| Nov. 18th, 2004 @ 11:15 am ... |
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Mood of the Minute:  hungry
Music of the Minute: *The jackhammers of the people downstairs remodeling the tile so I can't get to the kitchen*
Buongiorno everyone! We have returned from Italy, and let me tell you that it was the most amazing trip ever! We had layovers in Chicago and London also. We spent our time in Venice, Florence, and Rome. While we were in Florence we took a side trip to Pisa! I don't think that I can pick a favorite city, they were all so amazing in their own way. In Venice, St Marks Cathedral was great! We got to see a small prayer mass going on too, and next door, Doge's Palace... wow! The rooms and ceilings were unbelievable, nothing like anything ever created in the United States. There are NO cars in Venice, only little canals and boats. It is so unbelievable to be a part of...the tiny stone paved walkways dead ending to canals or going over precious bridges. Words can't even describe the experience. They have a bus system that are boats along the grand canal! You wait on the dock for your boat line. The Rialto Bridge was gorgeous as well. Every place we ate for dinner was by candlelight on a canal. We took the most romantic gondola ride through the canals also! Ahhh... I miss Italy already. In Florence we stayed in a hotel right on the Arno River with a little balcony that overlooked it! Seeing the 'David' statue in the Accademia was absolutely breathtaking, I can't even describe the 45 minutes that passed just staring at it. Also, the Duomo cathedral. We climbed the 500 steps to the top and it was utterly amazing. The buildings of Florence were gorgeous from the top and you could see forever. Dominic did the most precious thing while we were in Florence. The Ponte Vecchio bridge, which you may know from the aria 'O Mio Babbino Caro' was fabulous. There is an Italian tradition that when a couple is in a serious relationship, the man takes her to the bridge, writes on a padlock, locks it to the side of the bridge, and throws the key into the Arno River. He took me to do that and I almost fell over. Then he surprised me with a white gold charm of the Ponte Vecchio and of a gondola. It was the sweetest thing ever. We took a side day trip to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower and we got to climb it...all 292 steps of it! Of course we got pictures holding up the tower as well. It was a neat trip. In Rome we stayed on a major street Via Nazionale in a great hotel room, it was huge compared to the other ones, with a bay window overlooking the street! You don't even understand how amazing it is to look at buildings that have been standing for thousands of years. The Colesseum, to walk where the gladiators used to fight, and to see the tunnels and columns, is INCREDIBLE! The pictures we have don't even do it justice. The experience was definitely priceless, and we definitely want to come back to Italy later on. Going to the Vatican and seeing the Sistine Chapel was a tearjerker. The works of art by Michaelanglo in that chapel are so powerful. Once again, a picture doesn't do it justice. Then we went over to St. Peter's Basilica. Okay, it is the largest cathedral in the world and is the most amazing building I have ever seen in my life and probably will ever see. The details, paintings, sculptures, ceilings, altars, confessionals, are all so intricate and breathtaking that it just makes you stop moving. Absolutely incredible, hands down, amazing. Then we climbed over 600 steps to the top of the dome. That is a piece of heaven, it overlooks all of Rome, all of the Vatican, it is simply perfect. I'd have to say that my overall reaction to the trip is "Wow (with a jawdrop)!" I will have the pictures up soon too in the gallery (www.shaynashaw.com/gallery) On our flight home, the times were changed and so we had 50 minutes in Chicago O'Hare airport, one of the largest in the US, to get our luggage, clear customs, change terminals, and get boarding passes. Needless to say we didn't make it, but because it was American Airlines' fault, they put us up for the night in the Marriot Springhill Suites. It was an incredibly nice room! Business center, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom!!! They also gave us vouchers for dinner in the hotel, which just happened to be an Outback Steakhouse. The morning complimentary breakfast was craziness! They had belgian waffles, eggs, sausages, cereal, oatmeal, donuts, pastries, basically anything you could think of!!! It was huge! Then we got a flight at 9 in the morning and were on our final journey home! It was great, an absolutely wonderful experience.
Now, I need to crack down on school stuff, I have two weeks of homework to do and get ready for finals in a couple of weeks. At least while I was gone, Dom's mommy registered me for all of my classes next semester! Before I write more...I need to get some homework done!
Ciao! |
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