post-86097406665980727692009-01-27T06:09:00.004-05:002009-01-27T08:52:46.874-05:00Sitting in silence, we can learn more than we know<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR6kiIWPVqltQ1WNMLo1DLTaUCPwErLMMkqKz6nl8Tbxd5KCuPraq5QnzPlYQTtxGCHIdOZWZR04_DR0iaIYJaqiIzrfgrLOoP5QShwhn1u1ACa1b1MDzfavTZPVtSW6IzPSy1Wvn8j_w/s1600-h/P1010441.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR6kiIWPVqltQ1WNMLo1DLTaUCPwErLMMkqKz6nl8Tbxd5KCuPraq5QnzPlYQTtxGCHIdOZWZR04_DR0iaIYJaqiIzrfgrLOoP5QShwhn1u1ACa1b1MDzfavTZPVtSW6IzPSy1Wvn8j_w/s400/P1010441.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295970916119345346" /></a><br />I had to go and observe a space in Florence for a class; try to get a feel of the space and understand my reaction to it. It was an important experience for me and I'm very glad I did it. I went to Piazza San Marco.<div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">I started to draw when I sat down, because I also need to draw in order for places, objects, experiences to open up for me; in order for me to be able to understand and step inside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Almost as soon as I started drawing a middle aged Italian man, with his wife and family, came over and sat down next to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He looked at my sketchbook and talked to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I tried to tell him I didn’t speak Italian but he didn’t listen, he kept talking to me the whole time he sat there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The group all had food and he threw some bread out for the pigeons-they swarmed us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The young girls (they must have been in their early teens), were singing an American pop song and would occasionally come over and stand behind me to watch what I was drawing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The man kept offering me Vino, which I kept declining.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They laughed and talked and I also joined in the laughter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>After twenty minutes they finished their food, and got up to leave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As they were leaving they smiled and said “ciao!” to me, and asked if I spoke German.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I told them no, I spoke English and a little French.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Then they all smiled and walked off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was an odd encounter, made odder by the fact that the mother kept taking pictures, many of which I had to be in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The family seemed to be tourists of sorts, and now I, Emily, am a part of their Florence trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And they in turn are a part of mine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It is strange and almost beautiful how in a city you can step into other people’s lives to easily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It is brief but it is constantly happening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This fact strengthens my belief that all people are connected in some way, and that we all have overlapping and intertwining stories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><!--StartFragment--><span style="font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-USfont-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">After my encounter with the family, I began to notice more about the space.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">There were many people coming in and out of it.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">People walking through, others were sitting leisurely.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The air was cold, and had the faint smell of cigarettes.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">And the noises!</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">There were pigeons chattering away, cell phones ringing, Italians talking loudly, and the sounds from cars and buses.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I began to observe all of the people around me, from the little old ladies talking on a bench in their huge fur coats, to the boy listening to music, to the woman on the phone next to me (she was obviously upset with the person on the other end), and the man across from me who was drawing.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">He had been there since before I came, and he was quite involved in what he was doing.</span></span><!--EndFragment--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><!--StartFragment--> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Once I pulled out my sketchbook we both acknowledged each other’s presence, smiling because we were doing the same thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I took quite a few photos of him as he sat drawing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As I was packing up to leave he was doing the same thing, and before I walked off he came up to me and handed me a drawing of me he had done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was stunning, the likeness impressive, especially considering how far away from me he was sitting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I was speechless I was so touched by the gesture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He was kind and polite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I told him thanks and we tried to find a language we could both speak but couldn’t (he didn’t really speak French or English and I don’t speak much Italian or any Spanish (he mentioned both)), and it makes me sad that I couldn’t say thank you and tell him how amazing the drawing was, and also that I couldn’t give him anything in return.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I hope that he could read my face to see how much I appreciated it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In the end we parted ways with a few smiles exchanged (and don’t get me wrong here, I’m a good judge of people, and I stay away from creepy men, he wasn’t a creeper).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I took pictures of him while he drew me, and through a visual communication we spoke and talked to one another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I guess that that is one of the reasons I think creating art is exciting and still relevant: because it can connect all different sorts of people; those who wouldn’t normally speak to one another, or couldn’t. My taking photos of him and his drawing of me enforces this thought of mine.</p> <!--EndFragment--> <p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Sometimes the simple, unexpected experiences and encounters are the most important and beautiful things in people's lives. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">I think Florence is teaching me to slow down. </p> <!--EndFragment--> </div>Emily, Joey and Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07526209848238608237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812685987514879206.post-17630684244819487622009-01-25T17:54:00.004-05:002009-01-25T18:54:45.951-05:00Long Time No BlogDear all faithful followers of the Emily, Katy, and Joey travel-through-Italy Blog,<br /><br />It's been a while since I've posted!! <br />Actually, I haven't posted anything since I've been here. I hope that no one thought I had met an ill fate (choked on a tomato, tripped down the steps of the Duomo, fell in the Arno and got severe frost bite). No, no, no. All is well here in the great Firenze. The smells, the food, the sights, the people are all great things to enjoy. It's been a wonderful journey thus far and that's an understatement. It would be hard to summarize everything, even only this far in. However, I'll share a few things to be sure. <br />One thing that's really cool is that our apartment is on a street that is also the San Lorenzo market. Basically, when you go down stairs and outside of the apartment in the morning, you are instantly greeted by this huge streetlong market, where there are vendors selling hats, bags, scarves, tapestries and all sorts of different things. Also, on the same street is the Mercato Centrale which is a two story open market, where we've all been buying all sorts of fresh food and where I've been testing my knowledge of the Italian language, which is one of the coolest parts of being here. When I don't know how to ask for something, I look it up in one of the dictionaries that came in our apartment, and then I test it out at the market. It works most of the time which is cool. The San Lorenzo church is also right down the street, and then the Duomo is only a bit further. We're really lucky to live where we do. <br /><br />I never knew how much I loved food until I got here. I think I'm truly getting the Italian cuisine experience. I'm eating more vegetables, and especially more bread and pasta than I think I ever have, which is totally fine with me. Pesto is a new love in my life. I think it's a combination of basil and parmesan, but I don't know because the ingredients are of course in Italian. But seriously, my roommates and I have had some pretty killer meals since we've been here. I would say at least once or twice a week we make a big meal between all of us, normally consisting of some sort of pasta with fresh vegetables and spices. I think I'm making dinner this week so we'll see how that goes!<br /><br />I feel like I've been able to do a lot already since I've been here. I'm sure that Katy and Emily have covered a lot already: climbing the Duomo and seeing all of the city, going to Ravenna to see mosaics, baptistries, and mausoleums, seeing a lot of the sites like the Ponte Vecchio. They've all been wonderful. Florence is so beautiful and I'm lucky to be here. There's just so much to enjoy.<br /><br />Today my roommates Jill, Anna, and of course Katy and Emily, and I trekked to San Miniato, which is in Florence, but it's probably a good 45 minute walk from our apartment. Before we got to San Miniato, we stopped off at the chocolate festival that was going on at the piazza by Santa Croce. I'm really glad that people want to get together to celebrate chocolate. How could there be anything bad about a place that wants to celebrate chocolate?? It was pretty cool. There were all sorts of different kinds there. Katy got a hot chocolate that pretty much tasted like melted chocolate syrup, which was awesome. There was even a short parade, which was fun. After a while, we needed to get to San Miniato though. We were going because we wanted to hear the monks chant (aparently they do everyday). The walk to it was, in my opinion, half the fun because there were so many great sights. The closer we got to San Miniato, the higher the elevation was, thus the better view of the city we got. It was beautiful. It was almost as good, if not as good, as standing at the top of the Duomo. It's pretty much unlike anything I've ever been able to see before. <br />We got to San Miniato and thought that we had possibly come at the wrong time because the monks didn't chant until about 20 minutes after we got there. We got to hear them though! It was cool getting to hear them, but I could stop thinking about how crazy it would be to be a monk. I don't think I could live that disciplined and austere of a life. <br /><br />Well, that's all you get for now. Take time to digest the full course meal of a blog that I just wrote. I hope everyone is doing well and I think of you often!!<br /><br />Ciao!<br />Joey<br /><br />Oh I about forgot...Jill, Emily, Katy and I joined a jazz club just the other night. So yeah...I'm a member of jazz club in Florence.Emily, Joey and Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07526209848238608237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812685987514879206.post-40091033281013869602009-01-21T05:12:00.003-05:002009-01-21T06:35:47.419-05:00Oh look, it's another symbolic representation of Jesus.<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3UctjkS3qIYPAN8pAwwZi2OWrSDk3Rmi4eO9Flmf5U7vmXd3hMTQheS6FDpuxAG2KpFUzQZ_08znzrewnfzHa4jISCSNFGkmHeP23J3ogs5BRRyMluNYZ9S1To47XixGKPC-Zi-HtqYw/s1600-h/IMG_1648.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293702625162462130" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3UctjkS3qIYPAN8pAwwZi2OWrSDk3Rmi4eO9Flmf5U7vmXd3hMTQheS6FDpuxAG2KpFUzQZ_08znzrewnfzHa4jISCSNFGkmHeP23J3ogs5BRRyMluNYZ9S1To47XixGKPC-Zi-HtqYw/s400/IMG_1648.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzgN2FPjz3l1OaagcWO8_uj5KUkh2oIO8cIM0KH3L4Z2W6JGxtJ20GhnKxCeN5aHmJHeKSXkKRii8sivUZAwp8WsnUVCpefY4V5IrR0DNvjeh49E8S4hMaGvmRE44QdITeRqTuB2UR5k/s1600-h/IMG_1635.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293702617442709922" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzgN2FPjz3l1OaagcWO8_uj5KUkh2oIO8cIM0KH3L4Z2W6JGxtJ20GhnKxCeN5aHmJHeKSXkKRii8sivUZAwp8WsnUVCpefY4V5IrR0DNvjeh49E8S4hMaGvmRE44QdITeRqTuB2UR5k/s400/IMG_1635.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>On Sunday there was a school-sponsered trip to Ravenna, so of course the three of us signed up to go. It was a really long day, but worth it I think. Ravenna, as you may know, is famous for its early Renaissance mosiacs, especially the well-known Justinian and Theodora mosiacs. They are truly beautiful, so vibrant and colorful and surprisingly detailed with a three-dimensional quality. And so large! Seeing the pictures in books and online definately does not do these mosaics justice, any of them. You just lose the vibrancy and sheer size of them. After about 7 hours of looking at mosaics though it gets tiring and a little repetitive, as can be expected, and all the symbols really don't have to be explained any more, though the history professor leading the trip really wants to re-explain all of them. But it was interesting and fun, and getting to see another city was really nice. Ravenna is much quieter and emptier than Florence, and seems much more like a "real" Italian city... not all tourists and immigrants and international students. Since it was a Sunday, when we got to the main Piazza of Ravenna around midday, it was full of middle-aged and older men, all standing around and chatting while their wives at home made the Sunday meal. It was really interesting to see, and we, with our 50 or so students, were as much a spectacle to them as they were to us.</div><div><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>This Friday Emily and I will be going to Bologne with our classes to a contemporary art fair, which should be pretty interesting. Another long day, but completely worth it.</div><div> </div><div><br /> </div><div></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div>The following weekend is ROME!!! 30 Euros for the weekend- not too bad, considering thats hotel, train, museum, Vatican, and the Colloseum. I'm pretty excited about it.</div><div><br /></div><div></div><div> </div><div><br /> </div><div></div><div>We have a new President!!!! It was crazy trying to watch the inaguration last night, but we managed it. The internet was a little slow, of course, so we mostly just got the sound, a little choppy. The picture was there sometimes, but nothing consistant. It is so exciting, for all of us. Even the Italians are excited about it. We don't have to be afraid to say we're Americans anymore!! And we can be slightly more certain of our willingness to come home at the end of the semester...</div><div><br /></div><div></div><div></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>That's all for now, I've got class soon and stuff to do! Hope all is going well there- feel free to shoot emails this way with updates, stories, pleads to return, bribes to buy you things, etc. We will definately update about Bologne and any other interesting activities!</div><div><br /><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div> </div><div>Much love to all,</div><div>Katy</div><div><br /><br /></div><div></div><div><br /><br /></div><div></div>Emily, Joey and Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07526209848238608237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812685987514879206.post-51225264614300458782009-01-20T05:52:00.004-05:002009-01-20T06:12:35.572-05:00"I can see the Duomo from my house!"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioGHHdM_vL_6HsQaFX7Ni1EyhzpxGw1K6PhTGkxX95KvA3zoLCBLSJS3ISZGY-c8DBS4eMPuvDNUSAOI0Esdm7y7dWTkHna_FQ4L85HahAzwahVZfs-QFFWt9bCcvSityO3lnmmlbsFQ0/s1600-h/DSC_0152.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293331705997416610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioGHHdM_vL_6HsQaFX7Ni1EyhzpxGw1K6PhTGkxX95KvA3zoLCBLSJS3ISZGY-c8DBS4eMPuvDNUSAOI0Esdm7y7dWTkHna_FQ4L85HahAzwahVZfs-QFFWt9bCcvSityO3lnmmlbsFQ0/s400/DSC_0152.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIW89CcJbmI4KqeUFm9dxR5jScvyuLtob0lVbrPmxg8Nkc06DUTosyeSIa75l9D2WAGX_PZCGTbiGNME9UutWvgH3JPP58zgkq1SAcurd1Z2Di6IVT0W7DKeYjWlKWgz5TOQg4rJljyKA/s1600-h/DSC_0157.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293328988073882514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIW89CcJbmI4KqeUFm9dxR5jScvyuLtob0lVbrPmxg8Nkc06DUTosyeSIa75l9D2WAGX_PZCGTbiGNME9UutWvgH3JPP58zgkq1SAcurd1Z2Di6IVT0W7DKeYjWlKWgz5TOQg4rJljyKA/s400/DSC_0157.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>Actually, we can't see the Duomo from our apartment, we can see see San Lorenzo. I mean, if you just step outside and walk a few feet we can see it, then walk a few more and we're at it, so it's not a big deal. And actually, I should have titled this I can see my house from the Duomo! Beacause we could see where we lived from the TOP of the Duomo when we climbed it on Friday. </div><br /><div>It was 460+ steps up, through small, winding halls and twisted steep stairways. It was amazing though. The actual climb was scary (and even scarier on the way down!), but it was also fascinating. There was tons of graffiti on the walls, tons of chips and scuffs and markings...the more we climbed the more I became aware of how old this place was, and how many people had walked through here. By the time I emerged at the top, into the warm sunlight, I could feel the history around me. As I stood and looked out over the red and brown city beneath me, with the tiny people below, I couldn't help but smile-everything was so beautiful that I felt beautiful as well, just being a small part of all of it. The dome is so huge and vast that it casts a large shadow of the city, and it was exciting to think that for that hour that I was up there, I was a teeny part of that shadow. </div><br /><div>One of the coolest things about the whole experience is that before you go up into the dome you get to walk inside at the base of mural. We could see the giant sweeping brushstrokes, so close if we just reached up we could touch the painting. The deamons faces were huge above us, all twisted and gnarly (being that we were at the base of the mural, we were level with Hell. perhaps that was intentional?). I must say, the whole experience is etched within me now, much in the same way Stonehenge is. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I love and miss you all</div><br /><div>Emily</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div></div>Emily, Joey and Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07526209848238608237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812685987514879206.post-77556459981862330062009-01-12T15:59:00.003-05:002009-01-12T16:17:02.065-05:00Classes Begin<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdGXLAnBBXr5fKM2A6QITZkthJaA4b68xLGH2c7_SvokEEYjMdwHJhJVC8KRoZAzyf9uksu6WO3gmP8RbR3IQFUHYkz4JTNtkbRu8COIDr9h01A6YXjj1OukGFFW5zs6Un0CYZGjB_RoE/s1600-h/P1000807.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290519125828999954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdGXLAnBBXr5fKM2A6QITZkthJaA4b68xLGH2c7_SvokEEYjMdwHJhJVC8KRoZAzyf9uksu6WO3gmP8RbR3IQFUHYkz4JTNtkbRu8COIDr9h01A6YXjj1OukGFFW5zs6Un0CYZGjB_RoE/s400/P1000807.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Ciao all!<br />I hope things are well in America. Things are going well today, here in Firenze. I actually have learned something quite interesting. So, you all know that on the Duomo and Baptistery there are green and pink/white stripes. Well I just found that out. I did not know that the dark stripes were green, I have always seen them as dark brownish black. I guess I really am colorblind! The buildings look no less beautiful to me though.<br /><br />Today classes started. My digital multimedia class seems like it’s going to be very thought provoking. Tomorrow is painting!!! I cannot wait to get my hands on a brush. Tomorrow one of my roommates and I are going to a park to check out a market that sells clothes and nick knacks for cheap. And on Friday we’re going to climb the dome!!!!!<br /><br />There isn’t much to say about today other than starting classes. I walked around for a bit, got winked and by some creepy guys, and bought some delicious fragola, or strawberries.<br /><br />I’m off to do some reading, maybe take a walk. I miss and love all of you!<br /><br />Emily</div>Emily, Joey and Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07526209848238608237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812685987514879206.post-24796016564060074042009-01-11T15:48:00.004-05:002009-01-11T16:35:34.509-05:00We're not in the States anymore<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfUcHRlpcFrzgPBrXtMdaz1Woc9hn_gXbEohyphenhyphen5osMp9bSpPvacqJtf-EYxIALONDYr63kHSPaJZpK_08IBagtJzJwdyZ67-1pG8ZTIZCQ07VBL11v88OHpxLPfU662eSKGmNzXapUCwIM/s1600-h/IMG_1438.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290146952286316370" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 413px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 311px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfUcHRlpcFrzgPBrXtMdaz1Woc9hn_gXbEohyphenhyphen5osMp9bSpPvacqJtf-EYxIALONDYr63kHSPaJZpK_08IBagtJzJwdyZ67-1pG8ZTIZCQ07VBL11v88OHpxLPfU662eSKGmNzXapUCwIM/s400/IMG_1438.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>As Emily has touched on, it's been a crazy first few days. Very fun and exciting, though. The historic center of the city is surprisingly small, so it's quite easy to walk from one side to the other in 20 minutes or so. Today we made it to the Arno and over the Ponte Veccio, which is beautiful. </div><div> </div><div>Classes start tomorrow, which is exciting but a little nerve racking. It will be nice to be able to start drawing again.</div><div> </div><div>Jet lag is hopefully finally wearing off, but speaking for myself I'm still exhausted from all the excitement and walking all over the place of the past few days. </div><div> </div><div>Also as Emily said, we have an amazing appartment with roommates who seem great so far. I'm so looking forward to the semester and all the travelling and just taking in everything we'll be doing.</div><div> </div><div>Much love to all!</div><div> </div><div>Katy</div>Emily, Joey and Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07526209848238608237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812685987514879206.post-30477083400438786882009-01-10T12:40:00.005-05:002009-01-10T14:05:38.444-05:00Ciao!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc4uWMKqNkNKpll9johvIm0B6jXUoh8YgWwv6ElVZGSY-xNsKATtwzxd4dtD31GRJ5uygt404o7Q71mdn8Sqah0GHMWWAktZZsN36Pic5PS7Nz9W5TmGOx1yxci71aycm5-W31Z7fAo0o/s1600-h/bap.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289741624668031474" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc4uWMKqNkNKpll9johvIm0B6jXUoh8YgWwv6ElVZGSY-xNsKATtwzxd4dtD31GRJ5uygt404o7Q71mdn8Sqah0GHMWWAktZZsN36Pic5PS7Nz9W5TmGOx1yxci71aycm5-W31Z7fAo0o/s400/bap.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>We've made it!<br /></div><br /><br /><div>So the first few days have been a whirl wind; orientation, (trying) to get aquainted with the city, jetlag, meeting new people, bags being lost somewhere, running through airports............<br /></div><br /><br /><div>Our first night, after we (finally!) got to our aparment, we ran out to see the Duomo. I cannot describe to you how it felt to see it, and so close. It was beyond magnificent. In the darkness I just stood in awe of it, I still cannot believe that its really there. I'm afraid sometimes that it will disappear; it truely is so fantastic that it doesn't seem real, doesn't seem possible that I can be so close to it.</div><br /><br /><br /><div>We actually went to mass there tonight; every saturday night there is an English mass. Next week I'm going to go to the Sunday Italian mass, but tomorrow I need to just sleep in (I haven't gotten much sleep). The inside is unreal, the mural in the dome is beautiful and comes right at you, and the whole thing has a stange other-worldy feel to it. </div><br /><br /><br /><div>Anyway, at mass tonight something very strange happened. We're just sitting, praying and what not, then there is this terrific BOOM! outside, and everyone looks around. Then there are people yelling or cheering or something. Then there is another BOOM! And more yelling. Then a single person starts yelling. Then sirens. I for one was terrified. When the mass was over things had subsided, but we could vaguely hear yelling somewhere else. So we went home and now are going to cook dinner. </div><br /><br /><br /><div>A quick note about the food. We live next door to a giant market-think farmers market only in a huge two story art nouveau building. Meat, cheese and bread downstairs, fruits and veggies up. All of the food is fresh, cheap, and divine. I got some mozarella and it is honest to god the greatest thing I have ever tasted. And going to the different stands at the market and talking to the people is so fun! Everyone is so nice and helpful. I must admit that all the meat freaks me out, they have pig heads and huge legs and are choppin things up. Not to into that, actually. </div><br /><div>Also, our apartment is AMAZING! We have 3 totally cool, fun and into art roommates! But more on that later when we have some pictures to show you. Just as a teaser though-Katy and my room has a loft and a shower in it :)<br /><br /><br /></div><div>We have internet now, so please email us! I will try to write as much as possible. Class starts on Monday, so I will be sure to let you know how it goes.<br /></div><div>I miss and love all of you so much. </div><br /><br /><br /><div>Emily</div><br /><br /><br /><div></div>Emily, Joey and Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07526209848238608237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812685987514879206.post-25664213258325181642009-01-03T12:31:00.003-05:002009-01-03T12:40:13.413-05:003 days?Well, it appears that time is running out- we shall be leaving in a mere three days! It's a little bit scary to think about, but very exhilerating! As Emily said, the international plane tickets have arrived, as have international student ID cards. Or mine has, I hope Emily and Joey have theirs as well. Now it's time to take care of some last-minute things, pack up, and triple-check everything to make sure nothing is forgotten. And, of course, spend some time with family before we are out of the country for four months!! Hope all is going well for everyone as school gets back into session,<br /><br />Much love to all,<br /><br />Katy<br /><br />Wish us luck!Emily, Joey and Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07526209848238608237noreply@blogger.com1