This week has been pretty average. Classes were pretty normal this week, and since all of my classes had midterms last week, the professors were going pretty easy on my classes this week.
I had to look at the course schedules for next semester at St. Norbert this week and figure out my life for spring. It shocks me how quickly the time is going here. Looking at class schedules for next semester already really made it sink in.
There is this weird thing going on in Rome with birds. Every evening around sunset and a little bit after, the birds that are in Rome go crazy. They are right along the river in the trees right by our campus and they fly around in packs and screech forever! They poop all over the place and the sidewalk is COVERED with bird poop! Italians run down that short stretch of the city block and it's like dodging bullets in a war zone trying not to get pooped on. Some of the girls in my classes have resorted to using umbrellas to protect themselves. I just walk really fast, look straight ahead, and haven't gotten pooped on yet! I'm so proud!
I'm starting to make a list of things that I miss from America that my parents will either have to have in the house when I return, or we will have to go and get throughout my Christmas break.
I started working on my History of the Catholic Church paper. It's going well so far. I also got a surprise this week from Uncle Jerry, Aunt Rosie, and Eddie. They sent me a Halloween package o'goodies that completely made my day! I have missed so many of the things they sent me - candy, dark chocolate, honey roasted peanuts, and twizzlers! Love it!
Tomorrow morning, we are headed off to Frankfurt, Germany bright and early. My theme for this weekend is: "The Three Bs - Beer, Bratwurst, and Birkenstocks" We are coming home Sunday night and then have off of school on Monday for All Saint's Day. Nice thing about being in Rome is that Roman holidays coinside with Holy Days in the church. No school? Sounds good to me!
Sooooo excited for Germany!!!! My homeland!!!!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Dad's Visit to Roma - Part 2
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| Dad and Me sporting our SNC pride in the Colosseum |
Sunday, we slept in a little bit but then took the tram and the #40 bus to Santa Susanna for 10:30 AM Mass. It was nice to show Dad where I have been going to church for the past two months. It was nice to be able to show him the church, and not just tell him about it. Mass was beautiful as usual, and ended around 11:30. Dave split off from us and took the #40 bus to go and explore the Vatican while Dad and I took the H line bus back to my neighborhood to go to the open air market. On our way, Dad and I met this younger guy from Seattle. He heard us talking and then asked, "Are you American?" We laughed and said yes and found out that he was just traveling around Europe for a month by himself. He recognized our accents and knew we were from the Midwest. It was pretty funny. Dad liked the open air market. He made a few purchases, as did I and we had a great time. Dad started out his trip here by being nice in crowds of people and politely sneaking past people, but by the time we made it to the market, her was just pushing through people with his shoulders just like me - becoming a true local.
After the market, we went to school and got some pizza for lunch on the way. Dad printed his boarding passes for his plane and then we went to check out Santa Maria in Trastevere - one of the oldest churches in Rome. Again, it was beautiful and had a lot of side altars. Dad and I lit a candle for Grandpa Kasprzak right next to a side altar dedicated to Jesus and the Sacred Heart - perfect! After we explored the church for a while, we walked up to Gianicolo Hill and Dad saw the amazing view of Rome that I always rave about. I showed him the place where Cuyler and I always go to think. Dad loved the view and could tell why I go up there - it is simple awesome! Too neat to describe in words!
After that, we wanted to relax more at the apartment, so we sat on the balcony again. I wrote postcards and Dad and I chatted again. Dave came back to the apartment and picked up his bags. He headed to Termini Train Station to catch his train back to Naples around 7:30 PM. Dad and I went to Casey and Bliss's apartment for dinner around 8:00 PM and ate with them, and their two roommates, Breonna and Kristen. Bliss made chicken and garlic pasta. It was so delicious! Dad and I Skyped with Lauren and Mom around 9:30 PM and then Dad headed back to his hotel to catch some sleep before his plane left in the morning.
Dad came to my apartment around 8:30 AM to get me and the suitcase full of purchased gifts I had already filled up to take home for me. We caught the train to Fuimicino Airport and got there around 9:45. Dad and I said "see you later" in the terminal and I left to go back to the apartment. It was rainy and cloudy yesterday, so I had a lazy day. I was bummed that Dad was gone, but knew that I would see him, Mom, and Lauren soon. I really enjoyed my time with Dad here and thought it was perfect to get a little taste of home halfway through my trip. I was happy to share my experience with Dad - packed trams and all! My time is really starting to fly here and that makes me both happy and sad. I am really trying to soak in all that Rome has to offer and think I'm doing a pretty good job of it! I will be ready to come home when December rolls around, but will miss my life here dearly. This weekend, we are off to Frankfurt, Germany and I have three goals - I call them the "Three Bs" - Beer, Bratwursts, and Birkenstocks!!
Miss you and love you all!
Midterm Week and Dad's Visit To Roma - Part 1
Midterm Week 2010 definitely came through Rome like a giant hurricane! All of us were wiped out, studying like crazy for our midterms. I had all four of my midterms in a span of 27 hours. It was pretty brutal, but I made it through. I had my first midterm for History of Modern Europe on Wednesday afternoon. I spent the whole first part of the week studying, and I felt pretty solid about that one. It wasn't as hard as I expected it to be, but it definitely took me a while to do the people and event identification questions that my professor stuck on the exam.
Thursday morning started out with me waking up a little earlier than usual to take the train to Fiumicino Airport to pick up my Dad!!! When I got there, I walked to Terminal 1 to see if that is where his plane was. No luck, so I asked a nice lady at the information booth where American Airlines flights land? She told me to take the shuttle bus to Terminal 5, so I did. There were a bunch of American couples traveling back home to the USA, and they were all discussing the good food they ate and how interesting Rome was. When I got to Terminal 5, I looked around for arrival screens - no luck. I asked the American Airlines information man where the arrivals were, and he told me that they were in Terminal 2. Oh yet another mix up in Rome! Luckily, I found the arrivals and Dad came through the Customs doors a few minutes after I found the correct terminal. It was so nice to see him and to welcome him to Rome! After I impressed Dad with my Italian skills and bought us two train tickets, we hopped on the train back to my neighborhood. We caught up on the train ride there and luckily Dad had a smooth and easy flight. Once we got to my apartment, we relaxed on the balcony and I got ready to go and conquer my last three midterms. I left the apartment around 11:30 to take the tram to my 12:00 midterm. Dad just relaxed on the balcony after I left. Soon, my roommate, Cuyler, came back and made him and Dad some pasta for lunch. They ate out on the balcony and talked for a long time. Dad really enjoyed meeting Cuyler since he is one of my best friends here. Around 2:00 Dad went over to his hotel and got checked in and settled. I was so wiped after taking my Abnormal Psychology, Italian 101, and History of the Catholic Church midterms all within a span of 6 hours. History of the Catholic Church was by far the hardest midterm because my professor expected us to remember a lot of information and we barely had time to write it all down! I was happy to have midterms checked off of my list and be free to spend the weekend with Dad! Dad came back to my apartment around 7:00 PM and we hung out for a bit with Cuyler before he flew to Barcelona for the weekend. Dad and I met Casey and Bliss for dinner around 8:30 PM and we went to our favorite Pizzeria around the corner. The owner loves, Casey, Bliss, and I, so we knew we had to take Dad there. Immediately after we said, "Buona Sera" she looked at me and asked, "E Papa?" or "Is this Dad?" I said, "Si" and then she proceeded to comment that we looked alike! We had a great dinner that night - Fettucini, Bruschetta, and House Wine! After dinner, Dad and I walked around my neighborhood for a little while and then I took him to the bridge by campus to see the dome of St. Peter's lit up at night. I was quite the sight! By then, it was 11:00 PM and we decided to go to bed since tomorrow was going to be a busy day at the Vatican!
Saturday, we started our day bright and early! We met at my apartment around 8:00 AM and went to a small cafe around the corner. We both got a pastry and a cappuccino for breakfast. Dad's first cappuccino - and he thought it was great! We hopped on the the tram and took that to the end of the line and then took the #40 bus to San Pietro. The bus dropped us off right down the street from the Vatican, so it was perfect! We walked up to St. Peter's Square and seeing the look of awe on Dad's face was amazing! We walked around the wall of Vatican City to get to the Vatican Museums. We had ticket reservations for 9:30 AM, and good thing we did! The line was around the block at 9:10 AM already! We would have been in line ALL DAY for tickets if we hadn't gotten them online! We walked right in and saw the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel! The Museums were okay - a lot of gifts given to Popes from around the world when they visited foreign places, old stamps from Il Poste Vaticane, statues commissioned by Popes, crucifixes, Bibles, Monstrances, all things that belonged to past Popes. The Sistine Chapel was really amazing to see! The paintings and decoration were overwhelming! Unfortunately, there were no photos allowed, so we could only remember the paintings. After that, we went into St. Peter's Square and got in line to go into the Basilica. We went through security and again, Dad was in complete awe! It was so neat to see the Statue of Pope Pius XI and the body of Pope John XXIII under a side altar. While we were in there, there were some dignitaries that came to pay homage to the Blessed Sacrament, so the Swiss Guard walked them through the crowd. That was really neat to see. By this time, Dad and I were pretty hungry, so we went to a restaurant a couple of blocks away from the Vatican. We had bruschetta, ravioli, and two giant Cokes! The bill was a little high - each huge mug of Coke cost 10 Euro! I guess that's what we get for eating two blocks from the Vatican! Haha!!
After our expensive, but filling lunch, we went back to the Basilica and walked downstairs to see the Tombs of the Popes. We saw Pope John Paul II, Pope Pius XI, and many others. Pope John Paul II's tomb is heavily guarded and many people stop to kneel and pray before it. There was a strict silence required down in the tombs and no photos were allowed. We also got to see the front of St. Peter's Tomb through glass. After our tour of the tombs, we went back out to the square because we had some time to kill. So, we found a clean place to sit and just soaked in Rome. Dad caught me up on life back home, and it was a very nice way to spend the time just sitting in St. Peter's Square enjoying family. Around 3:30 PM, we walked over to get our tickets for the Scavi Tour to see the Necropolis and the excavated Tomb of St. Peter. There were 12 of us on the tour including a priest from La Crosse, Wisconsin. Our tour guide was a seminarian studying in Rome from Toledo, Ohio. He was very interesting and talked about the history of the Necropolis and the history of the Basilica dating back to Constantine in 313 AD. We saw many Christian tombs in the Necropolis and eventually made it to the spot where we could see a part of the original monument built to mark St. Peter's Tomb. When we were there, our tour guide talked about the secret exploration of the Necropolis that began in the 1930s. The Vatican kept it a secret so Hitler wouldn't try and get involved. For years, archaeologists worked at night with hand tools to dig out many tombs and see what they could find. Then, in the Christmas message of 1949 from Pope Pius XII, it was announced to faithful Catholics around the world that the Tomb St. Peter had been found. 1950 was a jubilee year in the church, so this was an awesome way to start out the celebration. Our tour continued to the area where we could see another angle of St. Peter's Tomb, and out tour guide continued on with when the archaeologists found bones in the tomb. After testing, the bones were found to be from a young man and a woman - a blow to the search for St. Peter. After many years of retracing steps and putting more clues together, it was determined that St. Peter's bones were placed in a marble lined box hidden in the wall next to his tomb for protection. There is an inscription in Latin in the marble that proclaims, "Peter is within". When we got to this part of the tour, we got to see two of St. Peter's actual bones. We saw part of his jaw bone and part of his tibia bone. The tour guide let us all see the bones and then gave us a moment to pray. He then read a bible passage:
Matthew 16:13-18
"Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, 'Who do people say that the Son of Man is?' And they said, 'Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.' He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' And Jesus said to him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church"
That was one of the most powerful experiences I have had here throughout my time in Rome. It was so awesome to be in this cramped little space right below the altar of St. Peter's Basilica praying and looking at the bones of St. Peter and realize that my whole entire faith life was built off of Jesus Christ who passed his church onto St. Peter. Simple amazing. Needless to say the tour was excellent and really was a great way to end our day at the Vatican. All throughout the day, I was carrying a picture of Grandpa Kasprzak with us. Friday would have been his 96th birthday - the first birthday where he hasn't been with us here on earth. It was really neat to spend his day to honor him at the Vatican - a place Grandpa would have loved to see in his life. Such a great man and a devout Catholic - a true model of faith. Grandpa was with us throughout the day and that night, Dad and I raised a glass of wine to him at dinner after we met up with our friend from St. Matthias who is here on business, Dave L'Empereur.
Thursday morning started out with me waking up a little earlier than usual to take the train to Fiumicino Airport to pick up my Dad!!! When I got there, I walked to Terminal 1 to see if that is where his plane was. No luck, so I asked a nice lady at the information booth where American Airlines flights land? She told me to take the shuttle bus to Terminal 5, so I did. There were a bunch of American couples traveling back home to the USA, and they were all discussing the good food they ate and how interesting Rome was. When I got to Terminal 5, I looked around for arrival screens - no luck. I asked the American Airlines information man where the arrivals were, and he told me that they were in Terminal 2. Oh yet another mix up in Rome! Luckily, I found the arrivals and Dad came through the Customs doors a few minutes after I found the correct terminal. It was so nice to see him and to welcome him to Rome! After I impressed Dad with my Italian skills and bought us two train tickets, we hopped on the train back to my neighborhood. We caught up on the train ride there and luckily Dad had a smooth and easy flight. Once we got to my apartment, we relaxed on the balcony and I got ready to go and conquer my last three midterms. I left the apartment around 11:30 to take the tram to my 12:00 midterm. Dad just relaxed on the balcony after I left. Soon, my roommate, Cuyler, came back and made him and Dad some pasta for lunch. They ate out on the balcony and talked for a long time. Dad really enjoyed meeting Cuyler since he is one of my best friends here. Around 2:00 Dad went over to his hotel and got checked in and settled. I was so wiped after taking my Abnormal Psychology, Italian 101, and History of the Catholic Church midterms all within a span of 6 hours. History of the Catholic Church was by far the hardest midterm because my professor expected us to remember a lot of information and we barely had time to write it all down! I was happy to have midterms checked off of my list and be free to spend the weekend with Dad! Dad came back to my apartment around 7:00 PM and we hung out for a bit with Cuyler before he flew to Barcelona for the weekend. Dad and I met Casey and Bliss for dinner around 8:30 PM and we went to our favorite Pizzeria around the corner. The owner loves, Casey, Bliss, and I, so we knew we had to take Dad there. Immediately after we said, "Buona Sera" she looked at me and asked, "E Papa?" or "Is this Dad?" I said, "Si" and then she proceeded to comment that we looked alike! We had a great dinner that night - Fettucini, Bruschetta, and House Wine! After dinner, Dad and I walked around my neighborhood for a little while and then I took him to the bridge by campus to see the dome of St. Peter's lit up at night. I was quite the sight! By then, it was 11:00 PM and we decided to go to bed since tomorrow was going to be a busy day at the Vatican!
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| Dad and me in St. Peter's Square |
After our expensive, but filling lunch, we went back to the Basilica and walked downstairs to see the Tombs of the Popes. We saw Pope John Paul II, Pope Pius XI, and many others. Pope John Paul II's tomb is heavily guarded and many people stop to kneel and pray before it. There was a strict silence required down in the tombs and no photos were allowed. We also got to see the front of St. Peter's Tomb through glass. After our tour of the tombs, we went back out to the square because we had some time to kill. So, we found a clean place to sit and just soaked in Rome. Dad caught me up on life back home, and it was a very nice way to spend the time just sitting in St. Peter's Square enjoying family. Around 3:30 PM, we walked over to get our tickets for the Scavi Tour to see the Necropolis and the excavated Tomb of St. Peter. There were 12 of us on the tour including a priest from La Crosse, Wisconsin. Our tour guide was a seminarian studying in Rome from Toledo, Ohio. He was very interesting and talked about the history of the Necropolis and the history of the Basilica dating back to Constantine in 313 AD. We saw many Christian tombs in the Necropolis and eventually made it to the spot where we could see a part of the original monument built to mark St. Peter's Tomb. When we were there, our tour guide talked about the secret exploration of the Necropolis that began in the 1930s. The Vatican kept it a secret so Hitler wouldn't try and get involved. For years, archaeologists worked at night with hand tools to dig out many tombs and see what they could find. Then, in the Christmas message of 1949 from Pope Pius XII, it was announced to faithful Catholics around the world that the Tomb St. Peter had been found. 1950 was a jubilee year in the church, so this was an awesome way to start out the celebration. Our tour continued to the area where we could see another angle of St. Peter's Tomb, and out tour guide continued on with when the archaeologists found bones in the tomb. After testing, the bones were found to be from a young man and a woman - a blow to the search for St. Peter. After many years of retracing steps and putting more clues together, it was determined that St. Peter's bones were placed in a marble lined box hidden in the wall next to his tomb for protection. There is an inscription in Latin in the marble that proclaims, "Peter is within". When we got to this part of the tour, we got to see two of St. Peter's actual bones. We saw part of his jaw bone and part of his tibia bone. The tour guide let us all see the bones and then gave us a moment to pray. He then read a bible passage:
Matthew 16:13-18
"Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, 'Who do people say that the Son of Man is?' And they said, 'Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.' He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' And Jesus said to him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church"
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| Wine at dinner in honor of Grandpa Kasprzak's 96th Birthday |
Monday, October 18, 2010
It's All Greek To Me - A Weekend in Athens, Greece
This past weekend, I went to Athens, Greece with Casey, Bliss, and Tynisha. I was disappointed that some of my roommates couldn't make it, but that's life. Our weekend started on Thursday night with us not sure if we were going to be able to make the trip. We read news alerts online that talked of a planned 24 hour strike by Greek air traffic controllers on Sunday. We weren't sure if we would want to take the risk of being stuck in Greece with midterms this week. Later on in the evening, we read news reports saying that the strike had been deemed illegal and air traffic should be normal. Awesome! Let's go to Greece! Opa!
Friday morning, the four of us met outside the apartment at 8:50 AM. We hopped on the FM1 Train to Fiumicino Airport at the station right down the block from our apartment. When we got to the airport at 10:00 AM, there was quite a line for check in, and our flight left at 11:00 AM! There was this young Italian woman and her mother who kept trying to skip us in line. The lady would yell at her mother for walking too slow and eventually just took her bag and carried both of them so she would move faster. I love people watching! After we got our tickets, we rushed to security, which was a total breeze! Not very intimidating like American security at the airport at all. Very casual, laid back, and the security guards talk to you and ask you about your trip. Very fun! We flew Easyjet Airlines and got to the gate right when boarding started. We stood in line and got on the plane very quickly. Our flight had open seating, so I sat by Casey in the row right behind Tynisha and Bliss. I forgot gum on this trip, so my ears had trouble popping on the plane. The plane ride was very smooth and short, and I studies for my History of Modern Europe Midterm most of the way. Our flight took off late, but landed earlier than expected in Athens. Once we collected ourselves after getting off the plane, we prepared ourselves to go through customs. Well, customs was just a door. No passport stamp or anything! We were so disappointed because we all wanted a stamp from Greece. Oh well! There is always a next time!!!
After customs, we walked to buy tram tickets to get into town. The lady who sold them to us spoke broken English and could tell we were like lost puppies in the airport. Her and I talked back and forth and she smiled at my attempts to understand her. We eventually made it down to the correct platform and got on the tram. I immediately began looking for our stop on the route map and found it. It was called Monastiraki. Once I found that, I knew we were one the correct train! There was this gross couple who had a lot of PDA going on during our crowded hour long tram ride into the city! They were sitting across the aisle from us and we were happy to get off at our stop when the time came! We all quickly walked up into Monastiraki Square and were in awe of the city! It was so awesome to just stand there and think, "I'm in Greece right now!" The square was so cool with a bunch of little shops, restaurants, and vendors. Our hostel was right down the main street (Ermou Street) from the square. We arrived at AthenStyle Hostel and right away were greeted with a plaque that said, "Voted #1 Hostel in Athens" - needless to say, we were pretty excited! The woman at the desk was very nice and spoke really good English. We walked up to our room and realized we got a room all to ourselves. We were expecting to have to share it with two other people, but we had four beds, four lockers, and a bathroom with a shower just to the four of us! How awesome!
By the time we checked into the hostel, we were all starving because it was close to 4:00 PM (3:00 PM Rome time) so we walked up and down Ermou Street looking for a restaurant. We found a little one down a side street and decided to try it. Our waiter was a very funny young Greek guy and he spoke pretty good English. He made a lot of menu suggestions and helped us decide what to get. Before he took our order he asked, "Where you from?"
We answered, "The United States".
He then asked me, "You like United Sates"
I said, "Yes very much!"
He replied, "Is it normal to have one man with three pretty girls out to eat there? Maybe I should move there!"
I replied with a laugh, "Yes, it's totally normal and fun. You should try it!"
The food at the restaurant was soooooo good! To start out we got Feta Cheese with olive oil and spices, Greek Salad, and Spicy Cheese Salad with pita bread. I got Moussaka (ground beef, potatoes, baked with eggplant and feta cheese on top) for my main dish and it was excellent! I thought I had died and gone to heaven! Our first taste of Greek food was amazing! After eating, we walked around to check out some of the shops, explore the city and see some of the Greek Orthodox Churches in town. There were churches all over the place - just like Rome- and street band/entertainers everywhere performing for money. The Acropolis is lit up every night and we had an amazing view of it from Monastiraki Square and the rooftop bar at our hostel. Casey and I each got a gyro in the square before we went to bed and they were awesome! Traditional Greek gyro in the town square while gazing at the lit up Acropolis - what more could you ask for? We were all exhausted from the day and wanted to get up early the next morning, so we hit the hay around 11:00 PM. The beds were very comfortable and the hostel was pretty clean. We picked a good hostel to stay in!
Saturday morning, Bliss and I woke up at 7:30 AM and ventured to the Greek Post Office to buy stamps and send some postcards from Greece! We had to walk about 10 minutes, and we found it very easily. When we walked in, the lady behind the counter could tell we were American and knew that we wanted stamps. It was very funny! When we got back, Tynisha and Casey weren't up yet, so Bliss and I went downstairs for the free breakfast in our hostel. They had cereal, bread and jam, juice, and coffee. Not bad for a free breakfast to start the day off! We got Casey and Tynisha up and left the hostel by 9:30 AM and walked to the Ancient Agora. We saw ruins of an ancient Greek civilization - buildings, temples, statues, roads, and artwork. It was pretty neat to see how they were similar and different from the Romans. We also walked up to the Temple of Hephaistos who according to Greek mythology was the god of craftsmen. He made all of the thunderbolts and weapons for Zeus and the gods to use in battle. It is one of the most preserved temples in all of Greece.
After we walked around the Ancient Agora, we decided that it was time to get another gyro. The people in the shop were just mopping the floor so Casey and Tynisha got yelled at in Greek to stay off the floor! The lady wasn't too happy, but then we all bought gyros and it was okay. We sat in Monastiraki Square and relaxed before heading up to see the Parthenon. On the way to the Parthenon, I stopped and bought a shirt and Casey bought a dress from this little Greek man in a shop. We kept on going and then we got lost. A Greek lady selling crafts on the side of the road could tell we were tourists and asked, "Parthenon?" We said yes and she pointed us in the right direction with a smile! Once we walked up to the entrance, there was a sign on the door that said "Today, it's free" So we got in for free and saw the entire Acropolis. It was amazing what the ancient Greeks built and with such care! The Parthenon was awesome to see! There are definitely amazing views from the top of the Acropolis to be seen!
After we spent a good portion of the afternoon walking around the Acropolis, we decided to head down the hill and back into town. On the walk back in, we saw a woman selling paintings on the side of the road and we each bought one. I got one of the Parthenon with the the sun setting against it. It is beautiful, hand painted in Greece, and only cost me 10 Euro! Not bad!
After our big hike, we were all pretty hungry and just wanted another excuse to eat Greek food, so we went to a restaurant. We were walking down the street when this waiter came up to us and said, "Sit here? Best place in town!" We looked at him and said, "Sounds good! We want the best!" The food was excellent and I ordered Chicken Souvlaki Dinner and a Greek Salad. It was so good with all of sauces, pita bread, grilled veggies, olive oil, and Feta Cheese! After we were all stuffed, we decided to go to the 2004 Olympic Stadium in the city and check that out. We quickly realized the tram line we could take straight there (the green line) was under partial construction, so we had to take the blue, red, and green lines to get to the stadium. Once we got there, it was completely quiet. The Olympic grounds were completely abandoned. It was really weird to see. It was all new stuff - just built in for the 2004 games, but was so eerie. There was graffiti all over, windows were boarded up, there were weeds everywhere, and it looks like it hadn't been used at all since the games. It was cool to see the torch and where everyone had been a couple years ago, but sad and disappointing to see that it hadn't been kept up. We took a bunch of pictures there and then took the three trams back to Monastiraki Square. We walked around the Athens Flea Market which is amazing and then ate dinner at a local restaurant. This dinner was okay. I had Doner Pork pita dinner and another Greek Salad. It could have been better, but still it was worth it! We walked over to the Hard Rock Cafe so Tynisha could buy a pin for her mom and I also got a Greek newspaper. No clue what it says, but it's still neat to have! After our long day, we were all really really tired. I studies for my midterms for a little while before heading to bed. In the middle of the night, two random girls with backpacks walked into our room thinking it was theirs. They quickly realized all the beds were full and ran out. Not sure how they got in - weird!
Sunday morning came pretty quick and Bliss and I started with breakfast again. We had to check out of the hostel by 10:00 AM, but could leaves our bags by the front desk for the day until we had to leave, so that's what we did. We mostly sat in Monastiraki Sqaure, took some more pictures, ate one final gyro, and went to a couple more shops before taking the train back to the airport at 11:45 AM. We hopped on the tram right away, but then got kicked off at the end of the line before the airport. We had to sit in the station and wait 15 minutes for the tram that went the complete route all the way to the airport. Apparently, that one only runs every 30 minutes. Needless to say, we got there in plenty of time for our 2:30 flight and made it through security no problem. The security at the Athens International Airport is really neat. They have security by the gate, not before the terminal. One security station handles 2-5 gates and makes it go a lot quicker. The flight back was very smooth and went fairly quickly. I studied on the plane ride home and then came back to my apartment and crashed when we got home around 4:30 PM. I Skyped with Mom and Dad last night to prepare for Dad's visit in 3 days! I'm so excited for him to come and visit me in Rome!
Now, it's Midterm Week and I need to study. I had a little Greek fun in Athens this past weekend, now it's time to hit the books and prepare for my Dad to invade Roma! Miss you all!
Friday morning, the four of us met outside the apartment at 8:50 AM. We hopped on the FM1 Train to Fiumicino Airport at the station right down the block from our apartment. When we got to the airport at 10:00 AM, there was quite a line for check in, and our flight left at 11:00 AM! There was this young Italian woman and her mother who kept trying to skip us in line. The lady would yell at her mother for walking too slow and eventually just took her bag and carried both of them so she would move faster. I love people watching! After we got our tickets, we rushed to security, which was a total breeze! Not very intimidating like American security at the airport at all. Very casual, laid back, and the security guards talk to you and ask you about your trip. Very fun! We flew Easyjet Airlines and got to the gate right when boarding started. We stood in line and got on the plane very quickly. Our flight had open seating, so I sat by Casey in the row right behind Tynisha and Bliss. I forgot gum on this trip, so my ears had trouble popping on the plane. The plane ride was very smooth and short, and I studies for my History of Modern Europe Midterm most of the way. Our flight took off late, but landed earlier than expected in Athens. Once we collected ourselves after getting off the plane, we prepared ourselves to go through customs. Well, customs was just a door. No passport stamp or anything! We were so disappointed because we all wanted a stamp from Greece. Oh well! There is always a next time!!!
After customs, we walked to buy tram tickets to get into town. The lady who sold them to us spoke broken English and could tell we were like lost puppies in the airport. Her and I talked back and forth and she smiled at my attempts to understand her. We eventually made it down to the correct platform and got on the tram. I immediately began looking for our stop on the route map and found it. It was called Monastiraki. Once I found that, I knew we were one the correct train! There was this gross couple who had a lot of PDA going on during our crowded hour long tram ride into the city! They were sitting across the aisle from us and we were happy to get off at our stop when the time came! We all quickly walked up into Monastiraki Square and were in awe of the city! It was so awesome to just stand there and think, "I'm in Greece right now!" The square was so cool with a bunch of little shops, restaurants, and vendors. Our hostel was right down the main street (Ermou Street) from the square. We arrived at AthenStyle Hostel and right away were greeted with a plaque that said, "Voted #1 Hostel in Athens" - needless to say, we were pretty excited! The woman at the desk was very nice and spoke really good English. We walked up to our room and realized we got a room all to ourselves. We were expecting to have to share it with two other people, but we had four beds, four lockers, and a bathroom with a shower just to the four of us! How awesome!
By the time we checked into the hostel, we were all starving because it was close to 4:00 PM (3:00 PM Rome time) so we walked up and down Ermou Street looking for a restaurant. We found a little one down a side street and decided to try it. Our waiter was a very funny young Greek guy and he spoke pretty good English. He made a lot of menu suggestions and helped us decide what to get. Before he took our order he asked, "Where you from?"
We answered, "The United States".
He then asked me, "You like United Sates"
I said, "Yes very much!"
He replied, "Is it normal to have one man with three pretty girls out to eat there? Maybe I should move there!"
I replied with a laugh, "Yes, it's totally normal and fun. You should try it!"
The food at the restaurant was soooooo good! To start out we got Feta Cheese with olive oil and spices, Greek Salad, and Spicy Cheese Salad with pita bread. I got Moussaka (ground beef, potatoes, baked with eggplant and feta cheese on top) for my main dish and it was excellent! I thought I had died and gone to heaven! Our first taste of Greek food was amazing! After eating, we walked around to check out some of the shops, explore the city and see some of the Greek Orthodox Churches in town. There were churches all over the place - just like Rome- and street band/entertainers everywhere performing for money. The Acropolis is lit up every night and we had an amazing view of it from Monastiraki Square and the rooftop bar at our hostel. Casey and I each got a gyro in the square before we went to bed and they were awesome! Traditional Greek gyro in the town square while gazing at the lit up Acropolis - what more could you ask for? We were all exhausted from the day and wanted to get up early the next morning, so we hit the hay around 11:00 PM. The beds were very comfortable and the hostel was pretty clean. We picked a good hostel to stay in!
Saturday morning, Bliss and I woke up at 7:30 AM and ventured to the Greek Post Office to buy stamps and send some postcards from Greece! We had to walk about 10 minutes, and we found it very easily. When we walked in, the lady behind the counter could tell we were American and knew that we wanted stamps. It was very funny! When we got back, Tynisha and Casey weren't up yet, so Bliss and I went downstairs for the free breakfast in our hostel. They had cereal, bread and jam, juice, and coffee. Not bad for a free breakfast to start the day off! We got Casey and Tynisha up and left the hostel by 9:30 AM and walked to the Ancient Agora. We saw ruins of an ancient Greek civilization - buildings, temples, statues, roads, and artwork. It was pretty neat to see how they were similar and different from the Romans. We also walked up to the Temple of Hephaistos who according to Greek mythology was the god of craftsmen. He made all of the thunderbolts and weapons for Zeus and the gods to use in battle. It is one of the most preserved temples in all of Greece.
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| Me with the Parthenon in the background |
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| The view of Athens from the top of the Acropolis |
After we spent a good portion of the afternoon walking around the Acropolis, we decided to head down the hill and back into town. On the walk back in, we saw a woman selling paintings on the side of the road and we each bought one. I got one of the Parthenon with the the sun setting against it. It is beautiful, hand painted in Greece, and only cost me 10 Euro! Not bad!
After our big hike, we were all pretty hungry and just wanted another excuse to eat Greek food, so we went to a restaurant. We were walking down the street when this waiter came up to us and said, "Sit here? Best place in town!" We looked at him and said, "Sounds good! We want the best!" The food was excellent and I ordered Chicken Souvlaki Dinner and a Greek Salad. It was so good with all of sauces, pita bread, grilled veggies, olive oil, and Feta Cheese! After we were all stuffed, we decided to go to the 2004 Olympic Stadium in the city and check that out. We quickly realized the tram line we could take straight there (the green line) was under partial construction, so we had to take the blue, red, and green lines to get to the stadium. Once we got there, it was completely quiet. The Olympic grounds were completely abandoned. It was really weird to see. It was all new stuff - just built in for the 2004 games, but was so eerie. There was graffiti all over, windows were boarded up, there were weeds everywhere, and it looks like it hadn't been used at all since the games. It was cool to see the torch and where everyone had been a couple years ago, but sad and disappointing to see that it hadn't been kept up. We took a bunch of pictures there and then took the three trams back to Monastiraki Square. We walked around the Athens Flea Market which is amazing and then ate dinner at a local restaurant. This dinner was okay. I had Doner Pork pita dinner and another Greek Salad. It could have been better, but still it was worth it! We walked over to the Hard Rock Cafe so Tynisha could buy a pin for her mom and I also got a Greek newspaper. No clue what it says, but it's still neat to have! After our long day, we were all really really tired. I studies for my midterms for a little while before heading to bed. In the middle of the night, two random girls with backpacks walked into our room thinking it was theirs. They quickly realized all the beds were full and ran out. Not sure how they got in - weird!
Sunday morning came pretty quick and Bliss and I started with breakfast again. We had to check out of the hostel by 10:00 AM, but could leaves our bags by the front desk for the day until we had to leave, so that's what we did. We mostly sat in Monastiraki Sqaure, took some more pictures, ate one final gyro, and went to a couple more shops before taking the train back to the airport at 11:45 AM. We hopped on the tram right away, but then got kicked off at the end of the line before the airport. We had to sit in the station and wait 15 minutes for the tram that went the complete route all the way to the airport. Apparently, that one only runs every 30 minutes. Needless to say, we got there in plenty of time for our 2:30 flight and made it through security no problem. The security at the Athens International Airport is really neat. They have security by the gate, not before the terminal. One security station handles 2-5 gates and makes it go a lot quicker. The flight back was very smooth and went fairly quickly. I studied on the plane ride home and then came back to my apartment and crashed when we got home around 4:30 PM. I Skyped with Mom and Dad last night to prepare for Dad's visit in 3 days! I'm so excited for him to come and visit me in Rome!
Now, it's Midterm Week and I need to study. I had a little Greek fun in Athens this past weekend, now it's time to hit the books and prepare for my Dad to invade Roma! Miss you all!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Gearing up for Midterms and Special Visitor....
Sorry I haven't been updating lately, but the Internet has been out in our apartment since October 1st! It makes it kind of hard to update my blog without Internet. Luckily, I've been able to use the school's Internet. This week has just been a blur. Nothing too exciting has happened because a lot of us are bogged down getting ready for midterm exams next week.
This past Sunday was an awesome day. I started off my day by going to morning Mass at Santa Susanna. There was a group of travelers there from the diocese of Cincinnati in Ohio. They were on a trip to Rome with their Bishop and he concelebrated Mass that morning. The church was packed and it was nice to see a big amount of people there. As usual, Mass reminded me of home and I got a comforting feeling having my "me" time for the week. After I fought the crowd on the overly packed and BO filled bus, I went back to the apartment for some breakfast. I was sitting on my bed eating some yogurt when my roommate, Peter, storms in and yells, "To the beach! It's my 21st!" He had just returned from Paris that morning and was ready to celebrate his 21st birthday! So, Peter, Cuyler, and I took the 30 minute train to Ostia on the coast of Italy and walked to the beach. We had a guys afternoon and chilled in the sun on the beach. The locals thought it was too cold to swim and were in jeans and light coats. Then, we came along in out flip flops, swim trunks, and sunglasses with towels in hand ready to dominate the beach! It was such an awesome time and Peter and I swam in the Mediterranean for a little while. Cuyler jumped in for about two seconds then ran out....sissy! We got a couple of beers and had a great afternoon together just chatting and living it up in Italy. The beach was beautiful and I'm so happy we decided to go for Peter's birthday! We arrived back at the apartment around 6:30 PM and I walked to Casey and Bliss's apartment to Skype with Mom and Dad. What a great way to start the week!
This whole week was just filled with classes. Professors are starting to review for midterms and give us our study packets. I definitely have my work cut out for me these next few days. My life will consist of studying, studying, and an occasional food and potty break in there too. I handed in my History of Modern Europe paper this week on Marie Antoinette. I am anxious to see how my professor grades it. I think I did well on it, but through the conversations I have had with my professor on the topic of Marie Antoinette, I believe she will disagree with the thesis of my paper that she was a "misunderstood" Queen. We'll see....
I had an Italian test today, and I think it went very well. We were tested on verbs, ordering food in a restaurant, asking someone to go and do something in town, and the days of the week. It wasn't too bad at all.
I am starting to miss certain things from American culture that I have taken for granted. I am really starting to miss:
1. Diet Coke - they have "Coca Cola Light" in the same color can, but it isn't the same. I was fooled!
2. My car - although I love walking places, I could really use a drive in my car to clear my mind every now and then.
3. Walgreens - Nothing like your corner convenience store!
4. Peanut butter - They have it here, but it is SUPER expensive and my college budget cannot afford it!
5. Quiet of De Pere, Wisconsin - The loud sounds of Rome get to be too much for me sometimes. Even though I live in Milwaukee at home, I love my quiet up at school too!
Even though I miss certain things from American culture, I am loving living in Roma. It is one of the most amazing cities that I have ever been to. The sounds, the people, everything in unique! I love it here and love being a local and being able to say "Buona Sera" to some random person on the street! I LOVE it here!
Tommorow morning, I'm off to Athens, Greece with Casey, Bliss, and Tynisha until Sunday. My roommate Cuyler was going to come with us, but he couldn't end up affording it. I am so excited to go and see Greece and try real Greek food! I will be taking tons of pictures of the beautiful city! And then after we return on Sunday afternoon, I'm getting ready for midterms and for my Dad to come and visit too! He will be here in one week!! I can't wait to see him! It will be so much fun!
Life is going great over here! My time here is almost half way over which is so shocking! Time is flying, but I am making the most of it - no regrets! I've learned so much already! This is amazing! Miss you all!
This past Sunday was an awesome day. I started off my day by going to morning Mass at Santa Susanna. There was a group of travelers there from the diocese of Cincinnati in Ohio. They were on a trip to Rome with their Bishop and he concelebrated Mass that morning. The church was packed and it was nice to see a big amount of people there. As usual, Mass reminded me of home and I got a comforting feeling having my "me" time for the week. After I fought the crowd on the overly packed and BO filled bus, I went back to the apartment for some breakfast. I was sitting on my bed eating some yogurt when my roommate, Peter, storms in and yells, "To the beach! It's my 21st!" He had just returned from Paris that morning and was ready to celebrate his 21st birthday! So, Peter, Cuyler, and I took the 30 minute train to Ostia on the coast of Italy and walked to the beach. We had a guys afternoon and chilled in the sun on the beach. The locals thought it was too cold to swim and were in jeans and light coats. Then, we came along in out flip flops, swim trunks, and sunglasses with towels in hand ready to dominate the beach! It was such an awesome time and Peter and I swam in the Mediterranean for a little while. Cuyler jumped in for about two seconds then ran out....sissy! We got a couple of beers and had a great afternoon together just chatting and living it up in Italy. The beach was beautiful and I'm so happy we decided to go for Peter's birthday! We arrived back at the apartment around 6:30 PM and I walked to Casey and Bliss's apartment to Skype with Mom and Dad. What a great way to start the week!
This whole week was just filled with classes. Professors are starting to review for midterms and give us our study packets. I definitely have my work cut out for me these next few days. My life will consist of studying, studying, and an occasional food and potty break in there too. I handed in my History of Modern Europe paper this week on Marie Antoinette. I am anxious to see how my professor grades it. I think I did well on it, but through the conversations I have had with my professor on the topic of Marie Antoinette, I believe she will disagree with the thesis of my paper that she was a "misunderstood" Queen. We'll see....
I had an Italian test today, and I think it went very well. We were tested on verbs, ordering food in a restaurant, asking someone to go and do something in town, and the days of the week. It wasn't too bad at all.
I am starting to miss certain things from American culture that I have taken for granted. I am really starting to miss:
1. Diet Coke - they have "Coca Cola Light" in the same color can, but it isn't the same. I was fooled!
2. My car - although I love walking places, I could really use a drive in my car to clear my mind every now and then.
3. Walgreens - Nothing like your corner convenience store!
4. Peanut butter - They have it here, but it is SUPER expensive and my college budget cannot afford it!
5. Quiet of De Pere, Wisconsin - The loud sounds of Rome get to be too much for me sometimes. Even though I live in Milwaukee at home, I love my quiet up at school too!
Even though I miss certain things from American culture, I am loving living in Roma. It is one of the most amazing cities that I have ever been to. The sounds, the people, everything in unique! I love it here and love being a local and being able to say "Buona Sera" to some random person on the street! I LOVE it here!
Tommorow morning, I'm off to Athens, Greece with Casey, Bliss, and Tynisha until Sunday. My roommate Cuyler was going to come with us, but he couldn't end up affording it. I am so excited to go and see Greece and try real Greek food! I will be taking tons of pictures of the beautiful city! And then after we return on Sunday afternoon, I'm getting ready for midterms and for my Dad to come and visit too! He will be here in one week!! I can't wait to see him! It will be so much fun!
Life is going great over here! My time here is almost half way over which is so shocking! Time is flying, but I am making the most of it - no regrets! I've learned so much already! This is amazing! Miss you all!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
A Week in Roma with an Egyptian....
This week, Laura came to visit Casey and Me in Rome. She is from St. Norbert and is studying in Cairo, Egypt this semester. She is in the same sorority as Casey, so the three of us are pretty close.
We also haven't had internet in our apartment this entire week, so that is why I have barely been updating my blog...
Monday morning started bright and early for me. I got up at 6:00 AM to take the train to Fiumicino Airport in Rome to pick Laura up. He plane was supposed to land at 7:35 AM, but when I got to the airport after the 30 minute train ride, I found out that she landed a half hour early! I rushed down to customs, waited to see her and then scooped her into my arms and gave her the biggest hug! I was so happy to see her! After I impressed Laura with my mad Italian skills and bought us two tickets, we hopped back on the train and made it back to the train station in my neighborhood - Travstevere. We walked around and dropped her bags off in my apartment. Then, we went over to Casey's apartment and Laura jumped on her bed to wake her up at 9:00 AM! Casey wasn't too thrilled because she isn't much of a morning person, so to make it better, the three of us went to a cafe around the corner and got some donuts and cappuccinos to start off Laura's time in Italy! During the day, Laura wandered around Rome and explored. I gave her a tram pass, map, and my phone number and sent her off while Casey and I went to class. Laura picked up on everything very easily and made it around the city just fine! After class, Laura and I met at my apartment and saw this religious march going down our street from our balcony. There were nuns, priests, lay people, and bishops. They were praying the Hail Mary and carrying candles and crucifixes. It took them 10 minutes to walk past the apartment because there were so many people. They closed one part of the street and kept marching. I then took Laura to the other side of town so she could check into her hostel. It was pretty nice and once she settled in, she felt a little bit more comfortable. We had dinner at Casey and Bliss's apartment that night and hung out for the evening. We were all really tired from the early morning, so we decided not to go out that night.
Tuesday, I had class all day. Nothing exciting happened. We had a very interesting discussion in my History of the Catholic Church class about religious oppression and then debated the topic of the proposed mosque being built by the World Trade Center site. The class was divided and we had a great discussion. Fr. Phil had never seen everyone participate that much! Since it was Tuesday, that also means it was Taco Tuesday within our group of friends. Many of us skip lunch and look forward to dinner all day long. Dinner at Casey and Bliss's is becoming very popular too. Tuesday night, we had 10 people at dinner - Casey, Bliss, and their roommates Kristen and Breonna; Me and my roommates Cuyler and Peter; our friends Megan and Kelly; and then Laura was our guest this week. Everyone loves Bliss's cooking and look forward to our time together every day during the week! Tuesday night, I attempted to go to bed early, but my roommate Cuyler needed my help. He went for a run to clear his head and ended up getting lost. He called me because he thought a car was following him, so I got out my map, helped him get back and stay safe - what are roommates for, right? When I knew he was back safe and sound, I went to bed.
Wednesday started early because of the Papal Audience in St. Peter's Square. Since I mentioned that in my last post, I won't repeat myself here. After classes ended on Wednesday, We had a pasta bake for dinner at Casey and Bliss's apartment and then hit up the town for a night of drinks with friends! We started out by going to Campo De'Fiori and then made our way to Piazza Navona and then back to Campo De'Fiori. It was quite busy out on Wednesday night and we had a lot of fun. We got back to the apartment around 2:00 AM and went to bed!
Thursday was another busy day of classes for me, and it was class as usual. My Abnormal Psychology class is starting to get interesting and we are starting to learn about dissociative personalities and how people deal with trauma. My Italian class is pretty fun too and we are learning some neat phrases and learning how to ask people to go out on the town! I went on a walk after class to my favorite spot in Rome - Gianicolo Hill. It is this amazing view of Rome and is pretty quiet. I have been going up there a lot to get out of the apartment on a nice day and think, reflect, and pray. I love it up there. Cuyler showed me how to get up there one day when we went walking, and we got up there a lot to chat too. After my walk, I met Casey, Bliss, and Laura out for dinner at our favorite Pizzeria around the corner. The owner loves us and kissed our cheeks and greeted us with "Buona Sera!" She is such a sweet lady and her food is so good!! After dinner, we just ended up hanging out in the apartment and talking for a while before Laura went back to her hostel for the night.
Friday was a make up day of classes for us at John Cabot. It was our make-up day for Monday, November 1 when we have a holiday for All Saint's day. Since it was a Monday schedule, I only had one class at 3:45 PM. I got up around 8:45 AM so I could meet Laura at Termini train station near her hostel. I took the #8 tram to the end of the line and then jumped on the #40 bus which ends its route at Termini Station. On the way, the bus got diverted because of some demonstration or protest that was occurring in the city. The Polizia Municiplae were there to keep order, but I'm not sure what it was about. When I met up with Laura we took the Metro to the Basilica of San Giovanni. This is the official church of the Pope because he is the Bishop of Rome. He has his throne in the basilica and ceremoniously takes his seat as Bishop of Rome after he is introduced to the faithful in St. Peter's Square after his election. After we walked around, Laura and I got some breakfast. I had bacon, eggs, toast, fresh fruit and a cappuccino. Laura ordered what she thought would be a breakfast cake with fruit and ended up being just a chocolate cake. Oops! It made for a good laugh and Laura said it was really good! After our brunch, Laura went to go and explore the Roman Forum and I headed back to the apartment to go to class. I noticed that the trams were out of service which seemed odd for the middle of the day. So, I did what I could do, and walked down the street to get back. Once I approached the Ministry of Education building, I heard and saw a HUGE protest outside. This is like the 5th or 6th protest that has happened there since I moved here. There were Polizia Municipale and Carabinieri there and some of them even had riot gear on. From what I understand, the Carabinieri are there to attend to state affairs and help keep order in case Italy needs to go into another country too. They always cruise around the city and deal with matters of state and fly down the streets with sirens going. You quickly learn over here that when the Carabinieri are around, stuff is legit, so stay out of their way. There was garbage all over the street and food, beer bottles, and protest signs everywhere. The crowd had trashed the street and the tram tracks. That is why the trams were out of service. The trams had been evacuated in case the protest got violent. There were tons of young Italians, who I assume skipped school, looking drunk and high on life.....
I met Laura back at my apartment and her and I took a walk to Gianicolo Hill. We stayed up there and talked for a while. I told her she couldn't come to Rome and not see the amazing view of the city. After that, we went with Casey to dinner at the restaurant called Le Fate where we payed 10 Euro each and got wine, water, bruschetta, pasta, and desert. It was okay. The portions were very small, and we were still kind of hungry after, so we aren't sure if we will go back again. From there, we went to the Trevi Fountain or La Fontana di Trevi. We all wore our Greek "letters" to the Trevi Fountain and took pictures to show off our fraternity and sorority pride. We also took a picture of us throwing coins into the fountain. My friend Molly from SNC told me that if you throw in three coins, it is for a good love life and if you throw in two, it is for a good marriage. So, to make it all happen, we each threw in five coins!
After we were done taking our pictures at the Trevi Fountain, we went to Scholars for drinks. We had a blast and were singing to all of the music all night long. There were some cougars in dresses at the bar who had a little too much to drink and were dancing all crazy. I was tempted to give them my number, but I decided against it. Haha! We ended up coming home around 4:00 AM and it was such a great way to spend Laura's last night in Rome together!
Today, we met around noon at Casey and Bliss's apartment and the three of us went to a restaurant called Margherita by school for lunch. We had some pizza since Laura can't get that in Cairo. After lunch we went to Piazza del Popolo and walked up the hill for another amazing view of the city. Laura left the apartment this evening around 6:30 PM to catch her plane at 10:00 PM. Bliss made some chicken noodle soup for dinner tonight, and now I'm heading out to get some drinks and hang out with Cuyler. Roomie bonding time - so much fun!
This week with our Egyptian visitor was awesome and it couldn't have been better! We miss Laura so much, but can't to see what the rest of our semester has to bring!
We also haven't had internet in our apartment this entire week, so that is why I have barely been updating my blog...
Monday morning started bright and early for me. I got up at 6:00 AM to take the train to Fiumicino Airport in Rome to pick Laura up. He plane was supposed to land at 7:35 AM, but when I got to the airport after the 30 minute train ride, I found out that she landed a half hour early! I rushed down to customs, waited to see her and then scooped her into my arms and gave her the biggest hug! I was so happy to see her! After I impressed Laura with my mad Italian skills and bought us two tickets, we hopped back on the train and made it back to the train station in my neighborhood - Travstevere. We walked around and dropped her bags off in my apartment. Then, we went over to Casey's apartment and Laura jumped on her bed to wake her up at 9:00 AM! Casey wasn't too thrilled because she isn't much of a morning person, so to make it better, the three of us went to a cafe around the corner and got some donuts and cappuccinos to start off Laura's time in Italy! During the day, Laura wandered around Rome and explored. I gave her a tram pass, map, and my phone number and sent her off while Casey and I went to class. Laura picked up on everything very easily and made it around the city just fine! After class, Laura and I met at my apartment and saw this religious march going down our street from our balcony. There were nuns, priests, lay people, and bishops. They were praying the Hail Mary and carrying candles and crucifixes. It took them 10 minutes to walk past the apartment because there were so many people. They closed one part of the street and kept marching. I then took Laura to the other side of town so she could check into her hostel. It was pretty nice and once she settled in, she felt a little bit more comfortable. We had dinner at Casey and Bliss's apartment that night and hung out for the evening. We were all really tired from the early morning, so we decided not to go out that night.
Tuesday, I had class all day. Nothing exciting happened. We had a very interesting discussion in my History of the Catholic Church class about religious oppression and then debated the topic of the proposed mosque being built by the World Trade Center site. The class was divided and we had a great discussion. Fr. Phil had never seen everyone participate that much! Since it was Tuesday, that also means it was Taco Tuesday within our group of friends. Many of us skip lunch and look forward to dinner all day long. Dinner at Casey and Bliss's is becoming very popular too. Tuesday night, we had 10 people at dinner - Casey, Bliss, and their roommates Kristen and Breonna; Me and my roommates Cuyler and Peter; our friends Megan and Kelly; and then Laura was our guest this week. Everyone loves Bliss's cooking and look forward to our time together every day during the week! Tuesday night, I attempted to go to bed early, but my roommate Cuyler needed my help. He went for a run to clear his head and ended up getting lost. He called me because he thought a car was following him, so I got out my map, helped him get back and stay safe - what are roommates for, right? When I knew he was back safe and sound, I went to bed.
Wednesday started early because of the Papal Audience in St. Peter's Square. Since I mentioned that in my last post, I won't repeat myself here. After classes ended on Wednesday, We had a pasta bake for dinner at Casey and Bliss's apartment and then hit up the town for a night of drinks with friends! We started out by going to Campo De'Fiori and then made our way to Piazza Navona and then back to Campo De'Fiori. It was quite busy out on Wednesday night and we had a lot of fun. We got back to the apartment around 2:00 AM and went to bed!
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| View from Gianicolo Hill |
Friday was a make up day of classes for us at John Cabot. It was our make-up day for Monday, November 1 when we have a holiday for All Saint's day. Since it was a Monday schedule, I only had one class at 3:45 PM. I got up around 8:45 AM so I could meet Laura at Termini train station near her hostel. I took the #8 tram to the end of the line and then jumped on the #40 bus which ends its route at Termini Station. On the way, the bus got diverted because of some demonstration or protest that was occurring in the city. The Polizia Municiplae were there to keep order, but I'm not sure what it was about. When I met up with Laura we took the Metro to the Basilica of San Giovanni. This is the official church of the Pope because he is the Bishop of Rome. He has his throne in the basilica and ceremoniously takes his seat as Bishop of Rome after he is introduced to the faithful in St. Peter's Square after his election. After we walked around, Laura and I got some breakfast. I had bacon, eggs, toast, fresh fruit and a cappuccino. Laura ordered what she thought would be a breakfast cake with fruit and ended up being just a chocolate cake. Oops! It made for a good laugh and Laura said it was really good! After our brunch, Laura went to go and explore the Roman Forum and I headed back to the apartment to go to class. I noticed that the trams were out of service which seemed odd for the middle of the day. So, I did what I could do, and walked down the street to get back. Once I approached the Ministry of Education building, I heard and saw a HUGE protest outside. This is like the 5th or 6th protest that has happened there since I moved here. There were Polizia Municipale and Carabinieri there and some of them even had riot gear on. From what I understand, the Carabinieri are there to attend to state affairs and help keep order in case Italy needs to go into another country too. They always cruise around the city and deal with matters of state and fly down the streets with sirens going. You quickly learn over here that when the Carabinieri are around, stuff is legit, so stay out of their way. There was garbage all over the street and food, beer bottles, and protest signs everywhere. The crowd had trashed the street and the tram tracks. That is why the trams were out of service. The trams had been evacuated in case the protest got violent. There were tons of young Italians, who I assume skipped school, looking drunk and high on life.....
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| Laura and Me on Gianicolo Hill |
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| Casey, Laura, and Me at the Trevi Fountain in our Greek letters |
After we were done taking our pictures at the Trevi Fountain, we went to Scholars for drinks. We had a blast and were singing to all of the music all night long. There were some cougars in dresses at the bar who had a little too much to drink and were dancing all crazy. I was tempted to give them my number, but I decided against it. Haha! We ended up coming home around 4:00 AM and it was such a great way to spend Laura's last night in Rome together!
Today, we met around noon at Casey and Bliss's apartment and the three of us went to a restaurant called Margherita by school for lunch. We had some pizza since Laura can't get that in Cairo. After lunch we went to Piazza del Popolo and walked up the hill for another amazing view of the city. Laura left the apartment this evening around 6:30 PM to catch her plane at 10:00 PM. Bliss made some chicken noodle soup for dinner tonight, and now I'm heading out to get some drinks and hang out with Cuyler. Roomie bonding time - so much fun!
This week with our Egyptian visitor was awesome and it couldn't have been better! We miss Laura so much, but can't to see what the rest of our semester has to bring!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
The Papal Audience...
On Wednesday, October 6th, my day started very early! I woke up at 6:00 AM and tried my best not to wake Cuyler up while I was getting ready. I steamed my blue shirt and black pinstripe pants the night before. By 6:50 AM, I was all dressed, hand my religious items in a bag and was ready to go! I met Casey and Bliss at the tram stop at 7:00 AM and we all decided that it was way too early to be up! We took the tram line #8 to the end on the line through our neighborhood and met Laura at the bus stop. All four of us took the #40 Bus to Piazza del San Pietro and walked up to St. Peter's Square. The square didn't open until 8:15 AM, so we had a little time to kill. We waited in line and talked for a little bit. Soon, the line to get into the square was HUGE and we were happy we had gotten there early. All of us were dressed up expecting to be going into the Basilica to meet the Pope. We were all excited. When the Polizia Vaticane opened up the gates at 8:15 AM, all hell broke loose! People started pushing to get through the security point and get in line in the square. Laura and CAsey got through just fine. I got shoved by two little old ladies in a tour group, and Bliss got sucked in and almost pushed out of line. There were people running through St. Peter's Square and the Swiss Guard was telling them all to be respectful and slow down. As we got closer to the Basilica, we noticed that we had different tickets than some people. The people with red tickets get to walk toward the Basilica and the people with blue ones (the ones we had) got diverted towards the center of the square. As we walked in the proper direction, we saw this big sea of chairs. Quickly, we realized that we weren't going to be going inside the Basilica in a little group like we thought, we were just going to be sitting in St. Peter's Square and seeing the Pope from afar. Luckily, since we were in the front of the line, we got pretty good seats. We were up near the front and had good views of the Papal chair.
The Pope was going to make his appearance at 10:30 AM, so the girls went out into the city to get us some breakfast. While they were gone, I met this American couple from Chicago whose son was studying in Rome through Loyola University. They were asking me about St. Norbert, and wished me well the rest of the semester. The girls finally came back with breakfast around 9:45 AM and we ate sugar donuts quickly before the Pope arrived! They were so good!!! We also looked around right before the audience started, and the square was PACKED!
Around 10:30 AM, the Swiss Guard marched to the front near the canopy and Papal chair and then the crowd fell silent. All of the sudden, we heard cheering from the left side of St. Peter's Square and there he was! Pope Benedict XVI was riding around the square in the Pope Mobile! He had a little red hat on that looked like a small version of a sombrero. Seeing the Pope Mobile go through the square was awesome! He drove up and down the aisles waving to all of the faithful people who came to see him in the Square. It was so neat to be so close to the Pope! Definitely a once in a lifetime experience!
When he was done making his way through the crowd, the Pope Mobile drove right up the steps of the Basilica and dropped the Pope off at his little canopy. Different priest stepped up to the microphone and introduced large groups of pilgrims from different language groups and then gave our well wishes and blessings to the Pope and the Catholic Church in that group's language. In turn, the Pope read a speech to each different language group and blessed our families, friends, and any religious items we had with us in the Square. We tried to count the different languages, and we could distinguish Italian, French, German, English, Spanish, and Portuguese. It took so long to do the same speech and the audience lasted for about an hour and a half. The audience ended with the Pope leading everyone in the Square by singing the Our Father in Latin. It was very hard to read, and I don't think I could ever read it!
All in all, it was an awesome experience! I was so happy that we got to do it and be part of a Papal Audience! Although it turned out differently than any of us expected, and I guess I really didn't have to dress up that much for the audience, I was still thrilled to dress up and see the Holy Father. What a great time!
The Pope was going to make his appearance at 10:30 AM, so the girls went out into the city to get us some breakfast. While they were gone, I met this American couple from Chicago whose son was studying in Rome through Loyola University. They were asking me about St. Norbert, and wished me well the rest of the semester. The girls finally came back with breakfast around 9:45 AM and we ate sugar donuts quickly before the Pope arrived! They were so good!!! We also looked around right before the audience started, and the square was PACKED!
When he was done making his way through the crowd, the Pope Mobile drove right up the steps of the Basilica and dropped the Pope off at his little canopy. Different priest stepped up to the microphone and introduced large groups of pilgrims from different language groups and then gave our well wishes and blessings to the Pope and the Catholic Church in that group's language. In turn, the Pope read a speech to each different language group and blessed our families, friends, and any religious items we had with us in the Square. We tried to count the different languages, and we could distinguish Italian, French, German, English, Spanish, and Portuguese. It took so long to do the same speech and the audience lasted for about an hour and a half. The audience ended with the Pope leading everyone in the Square by singing the Our Father in Latin. It was very hard to read, and I don't think I could ever read it!
All in all, it was an awesome experience! I was so happy that we got to do it and be part of a Papal Audience! Although it turned out differently than any of us expected, and I guess I really didn't have to dress up that much for the audience, I was still thrilled to dress up and see the Holy Father. What a great time!
Monday, October 4, 2010
A Weekend Without Many Things....
This weekend ended up being very off.
First of all, the internet in my apartment went out around noon on Thursday afternoon, and as of right now, still hasn't been restored. It definitely showed me how dependent my roommates are on internet, but having it out for almost four days now has been ridiculous.
Friday, I woke up and did some homework in the morning and went to the supermarket. In the afternoon, I went to school to use the internet and check my email. Around 2:30 I took the tram over to the Trevi Fountain and met my friend Connie from St. Norbert. She is studying in Lancaster, England this semester and was on vacation with three of her roommates to Rome for the week. We caught up at the Trevi Fountain and got some gelato at this place called Blue Ice. Then, we decided to walk to Piazza Novona and walk around and explore the church - St. Agnes - in the square. Later, we all walked to the Vatican and noticed that there was some big activity going on in St. Peter's Square. There were a ton of cars being parked in the square and I almost got run over. Some Italian in the car honked at me, but oh well! We walked up and down some of the streets just outside Vatican City and I spent a little bit too much money on some religious items. Oh well! It's the Vatican - what do you expect??? At around 7:00 PM, Connie and I said our goodbyes and I made my way back to my apartment. I went to dinner with my friend Tynisha, and then I went to bed.
Saturday, I spent most of my day at the library on campus. I started and finished my History of Modern Europe paper. I tweaked my thesis a bit, and now my paper is about how Marie Antoinette was a misunderstood Queen of France, who, in the eyes of French citizens, exemplified problems with the French monarchy through her lifestyle, which contributed to the spark of the French Revolution. Instead of making the paper to attack Marie Antoinette, I came to sympathize with her through my research of her, and changed the direction of my paper. I'm very proud of it, and think it will be a winner! I was at the library from about 12:30 PM until about 7:30 PM writing the paper. I made a true Italian dinner with Tynisha that night that consisted of tomato and mozzarella salad, bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, pasta with tomato sauce, and chicken. It was so good! We ate it out on her balcony looking over the city and had a great time. I went to bed earlier Saturday night too because I had to get up for Mass in the morning.
Sunday, I started my day with 10:30 AM Mass at Santa Susanna. It was great to go to Mass and get some time alone. I had another sense of my Grandpa Kasprzak watching over me while I was attending Mass and got a little choked up. I know he is here with me, watching over me every step of my journey. After Mass, I caught the #40 bus back towards the tram stop and was completely crushed on the bus! It was packed to the brim! And when I mean packed, I mean packed! The BO was ripe and you had absolutely no personal space. There was this lady standing by me, and every time the bus driver would open the door, it would hit her in the back and she would go, "Ow". I got off as soon as I could and gasped for air! It was awful! Dad, get ready to experience Italian public transportation in two weeks! After I got back from Mass, Tynisha asked me to go to the Vatican with her. She had to buy some rosaries and say a prayer for one of her cousins. I would never pass up a chance to go to the Basilica, so of course, I went with her! The Vatican ended up being packed, and there was this annoying French tour guide who kept trying to skip me in line. I held my ground and didn't let him pass. I looked at Tynisha and said, "You know you are becoming a local in a place when tourists start to tick you off!" We returned to the apartment around 2:00 PM and I switched rooms in my apartment. I am now living with my buddy, Cuyler. I didn't have a problem with my original roommate, but we were on opposite schedules. Cuyler and I are on very similar schedules, and we hang out all the time. Cuyler's original roommate hangs out with my original roommate, so they moved in together. Now, I live on the other side of the apartment and have a balcony looking over our main street right next to my bed! It is so nice to sit with the doors open, breeze coming through, listening to the sounds of Roma and soaking it all in. The balcony is very big and is nice to do homework on or just grab a little R&R time in the sunshine! Since the internet in my apartment was still out yesterday, I had to come to school to Skype with Mom and Dad last night. We had a nice conversation, and I'm getting excited for Dad's visit! I went to dinner with Casey and Bliss after they returned from their trip to Sicily last night, and then waited for my roommates to come home. Cuyler and Peter returned from their trip to the Amalfi Coast around 10:30 last night and the three of us busted a gut laughing as they told me the stories of the antics the two of them pulled in Capri this past weekend! Priceless memories! I headed to bed early last night because this morning I had to grab the train to go to Fiumicino Airport in Rome by 7:30 AM to pick up my friend Laura who is visiting Casey and Me for a week from Cairo, Egypt! It should be a fun week!
I wasn't really looking forward to spending this weekend alone and doing homework, but it ended up being okay. I was kind of sick all weekend too, but the combination of gallons of orange juice, fruit, yogurt, and hours of sleep seems to have done me well. Although it was a weekend without most of my friends, without my health, without going out on the town, and without internet, it ended up being a memorable weekend in Roma!
First of all, the internet in my apartment went out around noon on Thursday afternoon, and as of right now, still hasn't been restored. It definitely showed me how dependent my roommates are on internet, but having it out for almost four days now has been ridiculous.
Friday, I woke up and did some homework in the morning and went to the supermarket. In the afternoon, I went to school to use the internet and check my email. Around 2:30 I took the tram over to the Trevi Fountain and met my friend Connie from St. Norbert. She is studying in Lancaster, England this semester and was on vacation with three of her roommates to Rome for the week. We caught up at the Trevi Fountain and got some gelato at this place called Blue Ice. Then, we decided to walk to Piazza Novona and walk around and explore the church - St. Agnes - in the square. Later, we all walked to the Vatican and noticed that there was some big activity going on in St. Peter's Square. There were a ton of cars being parked in the square and I almost got run over. Some Italian in the car honked at me, but oh well! We walked up and down some of the streets just outside Vatican City and I spent a little bit too much money on some religious items. Oh well! It's the Vatican - what do you expect??? At around 7:00 PM, Connie and I said our goodbyes and I made my way back to my apartment. I went to dinner with my friend Tynisha, and then I went to bed.
Saturday, I spent most of my day at the library on campus. I started and finished my History of Modern Europe paper. I tweaked my thesis a bit, and now my paper is about how Marie Antoinette was a misunderstood Queen of France, who, in the eyes of French citizens, exemplified problems with the French monarchy through her lifestyle, which contributed to the spark of the French Revolution. Instead of making the paper to attack Marie Antoinette, I came to sympathize with her through my research of her, and changed the direction of my paper. I'm very proud of it, and think it will be a winner! I was at the library from about 12:30 PM until about 7:30 PM writing the paper. I made a true Italian dinner with Tynisha that night that consisted of tomato and mozzarella salad, bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, pasta with tomato sauce, and chicken. It was so good! We ate it out on her balcony looking over the city and had a great time. I went to bed earlier Saturday night too because I had to get up for Mass in the morning.
Sunday, I started my day with 10:30 AM Mass at Santa Susanna. It was great to go to Mass and get some time alone. I had another sense of my Grandpa Kasprzak watching over me while I was attending Mass and got a little choked up. I know he is here with me, watching over me every step of my journey. After Mass, I caught the #40 bus back towards the tram stop and was completely crushed on the bus! It was packed to the brim! And when I mean packed, I mean packed! The BO was ripe and you had absolutely no personal space. There was this lady standing by me, and every time the bus driver would open the door, it would hit her in the back and she would go, "Ow". I got off as soon as I could and gasped for air! It was awful! Dad, get ready to experience Italian public transportation in two weeks! After I got back from Mass, Tynisha asked me to go to the Vatican with her. She had to buy some rosaries and say a prayer for one of her cousins. I would never pass up a chance to go to the Basilica, so of course, I went with her! The Vatican ended up being packed, and there was this annoying French tour guide who kept trying to skip me in line. I held my ground and didn't let him pass. I looked at Tynisha and said, "You know you are becoming a local in a place when tourists start to tick you off!" We returned to the apartment around 2:00 PM and I switched rooms in my apartment. I am now living with my buddy, Cuyler. I didn't have a problem with my original roommate, but we were on opposite schedules. Cuyler and I are on very similar schedules, and we hang out all the time. Cuyler's original roommate hangs out with my original roommate, so they moved in together. Now, I live on the other side of the apartment and have a balcony looking over our main street right next to my bed! It is so nice to sit with the doors open, breeze coming through, listening to the sounds of Roma and soaking it all in. The balcony is very big and is nice to do homework on or just grab a little R&R time in the sunshine! Since the internet in my apartment was still out yesterday, I had to come to school to Skype with Mom and Dad last night. We had a nice conversation, and I'm getting excited for Dad's visit! I went to dinner with Casey and Bliss after they returned from their trip to Sicily last night, and then waited for my roommates to come home. Cuyler and Peter returned from their trip to the Amalfi Coast around 10:30 last night and the three of us busted a gut laughing as they told me the stories of the antics the two of them pulled in Capri this past weekend! Priceless memories! I headed to bed early last night because this morning I had to grab the train to go to Fiumicino Airport in Rome by 7:30 AM to pick up my friend Laura who is visiting Casey and Me for a week from Cairo, Egypt! It should be a fun week!
I wasn't really looking forward to spending this weekend alone and doing homework, but it ended up being okay. I was kind of sick all weekend too, but the combination of gallons of orange juice, fruit, yogurt, and hours of sleep seems to have done me well. Although it was a weekend without most of my friends, without my health, without going out on the town, and without internet, it ended up being a memorable weekend in Roma!
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