tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19593539132595011702024-03-13T04:36:37.210+01:00Open WaterOn my own in ItalyAdrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12048928482457313358noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959353913259501170.post-56611698441088214102009-12-12T20:40:00.002+01:002009-12-12T22:52:29.172+01:00Quick Trip to PisaThis Saturday, Alli, Doty, and I made a quick trip to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower. We caught the 9am train to Pisa, its only an hour, on the way there I read Kant, not a fun way to spend an hour. From the train station it was a short bus ride to the Pisa complex. Pisa's only real attraction is the complex, it contains the Leaning Tower, the cathedral, and the baptistery. The complex, being the only attraction, overcharges its patrons. It was 15 euro to climb the Tower and see the cathedral. The tower was worth it, I enjoyed the climb, and it had great views.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjau9-OraU6kNFCc-1wd0B3qcI2JeMEtHnCJYscVFraZOgoU9MZioCP_qhH5aJQ8OPZsaEINhIGSIgCDJkyqWDu9pHaZWHSUHeCpO4cYvTNn5izRVrHPOygy1TezI8-6LmuTG1o4ElMdq0/s1600-h/Pisa+004.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjau9-OraU6kNFCc-1wd0B3qcI2JeMEtHnCJYscVFraZOgoU9MZioCP_qhH5aJQ8OPZsaEINhIGSIgCDJkyqWDu9pHaZWHSUHeCpO4cYvTNn5izRVrHPOygy1TezI8-6LmuTG1o4ElMdq0/s320/Pisa+004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414469632414004066" border="0" /></a>View of the entire complex<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTvip0IQ1NJXj_ic2kYi1Yq8mRx_IBXYnaSDiYPoozCOD4GZrR8EdycryYOJAIlnYvHXUCMNoskXUMZfz1dpZPSFMFsSVcDbqX2O-8raTFJt2e6PnptRWUcuR_Idaaw8gBGkncZ1QfZc4/s1600-h/Pisa+025.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTvip0IQ1NJXj_ic2kYi1Yq8mRx_IBXYnaSDiYPoozCOD4GZrR8EdycryYOJAIlnYvHXUCMNoskXUMZfz1dpZPSFMFsSVcDbqX2O-8raTFJt2e6PnptRWUcuR_Idaaw8gBGkncZ1QfZc4/s320/Pisa+025.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414469641515478546" border="0" /></a>View of the Leaning Tower<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnE89LzbQM_3C6lS-iZaUcAcI7P8UaTJ1w0iZlkZE4C6bK2AHoYeSw68C2AiJwlU-rEczU-Fh-795AyFOacPm_Da3uEaWXc2YMKj_YZHHicBWtdcYU5fIiXFs25FNfDNoLLEyboeqMxug/s1600-h/Pisa+035.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnE89LzbQM_3C6lS-iZaUcAcI7P8UaTJ1w0iZlkZE4C6bK2AHoYeSw68C2AiJwlU-rEczU-Fh-795AyFOacPm_Da3uEaWXc2YMKj_YZHHicBWtdcYU5fIiXFs25FNfDNoLLEyboeqMxug/s320/Pisa+035.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414469645812594642" border="0" /></a>View of the Cathedral from the tower<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhugmRwioBCWiE9ETcSWUoic3lETFLoeuLcwQ6_hCUGwID50EEPvGjbW5vquTDnaKzxvxC80uphoTb_Bc-tkakkvjNYu3sMHO80zKFh-DEnKcvOcCsiq8ccNT2aRQ-_N_mkQMm9Bbj49q0/s1600-h/Pisa+043.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhugmRwioBCWiE9ETcSWUoic3lETFLoeuLcwQ6_hCUGwID50EEPvGjbW5vquTDnaKzxvxC80uphoTb_Bc-tkakkvjNYu3sMHO80zKFh-DEnKcvOcCsiq8ccNT2aRQ-_N_mkQMm9Bbj49q0/s320/Pisa+043.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414469647986424114" border="0" /></a>Alli and I at the top of the tower<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdW2e-IqjK8tLfS6lXP_WH4qsg-dBdDIAb7gOMtsu97a_zFro9AuECXI4osGEzq6ZIgNcx4OgfmKQ71yJ2dxCB6kSzNC4LE7-L5GM4MBa8F_B5Od1NB_NfPoFAT9UxniElFJYvTymd09w/s1600-h/Pisa+050.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdW2e-IqjK8tLfS6lXP_WH4qsg-dBdDIAb7gOMtsu97a_zFro9AuECXI4osGEzq6ZIgNcx4OgfmKQ71yJ2dxCB6kSzNC4LE7-L5GM4MBa8F_B5Od1NB_NfPoFAT9UxniElFJYvTymd09w/s320/Pisa+050.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414469651568630706" border="0" /></a>Shoving match<br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"></div><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Adrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12048928482457313358noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959353913259501170.post-12384836430709976742009-12-12T16:00:00.005+01:002009-12-12T20:41:40.322+01:00Christmas DinnerLast Monday the entire program got together to celebrate Christmas, the end of the semester, and the fact that some of us are leaving. We ate at a nice restaurant in town with the school covering a over half of the bill. Dr. Burke gave a short speech, "Santa" made a brief appearance, there was a silent auction, and a raffle. I won 4 euro worth of gelato from Gelateria Carabe, it is close by and quite delicious.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgESbUeAGSxkHQicJ9HPvIlv10lCQYxyNiCktrhaOyglpGiH9lbXKetD4nwiPlFmVgym8rKRGMY-Z1C42lJgkoDMI0HgVHCtbVAFjkzU6VFVSeHoKzB7DDCqAaMIr3EQCUgrYpyKIQtpxc/s1600-h/Christmas+dinners-shopping+022.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgESbUeAGSxkHQicJ9HPvIlv10lCQYxyNiCktrhaOyglpGiH9lbXKetD4nwiPlFmVgym8rKRGMY-Z1C42lJgkoDMI0HgVHCtbVAFjkzU6VFVSeHoKzB7DDCqAaMIr3EQCUgrYpyKIQtpxc/s320/Christmas+dinners-shopping+022.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414435436631406930" border="0" /></a>Emily Pyne and I, she is staying for another semester<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKcP34HMJUhyphenhyphenMl77GVNkUPfVY4ske_te-VBnq3zq8MOOvIiKRQPOyeZ_PcT0HQashCxKbpclG1UjUajLRWT_PDyZ97e-YjI21wCih4vCpp83vnjx6OXM748xRaTEOXJjXm2cmWlcJ-Mj8/s1600-h/Christmas+dinners-shopping+001.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKcP34HMJUhyphenhyphenMl77GVNkUPfVY4ske_te-VBnq3zq8MOOvIiKRQPOyeZ_PcT0HQashCxKbpclG1UjUajLRWT_PDyZ97e-YjI21wCih4vCpp83vnjx6OXM748xRaTEOXJjXm2cmWlcJ-Mj8/s320/Christmas+dinners-shopping+001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414435411809198626" border="0" /></a>Tim and I, (he is wearing my shirt and tie)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjorKRZHe7saKgu5VAius8L6HU_IsbzMlC307lvKplQUHBZKUnRtYUIwRtBgqIBQKMxgsqe2aI4UnPeORh_76hjtYXwZWFEm9drIWf5TzcxZzKqjsJwDyUnspy_e700gNgvtl2eRzBZ6sY/s1600-h/Christmas+dinners-shopping+028.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjorKRZHe7saKgu5VAius8L6HU_IsbzMlC307lvKplQUHBZKUnRtYUIwRtBgqIBQKMxgsqe2aI4UnPeORh_76hjtYXwZWFEm9drIWf5TzcxZzKqjsJwDyUnspy_e700gNgvtl2eRzBZ6sY/s320/Christmas+dinners-shopping+028.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414435412015680914" border="0" /></a>Kepfer and I with Santa (played by Spencer)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEowEJy_FtDk6ZGJ6LIFvSae6VaC5gWx6gVbo9k3aeYQOLRQ868CZuLk0DmBB3I1m7eBblR_Epdc092_cGnCF2R6IpBclj8ls1HUtlbKbeovu4tNvEd6_OUwh6vjhyphenhyphenY_Q0BtSNpKbBhFI/s1600-h/Christmas+dinners-shopping+018.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEowEJy_FtDk6ZGJ6LIFvSae6VaC5gWx6gVbo9k3aeYQOLRQ868CZuLk0DmBB3I1m7eBblR_Epdc092_cGnCF2R6IpBclj8ls1HUtlbKbeovu4tNvEd6_OUwh6vjhyphenhyphenY_Q0BtSNpKbBhFI/s320/Christmas+dinners-shopping+018.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414435431569149714" border="0" /></a>Dr. Burke and I<br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"></div><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Adrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12048928482457313358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959353913259501170.post-22553906749907403292009-12-11T14:22:00.004+01:002009-12-11T14:58:34.173+01:00Gift for my MomI looking for a gift to get my mom from Italy, so I took some pictures of some scarfs that she might like. Mom, if you see something that you like, cast your vote, everyone else can vote as well.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhptuWC_aENB8c2RAolqgjV7uAg5smLijOiAJjTopUj92P5TqDehOc3bTopgggY4knUzYXHozdShyClNo7SAK8AfC6dOnkPAfJDMIZcFQyazQ02zA6wM9FgTJT8cIdgPKz0jLwRW_rm5Vk/s1600-h/Christmas+dinners-shopping+036.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhptuWC_aENB8c2RAolqgjV7uAg5smLijOiAJjTopUj92P5TqDehOc3bTopgggY4knUzYXHozdShyClNo7SAK8AfC6dOnkPAfJDMIZcFQyazQ02zA6wM9FgTJT8cIdgPKz0jLwRW_rm5Vk/s320/Christmas+dinners-shopping+036.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413976619583524002" border="0" /></a>Dutch booth at the Christmas Market<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh56tSeGiWTdgmEzS_8DgdqB89KGefW1wyYHL3nEXX8S_Gd_3RrM5xQGA_o2QmN-1wO28mIQBhsGOWT0eg0C0SnnzxAifLaIJRFi4GqLM_nBoVDRUTXczxtNoL1YgapphgltDaB3ZPveqo/s1600-h/Christmas+dinners-shopping+045.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh56tSeGiWTdgmEzS_8DgdqB89KGefW1wyYHL3nEXX8S_Gd_3RrM5xQGA_o2QmN-1wO28mIQBhsGOWT0eg0C0SnnzxAifLaIJRFi4GqLM_nBoVDRUTXczxtNoL1YgapphgltDaB3ZPveqo/s320/Christmas+dinners-shopping+045.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413976614949264194" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguBODo7n-YUeO_D6kr6vzgVg5oL6MaMU3raOYghQXB3j-LSIR4a12179Pb2QxtIGp3-PBGpmNIxLur8ZG9JcpbwJuSAYYG8uSmtA1DDpceZeo0oO5Wloo0EdikV7eOzg5njSXCfgHrgN8/s1600-h/Christmas+dinners-shopping+041.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguBODo7n-YUeO_D6kr6vzgVg5oL6MaMU3raOYghQXB3j-LSIR4a12179Pb2QxtIGp3-PBGpmNIxLur8ZG9JcpbwJuSAYYG8uSmtA1DDpceZeo0oO5Wloo0EdikV7eOzg5njSXCfgHrgN8/s320/Christmas+dinners-shopping+041.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413976603893476626" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvluGP6_7_Yvq9EEEmFUL2rkyFoqDB2-OYEB-p5LYtWPfqSi3pHdVSjvmMNGttpbThUK43cunB3xW3B-rLVlreeCgsjbowDTErKKU-K4roZSO4inh5wY-HyZyPHj26o1R5Bp_ukT0G_8M/s1600-h/Christmas+dinners-shopping+044.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvluGP6_7_Yvq9EEEmFUL2rkyFoqDB2-OYEB-p5LYtWPfqSi3pHdVSjvmMNGttpbThUK43cunB3xW3B-rLVlreeCgsjbowDTErKKU-K4roZSO4inh5wY-HyZyPHj26o1R5Bp_ukT0G_8M/s320/Christmas+dinners-shopping+044.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413976602020847298" border="0" /></a>Cashmere-silk scarfs<br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"></div><div id="refHTML"></div>Adrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12048928482457313358noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959353913259501170.post-66426563319211207272009-12-05T11:04:00.017+01:002009-12-05T16:59:55.309+01:00Day trip to Venice and inside the DuomoThis is my last free weekend before finals, so this Friday I went to Venice on a day trip to see the last city on my list of places to see. It was an early start, up at 7:30 and started to walk by 8, the train left at 8:40. It was a 2:40 train ride to Venice, we arrived around 11:30, right on time. It was raining in Venice, but I didn't care, I had been wanting to go to Venice ever sense I got to Italy. Venice was beautiful, as we arrived the ocean was right next to the train tracks. The Grand Canal runs right out side the train station and we got to see that right away. It was a fun walk from the train station to the Rialto and San Marco. The Rialto bridge is one of the world's most famous bridges, it spans the Grand Canal in a single arch, it supports a number of shops as well as those who are crossing. From the Rialto, we walked to San Marco, which was flooded. They had walkways set up to allow visitors still see the sights. San Marco is the square and church that can be seen in The Italian Job. It houses the San Marco's Basilica and the Doge's Palace. We were still able to see both of these sights by way of the raised walkways. The basilica combines different styles, eastern and western. The Doge was the duke of Venice, the palace is full of art, weapons, and is where the Bridge of Sighs is found. After we left the Doge's Palace, we went to find lunch at a restaurant that Rick Steves recomended, it was tasty. I had bean soup and grilled prawns. After dinner we split a bottle of white wine to pass the time while we were drying off and waiting for the train. We took a Vaporetto, or water bus, from the Rialto to the train station bought our tickets and waited for our train, we were back by 8pm.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXbchNiA9FLlASIQQbTccTFS6gX2p8Q0pyfP6u-b2DzWxlLniyYldQzUBF4UMcdNvMm7HAdnI-sM-UgPDl3HtMKAfl_Bm94C4LzR_TGzrQJMDnyObwRQKjDw1taSYDId07F4hk-M5PAiE/s1600-h/Day+Trip+to+Venice+004.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXbchNiA9FLlASIQQbTccTFS6gX2p8Q0pyfP6u-b2DzWxlLniyYldQzUBF4UMcdNvMm7HAdnI-sM-UgPDl3HtMKAfl_Bm94C4LzR_TGzrQJMDnyObwRQKjDw1taSYDId07F4hk-M5PAiE/s320/Day+Trip+to+Venice+004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411766722270043474" border="0" /></a>Grand Canal<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_68sxXa10rcnx-8F29UB_Q03odS8bZg83uAu_YQunyS2CnUI0sFK2CZtYj6xR7h8QyRgmwShlzhOAAu0Hu5IvalkMQdjg5hCtBgFViDg4P2hNpPEUDFUOguVvz1IDOF2ate1HEJTW2jM/s1600-h/Day+Trip+to+Venice+008.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_68sxXa10rcnx-8F29UB_Q03odS8bZg83uAu_YQunyS2CnUI0sFK2CZtYj6xR7h8QyRgmwShlzhOAAu0Hu5IvalkMQdjg5hCtBgFViDg4P2hNpPEUDFUOguVvz1IDOF2ate1HEJTW2jM/s320/Day+Trip+to+Venice+008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411766725734407714" border="0" /></a>Rialto<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0lZh2e7rTddHKvtXN8yVYmrvj9m4MGDcN3UJXKJHEfrw09iHhwdnYjn3hqAMt-6cGEfYEb_k5N8MZbyn7p8BfVnc8ts6RptGOBBQpwu5CZHYkh0mYbesg1YcXnAcjbvLT9dbvxcRbATM/s1600-h/Day+Trip+to+Venice+014.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0lZh2e7rTddHKvtXN8yVYmrvj9m4MGDcN3UJXKJHEfrw09iHhwdnYjn3hqAMt-6cGEfYEb_k5N8MZbyn7p8BfVnc8ts6RptGOBBQpwu5CZHYkh0mYbesg1YcXnAcjbvLT9dbvxcRbATM/s320/Day+Trip+to+Venice+014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411766734725542866" border="0" /></a>Inside San Marco<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinAkPSNbQAalo1GOHDCx989IUlMWX9jh8eoDVZxpnaTLrpvun48o_PuhuzCyGjb66ZS-H-Km4mwVg0mJqoY2HXAvlO2YBnt02Z1RWP70X0F3V4-I0smuTFBnb5G__L6xcAn4Nc-HZmFxA/s1600-h/Day+Trip+to+Venice+019.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinAkPSNbQAalo1GOHDCx989IUlMWX9jh8eoDVZxpnaTLrpvun48o_PuhuzCyGjb66ZS-H-Km4mwVg0mJqoY2HXAvlO2YBnt02Z1RWP70X0F3V4-I0smuTFBnb5G__L6xcAn4Nc-HZmFxA/s320/Day+Trip+to+Venice+019.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411766749000715746" border="0" /></a>As close as I could aford to get to a Gondola<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjax1YbqOsEDzhAy1EtobmwZinJsjKg3YxDu5XP_l19bOcBZ1rUEToUokqlYeQwIpETZW8sVUXRPKCq1xcvw09T9aYCfgl2lN7QDGTTKd_mhhHqiGL4CWX1POnAhWdKZyH1KFGOdpy0_vw/s1600-h/Day+Trip+to+Venice+016.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjax1YbqOsEDzhAy1EtobmwZinJsjKg3YxDu5XP_l19bOcBZ1rUEToUokqlYeQwIpETZW8sVUXRPKCq1xcvw09T9aYCfgl2lN7QDGTTKd_mhhHqiGL4CWX1POnAhWdKZyH1KFGOdpy0_vw/s320/Day+Trip+to+Venice+016.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411766753984059650" border="0" /></a>Two pillars in Piazza San Marco<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidRQu5PGZEqADWcRt6LJQJ_hRtOU7SBfbW5tcpG_aEkjXpMuLRFnU3j8fk065wbBMpBpmRnQb7MqrISlYTbpckpFi4Jx71F07Edz1wjBA5YQPS3EvEVM0n-oBHW60QtcdBDf2JtqfWIBc/s1600-h/Day+Trip+to+Venice+030.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidRQu5PGZEqADWcRt6LJQJ_hRtOU7SBfbW5tcpG_aEkjXpMuLRFnU3j8fk065wbBMpBpmRnQb7MqrISlYTbpckpFi4Jx71F07Edz1wjBA5YQPS3EvEVM0n-oBHW60QtcdBDf2JtqfWIBc/s320/Day+Trip+to+Venice+030.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411778015412905858" border="0" /></a>Largest oil painting in the world<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgztQ9O00lOeamqA4yfyOYXywMjZS6w3Tf-ayzMJrBdSM_12OR3wm7umzgBDzyt6lNFT-yUrYuB2KFl2zWbFqTkqYzcPTz-VCnqWXlzpnpyENS7idcLdYVr1xfJIMGCfPvJUGuclvZ9A28/s1600-h/Day+Trip+to+Venice+034.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgztQ9O00lOeamqA4yfyOYXywMjZS6w3Tf-ayzMJrBdSM_12OR3wm7umzgBDzyt6lNFT-yUrYuB2KFl2zWbFqTkqYzcPTz-VCnqWXlzpnpyENS7idcLdYVr1xfJIMGCfPvJUGuclvZ9A28/s320/Day+Trip+to+Venice+034.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411778003953511074" border="0" /></a>On the Vaporetto<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5as5H573OKCRPrMpBotpQGwfO8nRh-fIvadlb5X-7GdmARCGSucu86ym1wDIYMnZeLYju7l5CDjME71Z2-E9tQQSJh_neF_bqbkuPXFsYDPMPH3oEo6dMBVQX23iCYZljr_9jzqhcCK4/s1600-h/Day+Trip+to+Venice+036.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5as5H573OKCRPrMpBotpQGwfO8nRh-fIvadlb5X-7GdmARCGSucu86ym1wDIYMnZeLYju7l5CDjME71Z2-E9tQQSJh_neF_bqbkuPXFsYDPMPH3oEo6dMBVQX23iCYZljr_9jzqhcCK4/s320/Day+Trip+to+Venice+036.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411778008298737650" border="0" /></a>From the Vaporetto<br /></div><br />Saturday was a lazy day but Doty decided that we couldn't just sit around all day so we went and grabbed lunch and headed for the Duomo. I had not gone inside of the Duomo yet and Doty is a tour guide so he took me through it and we climed Giotto's Tower, the bell tower next to the Duomo.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrIH4RmSLN4NevGW6ExMgXtnKgM2LYSRSyMItGffFwFfD6g6im3AL9woz107xZngdBo2XjF0WO_8sGgDwOBMQZ5w6yUqXSu967tubY8s0pRF3FD_X3aDHajp5F1uY3e4gJZ_nqNsT8OM/s1600-h/Duomo+in+December+002.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrIH4RmSLN4NevGW6ExMgXtnKgM2LYSRSyMItGffFwFfD6g6im3AL9woz107xZngdBo2XjF0WO_8sGgDwOBMQZ5w6yUqXSu967tubY8s0pRF3FD_X3aDHajp5F1uY3e4gJZ_nqNsT8OM/s320/Duomo+in+December+002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411778019064972306" border="0" /></a>Inside the Duomo<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF_KdRN2USUZ8G-17vRTsfnxqEkrj8D6FnTeg8H0UFfghrSGhXAAR9q8LdAXO_Asbo-6FShqS2p4Th_mffM9RbYMzHBca8KjxH40UJQg3dAcxKUzMhGWR2ynf9gRelr-MrA7xYgvYXA9U/s1600-h/Duomo+in+December+008.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF_KdRN2USUZ8G-17vRTsfnxqEkrj8D6FnTeg8H0UFfghrSGhXAAR9q8LdAXO_Asbo-6FShqS2p4Th_mffM9RbYMzHBca8KjxH40UJQg3dAcxKUzMhGWR2ynf9gRelr-MrA7xYgvYXA9U/s320/Duomo+in+December+008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411778025196615074" border="0" /></a>The dome<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ZXetOuBIfCpZp-ryvvoTzo2O1kucylm-CNr5bFmyQrKasKezT1Ovv4AeMFtSP8XVK_HlElumS3aogMiPRlq_9FJ0yMR9vx7slfacJzFzz72GgAu2mN3aj58TIYGcLGGXYb0Qr-MYsFQ/s1600-h/Duomo+in+December+032.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ZXetOuBIfCpZp-ryvvoTzo2O1kucylm-CNr5bFmyQrKasKezT1Ovv4AeMFtSP8XVK_HlElumS3aogMiPRlq_9FJ0yMR9vx7slfacJzFzz72GgAu2mN3aj58TIYGcLGGXYb0Qr-MYsFQ/s320/Duomo+in+December+032.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411780374700775746" border="0" /></a>Doty on the way up<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht7zJRoKakES30pTSDpZBMd5xHaUQzDgh47UkexV2xthWNJDXwOz1axtgTQfT2km9yoxKr1eXupTZDFpjFflvqAXTKgJ72cEQRGDRnoEKH9ihxqrAgWGFYWn4jcQqOpl5znVR3BagYdfs/s1600-h/Duomo+in+December+040.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht7zJRoKakES30pTSDpZBMd5xHaUQzDgh47UkexV2xthWNJDXwOz1axtgTQfT2km9yoxKr1eXupTZDFpjFflvqAXTKgJ72cEQRGDRnoEKH9ihxqrAgWGFYWn4jcQqOpl5znVR3BagYdfs/s320/Duomo+in+December+040.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411780379035556962" border="0" /></a>Ring my bell<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji-X8l3UpgUhaaf2rMSm5bVJ1nT6D0wPOyn1MCzk0Hfq2qhOzclF4k3pl1l21IQGpqXRAQxFHjhIKtGxVUCS-HZTrt0AKKSESYTGNnfqRak_-0InSgBmipjJwdA_860lr2WmUGqjRoGpI/s1600-h/Duomo+in+December+024.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji-X8l3UpgUhaaf2rMSm5bVJ1nT6D0wPOyn1MCzk0Hfq2qhOzclF4k3pl1l21IQGpqXRAQxFHjhIKtGxVUCS-HZTrt0AKKSESYTGNnfqRak_-0InSgBmipjJwdA_860lr2WmUGqjRoGpI/s320/Duomo+in+December+024.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411780365133884850" border="0" /></a>View from the top<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9jaz7ElVwW2_PHWuB7-AYCouT-CZ2-DLy61tggFoXo6LySes5g1GCJqpUG-bWlDPjLiewJMqmwo6KhUex9Q21PEvLEiiA-nhrn6U12p2QoS5VhLfxCQQnyaxP8uzbjCtFWRLv24OFAUI/s1600-h/Duomo+in+December+059.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9jaz7ElVwW2_PHWuB7-AYCouT-CZ2-DLy61tggFoXo6LySes5g1GCJqpUG-bWlDPjLiewJMqmwo6KhUex9Q21PEvLEiiA-nhrn6U12p2QoS5VhLfxCQQnyaxP8uzbjCtFWRLv24OFAUI/s320/Duomo+in+December+059.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411782027168186882" border="0" /></a>Doty and I made it to the top<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijNSAz2m6QSVPRc1clhj8fX8MURLNKFhKmxSUjsrrZxmkAq_2togWDloOAcLRKc4C8hI-x3DQRC2yO-kiv801OHCKYhf5oU5iML_AEo3PH9wyg0kDBk9IwZWU48QCJUwRoLHmXprR5FpM/s1600-h/Duomo+in+December+061.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijNSAz2m6QSVPRc1clhj8fX8MURLNKFhKmxSUjsrrZxmkAq_2togWDloOAcLRKc4C8hI-x3DQRC2yO-kiv801OHCKYhf5oU5iML_AEo3PH9wyg0kDBk9IwZWU48QCJUwRoLHmXprR5FpM/s320/Duomo+in+December+061.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411782020227049906" border="0" /></a>Me and the Duomo<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWm1x6EKtpt_UlehzBf50bRjVPQlm3Nr2X1tcB6x3oRSrde6Wa-WG9YIWmtoj890Zyu0qLiYmKP_5HVocEIYj9KeWnBh0zmoHNgYSRUTYCICvycgubRsWAOzDCaAG8aSPKXUCCCXulK1s/s1600-h/Duomo+in+December+063.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWm1x6EKtpt_UlehzBf50bRjVPQlm3Nr2X1tcB6x3oRSrde6Wa-WG9YIWmtoj890Zyu0qLiYmKP_5HVocEIYj9KeWnBh0zmoHNgYSRUTYCICvycgubRsWAOzDCaAG8aSPKXUCCCXulK1s/s320/Duomo+in+December+063.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411780358850094002" border="0" /></a>Ben and Jerry's for everyone who made it to the top<br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"></div><div id="refHTML"></div>Adrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12048928482457313358noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959353913259501170.post-46152409264237273602009-11-30T12:56:00.008+01:002009-11-30T22:25:24.490+01:00Croatia-BosniaIt was a long trip, but I will try to keep the post short. The first day we traveled all day starting at 2 pm, first by bus to the port and then by boat, we were on the boat all night. The next morning we landed in Croatia and it was back on the bus to take us to Medjugorje and our hotels, we arrived at 11. On the first day there, we stayed in Medjugorje for the first day. We toured the two miracle sites that they claim to have. The first is the statue of Jesus that is near the church, it is leaching an unexplained oily substance from the knee. The second site is up on a hill where six children claim to have seen the Virgin Mary many years ago. I touched the knee and it had a fluid substance bubbling slowly out of it but there are non miraculous theories that may explain what is causing the liquid. After the tour we went back to the hotel for a break. That night for dinner we celebrated Thanksgiving dinner at our hotel, it was veal with potatoes and green beans, but it was still thanksgiving because I shared it with a family of sorts, my Gonzaga family. After dinner we went to the only pub in town, almost all the students we had a great time.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2pPdZyUc4Roz6pXkumzfo5cVdjWp8qfAaPd1DWRhpSdm9z6XzZIYzBRlmcF3-4eFVYISCmbqKfSIqfORkKQjwiHkG9XYY7iiaGZ5I6kwW-xzWYWfdsqmqkjtlfGnvbDcfRgM4wlpTvyE/s1600/Croatia+002.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2pPdZyUc4Roz6pXkumzfo5cVdjWp8qfAaPd1DWRhpSdm9z6XzZIYzBRlmcF3-4eFVYISCmbqKfSIqfORkKQjwiHkG9XYY7iiaGZ5I6kwW-xzWYWfdsqmqkjtlfGnvbDcfRgM4wlpTvyE/s320/Croatia+002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410006089070382578" border="0" /></a>Statue of Jesus<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUnFK2fc5EYmbb0plwrZZZIVNBqfoIoShSdq1E__jJXMqJFOpwyWPEAeTsp_8xKVs3jXcJSba19oaQ_X5C15nlpaqfFY85dJA3pEsQKCy93Ys5aiP0Hu3k9IPckaY-3WqdGqd8g_Ouq28/s1600/Croatia+004.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUnFK2fc5EYmbb0plwrZZZIVNBqfoIoShSdq1E__jJXMqJFOpwyWPEAeTsp_8xKVs3jXcJSba19oaQ_X5C15nlpaqfFY85dJA3pEsQKCy93Ys5aiP0Hu3k9IPckaY-3WqdGqd8g_Ouq28/s320/Croatia+004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410006094433562274" border="0" /></a>Apparition Hill<br /></div><br />The next day we went to Mostar, it is known for all of the violence that occurred during the conflict during the 90's. On the way there, our bus celebrated the start of the Christmas season by playing Christmas music. We toured what is left of the old city, seeing a famous bridge that was rebuilt after the conflict. After the tour we went to lunch at a restaurant where they served us a traditional Bosnian lunch, which was a giant pita filled with sausage and french fries, it was quite good. After lunch one of my friends, Andrew Doty, played the piano. He is quite good, he did a lot of contemporary pieces, including the theme to The Office. We didn't stay long in Mostar because it was a Muslim holiday and many stores were closed. For dinner that night we went back to that pub, upstairs there is a restaurant that was quite good, we stayed after for a few drinks but called it an early night because we had to be up earlier the next day for our trip.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTyAhw1aNx_JGYXrZLHDAcJZKdtDa1hpuscan6OIZbUgPMffckfz2Ptv4N_wNFwyMiLbh9QTfYuRawBoxylz9yFG5_lbsHAI4nIhcelm9Tl8VKRAFoBc1K5NmQImSgwOmcZ0xZTkXvFZk/s1600/Croatia+033.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTyAhw1aNx_JGYXrZLHDAcJZKdtDa1hpuscan6OIZbUgPMffckfz2Ptv4N_wNFwyMiLbh9QTfYuRawBoxylz9yFG5_lbsHAI4nIhcelm9Tl8VKRAFoBc1K5NmQImSgwOmcZ0xZTkXvFZk/s320/Croatia+033.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410006101421293330" border="0" /></a>Evidence of the Conflict<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhypJ_rKWWCzsmIrOmteJc8FlSD-eFYRS00djb029YVeml6EtoIOo-_SdxGNEDUXxcT_U8_OcGk1IfZ7lKtt5EQHRLuZKzAJEnFquEAm5x353jhriaKl_4gGRrrO3e7sgbfvQMQ_j8xaqk/s1600/Croatia+043.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhypJ_rKWWCzsmIrOmteJc8FlSD-eFYRS00djb029YVeml6EtoIOo-_SdxGNEDUXxcT_U8_OcGk1IfZ7lKtt5EQHRLuZKzAJEnFquEAm5x353jhriaKl_4gGRrrO3e7sgbfvQMQ_j8xaqk/s320/Croatia+043.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410006103914497186" border="0" /></a>The bridge in Mostar<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBbHFc35FO0W5nISz0lj2JyRzkpXoqUUVGS_Y4NA6-J75qdLajI4pcFCO1VSXtEnq6s1Er0aURTX1_ifGddSGY6AE37A3DtYTFaoipftoFOE0PT3xn16iDbNGxoZjvoogP966SDOPjoo0/s1600/Croatia+047.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBbHFc35FO0W5nISz0lj2JyRzkpXoqUUVGS_Y4NA6-J75qdLajI4pcFCO1VSXtEnq6s1Er0aURTX1_ifGddSGY6AE37A3DtYTFaoipftoFOE0PT3xn16iDbNGxoZjvoogP966SDOPjoo0/s320/Croatia+047.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410006111926416786" border="0" /></a>Bro pic with Me, Grant, Kepfer, Doty, Dorman, and Larry<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE2DCHWkXq9sl16BY3KPyV7XBGTxcq6P9ja6ATGkgnuW6QeU6DgGSG1Ai3c7k6GtAEYU3_QAsJsiHyL-NmYBgdFLPSMBUezM_SEtSMSFqZbEzH5AGCIDY1FmVs5CYCAKbVx5Rxb8_Cf8Q/s1600/Croatia+059.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE2DCHWkXq9sl16BY3KPyV7XBGTxcq6P9ja6ATGkgnuW6QeU6DgGSG1Ai3c7k6GtAEYU3_QAsJsiHyL-NmYBgdFLPSMBUezM_SEtSMSFqZbEzH5AGCIDY1FmVs5CYCAKbVx5Rxb8_Cf8Q/s320/Croatia+059.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410009895386914050" border="0" /></a>Doty on the piano<br /></div><br />Saturday, we went to Dubrovnik, which is in Croatia. It rained all day but I still had fun, it took a little while for all of my stuff to dry out after. Once we arrived we had a short tour of the city followed by lunch. I went to The Admiral with Doty, Tim, and Larry, I had cream soup and shrimp risotto. After lunch we tried to find our way on to the wall that surrounds the old city, but we got there to late and it had been locked up for the night. We explored around the city and found the Jesuit Church and a playground. It was a long bus ride back, everyone was wet. When we returned to Medjugorje we didn't have a chance to dry off, it was a race back to the pub for dinner, I had the stuffed chicken, it was delicious.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGb-8IOOIDjP1uNBEml7XcMx9QSGOxomQs_58DJiR95LH1b5RMfUTYCq0eGxgHJ-CLUDVSVYkWzDawfHeGZWtvamz_JCL-P85wGDyGWVVDx-lK05_detSflQPF3YCSjJcbxqUR_EQmfQ/s1600/Croatia+078.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGb-8IOOIDjP1uNBEml7XcMx9QSGOxomQs_58DJiR95LH1b5RMfUTYCq0eGxgHJ-CLUDVSVYkWzDawfHeGZWtvamz_JCL-P85wGDyGWVVDx-lK05_detSflQPF3YCSjJcbxqUR_EQmfQ/s320/Croatia+078.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410009903146014034" border="0" /></a>Jesuit Church<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhA13BDNpCwR5pR_N-Dkb9xUE_-EIdAHjoUAmQhYoCMEWmTCj_HREe9QIHAPtZBcPWmfDyM0WysORAJnRi3IMfhjMF40GTQrFGc2qN_yoM9VZsxNwKphyphenhyphenwBWVqRZ9zaPAD7OzsCYAR2AY/s1600/Croatia+083.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhA13BDNpCwR5pR_N-Dkb9xUE_-EIdAHjoUAmQhYoCMEWmTCj_HREe9QIHAPtZBcPWmfDyM0WysORAJnRi3IMfhjMF40GTQrFGc2qN_yoM9VZsxNwKphyphenhyphenwBWVqRZ9zaPAD7OzsCYAR2AY/s320/Croatia+083.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410009910380779938" border="0" /></a>Us at the playground<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGkm2cdw8kvPlkIVj_M2v7LmO1bNNEXP2MHZSTEsdhvUZ1da3JtQ1MbG0g8znvfS4WM3kYI8lDVRhs1HU49cK2tZIS0ktkdn9crZKbL_Jr9GMUI3mNsFoxdUgnz5NI0qg5oim3NhQnqlU/s1600/Croatia+085.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGkm2cdw8kvPlkIVj_M2v7LmO1bNNEXP2MHZSTEsdhvUZ1da3JtQ1MbG0g8znvfS4WM3kYI8lDVRhs1HU49cK2tZIS0ktkdn9crZKbL_Jr9GMUI3mNsFoxdUgnz5NI0qg5oim3NhQnqlU/s320/Croatia+085.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410009913264664210" border="0" /></a>By the water in Dubrovnik<br />(I need to shave in this pic)<br /></div><br />Sunday was the start of our trip home. We went to Split and had time to kill so we found a place to eat. I had pizza amerikana and a local dark beer, the beer was a little heavy for my liking but it had good flavor and I am glad that I tried it. We got on the boat for another 12 hour adventure with little to no sleep. Arrived in Ancona at 7am where we boarded the buses for the last leg of our return.<br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Adrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12048928482457313358noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959353913259501170.post-66835128087312982522009-11-22T18:35:00.008+01:002009-11-22T22:42:00.273+01:00When in Rome...We had quite a weekend in Rome, I'm glad that had been there before on opening tour, even though I stayed in another part of Rome this time, it helped. The school put us up in a pretty nice hotel this time, not a premium location but in a city with as much history as Rome, there really isn't a bad place to stay.<br /><br />We left for Rome at 9 am on a Friday, it was an early start. We had a four hour bus ride to our hotel in Rome, we arrived right on time and took an hour for lunch. I didn't explore to far from the hotel for this meal because I didn't want to miss the tour of the Colosseum. After lunch we were to go on a walking tour of ancient Rome. This meant a trip to the Colosseum and the Forum, which I enjoyed immensely because I hadn't gotten to see either of them on my first visit. After the tour we went to the Pantheon to find the gelato place that Father Brian likes so much, I got chocolate with orange and egg cream (tastes like eggnog), the combination reminded me of Christmas. From the there it was off to the Trevi Fountain, another site I missed on my first trip, of course I threw in the coins for good luck or whatever it is worth. After that we returned to the hotel to rest before dinner. For dinner we went to the Hard Rock Cafe, burgers and shakes, so good! We had a late meal so after dinner it was back to the hotel to call it a night.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxSwzvpQ-hE3646yWAC8UVStCf3OV63aUutPfFWyLBPMTmAK4uWrFQxvYmMcYwxk06v9oyZA6uDSs-lv0RsRMBfWAUZuTwx6z0-mc7mevNOStncDaIaHvuNjVzGNjwSi-iusFHV7tmu3M/s1600/Back+to+Rome+020.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxSwzvpQ-hE3646yWAC8UVStCf3OV63aUutPfFWyLBPMTmAK4uWrFQxvYmMcYwxk06v9oyZA6uDSs-lv0RsRMBfWAUZuTwx6z0-mc7mevNOStncDaIaHvuNjVzGNjwSi-iusFHV7tmu3M/s320/Back+to+Rome+020.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407031244005782706" border="0" /></a>Me in the Colosseum<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsGJFBRPYyyqvjHvhZdxiVhJGgX9YRU0IMejiEItg4Qm8UOQWup21WziCqQi0xeA4EXveSyqN8JCI3uWfQNJcbMtJqlx5sbgDGJMiD6wRmL3pigBWcXuY0gsB17agC2_d6ZYE14SUatZI/s1600/Back+to+Rome+016.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsGJFBRPYyyqvjHvhZdxiVhJGgX9YRU0IMejiEItg4Qm8UOQWup21WziCqQi0xeA4EXveSyqN8JCI3uWfQNJcbMtJqlx5sbgDGJMiD6wRmL3pigBWcXuY0gsB17agC2_d6ZYE14SUatZI/s320/Back+to+Rome+016.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407031262953042962" border="0" /></a>Better View of the Colosseum<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibyMppU6uNCt2HddwR30BIqR58xFs_uNnZoosLOnWb1sbc-gd-l5OThQSeZelRvO0a1CP19ViBkIYLuT_5kWlctQX-fGhmRsMjdzleehKS0Eup4yjspq7VF1GkRXu2OFOA9NcjLxWhnxY/s1600/Back+to+Rome+039.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibyMppU6uNCt2HddwR30BIqR58xFs_uNnZoosLOnWb1sbc-gd-l5OThQSeZelRvO0a1CP19ViBkIYLuT_5kWlctQX-fGhmRsMjdzleehKS0Eup4yjspq7VF1GkRXu2OFOA9NcjLxWhnxY/s320/Back+to+Rome+039.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407031249846833698" border="0" /></a>Trevi Fountain<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcJ_8egkpSNFNNGwJAQ1_Lyi3ZDyLBBZuly3UANN36ZvRX9yQBHFpF_3YSWYoYJY5njSe4tR_CB4Y-IO8_jQy1WvIxXnamD0ssbYjql2QM7mlqcz1wvVEHJ2FEeJAMJQswPrkyQhstC30/s1600/Back+to+Rome+044.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcJ_8egkpSNFNNGwJAQ1_Lyi3ZDyLBBZuly3UANN36ZvRX9yQBHFpF_3YSWYoYJY5njSe4tR_CB4Y-IO8_jQy1WvIxXnamD0ssbYjql2QM7mlqcz1wvVEHJ2FEeJAMJQswPrkyQhstC30/s320/Back+to+Rome+044.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407031254024292946" border="0" /></a>Me with my Shake<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVQb0jcSfb5aFreisHVnthHd0W5PfpN8HYFogkyrAu6jEZTznM17vO57I10PQx4NdXRpQ15hc-KasAIN626GvJOsfzBVazb25oDmdUHl2OZ19C-PKWBnM8EK-16AJpn1lIO0Mq50Bz00/s1600/Back+to+Rome+041.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVQb0jcSfb5aFreisHVnthHd0W5PfpN8HYFogkyrAu6jEZTznM17vO57I10PQx4NdXRpQ15hc-KasAIN626GvJOsfzBVazb25oDmdUHl2OZ19C-PKWBnM8EK-16AJpn1lIO0Mq50Bz00/s320/Back+to+Rome+041.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407031257973658258" border="0" /></a>Mel, Emily, and Kate<br /></div><br />The next morning it was off to the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel... but the Sistine Chapel was closed, the good news is that they wouldn't have let me take pictures in there anyway so you aren't actually missing much. We still enjoyed the museums and made the best of the morning that we had. We had lunch at the cafeteria at the museum sat in the garden until our tour with Fr. Brian was supposed to start. We met Fr. Brian in front of St. Peter's. He took us through St. Peter's and down through the tombs of the Popes. From there we went on a long walking tour of trastevere, the Italian neighborhood across the Tiber from most of the city. From there we went to the longest continuously operating hospital in the world, I believe that it was called St. John's. From there we went into Rome's Jewish ghetto, one of the oldest Jewish communities outside of Palestine. Not far from the Jewish ghetto was the room where the Apostle Paul was held while he was in Rome. After that we walked to the original Jesuit house that was next to the original location of the Vatican, both the previous and the current Jesuit house in Rome are located specifically because the leader of the Jesuit order always wanted to be able to see the Pope's window, as a reminder that they should be working together. This is where the tour ended, some went on in search of canoli that they would never find, Tim and I returned to the hotel to rest before dinner. Fr. Brian tried to give us directions to a little restaurant near the hotel that he though we would like, we couldn't find it but Tim and I were sure that we could find our way back to the Hard Rock, different burger and a margarita, same result as the first visit... bliss.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkSFDxpXh1Nsm4AsaDSrbdky9Sf8GWDA9ErfB4MVd9wP6uLfExHhzcH7GZ1QUv1lT0mBX4A-moTc3-h4XzPlxUoGzl3stzc_WJ2eK9FSp-Vo-vpK-Rht73llIDSJPfntIbDlPeMid3LKY/s1600/Back+to+Rome+049.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkSFDxpXh1Nsm4AsaDSrbdky9Sf8GWDA9ErfB4MVd9wP6uLfExHhzcH7GZ1QUv1lT0mBX4A-moTc3-h4XzPlxUoGzl3stzc_WJ2eK9FSp-Vo-vpK-Rht73llIDSJPfntIbDlPeMid3LKY/s320/Back+to+Rome+049.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407034303326952066" border="0" /></a>In the Vatican Museum courtyard<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2hrDXrod9zKygJXllIpflpcc2lEthyphenhyphen_1mJ26yv_w7qcS9Bzy6trpNL9PSAYs9OiJmExe1CYJXk_kXQkaskr7NGmE5oW0b5R-cEkX5EvaObrB_Fh0nZYL8I1wBG1JZsAg8AOjJ5pjIwZg/s1600/Back+to+Rome+067.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2hrDXrod9zKygJXllIpflpcc2lEthyphenhyphen_1mJ26yv_w7qcS9Bzy6trpNL9PSAYs9OiJmExe1CYJXk_kXQkaskr7NGmE5oW0b5R-cEkX5EvaObrB_Fh0nZYL8I1wBG1JZsAg8AOjJ5pjIwZg/s320/Back+to+Rome+067.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407034320357283074" border="0" /></a>Statue from the Vatican Museum<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL5jfbFs8gXNcK_CapX_JX1DC03oIgkMc6zF778uPLL5M5AbE0hinPuzpWQXVpbbC_xsQaFdx1gNKJHO_hcpOm02akxWpmJZfFhSMzaiyMNJrSxTKV1TxFHK9672hCEqYyqN2FirzBq6w/s1600/Back+to+Rome+056.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL5jfbFs8gXNcK_CapX_JX1DC03oIgkMc6zF778uPLL5M5AbE0hinPuzpWQXVpbbC_xsQaFdx1gNKJHO_hcpOm02akxWpmJZfFhSMzaiyMNJrSxTKV1TxFHK9672hCEqYyqN2FirzBq6w/s320/Back+to+Rome+056.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407034316922657634" border="0" /></a>From the Egypt Exhibit<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0w9rzysUMIZSCE2rX4iejtH3ybC2k_wsUlLqu2-uWpFuIVmvJ2M_LoGXYHKveB_teYUVrkNcd3h3VpjCqMm_64p8TE_wykuAleXjqSqUN9PmE_9Af3dMd5C2YPIki7UgKwDgLBpPwNr8/s1600/Back+to+Rome+108.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0w9rzysUMIZSCE2rX4iejtH3ybC2k_wsUlLqu2-uWpFuIVmvJ2M_LoGXYHKveB_teYUVrkNcd3h3VpjCqMm_64p8TE_wykuAleXjqSqUN9PmE_9Af3dMd5C2YPIki7UgKwDgLBpPwNr8/s320/Back+to+Rome+108.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407034313529658642" border="0" /></a>St. Peter's<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghmUIQ65BHSZ5xjIJrsb8MVMkgYDEJeuspewHeV0a4Ig7jnKPulXrTM2YXdVrl4TKaI7_v6SFPbItO_KdOCTTm3tlut81V_PRznOal7KJZeCfHpVU1kDJVuWFCgHhXcoxfEgHYXx8C5Ig/s1600/Back+to+Rome+117.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghmUIQ65BHSZ5xjIJrsb8MVMkgYDEJeuspewHeV0a4Ig7jnKPulXrTM2YXdVrl4TKaI7_v6SFPbItO_KdOCTTm3tlut81V_PRznOal7KJZeCfHpVU1kDJVuWFCgHhXcoxfEgHYXx8C5Ig/s320/Back+to+Rome+117.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407045256898808434" border="0" /></a>Paul's room from when he was held in Rome<br /><br /></div>Sunday was our day on our own, we had the Roma Pass which would get us into one more museum for free and there was the blessing of the Pope at noon outside of St. Peter's so we picked an interesting museum that happened to be close to the Vatican... Tim and I did both. We went to the Museo Nationale di Castel Sant' Angelo, this museum houses a collection of old weapons and much of the art that has been recovered by the Carbinari, the Italian national police. It is a beautiful castle, I got some great pictures. From there it was off to the Vatican to see the Papal Blessings, it was quite a crowd. We went from there back to the hotel to have lunch near by before catching the bus back to Florence, on the way we watched Talladega Nights, fun for me.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc9XUWRt4zgDZf7x1mTqnCtVLv7mAOiwIBvF2jb8ez8YYspHT_8X4a8omEwsYMpiUVCWWz9YENuDAivL59FoNk6U_a8VxA9kIAJTLwSvQF2IBTDhUIuCzwWa_Yp1CEu2jBNhLBo6CHJoI/s1600/Back+to+Rome+125.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc9XUWRt4zgDZf7x1mTqnCtVLv7mAOiwIBvF2jb8ez8YYspHT_8X4a8omEwsYMpiUVCWWz9YENuDAivL59FoNk6U_a8VxA9kIAJTLwSvQF2IBTDhUIuCzwWa_Yp1CEu2jBNhLBo6CHJoI/s320/Back+to+Rome+125.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407045259484063586" border="0" /></a>St. Peter's in the Background<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0OszWgjAKHPoomOe035HksT_d3iS-oZUMTaOHzwj0oKf3_1_kWSlZ78vRS81dEFZQDMIWCasV26YRgEdHKDda5uaLpLNXdD_8fgtaA30KX5NctfO1o-Uk2-PsLRIQJaF8tY-h_jwnNKI/s1600/Back+to+Rome+126.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0OszWgjAKHPoomOe035HksT_d3iS-oZUMTaOHzwj0oKf3_1_kWSlZ78vRS81dEFZQDMIWCasV26YRgEdHKDda5uaLpLNXdD_8fgtaA30KX5NctfO1o-Uk2-PsLRIQJaF8tY-h_jwnNKI/s320/Back+to+Rome+126.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407045269179890978" border="0" /></a>Top of Castel Sant' Angelo<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiY2WPLZBNiPgSyT8Za5wvFlVbzZuuhC1eFMqbaMHO6yoJwfcXl5yqoIh2d4XFjtt7Nl3ZWCTdwIDvTAgeLj1yNW_TR3EqZBi8cLsjll14eQqpv4XTXQdCg2CnRaC1uhFlbWoGtIcKiFE/s1600/Back+to+Rome+132.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiY2WPLZBNiPgSyT8Za5wvFlVbzZuuhC1eFMqbaMHO6yoJwfcXl5yqoIh2d4XFjtt7Nl3ZWCTdwIDvTAgeLj1yNW_TR3EqZBi8cLsjll14eQqpv4XTXQdCg2CnRaC1uhFlbWoGtIcKiFE/s320/Back+to+Rome+132.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407045273685014274" border="0" /></a>Crowd waiting for the Pope<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjpcYwIUjRqq3vozqfd3hliGHM68OgPeyZeb8fyO-BAH-37sEA1xBwCK_x-vE32DU4lP1uGlxu1eaL4MBHQhU0fdqwt9zGvkT6csyj8gfci2DeMkdfIRQI6EIn-kNQrw1YkD1k9zdq1dk/s1600/Back+to+Rome+133.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjpcYwIUjRqq3vozqfd3hliGHM68OgPeyZeb8fyO-BAH-37sEA1xBwCK_x-vE32DU4lP1uGlxu1eaL4MBHQhU0fdqwt9zGvkT6csyj8gfci2DeMkdfIRQI6EIn-kNQrw1YkD1k9zdq1dk/s320/Back+to+Rome+133.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407045279996328418" border="0" /></a>Pope giving the Blessing<br /></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Adrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12048928482457313358noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959353913259501170.post-35727606405932449952009-11-14T18:13:00.008+01:002009-11-14T22:54:42.776+01:00Yarn Hunt - The Kepfers come for a VisitIts been a while since I've really had enough time to post or do anything worth posting about, but over the last two weeks I've squeezed in little things here and there. Starting with the hunt for Italian yarn and ending with Matt's family visiting Florence for the over the last week.<br /><br />The first think I did was to start a hunt for Italian yarn or knitting magazines, my aunt loves to knit and loves to get knitting magazines or yarn from places when people go there. These things are light and would be easy to fit in a suitcase so I asked her if there was anything that she would like from Italy and she provided me with a short list of items and locations to try looking for them and I did the footwork. Both the places that she listed were within walking distance so I went on a scavenger hunt to find them. I found them both but one was more of a neighborhood store that sold yarn along with other things, while the other was a yarn store that had been there for over 40 years and still was owned by the same family. I went in and asked for the items on the list just to see if they had them and discovered how much more I needed to learn in Italian. They had one thing on the list, an Italian knitting magazine, so I got that and will be bringing it home for her, I put it in the front pocket of my green suitcase, I may not remember in another month so someone else may have to remind me.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2NeHWGyU90nwrAxVye7PvG8nWIwNFH4ocGy4iAx2ZyxJrOsV11L-ORQm6jo3fnQGnPc564SXnf6jxFvLl_wz85RoYVhyphenhyphenly__bbJiGzo-yw2Z7ru2o2W5XdR2xdaXciJ21A4AsdTvLdF4/s1600-h/Yarn+and+Kepfers+001.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2NeHWGyU90nwrAxVye7PvG8nWIwNFH4ocGy4iAx2ZyxJrOsV11L-ORQm6jo3fnQGnPc564SXnf6jxFvLl_wz85RoYVhyphenhyphenly__bbJiGzo-yw2Z7ru2o2W5XdR2xdaXciJ21A4AsdTvLdF4/s320/Yarn+and+Kepfers+001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404080167983184914" border="0" /></a>Yarn store window<br /></div><br />As of last Monday Matt's parents came for a visit, they leave this coming Monday and they will be missed. They brought me three shirts when they came and they are really nice. On Tuesday we took them to Acqua al 2, a restaurant that can be found both here and in San Diego, it is very good. On Thursday it was a trip to Edi House, one of our favorite pizza places in Florence. On Friday we went to Za Za's and I had ravioli in a creamy walnut sauce, delicious. Saturday(today) we went to Boboli Gardens and then went to this little restaurant that they found earlier in the week. The birds were out in full force at Boboli Gardens. The restaurant was economical enough that i will probably go back and eat there again on my own. I had pasta with ragu and steak with arugula and Parmesan. This was my first taste of steak since I've been home, it was the best thing i have tasted since I've been here.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyGbxm9hVZOIJVSESmJANTyACmVYoVBXCUAa777oqtAx-Tx_Zim_I51P-_KlmGvHlBGJIJjA302h172XCrCzKaSEc1oYJtWbNyT9UnP2BNmRdbIx1bK0QZ3bS3ddmbKHbhTB_gljVruZM/s1600-h/Yarn+and+Kepfers+006.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyGbxm9hVZOIJVSESmJANTyACmVYoVBXCUAa777oqtAx-Tx_Zim_I51P-_KlmGvHlBGJIJjA302h172XCrCzKaSEc1oYJtWbNyT9UnP2BNmRdbIx1bK0QZ3bS3ddmbKHbhTB_gljVruZM/s320/Yarn+and+Kepfers+006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404080172701907858" border="0" /></a>Matt and his dad<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2GnjAOSYiPqmweraAVBih9rTCNczuJDbXRx_-gyWB7cuxaD_gBK9oM2nqV4kuzw4uzgNkWp-zKE5oNpUWwg21fOEuzS8axvJ85poBCLpA5W0_CNMeR2NOBXl8tvJQcKHPIW4EuJ1-Iw/s1600-h/Yarn+and+Kepfers+008.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2GnjAOSYiPqmweraAVBih9rTCNczuJDbXRx_-gyWB7cuxaD_gBK9oM2nqV4kuzw4uzgNkWp-zKE5oNpUWwg21fOEuzS8axvJ85poBCLpA5W0_CNMeR2NOBXl8tvJQcKHPIW4EuJ1-Iw/s320/Yarn+and+Kepfers+008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404080175496381634" border="0" /></a>Ducks at Boboli<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9-hxZ-po6_Zbn5vpF1yZxBeWab9tmRIQ7MgCZIQyWTRikAKGz7T-8CBIW6Kgp7S31n1pHK91Xr3q5jK85pvOfEEvHRIvBIJ83RP_NWR0pHryT6ub6LXKvQ0RYZWVtjO_zG9ASkAjGAZ0/s1600-h/Yarn+and+Kepfers+013.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9-hxZ-po6_Zbn5vpF1yZxBeWab9tmRIQ7MgCZIQyWTRikAKGz7T-8CBIW6Kgp7S31n1pHK91Xr3q5jK85pvOfEEvHRIvBIJ83RP_NWR0pHryT6ub6LXKvQ0RYZWVtjO_zG9ASkAjGAZ0/s320/Yarn+and+Kepfers+013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404080186092315378" border="0" /></a>Crane in the fountain<br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"></div><div id="refHTML"></div>Adrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12048928482457313358noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959353913259501170.post-43752062019767887012009-10-31T17:22:00.010+01:002009-11-01T15:06:44.428+01:00Thank you Doty for missing your flight to AmsterdamThis weekend was made better in the strangest of ways, Andrew Doty missed his bus to Pisa, which meant that he missed his flight to Amsterdam. His parents gave him an ultimatum to make the best of his weekend in Florence and he took us along for the ride. Although we didn't get the earliest of starts on Saturday we made the most out of the time we had.<br /><br />We were showered and out by noon and it was off to the Uffizi to get the Amici degli Uffizi card. This card is worth every penny if you plan on spending more than a few days in Florence, it allows you to get in to major museums in Florence for free and without having to wait in line, and we got our 40 euro out of it on the first day. After the Uffizi we went to La Spada for lunch I had half a chicken and potatoes, we ate on a bridge overlooking the Arno. From there we went to the Palazzo Pitti or the Pitti Palace. The Pitti Palace is known for the the Boboli Gardens and its art collections. We were not allowed to take any photos of the art bot I made up for it in the garden, we spent more time in the gardens than we did anywhere else that day. the gardens felt like they went on forever, and we didn't even get to see the whole garden, in fact I might go back next weekend to look around more. From there we went to get gelato from a place that is a little to far to walk to normally. After gelato we went to the Uffizi to see the works by Botticelli. We hurried through the Uffizi because we didn't have enough time to slowly look at everything and we wanted to get a chance to see the David at the Accademia. That was our last stop on the whirlwind tour, we were the last people into the Accademia and we rushed to see the David and then called it a night.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn1z5qYfViXlI4MBBhzdiqOl-pdRfmIQ_6xo1GL_wnQWUYSs34rg7behCO483DndmHw-deKBCW3Pu7ME30htwQ-5asfu2_w9i1zMHtM99TtaI82gGJFWW5D0HNiOa2js0RLK5wwi35KPs/s1600-h/Saturday+with+Doty+011.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn1z5qYfViXlI4MBBhzdiqOl-pdRfmIQ_6xo1GL_wnQWUYSs34rg7behCO483DndmHw-deKBCW3Pu7ME30htwQ-5asfu2_w9i1zMHtM99TtaI82gGJFWW5D0HNiOa2js0RLK5wwi35KPs/s320/Saturday+with+Doty+011.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399132519279367314" border="0" /></a>View of the Boboli Gardens<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQRwwQzQNEu0jv8VcR7v2L6IGCCXLa-toOh0zH5oY0GHzJ7N7jBflOeBzfdvBhcw0Z4ghy_IKXD8B16CvgJjx7v63Lig1hjM3yj2beonhmY8wkdgRYfuYZazMgeJl53y66BggVnEH5Grs/s1600-h/Saturday+with+Doty+014.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQRwwQzQNEu0jv8VcR7v2L6IGCCXLa-toOh0zH5oY0GHzJ7N7jBflOeBzfdvBhcw0Z4ghy_IKXD8B16CvgJjx7v63Lig1hjM3yj2beonhmY8wkdgRYfuYZazMgeJl53y66BggVnEH5Grs/s320/Saturday+with+Doty+014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399132527986068818" border="0" /></a>Beautiful fall Colors<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwSQvoEKQWTHeW5E2CY7bS89SFlQA-RW9PlFUpYNh1GxmScl1ahHCIgUhZElN8-ZkpZbVjQ6UtbRl4kQX18MqC1PymwAiH8vjjYNbDSx7pPDdQ-CyvTjeREVZKcXDrYQ6TSYj5JweFvuo/s1600-h/Saturday+with+Doty+016.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwSQvoEKQWTHeW5E2CY7bS89SFlQA-RW9PlFUpYNh1GxmScl1ahHCIgUhZElN8-ZkpZbVjQ6UtbRl4kQX18MqC1PymwAiH8vjjYNbDSx7pPDdQ-CyvTjeREVZKcXDrYQ6TSYj5JweFvuo/s320/Saturday+with+Doty+016.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399132531913053506" border="0" /></a>View from the edge of the Boboli Gardens<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNPf1jgjEWD8OeznyJxDlpUNVIW-ui4fJ6Qm_EFc25adJDQYrxJelNM0OahUDuDfP83hEVJoYSSozkiSDF7NJ0Vi3QOo16fzNdSGYzzIkrnINcirgnU_xa4oVSKzlHQaX5x-Ks26Gcfuk/s1600-h/Saturday+with+Doty+027.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNPf1jgjEWD8OeznyJxDlpUNVIW-ui4fJ6Qm_EFc25adJDQYrxJelNM0OahUDuDfP83hEVJoYSSozkiSDF7NJ0Vi3QOo16fzNdSGYzzIkrnINcirgnU_xa4oVSKzlHQaX5x-Ks26Gcfuk/s320/Saturday+with+Doty+027.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399132538930157186" border="0" /></a>Doty found the Secret Garden<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiod19D1I4vDrl1QTBy4m2sPBP1yOAho9orOzIMdzO1YLerM_7Wm8F91HvkEgWehI3JUovBa04Qx4k0JyicKOmaQAv5UJIBJORaGavLiTDEYAnKvhdbtxUk588ZfjtZqTVHu2HSlxYBwGY/s1600-h/Saturday+with+Doty+028.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiod19D1I4vDrl1QTBy4m2sPBP1yOAho9orOzIMdzO1YLerM_7Wm8F91HvkEgWehI3JUovBa04Qx4k0JyicKOmaQAv5UJIBJORaGavLiTDEYAnKvhdbtxUk588ZfjtZqTVHu2HSlxYBwGY/s320/Saturday+with+Doty+028.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399134970138911058" border="0" /></a>Me and a giant face<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKBb3ah7MWzUszGytUbk9T_gMHulkKPJeTZtf9J1UpD3DZUB69HdrRcrKpLe80Wh3pqxbqRGt0F35CazYtYA5o8hHRmA0ZF2OAlHcwngZrGz8k4iEQHOfFG1u63dX5uJAApXwGk2eqtNo/s1600-h/Saturday+with+Doty+035.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKBb3ah7MWzUszGytUbk9T_gMHulkKPJeTZtf9J1UpD3DZUB69HdrRcrKpLe80Wh3pqxbqRGt0F35CazYtYA5o8hHRmA0ZF2OAlHcwngZrGz8k4iEQHOfFG1u63dX5uJAApXwGk2eqtNo/s320/Saturday+with+Doty+035.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399134976247133666" border="0" /></a>Doty and Kepfer acting out a Statue<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju3UUfbtjGyIeOxDSrg6xX8TDmB1XXimEjBfKidsqwSqDcDVpSpwPC9c4Ztuex9AcU6z0ZFfcLodWi8PEcxg8xmwnhx0ICzmUEsUaLpapz0Nx2T8C8lQuHE56yvqlea9-jln5v0u1agok/s1600-h/Saturday+with+Doty+042.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju3UUfbtjGyIeOxDSrg6xX8TDmB1XXimEjBfKidsqwSqDcDVpSpwPC9c4Ztuex9AcU6z0ZFfcLodWi8PEcxg8xmwnhx0ICzmUEsUaLpapz0Nx2T8C8lQuHE56yvqlea9-jln5v0u1agok/s320/Saturday+with+Doty+042.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399134980001374162" border="0" /></a>Rows of trees<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirYyeqfRXowYtjQnOFDnV4pRDsPXY22TenjpUySAfbF-xBXdawlKdwiWZ4JZEnVoggg50rWQx0gXgPmac9u52w6LPvcYNqIUEPQp15Ga2LagZprG2XbzhPpdqL_q_k7YEAViFNID4x0_I/s1600-h/Saturday+with+Doty+052.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirYyeqfRXowYtjQnOFDnV4pRDsPXY22TenjpUySAfbF-xBXdawlKdwiWZ4JZEnVoggg50rWQx0gXgPmac9u52w6LPvcYNqIUEPQp15Ga2LagZprG2XbzhPpdqL_q_k7YEAViFNID4x0_I/s320/Saturday+with+Doty+052.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399134986975797490" border="0" /></a>The David<br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"></div><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Adrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12048928482457313358noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959353913259501170.post-32938280452459998132009-10-24T19:02:00.007+02:002009-10-24T23:29:09.464+02:00EuroChocolateToday will go down in history as one of the best day trips I have gone on while in Florence. To get to Perugia and all other non-chocolate related expenses only cost me 25 euro, included in that is the five euro chococard that entitles the holder to many freebies and free samples at all the booths at the festival. My first stop was right off the escalator, there was a booth for Droste of Holland, I was ready to make my first purchase, to much of a lekkerbek not to buy the Dutch chocolate. After that it was straight to a stand that was selling European hot chocolate, which is basically the texture of pudding but super hot, you have to drink it with a spoon and hope that it doesn't cool to the point of becoming solid again. From that point we went on a mission to get as many free samples and freebies as we could before we left, of course we took a lunch break (slice of pizza for 1.35), we got to almost every freebie and had tons of samples.<br /><br />As we were walking we ran into another group of students who mentioned a must, two kinds of chocolate beer, I made that my #1 priority. We found the stand, they had a chocolate stout on tap and Old Tom Chocolate Ale bottles, I got a glass of the stout and a bottle of the chocolate ale, I'm saving the ale for later. I have been spoiled by Iron Horse Brewery in Ellensburg, WA. They make a beer called Mocha Death, an ale that tastes of chocolate and coffee, and the stout came no where close to matching that, I haven't tried the ale but I hope that it fares better. After that it was time to stop for a chocolate covered apple which I just at while writing... no guilt, its a fruit. After that it was time to catch the bus to the train station and head home.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAlZzKKOXSyJZtd_DkGHFFO82rltY9caaQ355rKDJpmvq3GDi-dyWkv_ylRXJSLK7FldtpQ6nUJetvKkGKkIYEnvL29wFAhoEZUuax2BluFvhtteJ26vNSBYVxlhnN_rNUqxO1k0SicEY/s1600-h/EuroChocolate+012.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAlZzKKOXSyJZtd_DkGHFFO82rltY9caaQ355rKDJpmvq3GDi-dyWkv_ylRXJSLK7FldtpQ6nUJetvKkGKkIYEnvL29wFAhoEZUuax2BluFvhtteJ26vNSBYVxlhnN_rNUqxO1k0SicEY/s320/EuroChocolate+012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396280004044780706" border="0" /></a>Droste of Holland and Me<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG8Xa-dCjillyMkwzfXNwkzeQWA19sVzk5gUFVi6VLc1I_5EFCYQnFYGUvKbbxY80nFsZGdZTESO1KU7aoHh4RIlA5zG-EmBPrAslIDrViL0bEhwD2o9Cm7Sl2EN-j_Rwt2QE5wx4zFR4/s1600-h/EuroChocolate+029.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG8Xa-dCjillyMkwzfXNwkzeQWA19sVzk5gUFVi6VLc1I_5EFCYQnFYGUvKbbxY80nFsZGdZTESO1KU7aoHh4RIlA5zG-EmBPrAslIDrViL0bEhwD2o9Cm7Sl2EN-j_Rwt2QE5wx4zFR4/s320/EuroChocolate+029.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396280016447962274" border="0" /></a>Doty, Steph, and Me<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH0bhpQdnPsTvnIDG0Ra-vIMk6usEr_Pbx5HKAVt0SOu3d-WagIW1RUtXpsH55EvBQP6Wb2fALQua8Ktwx3CCl3Pj8KUbt0h9hQEMltCin9nq7ZdtnbPk2LzXU0XRuXNAStCcESEnc4s/s1600-h/EuroChocolate+027.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH0bhpQdnPsTvnIDG0Ra-vIMk6usEr_Pbx5HKAVt0SOu3d-WagIW1RUtXpsH55EvBQP6Wb2fALQua8Ktwx3CCl3Pj8KUbt0h9hQEMltCin9nq7ZdtnbPk2LzXU0XRuXNAStCcESEnc4s/s320/EuroChocolate+027.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396280006494061282" border="0" /></a>Beer and chocolate<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGRYbrbLn_Xy8qVDTbtPGCwHw9Ii3iCZFzAfXG3tFi2F5lb_dVP_kfFdLvbRqQlBM0_171N5enVu8YRanj2w9bPXp9NPNDLHnF8Ufv5DeBvUG3GiLRJ0aSpSV6ZJYqMnY4cy1IU4mVQX0/s1600-h/EuroChocolate+028.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGRYbrbLn_Xy8qVDTbtPGCwHw9Ii3iCZFzAfXG3tFi2F5lb_dVP_kfFdLvbRqQlBM0_171N5enVu8YRanj2w9bPXp9NPNDLHnF8Ufv5DeBvUG3GiLRJ0aSpSV6ZJYqMnY4cy1IU4mVQX0/s320/EuroChocolate+028.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396280010996933346" border="0" /></a>Chocolate Stout and Me<br /><em></em><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"></div><div id="refHTML"></div>Adrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12048928482457313358noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959353913259501170.post-49007636394474908422009-10-22T17:27:00.005+02:002009-10-22T18:43:02.563+02:00Ferragamo MuseumToday was an optional field trip to the Ferragamo Museum. Ferragamo is a shoe maker known for his custom made shoes for the stars. I was not looking forward to this field trip and if the school wasn't covering the cost I probably would have gone. That would have been disappointing because I actually enjoyed the tour.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizv02KK20Z4COmksx7TB_60kiDbl1JAvWbrtM5M7OevwkmKyrJAGeOcvk6GPMFRZKYL6ly0pPhyphenhyphenUm2IqSdUy-a9D9LwL9tSHnvHYOdDqbvWqc3pLLM7FFekXqatuDZiUM6TEZJkMTWKAA/s1600-h/ferragamo+012.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizv02KK20Z4COmksx7TB_60kiDbl1JAvWbrtM5M7OevwkmKyrJAGeOcvk6GPMFRZKYL6ly0pPhyphenhyphenUm2IqSdUy-a9D9LwL9tSHnvHYOdDqbvWqc3pLLM7FFekXqatuDZiUM6TEZJkMTWKAA/s320/ferragamo+012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395463948733532146" border="0" /></a>Ferragamo Museum<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSIpxrhndgTRz6_KjWErYim-K1jOP8Eka-dhP-gc8qoyrEbBJ8FcVA8SzONzqbDEggsfDJVCeioVvx35-XJfhsFdf92yBaRajwo5Hbea9qpH0O5A2-cdAR_1LbAIGTzDNpDj6ZTcYA6xo/s1600-h/ferragamo+009.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSIpxrhndgTRz6_KjWErYim-K1jOP8Eka-dhP-gc8qoyrEbBJ8FcVA8SzONzqbDEggsfDJVCeioVvx35-XJfhsFdf92yBaRajwo5Hbea9qpH0O5A2-cdAR_1LbAIGTzDNpDj6ZTcYA6xo/s320/ferragamo+009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395463950253787442" border="0" /></a>Color Wheel and Me<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDSE-17eLYyUsfj67C3pkTMYebwxpMXFhD9S6LzUuqJ7A0JP8VWvRRCRp1AIXB5IkC-xIHuwks9R_8U38tbZHvILOoJliYLq_toJ_bTsWTbBMiqrtVuu7uM98vlLnot6B5vtNwEsZH20g/s1600-h/ferragamo+004.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDSE-17eLYyUsfj67C3pkTMYebwxpMXFhD9S6LzUuqJ7A0JP8VWvRRCRp1AIXB5IkC-xIHuwks9R_8U38tbZHvILOoJliYLq_toJ_bTsWTbBMiqrtVuu7uM98vlLnot6B5vtNwEsZH20g/s320/ferragamo+004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395463959095740882" border="0" /></a>Marilyn Monroe's Shoe from <span style="font-style: italic;">Some like it Hot</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmQHRkd5TDuWhWrwcPjiFKaTkYNeouEIH5YIR0-Il3LnejKxGH50nW77wq6o2R2ivlnkMAiuYfK1Qe0DK9abUcCH_kzjTts8B8qvoIMa4RxqRQkHAYJMoYQZ29GgYQEFdP7NOdK712iE/s1600-h/ferragamo+011.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmQHRkd5TDuWhWrwcPjiFKaTkYNeouEIH5YIR0-Il3LnejKxGH50nW77wq6o2R2ivlnkMAiuYfK1Qe0DK9abUcCH_kzjTts8B8qvoIMa4RxqRQkHAYJMoYQZ29GgYQEFdP7NOdK712iE/s320/ferragamo+011.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395465102662171938" border="0" /></a>Nicole Kidman's foot model for the movie <span style="font-style: italic;">Austrailia</span><br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"></div><div id="refHTML"></div>Adrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12048928482457313358noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959353913259501170.post-70710590139226933072009-10-19T00:10:00.010+02:002009-10-19T22:10:05.036+02:00Amalfi CoastThis past weekend was the school trip to the Amalfi Coast. We left Thursday at 4 pm for what was supposed to be a five hour trip down to the town of Sorrento, the trip ended up taking seven hours. We got to the campground where we were staying at 11 pm. We were scheduled to eat dinner at 9 pm at the Campground Restaurant. Lucky for us they're willing to wait for a group of 130 people who will makeup the largest single group they've seen probably since Gonzaga was there last. the dinner was actually much better that I was expecting considering that we were to hours late to a "campground" restaurant, actually it was good enough that I decided to go back to them for dinner the next night. We weren't able to move in to our cabin until 1am. The campground had been smart and turned on the heater before we moved in, but with the recent temperature drop and the thin walls of our cabin we were still quite cold on our first night.<br /><br />On the first day that I was in Sorrento, I went with a group of people around the Amalfi Coast. We took the bus all the way to the city of Amalfi. While in Amalfi we hiked up to a lemon grove and went to the local church and saw a collection of their religious historical items. After we left Amalfi, we went to the small town of Positano for lunch, we found a nice place just off the main street that seemed inviting enough, I had the quattro formaggi pizza, again, it has become one of my favorites. After that it was time for the hour long bus ride back to Sorrento. We took a little longer than we planned so we didn't get to see to much of Sorrento but it is not as quaint of a town as the other two. For dinner we stayed at the campground restaurant, it had been delicious the night before and was very reasonably priced so we tried it again. After that it was time to call it a night, it was quite a walk back into town so we just stayed in.<br /><br />On Saturday I went to the island of Capri, it is a beautiful island famous for it's Blue Grotto. We didn't get to go to the Blue Grotto while we were on the island because the weather was just to bad for the boats to try to get close to the grotto. The bad weather included rain, which shut down the only other major attraction on the island, besides shopping of course, the chair lift to the top of the Monte Solarno. From the top you can see the entire island, it was closed most of the day, but I was one of the few who was able to go up the chair lift and get to see the entire island from that vantage point. There were only a limited number of ferries to get off the island, we ended up having to wait 'til 6:15 to catch the last one back to the main land. After that we took the advise of one of the other students and went to a restaurant called Bufalito, and I had pasta with Water Buffalo meat. After that it was off to the Irish Pub to watch college football and celebrate Kepfer's 21st birthday, we ended up at a karaoke bar singing Grease and Journey.<br /><br />On our way back on Sunday we stopped at Pompeii and had a tour of the ancient city. The drive back took as long if not longer. I was supposed to meet some of mom's work friends who were in Italy for dinner or gelato but I wasn't back until 9 and didn't have a chance, but that is okay because the entire pensione ordered Il Panda, the best/cheapest Chinese food in Florence, and I worked on my Italian homework.<br /><br />PS: I got my flu shot so you don't have to worry anymore.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxyq0UUjEawgMP9RpI_5Su8ymzuEEa7OMlE6irYqOmNG2-ucvELi6YM7clQOK7J10hXNXJkUivIPBbFjluTumz7-jAAAaa9zD-Upg3LrCdecr72DYXIwhr7tZuGOuOBOECVXpJxcZfD8/s1600-h/Amalfi+Coast+076.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxyq0UUjEawgMP9RpI_5Su8ymzuEEa7OMlE6irYqOmNG2-ucvELi6YM7clQOK7J10hXNXJkUivIPBbFjluTumz7-jAAAaa9zD-Upg3LrCdecr72DYXIwhr7tZuGOuOBOECVXpJxcZfD8/s320/Amalfi+Coast+076.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394404083957998770" border="0" /></a>In the church in Amalfi<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie5-ZXsa5FqjCMWVYjYqIOA9BiM1-Nc7tJ6mO-JXmOS5lwI6W_4CCaEE6_oEZPTKkn9tjN3tnE9D8D86eGEXlqz88jRusMJOsdExx9pKkuTSKmME21fILLPLiujUA5wlMivHTWsr9Ygz0/s1600-h/Amalfi+Coast+013.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie5-ZXsa5FqjCMWVYjYqIOA9BiM1-Nc7tJ6mO-JXmOS5lwI6W_4CCaEE6_oEZPTKkn9tjN3tnE9D8D86eGEXlqz88jRusMJOsdExx9pKkuTSKmME21fILLPLiujUA5wlMivHTWsr9Ygz0/s320/Amalfi+Coast+013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394400321737335762" border="0" /></a>Peeking through a relic<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghHquDFZwZ3QdRekElmXjCvWwmmFIfAUkyC7l2vzLOuIRk92138XyZFv9DImdvn5NL1j9QQefLl2IVZxJdp_VZF4eW0ZptmChl-IhjE9sa2aSoqUpseEZZMo1jBU4M4PC_zFuWIfD_En0/s1600-h/Amalfi+Coast+025.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghHquDFZwZ3QdRekElmXjCvWwmmFIfAUkyC7l2vzLOuIRk92138XyZFv9DImdvn5NL1j9QQefLl2IVZxJdp_VZF4eW0ZptmChl-IhjE9sa2aSoqUpseEZZMo1jBU4M4PC_zFuWIfD_En0/s320/Amalfi+Coast+025.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394400341688754946" border="0" /></a>View from the chair lift<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8TaVaFXHuWrRmdDPgs7H5qJQouC5ibO1Nz33bo_stTWzIwSHaSgSX8nTDvj5kZep0SvTLKpsy5FYo-UalELTVpThA809O4f6ztqcKufe9T2LGk-aL3E9nahaSpJZ60yMXPIbzYOm0wmA/s1600-h/Amalfi+Coast+028.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8TaVaFXHuWrRmdDPgs7H5qJQouC5ibO1Nz33bo_stTWzIwSHaSgSX8nTDvj5kZep0SvTLKpsy5FYo-UalELTVpThA809O4f6ztqcKufe9T2LGk-aL3E9nahaSpJZ60yMXPIbzYOm0wmA/s320/Amalfi+Coast+028.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394400344285950434" border="0" /></a>Guys at the top<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnml0ShiQGysuGsYBRcJSKk5Xq1Vw9UPlmR-5iJFYBhvZkJi4Rb_-ARBq-wzj40VV-xJuayU8mgyLFSJOuz_P-5_SN2oRt73TvphRsk6bkOTe1Ghm7rom-GO9kgecwXzQT6l8zrdJUGE8/s1600-h/Amalfi+Coast+029.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnml0ShiQGysuGsYBRcJSKk5Xq1Vw9UPlmR-5iJFYBhvZkJi4Rb_-ARBq-wzj40VV-xJuayU8mgyLFSJOuz_P-5_SN2oRt73TvphRsk6bkOTe1Ghm7rom-GO9kgecwXzQT6l8zrdJUGE8/s320/Amalfi+Coast+029.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394404063024503602" border="0" /></a>Father Brian and I at the top<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj41SKHzDhOED8WXAiRq_lMwg9EVYJRF8djErbqEqxAhtQQJZPl_woHNTb_1Z3jkWW6UJ0UDlq2NlsLGPhldZbmnNuM04s846y7c6X7zCRU6Ms39a_lZ2UkTs8buu6a808wKHNKOCe7pcA/s1600-h/Amalfi+Coast+031.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj41SKHzDhOED8WXAiRq_lMwg9EVYJRF8djErbqEqxAhtQQJZPl_woHNTb_1Z3jkWW6UJ0UDlq2NlsLGPhldZbmnNuM04s846y7c6X7zCRU6Ms39a_lZ2UkTs8buu6a808wKHNKOCe7pcA/s320/Amalfi+Coast+031.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394404071676812354" border="0" /></a>Whole Group at the top<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyLJxZVlVvjATzmTkj0NoyEXvTPueh_D0NC4MKt7VLr2Lfcin6NnyImYhD_qGWgHDI7tzENlve38zUwUg8i35nM1Wgakgl2OeirWowJ5lp6D_vb8sfJWqavf9R8O7Vp4IWPmmBN4slAHE/s1600-h/Amalfi+Coast+015.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyLJxZVlVvjATzmTkj0NoyEXvTPueh_D0NC4MKt7VLr2Lfcin6NnyImYhD_qGWgHDI7tzENlve38zUwUg8i35nM1Wgakgl2OeirWowJ5lp6D_vb8sfJWqavf9R8O7Vp4IWPmmBN4slAHE/s320/Amalfi+Coast+015.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394400332065203170" border="0" /></a>Us in Positano<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqrwJIT1d-Qi_W_XhJeaM7GBg3twA_bNMW299LudgTS27xqFv-sQiHWFedVd3CgM0MqwVkImzScwMr03RdhQYNGbeKq1M77_DDviKDYeO9rxejy16SgaSwKoADC9RCmx_7vfYPOWNZPlE/s1600-h/Amalfi+Coast+042.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqrwJIT1d-Qi_W_XhJeaM7GBg3twA_bNMW299LudgTS27xqFv-sQiHWFedVd3CgM0MqwVkImzScwMr03RdhQYNGbeKq1M77_DDviKDYeO9rxejy16SgaSwKoADC9RCmx_7vfYPOWNZPlE/s320/Amalfi+Coast+042.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394404090582430642" border="0" /></a>Karaoke bar for Kepfer's Birthday<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVsSjDFAxS5HqVM_-2wRaNtMNy2yI4GoqUBlufnKKqz9SDjvPIyRipWrAGEkKQGCJkM4Fpz4nIhH3Mcoe5rMeNbVdE0W8kuCj0keensD_uVvNq0MY6ATu3CwF87AgMzwfxQHhWR1VuTo0/s1600-h/Amalfi+Coast+075.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVsSjDFAxS5HqVM_-2wRaNtMNy2yI4GoqUBlufnKKqz9SDjvPIyRipWrAGEkKQGCJkM4Fpz4nIhH3Mcoe5rMeNbVdE0W8kuCj0keensD_uVvNq0MY6ATu3CwF87AgMzwfxQHhWR1VuTo0/s320/Amalfi+Coast+075.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394404102083630802" border="0" /></a>Mass at Pompeii<input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"></div><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Adrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12048928482457313358noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959353913259501170.post-48400109931128691282009-10-13T22:10:00.004+02:002009-10-13T23:02:09.520+02:00GROM: Best gelato in FlorenceFlorence is famous for it's gelato and of all the places I've been told to go, GROM is the best, I go there atleast once a week. GROM uses only fresh ingredients with only natural flavor and colors. Every few months they rotate their seasonal flavors, at the start of October they rotated in Pear, Apple and Carmel. They also have some flavors that they can make fresh year round, Pistachio, Chocolate, Coffee, and some other cream based flavors. They are famous for their signature flavor, Creme de Grom, which is almost impossible to describe. It is a sweet cream with pieces of dark chocolate and their own gram cracker cookies mixed in, it is amazing. Although GROM's quality is head and shoulders above the rest, they still keep their prices low. It is located one block southeast of the Duomo, so if you are ever in Florence you know where to go.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg63glsqbcM0fsI9U3xOZO8-wYnJVxslViheR-wrJYz1ZI6XtwD80BXu82FcTNlpv4eaAr2t__gcPJTCek9NH7avp-fyhshIawwoYQmC2ptSstPAbeFgXdSe12OklkNfPLxwXPN4LusDU/s1600-h/Grom+001.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg63glsqbcM0fsI9U3xOZO8-wYnJVxslViheR-wrJYz1ZI6XtwD80BXu82FcTNlpv4eaAr2t__gcPJTCek9NH7avp-fyhshIawwoYQmC2ptSstPAbeFgXdSe12OklkNfPLxwXPN4LusDU/s320/Grom+001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392191522675921602" border="0" /></a>GROM<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwDWgjHPVpsNVUDXs37f6vllnIOM2Wi_a9yY-EDzAkqZ6LFhQ1jvSwotATsIU86aE3Tim6EUkOSXV4o8Y0UYmdBkjnWqjRrlHCmp6hbNHp1dUvAaeGxEwzaWKeD77k5da4mmVP8rjYPy0/s1600-h/Grom+003.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwDWgjHPVpsNVUDXs37f6vllnIOM2Wi_a9yY-EDzAkqZ6LFhQ1jvSwotATsIU86aE3Tim6EUkOSXV4o8Y0UYmdBkjnWqjRrlHCmp6hbNHp1dUvAaeGxEwzaWKeD77k5da4mmVP8rjYPy0/s320/Grom+003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392191528258339634" border="0" /></a>Kepfer and his Gelato<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFWS9ZMCIZqGCtf3LsPBeDmssn_R8f6TaBn_Ev4hNA7QmxPkDOXxB-F-3pGxhPWPpflejCZs_XVacrFTVEs5WXbrpBwiL9Dp79Vb8-YJnzFcJxekQPq7DT0zCX2Hz4AKvxsfoxcEe5LW0/s1600-h/Grom+004.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFWS9ZMCIZqGCtf3LsPBeDmssn_R8f6TaBn_Ev4hNA7QmxPkDOXxB-F-3pGxhPWPpflejCZs_XVacrFTVEs5WXbrpBwiL9Dp79Vb8-YJnzFcJxekQPq7DT0zCX2Hz4AKvxsfoxcEe5LW0/s320/Grom+004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392191538236878434" border="0" /></a>Kepfer's cone: Nougat, Creme de Grom, and Pistachio<br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"></div><div id="refHTML"></div>Adrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12048928482457313358noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959353913259501170.post-79558707680435657242009-10-05T13:39:00.005+02:002009-10-05T14:13:23.476+02:00Tour of where I'm livingI have had requests for a tour of where I'm living and Gonzaga-in-Florence's campus.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSGHr_M0Yu7en1voxXHQnTp6R44qk3LDhIlhLayc5Igq4GdtKNK7Uk3tAXyoulZFPSyt2T4zVzXc7HAOtIHKhowChTZbpYvGbCguI4m2aBa0RIQR9dLrpaEk4nRIqInvBcl_noVCX5Op8/s1600-h/My+home+in+florence+002.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSGHr_M0Yu7en1voxXHQnTp6R44qk3LDhIlhLayc5Igq4GdtKNK7Uk3tAXyoulZFPSyt2T4zVzXc7HAOtIHKhowChTZbpYvGbCguI4m2aBa0RIQR9dLrpaEk4nRIqInvBcl_noVCX5Op8/s320/My+home+in+florence+002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389084382258580258" border="0" /></a>Gonzaga-in-Florence campus<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-pGO0phm9pdG_BENmX4nfor5d0KLrIT0GTlmk-6XDBvQlKs9K883si-sEaqXt36SqVIiSlVSgw1yyTEqz5kg8uMwm8kY0McZjvYElCX39B71tnxuk_J8qZrkWXYqQikVh0dJ_NQp1yiE/s1600-h/My+home+in+florence+001.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-pGO0phm9pdG_BENmX4nfor5d0KLrIT0GTlmk-6XDBvQlKs9K883si-sEaqXt36SqVIiSlVSgw1yyTEqz5kg8uMwm8kY0McZjvYElCX39B71tnxuk_J8qZrkWXYqQikVh0dJ_NQp1yiE/s320/My+home+in+florence+001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389084396500612274" border="0" /></a>Hallway in Gonzaga-in-Florence<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzfUR1WylV0mKHkRL4c6ioWGxaWnW1dA2jZBQZWo3dP6xfjyGvldDgu39g0xVeVvXqCSpJAL9P_sBvzmktQpRCm2fvmf-k3ogLuHdYYWapOqA4NpcsRhFOjdFUjWuZQ4s_S-LFnzLmJik/s1600-h/My+home+in+florence+003.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzfUR1WylV0mKHkRL4c6ioWGxaWnW1dA2jZBQZWo3dP6xfjyGvldDgu39g0xVeVvXqCSpJAL9P_sBvzmktQpRCm2fvmf-k3ogLuHdYYWapOqA4NpcsRhFOjdFUjWuZQ4s_S-LFnzLmJik/s320/My+home+in+florence+003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389084405577622258" border="0" /></a>I live in the white building<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDPma421kfvVd5S7s9Hm4_qTj696EVm9y8Q0gkivnwR97nOJpavj6prdAk51__hQp4R5Uofx1zD32ttSZOCQZMLawbv6b2QI7A4kxuDv1afoeASy4IfRO0Jop98800L-t6-LZIKkDSYLY/s1600-h/My+home+in+florence+004.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDPma421kfvVd5S7s9Hm4_qTj696EVm9y8Q0gkivnwR97nOJpavj6prdAk51__hQp4R5Uofx1zD32ttSZOCQZMLawbv6b2QI7A4kxuDv1afoeASy4IfRO0Jop98800L-t6-LZIKkDSYLY/s320/My+home+in+florence+004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389084411252358418" border="0" /></a>Dining Room with Tim, Emily, Claire, Matt Allison, Erin, and Katherine<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj68QihyuNakGT5ZiXEa4l5W1G9MahPep70_tYUggDod3ib_S3ovx3pBlq45DUANciWFMfRk_PCPvrsbK62ZDOVGlPc2n2wewZeKwYpvOCejJkoe7XIzI60IunX2wQPhmrAJbJfalfEQa0/s1600-h/My+home+in+florence+005.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj68QihyuNakGT5ZiXEa4l5W1G9MahPep70_tYUggDod3ib_S3ovx3pBlq45DUANciWFMfRk_PCPvrsbK62ZDOVGlPc2n2wewZeKwYpvOCejJkoe7XIzI60IunX2wQPhmrAJbJfalfEQa0/s320/My+home+in+florence+005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389084416839723826" border="0" /></a>Overflow table with Allison, Kepfer, and Doty<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Not pictured: Spencer, he was late to lunch.<br /></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"></div><div id="refHTML"></div>Adrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12048928482457313358noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959353913259501170.post-80454149642083555242009-10-03T16:46:00.006+02:002009-10-03T21:48:04.061+02:00Cinque TerreThis weekend was the first trip that Gonzaga had planned for us, it was an excursion to Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre is a group of five villages along the Italian coast. We took a bus to the largest village of the Cinque Terre, Monterosso, it was a three hour trip from Florence and by the time we got to Monterosso all I wanted was some food. Cinque Terre is the birthplace of pesto so for the first night we figured that pesto pizzas for everyone would be the best choice, it was a good call.<br /><br />Cinque Terre is a UNESCO World Herritage site that I would label as a worth while stop on any trip through Italy. The name translates to 'five lands' and the best way to explore them is on foot, with a beautiful (but difficult) trail connecting all five of the villages it is a great way to spend the first half of a day, but be ready for a tough couple of miles between Monterosso, Vernazza, and Corniglia. The rest of the hike is more of a walk, between Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore the path is level and paved. After the hike you have two choices to get back you can take the train which is quick but no view or you can take the ferry back which gives you great views of the villages and it only takes half an hour from end to end. I took the ferry back and had myself a little nap time before dinner. Dinner was an amazing experience, the staff took us to arguably the best restaurant in all of Cinque Terre, Ristorante Belvedere in Monterosso, it was one of the best meals I've ever had. They served us homemade pasta with pesto sauce, it was amazing, I had four servings. Then they served us veal with potatoes and green beans. For dessert they had homemade tiramisu that was quite good. After dinner we all went out to a bar for drinks, I had a mojito, only because mom had mentioned that she wanted to try one this summer (it was good).<br /><br />Went home early, the trip was supposed to last until Sunday but by lunch on Saturday I had seen enough of Cinque Terre. So Tim and I got tickets to La Spezia and from there we got tickets to Pisa and from Pisa we went to Florence. I didn't stop and see the Leaning Tower but Pisa is only an hour away by train so I will go back, maybe even next weekend.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzFLYAW3Ylt_lGiMN6URvCjmOnZ0W_xK_NyLTLVEwMGyyK-KhdvvVTLO9zrBAcxhHTAv96HBT3G64v33b1FErgadjjodftD0LO0JZyUTLc7Xkm_gbhNiAXVGUB52hHeGp-InqJY2rDWU/s1600-h/Cinque+Terre+002.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzFLYAW3Ylt_lGiMN6URvCjmOnZ0W_xK_NyLTLVEwMGyyK-KhdvvVTLO9zrBAcxhHTAv96HBT3G64v33b1FErgadjjodftD0LO0JZyUTLc7Xkm_gbhNiAXVGUB52hHeGp-InqJY2rDWU/s320/Cinque+Terre+002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388460563094253186" border="0" /></a>Start of the hike<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisTvA7IHnOSd7qHRnQysFZ3qrl4dRsqNygAw5yRAnIPL9BtdECxJvV9S4mPZ62UKrxJkBRCqTZcJPbVpxxG51WiFKMZKYQpsrE2mAcOiNCzVXmURX2aAYVfnHfHJjNLcT9RFtI35p-3lo/s1600-h/Cinque+Terre+020.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisTvA7IHnOSd7qHRnQysFZ3qrl4dRsqNygAw5yRAnIPL9BtdECxJvV9S4mPZ62UKrxJkBRCqTZcJPbVpxxG51WiFKMZKYQpsrE2mAcOiNCzVXmURX2aAYVfnHfHJjNLcT9RFtI35p-3lo/s320/Cinque+Terre+020.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388462554587664898" border="0" /></a>View of the Terraces<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm-c8PKbazRze6QCimjFLyMxgcQm3B8bsLDI_DUTMDywpBGV2kTwm0iJq-7hxxJ9LMC5NnJvNRnrTfFvLQ1H33DYMvkZ88if-uM6oyQDr0irmKWjgJjM2dqTwSCFpDGd-Zqd_E_CeRkfs/s1600-h/Cinque+Terre+009.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm-c8PKbazRze6QCimjFLyMxgcQm3B8bsLDI_DUTMDywpBGV2kTwm0iJq-7hxxJ9LMC5NnJvNRnrTfFvLQ1H33DYMvkZ88if-uM6oyQDr0irmKWjgJjM2dqTwSCFpDGd-Zqd_E_CeRkfs/s320/Cinque+Terre+009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388460571039302402" border="0" /></a>Apparently lovers are supposed to lock up their love then throw the key into the ocean<br />(also done at the Ponte Vecchio and somewhere in Venice)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXAWR7LnXf955S7qvOs3TRmV22dhvvnaPBpz8jqsWFj8C-0YNO2mScHm0c_g9m7odzHwr8vZBjoVlMJPCLPQ0lImDl7VGly_2dcSVkrWppV8ZqOpCsntbpDb53_N2XZ-27HNs8OvRJZgg/s1600-h/Cinque+Terre+013.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXAWR7LnXf955S7qvOs3TRmV22dhvvnaPBpz8jqsWFj8C-0YNO2mScHm0c_g9m7odzHwr8vZBjoVlMJPCLPQ0lImDl7VGly_2dcSVkrWppV8ZqOpCsntbpDb53_N2XZ-27HNs8OvRJZgg/s320/Cinque+Terre+013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388460592219714130" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYPyPpLTvSi8TnBJBIVLnBXxMHxNIS8md8dUmqkRCVONJnBT7gwmYD8IGRMAXDGRiqxY41xQHmiKyBUI10Sgt8kvdOhYcYi5Zqs9Qr3ovCObeYf3vzuno5SBED6NS4o_d76SazeflVZRE/s1600-h/Cinque+Terre+011.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYPyPpLTvSi8TnBJBIVLnBXxMHxNIS8md8dUmqkRCVONJnBT7gwmYD8IGRMAXDGRiqxY41xQHmiKyBUI10Sgt8kvdOhYcYi5Zqs9Qr3ovCObeYf3vzuno5SBED6NS4o_d76SazeflVZRE/s320/Cinque+Terre+011.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388460577402275890" border="0" /></a>Two views of the Villages<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDW6Sf2KImGUf0u2CFunCL724m8u3WrQQO22QHEyOaf_idbERiwH7nZXC7e4OkqyXEG4f56RBQRB5aV3HRwueWTp7k8Z2RnurCKAYIqeF3mXahXG-CZ5QDBzVXPfXefRAlLe6nXjZqUw/s1600-h/Cinque+Terre+026.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDW6Sf2KImGUf0u2CFunCL724m8u3WrQQO22QHEyOaf_idbERiwH7nZXC7e4OkqyXEG4f56RBQRB5aV3HRwueWTp7k8Z2RnurCKAYIqeF3mXahXG-CZ5QDBzVXPfXefRAlLe6nXjZqUw/s320/Cinque+Terre+026.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388460595278177010" border="0" /></a>Ferry that carried me home<br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"></div><div id="refHTML"></div>Adrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12048928482457313358noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959353913259501170.post-7771257840457267652009-09-29T23:15:00.003+02:002009-09-30T00:22:17.202+02:00Fiorentina vs. LiverpoolTonight was one of the most exciting sporting events I ever attended. It was a blast, we all had imitation jerseys and scarves, there were at least forty Gonzaga students all siting in one section. It was an exciting match with a lot of close calls that made this game great. Jovetic scored two goals in the first half and that is all that they would need. Liverpool put on the pressure in the second half but they still couldn't score. Final Score 2 - 0, Fiorentina shocks Liverpool.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9GtuEKRajAl_w34OsZF_S_KRcjExOEcOshLdHkgDTM8s6ORSzWza6nRmBCArrqbD0JBR5NkU2r-5XYndBS2W8TI8s9si2s_BCWTMnQiNl9qPuxSOjWpVus2XhtM9UGKYVJ372e07ymcI/s1600-h/Fiorentina+v+Liverpool+003.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9GtuEKRajAl_w34OsZF_S_KRcjExOEcOshLdHkgDTM8s6ORSzWza6nRmBCArrqbD0JBR5NkU2r-5XYndBS2W8TI8s9si2s_BCWTMnQiNl9qPuxSOjWpVus2XhtM9UGKYVJ372e07ymcI/s320/Fiorentina+v+Liverpool+003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387016301473909106" border="0" /></a>Before the game<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoFgkAMxDJQ66iXL5frGA6Y1qT0oUAI-ZiGpGa3jvF-mIqcvZDrHu2qZ6jDOiPBcYiBT4mGt7BM1TrWD-u-ws3h9PDpK7hY1D7h4vYxrZGkyODn9UiJMJEsxlqPbmeQ82zi5h0dnsWU4M/s1600-h/Fiorentina+v+Liverpool+008.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoFgkAMxDJQ66iXL5frGA6Y1qT0oUAI-ZiGpGa3jvF-mIqcvZDrHu2qZ6jDOiPBcYiBT4mGt7BM1TrWD-u-ws3h9PDpK7hY1D7h4vYxrZGkyODn9UiJMJEsxlqPbmeQ82zi5h0dnsWU4M/s320/Fiorentina+v+Liverpool+008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387016307951360866" border="0" /></a>Kepfer, Doty, and Norris<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQcwWLBETttZ8VLhxPIyK6bVUfeZ5ZGj3l5v30npuPJHWUyPacVy50VtZxxUNTvu3wB6y8Gua9wk4qv19rDI1N5SPychS82ZXlhziQ8vAYZZkl0f8fnBaSGtj4H6h4drQ3bZCxS3QfLmI/s1600-h/Fiorentina+v+Liverpool+010.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQcwWLBETttZ8VLhxPIyK6bVUfeZ5ZGj3l5v30npuPJHWUyPacVy50VtZxxUNTvu3wB6y8Gua9wk4qv19rDI1N5SPychS82ZXlhziQ8vAYZZkl0f8fnBaSGtj4H6h4drQ3bZCxS3QfLmI/s320/Fiorentina+v+Liverpool+010.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387016320622098946" border="0" /></a>Me and Tim<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_nYvQP5ndiR_5FRaqi1LlXBi3VJ1NjjZAjdv1J-Fbqg6Is30p_CMqNTF9fX3kiCojwhm8-sklnw30QXtueJmHNpwbWITWlg88ZFX6oq6GJUjFI0MlZQuApnBoUAINiZ0btjDvPUtqCoo/s1600-h/Fiorentina+v+Liverpool+016.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_nYvQP5ndiR_5FRaqi1LlXBi3VJ1NjjZAjdv1J-Fbqg6Is30p_CMqNTF9fX3kiCojwhm8-sklnw30QXtueJmHNpwbWITWlg88ZFX6oq6GJUjFI0MlZQuApnBoUAINiZ0btjDvPUtqCoo/s320/Fiorentina+v+Liverpool+016.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387016328678775458" border="0" /></a>Final Score<br /></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Adrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12048928482457313358noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959353913259501170.post-47901017890613019962009-09-27T16:08:00.005+02:002009-09-27T22:48:35.754+02:00Weekend FunFor my first weekend in Florence I kept a pretty open schedule. I caught up on most television programs that I would be missing. I found a site that allows me to watch them even though I am outside of North America, I will not reveal their address because if they went down I wouldn't know what to do with myself. Thursday was the night of the Ferarris. Friday started with a search for knock off jerseys for the football match on Tuesday and I spent the afternoon reading economics. We went to the Ponte Vecchio to go out for dinner and, believe it or not, I had my first plate of Spaghetti Ragu (spaghetti with meat sauce) it was tasty but the sauce was a lot thinner than I am used to. We spent the evening watching movies and TV shows that we were missing from home. Saturday was a day for homework and a night for clubbing, we were headed to Disco Space Electronica. It was to be an epic evening. we left for the club around 11:20 and arrived early, apparently the dance floor didn't open to midnight. We left around one because one of my roommates didn't like the guy to girl ratio, I thought that it was fine but I wasn't gonna let him leave on his own. Sunday has been for sleeping, eating, messing around, and doing homework; and watching the stats of the Seahawks game.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7b7iT2tlB05y9aEawmw0rqmC6xckkGTHu0_2LFOwBnXPNCtHoscz-OvuJ9dD4oCwYcXxbztkKbnDk98mozL1lUFkaAJjNnjmhas2EzYA86uBEZ5Gw6YoRiSPC6YqRBNje7PJc59UGf5M/s1600-h/jersey+004.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7b7iT2tlB05y9aEawmw0rqmC6xckkGTHu0_2LFOwBnXPNCtHoscz-OvuJ9dD4oCwYcXxbztkKbnDk98mozL1lUFkaAJjNnjmhas2EzYA86uBEZ5Gw6YoRiSPC6YqRBNje7PJc59UGf5M/s320/jersey+004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386250642717276066" border="0" /></a>Knockoff Jersey<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkqU1T5pxKj7xwLZGYsyEXzEjJOHWGc_g33rESv789mlmurOD6dPBIfKoONu3iYuPImJmkNfqlUfI-Y0Dker8Q29XFnR40_9cAtIKfr-iWuSKYrlaUx-Tk8H45_RzPGs9dcHl3b8xSgc/s1600-h/Duomo+001.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkqU1T5pxKj7xwLZGYsyEXzEjJOHWGc_g33rESv789mlmurOD6dPBIfKoONu3iYuPImJmkNfqlUfI-Y0Dker8Q29XFnR40_9cAtIKfr-iWuSKYrlaUx-Tk8H45_RzPGs9dcHl3b8xSgc/s320/Duomo+001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386250627153334818" border="0" /></a>Duomo<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpnwziP6_tcvMd2LX4ATK2nr-Ei2cQQO6qbCOIzLI-wEFZma7IBG3FTBKt9R88g073mZO2TcOlagKJC3NujHqzSWFYWMmGlrpYmHyGLiIWXjeI3MS2_-E3wdmBZzLNNRWQpmuHLJUtDEQ/s1600-h/Duomo+002.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpnwziP6_tcvMd2LX4ATK2nr-Ei2cQQO6qbCOIzLI-wEFZma7IBG3FTBKt9R88g073mZO2TcOlagKJC3NujHqzSWFYWMmGlrpYmHyGLiIWXjeI3MS2_-E3wdmBZzLNNRWQpmuHLJUtDEQ/s320/Duomo+002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386250637838855138" border="0" /></a>Castle with Clocktower<br /><br /><br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"></div><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Adrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12048928482457313358noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959353913259501170.post-38539582277504282612009-09-24T21:01:00.005+02:002009-09-25T23:31:53.806+02:00The Night of the Ferarris in FlorenceKepfer, one of my roommates went to help at a halfway house and discovered something amazing, there was an entire street blocked off and filled with beautiful Ferarris parked on red carpet. He came back to the pesione and told us about the cars. It was dinner time so we went out for food first. We went to the kabob place by the Duomo, I realize it seems irrational to be in Italy and eating food from Turkey, but they were delicious. From there we went to the Ferarris, we got there just in time, they had started to clean up but I hurried and took as many pictures as I could.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRYtS9jUmmv6_HL1s4TbMnIp6qmb9A3LXcfHZYk064aGVP9mtWQCuqbe9mLb4RLYxfXzIBV42h45BFtMgb0mUASt3oQt9UlOFwqFmu_xm5ufdIJCEy0-5Y4URL7P-GviFr-fy1xIlmero/s1600-h/Ferarri+004.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRYtS9jUmmv6_HL1s4TbMnIp6qmb9A3LXcfHZYk064aGVP9mtWQCuqbe9mLb4RLYxfXzIBV42h45BFtMgb0mUASt3oQt9UlOFwqFmu_xm5ufdIJCEy0-5Y4URL7P-GviFr-fy1xIlmero/s320/Ferarri+004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385120544929510962" border="0" /></a>Me in front of a Ferarri<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWhABdgMCq43VLzIomILMtEUnOunTpqsiLA_tfOgBXIH5ezYVHx_WcUgHUIfcarhAE4h9eyUqI6HU9zDjDo5x_JvGSR3NTIvj5wNwGRYatym3XqJw19rldT2jbJlL6nMibP6QOhJjrs1s/s1600-h/Ferarri+006.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWhABdgMCq43VLzIomILMtEUnOunTpqsiLA_tfOgBXIH5ezYVHx_WcUgHUIfcarhAE4h9eyUqI6HU9zDjDo5x_JvGSR3NTIvj5wNwGRYatym3XqJw19rldT2jbJlL6nMibP6QOhJjrs1s/s320/Ferarri+006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385120549265593442" border="0" /></a>Kepfer in front of a Ferarri<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3q4HLHCZhVFUAgk0qfwLlraVQFeVv9nRTZV9kUk_bqjOup99cuJ5ZTZwALwBkdZfV0vUbBMONfhFIInBOhldixgUYVOWGnF-yv_8Gbgx8JOM2YI98vo9yh3ZJiMeXue5q_rMvixO_S4/s1600-h/Ferarri+012.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3q4HLHCZhVFUAgk0qfwLlraVQFeVv9nRTZV9kUk_bqjOup99cuJ5ZTZwALwBkdZfV0vUbBMONfhFIInBOhldixgUYVOWGnF-yv_8Gbgx8JOM2YI98vo9yh3ZJiMeXue5q_rMvixO_S4/s320/Ferarri+012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385120567817421314" border="0" /></a>Ferarri roadster<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjngWC_T503gu3JjPhJE4i1edhDyxQVRBGULMSqYKvLBKYMgkzvwT0RV4it8yqUnNrbvjQfFa-AGBTqKecDgjX13nSwBTXEXhcusVxAkBLv7Vs26dSDa6q9tme2LMGxCZfuFStVCVMpxno/s1600-h/Ferarri+001.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjngWC_T503gu3JjPhJE4i1edhDyxQVRBGULMSqYKvLBKYMgkzvwT0RV4it8yqUnNrbvjQfFa-AGBTqKecDgjX13nSwBTXEXhcusVxAkBLv7Vs26dSDa6q9tme2LMGxCZfuFStVCVMpxno/s320/Ferarri+001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385120555508287154" border="0" /></a>Ferarri that will be racing this weekend<br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"></div><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Adrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12048928482457313358noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959353913259501170.post-72912612772599421762009-09-23T20:10:00.004+02:002009-09-25T23:31:21.831+02:00First Week in FlorenceWell I've been in Florence for a week. It has been a busy one with with classes starting last Thursday. As of now I am enrolled in Ethics, Marketing, Operations, Italian, and a class on the global economy. It is a tough schedule on Mondays but on all other days its pretty light, on Wednesdays I only have Italian class. We don't have class on Fridays, so we had an orientation of sorts last Friday and we took our group picture. We used a tourist laundry service when we first arrived, 6 Euro for every 5 Kg of clothes and 24 hours later you had fresh clothes, it felt amazing to finally have clean clothes. Florence is beautiful and I haven't even seen that much of it. I have been by the Duomo at least half a dozen times, never in the daylight so I have yet to take a good picture. Saturday and Sunday we had a basketball tournament against the Italians, I shot around but didn't actually participate in the games. Over the weekend we had to feed ourselves so we discovered Il Panda, a Chinese takeout place not to far from our pesione, its not great tasting but it is cheap. Today we bought tickets to see Fiorentina verses Liverpool for next Tuesday, I can't wait! I don't have a lot of pictures to show for my first week in Florence but I am hoping to change that after this weekend, which for me starts tomorrow at two.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqC76-GMycy6XBYZYXe9bU6VBrJCYM8qbS9H6FfB5fSUVGTiGn5Y4A1wXrMh29I3y6r4FA62GVTMQ3527BBDG08Cp6N9cqyStmImmt_AJ9zGxBPYpLNN1EGNuLnpPSUPMeXOsS8FG6cFI/s1600-h/Florence+105.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqC76-GMycy6XBYZYXe9bU6VBrJCYM8qbS9H6FfB5fSUVGTiGn5Y4A1wXrMh29I3y6r4FA62GVTMQ3527BBDG08Cp6N9cqyStmImmt_AJ9zGxBPYpLNN1EGNuLnpPSUPMeXOsS8FG6cFI/s320/Florence+105.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384754363492416978" border="0" /></a>My room in the pesione<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9yP_WTf5v9gSh45atb1NL5D4pT6_I1kgWyZHp8Sh9izzNPHkGRf5oPHXRvf6VaJl-hMssFDicmhSKO33KI1SYIQpD5KfzeszNs5NmMvmmWlcx5IWwwIiJFlxfdWTp5NDCf0PNwQFV3Xw/s1600-h/Florence+104.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9yP_WTf5v9gSh45atb1NL5D4pT6_I1kgWyZHp8Sh9izzNPHkGRf5oPHXRvf6VaJl-hMssFDicmhSKO33KI1SYIQpD5KfzeszNs5NmMvmmWlcx5IWwwIiJFlxfdWTp5NDCf0PNwQFV3Xw/s320/Florence+104.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384754351144445970" border="0" /></a>My bed<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfcRsZh6y0ciGGTHc-7cgqYwRPqOOf65eiwABo-2PNJzXlQFhXDqOuuZSWJfISPkk2lADrRto3aBIXa7hn-u3zTPmGOUmgr2Jur1FP6-OQFyKsbigpqF0STA-Yv57XpIeI-gjhg-2GaMI/s1600-h/Basketball+087.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfcRsZh6y0ciGGTHc-7cgqYwRPqOOf65eiwABo-2PNJzXlQFhXDqOuuZSWJfISPkk2lADrRto3aBIXa7hn-u3zTPmGOUmgr2Jur1FP6-OQFyKsbigpqF0STA-Yv57XpIeI-gjhg-2GaMI/s320/Basketball+087.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384754342886714258" border="0" /></a>All of the basketball players<br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"></div><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Adrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12048928482457313358noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959353913259501170.post-80557834906506105472009-09-22T12:52:00.005+02:002009-09-22T22:48:23.142+02:00The Opening Trip - AcirealeThe next stop on our opening tour was Acireale, our last stop before we headed to Florence. Our first stop was Piazza Armerina for a guided tour of Villa Romana del Casale. The Villa Romana del Casale is an ancient villa that was built probably by a local Roman ruler at the time. It is famous for the beautiful mosaics that cover the floors of the entire villa.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Jq71GpZIJPg2C6URO1DyhgVuYNdLMotrhG30ZoF0JmgLGPdSlx04ugAKc-FMZG2cP1Ax3RjJM8IAG1o75UWcpBDFWukVeEfGMZiku8FzvevptGwm7Bq4VWSS51850JF7NkIwNGRDcAw/s1600-h/Opening+Trip+048.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Jq71GpZIJPg2C6URO1DyhgVuYNdLMotrhG30ZoF0JmgLGPdSlx04ugAKc-FMZG2cP1Ax3RjJM8IAG1o75UWcpBDFWukVeEfGMZiku8FzvevptGwm7Bq4VWSS51850JF7NkIwNGRDcAw/s320/Opening+Trip+048.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384394206969947554" border="0" /></a>Beautiful Mosaic<br /></div><br />After that it was time for a quick stop for lunch in a small town on the way to the hotel, but we were there on a Sunday so we could couldn't find anything to eat. We had to hike to find to restaurants that would be open on a Sunday, we finally found a place that had pizza and then we got gelato.<br /><br />After lunch it was straight to the hotel, it was quite a drive but it was worth it because this hotel was amazing. It was one of the nicest hotels that I have ever stayed in. It was on the beach It has an Infinity pool and every Sunday it had a dance party by the bar, and since we all wanted to watch football they had another dance party on Wednesday night. The best part of the hotel was that some of our rooms came with SKY cable, on a Sunday night it was great to watch football. After a week of being away from home it was a great respite from all of the different things that I enjoyed about visiting Italy.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb6bWkQAw1iGxvnp52dLV6RaVu6z5Ap7s3dZJkFrCBuVoKf3mFhI9ROCHY761r8cJWUjLXJA0LBWNxO4kMeqQsMmUTQJAIgcB1bOg0CSh8roEipeRuXYRVLWiYG5risuKzsZLzho8QKuM/s1600-h/Opening+Trip+054.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb6bWkQAw1iGxvnp52dLV6RaVu6z5Ap7s3dZJkFrCBuVoKf3mFhI9ROCHY761r8cJWUjLXJA0LBWNxO4kMeqQsMmUTQJAIgcB1bOg0CSh8roEipeRuXYRVLWiYG5risuKzsZLzho8QKuM/s320/Opening+Trip+054.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384394218306101730" border="0" /></a>Infinity pool overlooking the Mediterainian<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaIbSMS-zkIHUG82yK-XyzueefMpo8c1e5WD-anIpE8SjJPTzi_AQkCJpJk3t6v05UVCLKPSN9ZvNQJIN0sLIhVOis1RWFmQXOVyWz4wQ-F9klcMrOZ8dRFAdGEY2ZWhhyv9VFzdTUpOY/s1600-h/Opening+Trip+050.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaIbSMS-zkIHUG82yK-XyzueefMpo8c1e5WD-anIpE8SjJPTzi_AQkCJpJk3t6v05UVCLKPSN9ZvNQJIN0sLIhVOis1RWFmQXOVyWz4wQ-F9klcMrOZ8dRFAdGEY2ZWhhyv9VFzdTUpOY/s320/Opening+Trip+050.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384394207742126978" border="0" /></a>Gecko in my room :)<br /></div><br />On Monday we went to Mount Etna the largest active volcano in Europe. It is currently building up towards another eruption. While we were there we hiked around the mountain and learned about volcanoes. Our guide was a vulcanologist, he explained that there are two kinds of lava, smooth and rough. He explained that Etna had rough lava, which is called <span class="mw-headline" id=".CA.BBA.CA.BB.C4.81"><span class="okina" style="font-family:Lucida Sans Unicode,sans-serif;">ʻ</span>A<span class="okina" style="font-family:Lucida Sans Unicode,sans-serif;">ʻ</span>ā by the Hawaiians and scientists who followed their lead. As we left Etna we stopped at a small town called Randazzo, all the buildings were constructed with stones that were created by lava. We spent the afternoon in the town of Taormina, which is known as the Pearl of Sicily, it was a beautiful city, but it seems like it has become a little to commercialized to be the true Pearl of Sicily. While I was there I had one of the the most amazing thing ever, cannoli, one of the most famous desserts of Sicily. It was so delicious I cannot even describe it to you. Cannoli consist of a pastry shell filled with ricotta cheese with bits of chocolate, pistachios, and candied fruit peel... mmm, I might just have to go buy one right now. We had dinner at a restaurant near the hotel, it was fine. It is hard to feed 160 people a gourmet meal all at once, and this small restaurant did there best.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikp31rZByvXeiH2QCNTcwGRrBQZF8pV4noZ2ciMkptcDvvBSl7XWOa88g8iPQjgHy6HzfvXzf9cdFyowos7O1ZfbhvT25NeFmQgHnsxgNA3VofEWVK_BnvVZZpUqC71CpH-QVTIAmcdyI/s1600-h/Opening+Trip+064.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikp31rZByvXeiH2QCNTcwGRrBQZF8pV4noZ2ciMkptcDvvBSl7XWOa88g8iPQjgHy6HzfvXzf9cdFyowos7O1ZfbhvT25NeFmQgHnsxgNA3VofEWVK_BnvVZZpUqC71CpH-QVTIAmcdyI/s320/Opening+Trip+064.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384394226283564146" border="0" /></a>Our guide on Mount Etna<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSMqCKb4CIycgWqbOkyketNxUg1bmrYbfU7Mi0iLLO-T1K1yKhks5CNxnuGstQjUjy97b1fjZVVCIXm12PT369rkcjgiS38Sw3GNCSpa_7Yb5nlpG_WI0mj-kzXqhBf2nweVNDxVlGjGE/s1600-h/Cannoli-765w.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSMqCKb4CIycgWqbOkyketNxUg1bmrYbfU7Mi0iLLO-T1K1yKhks5CNxnuGstQjUjy97b1fjZVVCIXm12PT369rkcjgiS38Sw3GNCSpa_7Yb5nlpG_WI0mj-kzXqhBf2nweVNDxVlGjGE/s320/Cannoli-765w.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384396030383559490" border="0" /></a>Canolli... mmm :)<br /></div><span class="mw-headline" id=".CA.BBA.CA.BB.C4.81"><br />The last day before we left for the Florence we went to the city of Siracusa. We were taken on a tour of the archaeological sites around the city. We started by a sight where the Greeks had a quarry that is now known for its acoustic characteristics. From there we walked to the Greek amphitheater, it is the third largest amphitheater in the world, although it no longer looks quite as grand because the Romans took any stone that was movable when they were constructing their own structures. After that we went to the Roman arena that was constructed after the Greeks left. We went down to the waterfront for a brief tour and some lunch, we found out that the city was built where it is for two reasons. First, there is an easily protected harbor. Second, there is a fresh water spring right near the harbor. Both of these reasons made Siracusa into one of the most powerful Greek city states. We had a buffet dinner at the hotel followed by a dance but I called it an early night because we had to get up so early the next morning to catch the plane to Florence.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqigxluR7S4iBdJPdM50SPfxn0qJ6Z4XiWrllsVLoUG6YbqIZ2Ikc1gH6bRxSz0-BPuhuCgbrU1QPtvVM6j39qLLtsC0qGSWV04NXZUJh6Nrf8MiATpgcC1VdVuu4b8XTFooQgWDecDpM/s1600-h/Opening+Trip+074.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqigxluR7S4iBdJPdM50SPfxn0qJ6Z4XiWrllsVLoUG6YbqIZ2Ikc1gH6bRxSz0-BPuhuCgbrU1QPtvVM6j39qLLtsC0qGSWV04NXZUJh6Nrf8MiATpgcC1VdVuu4b8XTFooQgWDecDpM/s320/Opening+Trip+074.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384394235729210658" border="0" /></a>Greek Amphitheater<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAcsSwuMXlY0eOAhr17D_gn1pMZMyh-Pj1Rj5lHauTqs6wCAcLd6aaGDAB-8-LCvof1i1LSQYr0TCdUO9iebNhbp7_v5BlO1n4g2d_YjUX0ssw0xl3zIsN3ezw1OVZl0FbtslwBsD9JEs/s1600-h/Opening+Trip+076.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAcsSwuMXlY0eOAhr17D_gn1pMZMyh-Pj1Rj5lHauTqs6wCAcLd6aaGDAB-8-LCvof1i1LSQYr0TCdUO9iebNhbp7_v5BlO1n4g2d_YjUX0ssw0xl3zIsN3ezw1OVZl0FbtslwBsD9JEs/s320/Opening+Trip+076.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384396024485393170" border="0" /></a>Roman Arena<br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"></div><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Adrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12048928482457313358noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959353913259501170.post-56003736014238284782009-09-19T09:28:00.023+02:002009-09-21T22:50:12.872+02:00The Opening Trip - AgrigentoThe night before we left Palermo someone made a joke about my facial hair so I asked the only real judges, a group of girls what they thought. One of them said that it reminded them of the game Guess Who when you ask if their person has facial hair... and so now the goatee is no more.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTv-yJoip5ytvyxUydmB3q1f9c87Ypc4JLxDkNV9jY6uAsg03mG01hsgz1dPoDj0PcHdvWH2qYHBWgwAj1kWXgCgaJLYU5CHaGLHysgKV9FY783YZIXgBQn5a9RkeR-HLa7w30_8X4p9E/s1600-h/Opening+Trip+025.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTv-yJoip5ytvyxUydmB3q1f9c87Ypc4JLxDkNV9jY6uAsg03mG01hsgz1dPoDj0PcHdvWH2qYHBWgwAj1kWXgCgaJLYU5CHaGLHysgKV9FY783YZIXgBQn5a9RkeR-HLa7w30_8X4p9E/s320/Opening+Trip+025.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383084736086495570" border="0" /></a>The morning the goatee died :(<br /></div><br />We left Palermo to go on a tour of a thousand temples, not really but it felt like a thousand. I will do my best to accurately describe them but they were quite a blur. The first place we stopped was Segesta to tour one of the longest continuously standing Classic Doric Greek temples in the world, it was built around 500 BC and has been standing ever since, it has had some restorations done to maintain its structural integrity but other than that it has had no work done. While we were there our guide discussed some of the optical corrections that the Greeks used to make the temple look perfect while mathematically correct. Amongst other things they put a slight curve in the floor so that it would look flat from far away and they tilted the outer columns inward to create the illusion that they were standing straight up, if they had put them straight up from a distance it would look as though they were falling out.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;" error="" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Ni7s3Wu-So9T6C4Zdm-gQIkUXTiWhNsdtWA0E_oaQ-ZMbXRoSPmb-n4O1pTI4Qw-68bpJdmj9_gt8-Xm848N3Hk_KTSVM2zMPCjsnlYy8Z7uQEm8HSmh45wWOvkIoUaRD5rDanaJniY/s1600-h/Opening+Trip+026.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Ni7s3Wu-So9T6C4Zdm-gQIkUXTiWhNsdtWA0E_oaQ-ZMbXRoSPmb-n4O1pTI4Qw-68bpJdmj9_gt8-Xm848N3Hk_KTSVM2zMPCjsnlYy8Z7uQEm8HSmh45wWOvkIoUaRD5rDanaJniY/s320/Opening+Trip+026.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383126264703686642" border="0" /></a>Temple at Segesta<br /><br /></div><div style="" error="" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcvH3beMJGHmbaMSR46hcrYkBwhH_RQjvQfh3P_mjbFfY3wKZ22etLr7pI0Mc28lNu5WdOAiSsZRuaqoNhS8fH3QSs5OL0LNcBijbEP3WkhRr_XpRwTaSreNtKQD_Pe9Qv5drsOKhWcOE/s1600-h/Opening+Trip+028.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcvH3beMJGHmbaMSR46hcrYkBwhH_RQjvQfh3P_mjbFfY3wKZ22etLr7pI0Mc28lNu5WdOAiSsZRuaqoNhS8fH3QSs5OL0LNcBijbEP3WkhRr_XpRwTaSreNtKQD_Pe9Qv5drsOKhWcOE/s320/Opening+Trip+028.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383126257482638434" border="0" /></a>The Wolfpack in front of the Temple<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">For lunch we went to the beach, the food was a little disappointing, I tried everything but it just wasn't that good. There was octopus and other seafood, the octopus was both tough and sandy, it would have it been easier to eat if it didn't look like octopus. They had some kind of pizza that was pretty good. There were cannoli at the restaurant but my table was to far down the beach and by the time I got there I was too late... no cannoli for me, yet.<br />For the afternoon we went to Selinunte, the site of an ancient city that was built by the Greeks around the same time as Segesta. Here there were many temples, we saw the temples dedicated to Zeus and Hera. The Temple of Hera was reconstructed and we were allowed to walk through it. the Temple of Zeus was a pile of rubble but it was a huge pile. While we were there we learned about how the Greeks developed some sort of crane system to build their temples. We also learned that there is no marble temples on Sicily, the temples were made out of sandstone or limestone and then given a whitewash.<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM5GtBJ2RwpenBQOcQ5abflkP6Q3RNskbl1DBRFDlMjdTm08H-ST5vIaY5aGZf990AKvfCBOAjsmNuhbHBLTBHnrxpj9OmYCXhPovgOtKjDclsaistMHOPtzV1WA__h7NUFEx-dDlJoGQ/s1600-h/Opening+Trip+029.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM5GtBJ2RwpenBQOcQ5abflkP6Q3RNskbl1DBRFDlMjdTm08H-ST5vIaY5aGZf990AKvfCBOAjsmNuhbHBLTBHnrxpj9OmYCXhPovgOtKjDclsaistMHOPtzV1WA__h7NUFEx-dDlJoGQ/s320/Opening+Trip+029.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383084741156810658" border="0" /></a>Temple of Hera (Reconstructed)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Dinner that night was amazing. It was a salad course, a pasta course, a main course, and a dessert. The dessert was a very tart lime gelato with a strawberry syrup, it was amazing, I had two servings. More of the same for breakfast the next morning, then it was off to the temples.<br /><br />We went to the Valle dei Templi with its many temples and other anchient structures. This tour was very interesting. The temples were built on the hills surrounding an anchient city. We saw the temples of Zeus, Hera, and Hurcules. The temple of Hurcules had been fully restored by a wealthy business man many years ago. The Temple for Zeus is the third largest temple ruins in the world. There was also evidence of the early Christians in the former city wall and in the surrounding stone structures.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ8dK_42oOpV6XpoeHROZJK94zmR_5uwB3LlxGe2kbZVRhdMaDgjIcRjg40kP2RBHNxEvrYT2SQjAHaMJi3aUHokoN2S02nnfcliDwMTmV_tl9Y6wyIB881gOgi9m9XAbh8tU1zuk-07w/s1600-h/Opening+Trip+035.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ8dK_42oOpV6XpoeHROZJK94zmR_5uwB3LlxGe2kbZVRhdMaDgjIcRjg40kP2RBHNxEvrYT2SQjAHaMJi3aUHokoN2S02nnfcliDwMTmV_tl9Y6wyIB881gOgi9m9XAbh8tU1zuk-07w/s320/Opening+Trip+035.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383120771123450930" border="0" /></a>The Christian grave sites near the city wall<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZsSj0e_gEc8-jJPph2h4rRlOAg15AWhrTuE0MWVLYFW0JUrMJpcWXbUb0xMsR1bp2SFyxZf24RT3dvUsKratwsTvRYdmXSReG6LGqYE6bO8Q-5paY3Q8GOg9I_qPtLa-z3I-sDS71WWE/s1600-h/Opening+Trip+037.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZsSj0e_gEc8-jJPph2h4rRlOAg15AWhrTuE0MWVLYFW0JUrMJpcWXbUb0xMsR1bp2SFyxZf24RT3dvUsKratwsTvRYdmXSReG6LGqYE6bO8Q-5paY3Q8GOg9I_qPtLa-z3I-sDS71WWE/s320/Opening+Trip+037.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383120763901137346" border="0" /></a>Friends in the most holy section of one of the temples<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQhdqsDuGbdQ025DlN_vcFtwuDMJJLxuLj9iXcYv8ghQcPpUqkPzMpN9sOfqORrpm6GWak8GTNNEmTMv_IaTFnXgOI1dMpzxmugwOHw82VDc7Vljdj5HC8xLKy8wbMtV2XrfyEyVnhM8/s1600-h/Opening+Trip+033.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQhdqsDuGbdQ025DlN_vcFtwuDMJJLxuLj9iXcYv8ghQcPpUqkPzMpN9sOfqORrpm6GWak8GTNNEmTMv_IaTFnXgOI1dMpzxmugwOHw82VDc7Vljdj5HC8xLKy8wbMtV2XrfyEyVnhM8/s320/Opening+Trip+033.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383120754763998546" border="0" /></a>Us in front of the temple<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">After the temple we went to the ocean for lunch, I went and purchased my own panini, it was delicious. We stayed at the beach 'til three, swimming, sunning, and having a good time. We had another delicious dinner, it was delicious again. We had swordfish and dessert was some kind of pistachio ice cream cake.<br /></div></div><img src="file:///C:/Users/Adrian/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg" alt="" /><img src="file:///C:/Users/Adrian/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot-1.jpg" alt="" /></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"></div><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Adrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12048928482457313358noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959353913259501170.post-61460074793264077492009-09-18T20:23:00.012+02:002009-09-18T23:10:36.491+02:00The Opening Trip - PalermoThe ferry ride/cruise from Napoli to Palermo was a disappointment to say the least. If you look up the cruise line they show many beautiful boats that have many amenities, the one I was most looking forward to was the disco bar. Our boat may have once looked like the boats pictured on their web site but it has gotten a little older since its last photo, and although there was a disco bar on board, it never opened. It was a place to sleep and for that I am grateful.<br /><br />We arrived in Palermo at 7 AM after sailing all night, I forgot to set my alarm, relying on the ship's wake up call service (mistake), and almost slept through disembarcment. I made it off the boat at with the end of our group. Once arriving in Palermo we went straight to the hotel to check in and have breakfast. Although it came from a self serve coffee machine, this hotel was the site of my first Italian capichino, it was delicious. After breakfast we went on a walking tour of Palermo and the many churches that they are famous for. Their churches are unique because of the many influences that shaped both the inside and outside of the churches. The churches were influenced by the Normans and the Arabs. We went to way to many churches on this tour but it was a lot of fun. We walked by the third largest theater in Europe. We saw the Cathedral of Palermo and the Palentine Chapel and the market.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsYP4V-MMikzbAvowIesEpmYNLZI3uc4kBoeH0ZcjmC5-ODqL2WnwNbl16RGANDylvTY_pf1dhcIljwdSGPWhvBsynWRAk4Bjp5uvgrAjVPR_kUjwtpTgV1I4veHFuHbX2IQh3u2ZjFHw/s1600-h/Opening+Trip+015.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsYP4V-MMikzbAvowIesEpmYNLZI3uc4kBoeH0ZcjmC5-ODqL2WnwNbl16RGANDylvTY_pf1dhcIljwdSGPWhvBsynWRAk4Bjp5uvgrAjVPR_kUjwtpTgV1I4veHFuHbX2IQh3u2ZjFHw/s320/Opening+Trip+015.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382914579566974690" border="0" /></a>Third largest theater in Europe<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxjo6CNv36Yd6qwKvpT_tE7Uplz9luSdc-2ZWcifuMoD7fzi4i1yB097BVRETzxytE_9XjwIPZxTs4otumbNU-kcyhZRX9hm0s3NuVkzqpR6YYSvGrZi88Clp62o54XCqT9d9-uYcdBRo/s1600-h/Opening+Trip+017.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxjo6CNv36Yd6qwKvpT_tE7Uplz9luSdc-2ZWcifuMoD7fzi4i1yB097BVRETzxytE_9XjwIPZxTs4otumbNU-kcyhZRX9hm0s3NuVkzqpR6YYSvGrZi88Clp62o54XCqT9d9-uYcdBRo/s320/Opening+Trip+017.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382914590407540610" border="0" /></a>Town Square<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUyW15FNvgFEHT393yfUgex-m6mX_0qomMncuyJbVM0ZfaKv-L3-E4kbVas-bkCtOr71qwWxBTzQWlN0BcC3jCudn00amXZEcKFMtvYysiL98IgJN3W8xmejH9F_Snsk4dQOHUK6LnGg/s1600-h/Opening+Trip+024.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUyW15FNvgFEHT393yfUgex-m6mX_0qomMncuyJbVM0ZfaKv-L3-E4kbVas-bkCtOr71qwWxBTzQWlN0BcC3jCudn00amXZEcKFMtvYysiL98IgJN3W8xmejH9F_Snsk4dQOHUK6LnGg/s320/Opening+Trip+024.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382914605265247698" border="0" /></a>Cathedral of Palermo<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAvo9_HIWZ7kMXSnCWOc8qCGsM_CLIMrlP0amgpi5rk_5FMUFe4c2RpWvvy8LnxT3gj8rw8SJ1xMGFIRu6LUSdT53F4ZsLnGauBrOCLnuxYauITRhpPbU7XRLy4Q5ExXdrhE7n7VZXDSI/s1600-h/Opening+Trip+022.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAvo9_HIWZ7kMXSnCWOc8qCGsM_CLIMrlP0amgpi5rk_5FMUFe4c2RpWvvy8LnxT3gj8rw8SJ1xMGFIRu6LUSdT53F4ZsLnGauBrOCLnuxYauITRhpPbU7XRLy4Q5ExXdrhE7n7VZXDSI/s320/Opening+Trip+022.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382917715266523762" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_G4LpgdTgaJd3rXPT8SpnXV4_B1_1TNfXbeoaypak0fDKuLjWtMsWmbfmLfckhChbZQyhRUyZPp0fklL8r1AmgI2RPEEKc2VgvaeIq0gRIkVTAmmz08KcY4GY6DucaSWmHp-OOgSo3c/s1600-h/Opening+Trip+022.JPG"></a>Inside of the Palantine Chapel<br /></div><br />The first night in Palermo we had pick our roommates, it was easy for me because we had the roommate situation planned out since we all signed up to go. We didn't eat dinner at the hotel, our original plan was to eat at six at a restaurant and at nine at the hotel, but nothing was open 'til seven or later. We ate at a pizzeria that served some of the best pizza I've thus far, their house wine was not half bad so we sat, ate slowly and enjoyed our wine, we didn't leave until at least nine.<br /><br />The next day we went to the Capuchin Catacombs, they didn't allow photos, which is to everyone's benefit. It was interesting to learn about but disgusting to see. The catacombs is not true catacombs, it is simply an underground cemetery that was used by the wealthy of Palermo. There were many monks and bishops that are kept there, the is a special guest of the catacombs, the daughter of a wealthy business man who died long after it was allowed to be used but the business man got special permission to entomb his daughter in the catacombs, to this day she is almost perfectly preserved. In the afternoon, we went to a nature reserve that is known for its plants, but more for the many kinds of birds that call it home. It was an interesting hike, but the only bird we saw was a seagull. We hiked down to a beach that everyone enjoyed... until it started to rain. It poured for at least twenty minutes and there wasn't any shelter nearby. I got soaked.<br /><br />We went walking to find someplace to eat dinner, apparently we hadn't missed much the night before at dinner, we ended up at the same pizzeria, it was too good to pass up even for a second night in a row. A group of us went out for drinks after dinner and we ended up sitting at a table with a group of Italians until midnight, the language barrier was not a problem, it was a fun night.<br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Adrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12048928482457313358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959353913259501170.post-63013842506123518042009-09-18T13:50:00.019+02:002009-09-18T18:11:05.352+02:00The Opening Trip - RomeThe opening trip began on Monday September 7th when I landed in the Rome airport, all of my friends landed at different times so we ended up at different hotels. After landing we met Father Brian at our hotel, he took us on a walking tour of Rome. Our hotel was near Vatican City, which was where we began our tour. It was a lot of walking but we saw a lot of interesting locations, including his personal favorite place to get gelato. After the Vatican we walked passed the Castel Sant' Angelo, which is used in the recent movie "Angels & Demons". From their we crossed the bridge to Piazza Navona, which was the site of ancient chariot races, it is surrounded by bars and restauraunts. From the piazza it was a short walk to the Pantheon, which is famous for its large dome with an opening in the center of the roof. It wasn't much further to the real destination for me, the gelateria. I got peach, or pesca, in honnor of the episode of "Everybody loves Raymond" when the family goes to Italy and Robert gets a peach gelato and declares, "It's like I've never tasted a peach before." It realy was that good! after that we returned to our hotel to rest up before dinner.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0rm6e7r8_-hLhu4h42LcuDbfcOf6WJzOZzfDgR3dBqwBQ-Pujkjz2sZ5ZA-Lh6MTuyTgsqmFWrpTL6en-52WTnk3U_F692FJ_ckVjeIfWhZ8r5yULQDXrzlVV370W8q2PgzrPYYy76Fk/s1600-h/Opening+Trip+001.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0rm6e7r8_-hLhu4h42LcuDbfcOf6WJzOZzfDgR3dBqwBQ-Pujkjz2sZ5ZA-Lh6MTuyTgsqmFWrpTL6en-52WTnk3U_F692FJ_ckVjeIfWhZ8r5yULQDXrzlVV370W8q2PgzrPYYy76Fk/s320/Opening+Trip+001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382831547555903746" border="0" /></a>Vatican City<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikaq5GCbjLSp0hELPHFCISJwqeWAXJgksFKvmRtJpyVWWtdEAERjTrX-zHuHEmngsO0KM7Ta2pwNaPbKFGHbAItcxfD_cJq1hcf_ltg5OsHtr64v8zP6Ye9i5QCKeFFGST6Ez2A8gDnSo/s1600-h/Opening+Trip+003.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikaq5GCbjLSp0hELPHFCISJwqeWAXJgksFKvmRtJpyVWWtdEAERjTrX-zHuHEmngsO0KM7Ta2pwNaPbKFGHbAItcxfD_cJq1hcf_ltg5OsHtr64v8zP6Ye9i5QCKeFFGST6Ez2A8gDnSo/s320/Opening+Trip+003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382831536642449026" border="0" /></a>Pantheon<br /></div><br />I took a catnap in the lobby while I read a book and waited for others to go to dinner. We went out around eight in a group of about thirty or more students. there were to many of us to get dinner anywhere so we split up. Twelve of us ended up near Piazza Navona and sat down for dinner, I had a four cheese pizza with a pesto sauce, it was delicious. From there we went through the piazza to Campo de Fiori, which is the place to go for the night scene. I didn't stay there to long because it was quite a walk back to the hotel and I hand't slept in forever.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGtvpxQrGeW5UE9go86QEBX8Wgx_LFKWjr2WJ15zqE0ZdJx1SD8UxS_sLKNY0q2n9hebfB2w_hmETy-8F10CGz4UvNYc3EI_w46sNyAZ-llFNO2JF463CgF4UQefvK6jYilWzKt-xKCn0/s1600-h/Opening+Trip+006.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGtvpxQrGeW5UE9go86QEBX8Wgx_LFKWjr2WJ15zqE0ZdJx1SD8UxS_sLKNY0q2n9hebfB2w_hmETy-8F10CGz4UvNYc3EI_w46sNyAZ-llFNO2JF463CgF4UQefvK6jYilWzKt-xKCn0/s320/Opening+Trip+006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382833220685226850" border="0" /></a>Four Cheese Pizza<br /></div><br />The next morning was the tour of the church of Saint Ignacious of Loyola, who Gonzaga was named after. The inside of the church is amazing because the roof is painted in such a way that gives the illusion of a high arched ceiling but actually it is just created by the tecniques the artist used, he was a Jesuit painter at the time that the church was built. Then we went to the Jesuit house in Rome, just down the block from the church, the roof has a great view of Rome and the church. After we left the Jesuit house, we went to get lunch, I walked back towards the hotel with some others from our group and found a pizza bar near the Vatican to eat at, while we ate we fed the pigions and watched them fight for the crumbs. After lunch we got on the bus to go to Napoli to catch the ferry down to Palermo on the isle of Sicily.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdWnl9ALfSvyn44XMBJyGbdds9WfKh3cUjkyeOh6V_7icVBUB_sUxM4pR6P8h411m30q4aBlDX-cIwZxGUAV6ltjkaDoodgaOFZG1Xxzz2B0inR5iejVHoh9yBif1LMvF3D_eXfl1zBxE/s1600-h/Opening+Trip+014.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdWnl9ALfSvyn44XMBJyGbdds9WfKh3cUjkyeOh6V_7icVBUB_sUxM4pR6P8h411m30q4aBlDX-cIwZxGUAV6ltjkaDoodgaOFZG1Xxzz2B0inR5iejVHoh9yBif1LMvF3D_eXfl1zBxE/s320/Opening+Trip+014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382830405525559490" border="0" /></a>Cathedral of St. Ignacious of Loyola<br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"></div><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Adrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12048928482457313358noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959353913259501170.post-66375104652042118022009-09-16T16:11:00.000+02:002009-09-16T16:46:56.995+02:00Just ArrivedI just arrived in Florence. It was a long trip from Sicily to Florence. We started getting wake-up calls at five this morning, breakfast was at six, we loaded the buses half an hour after that. Then we waited for almost an hour while the staff found all the stragglers. We then had an hour long bus ride to the airport, followed by a two hour flight to Bologna. from Bologna it was just an hour further to Florence. We just moved into our pesione which is similar to a hotel. Over the next few posts I will describe the opening trip and post pictures.Adrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12048928482457313358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959353913259501170.post-44843510672174343512009-08-25T00:05:00.000+02:002009-08-25T01:04:56.781+02:00My First PostI always thought that blogging would be easier to do than it has been so far. First, I had to find a title that works for me. I want to be clever and some how have it represent who I am. In the end I just went with something vague that could mean anything. I'm blogging now to chronicle my semester abroad in Italy. I leave September 6th to study in Florence for the fall. I will do my best to update this blog as to what is going on while I am there.Adrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12048928482457313358noreply@blogger.com1