Grazie mille!

Dear family and friends,
I just wanted to thank you all for the wonderful emails of encouragement! I was beginning to feel the tugs of homesickness and I can't tell you how much the emails from home cheered me up.
I love you all so much - thanks again!
Bekah
P.S. I should be able to post more Rome pictures and commentary tomorrow afternoon. Can't wait to show you snapshots from the rest of my trip!

grrrrr ....

So the connection at the internet point I've been posting at just fine so far is running VERY slow today and costing me a fortune! It has also refused to post any more pictures for me, so my Rome post will have to be continued at a later time. Sorry about that!

Baci,

Bekah

La mia vita in Roma!

Well I've just returned from the wonders of Rome and am utterly exhausted - but I wanted to post more pictures because I want to share a humble glimpse of those wonders with all of you! Again, forgive the lack of profound commentary ... hopefully I can add that in before long. But for now, sit back, relax, and enjoy the beauties of one simply amazing part of our world.

DAY ONE: Views upon arriving - our first evening in Roma:

The Roma Termini (a great point of reference during our stay). We arrived in Rome late afternoon on May 28 and immediately sought out our hotel, the Galli. The termini was huge and a bit overwhelming upon arrival, but we soon got the hang of it!

Inside the termini - people everywhere! I love being in crowded areas like this and getting the chance to people watch. In areas like the termini you not only get a peek at Italians, but individuals from all over Europe and more. It's so much fun to listen in on conversations as you pass by couples, families, groups of teens, etc and try to figure out where people are from ... and wonder about where they are going!

After dumping our incredibly heavy backpacks off at the Galli, we went out in search of dinner and got a great first look at Rome. We had left Sansepolcro rainy and cold, so the beautiful weather was even more welcome than usual. The evening was gorgeous ... check out that sky! I was amazed again and again at how old everything in Rome is, and yet how well it has stood the test of time. The city compiles a beautiful mix of the old and young and the chemistry is breathtaking. I think we were also very fortunate in the time of year that we visited. The weather was in the 60s and - for the most part - free of precipitation; in addition the trees were vibrant shades of green and many forms of wildflowers were still in bloom as well. Granted, Rome was considerably dirty in comparison to our own beloved Sansepolcro, but for its size, age, population and the immense level of traffic that goes in and out of the city year after year, I was impressed by how clean the streets and sidewalks were kept.

DAY TWO: Inside theVatican City! In anticipation of the long waits that generally accompany a trip to the Holy See, the five of us woke up bright and early to beat the crowds. We stopped in at a small cafè to pick up pastries and juice, then braved early morning metro mayhem to get to the Vatican as soon as possible. Riding in the Roma Metro was a bit unnerving for me, but I felt much safer and confident than I had expected myself to feel. I attribute this to the prayers of both myself and all of you - THANK YOU! I also realize just how well Dr. Oatsvall had prepared us for the dangers we might face, such as pickpockets on metros, and to the credit of my travel group they all did a great job of watching one another's backs and "being their sister's keeper" as Dr. O calls it. It was not the most pleasant experience of the trip, but we handled it well and I would do it again without my former trepidations. It was yet another example of a particular fear of mine that was conquered through plenty of prayer accompanied by a good dose of proper preparation and awareness.

Upon arriving at the Vatican museo, we realized that the cold, rainy weather we left behind in Sansepolcro had followed us to Rome! As we sat on our backbacks outside the museum walls we could see the grumpy old clouds growing in the distance. It soon became clear that a storm was unavoidable and would probably catch us before we made it into the museum. Before long the wind started to pick up, the warm sun disappeared, and a chill took hold (and of course, all this happened on the day I decided to wear a skirt and had wet hair thanks to a blowdryer malfunction). Thus, waiting in line for the museum at 7:45 in the morning was cold ...

... and eventually quite wet ...

... make that VERY wet.

But what awaited us inside was well worth the wait! After we semi-dried our now soaking feet, bags, and general persons, we checked our backpacks at the entrance and headed inside to enjoy the magnificence within the Vatican Museo. As exciting as the reality of being at the Vatican was, we were also exceedingly thankful to be out of that rain!

I've noticed that a growing number of my photographs have been those of ceilings. I wish I could post more of them because so many of the different parts within the Vatican had ceilings that were just incredible (not excluding the great Sistene Chapel itself)! I think I took just as many pictures of the museum itself as I did of the pieces inside ...

I was also just so excited that we were allowed to take pictures. As long as we didn't use a flash the museum was okay with it! I can't tell you how nice that was after being told again and again in other places that no pictures were allowed! The beautiful designs and all the incredible effort that went into the tiniest details was amazing to fathom. It only got better and better as we continued through the halls admiring one thing to another. Though they are difficult to see in the picture below, there were some incredible tapestries that lined the walls as we passed through. Most of them included religious stories or themes; some that particularly caught my notice were several that depicted the murder of the innocents that took place after Christ's birth. The desperation and despair written across the face of a mother defending her child as a guard lunged towards the boy with a knife was so powerful and moving. For that kind of emotion to be effectively relayed through an ancient piece of woven cloth really brought home to me the immense level of timelessness that lay within the art I was witnessing.

The picture below captured a really neat moment for me. We were still walking through the halls of the Vatican museum, dodging tour groups and snapping photos at every opportunity when I turned to look out a nearby window and caught a glimpse of the beautiful dome - my first real peek at St. Peter's Basilica. I knew the glorious sights that awaited me there, and the anticipation this little sneak peek provided increased my pleasure of the real thing when I finally entered the cathedral itself.

On a side note, the bowels of the Vatican can be a very scary place for clumsy people like myself. Future visitors beware ...

More pictures to come ... but it will probably be Sunday at the earliest. My apologies!

Bekah

Off to Rome!

Hello all!

We're off to Rome tomorrow afternoon and won't be back until late on the 30th, so I won't be able to blog for a few days (probably not until Friday). Please keep us in your prayers as we travel through Italy and enjoy Rome. I am pretty nervous about things like getting lost or accosted by gypsies and pickpockets, but I feel prepared and am very excited about all that I will see. I can't wait to tell you all about it when I get back!

Much love and baci!

Bekah

Un giorno od Anghiari e Arezzo

Ciao!

I don't have the time to offer much commentary right now, but I will add in more when I get the chance. These are mainly shots of our day in Anghiari and Arezzo - two nearby cities. We spent all day yesterday walking around and visiting various museos and cathedrales. Remember that you can click on the pictures to view a larger image. Enjoy!

One of the many beautiful views of Tuscany from the town of Anghiari:

I thought I could never love a place more than Sansepolcro for its beauty ... but I was wrong! These pictures don't do Anghiari justice. It was the most beautiful little town I have ever seen and I'm really hoping to get in another trip before we leave!

Joy and I in Anghiari ... check out those gorgeous flowers!

Taking a break on a piazza bench ... can we say trouble?

Note the Roman road ...

Sample of an Anghiari citizen's mad parking skills:


The city walls ...

Now on to shots of Arezzo ... a cathedrale

there's something about i fiori in Italia ...

In Arezzo we were lucky enough to see the Grande Piazza, one of the locations where the film Life is Beautiful was shot! If you haven't seen the movie, you need to see it!


Me in the Grande Piazza (note the gelato in hand) ... as soon as I laid eyes on these beautiful buildings scenes from the film began playing out in my head!

Outdoor seating in a nearby ristorante ... bellissimo!

A gorgeous park Joy and I discovered while seeking out a cathedrale:

An Arezzo clock tower ...

A magnificent cathedrale ... and little me. I look like an ant ... a dancing ant!

Another location for the filming of Life is Beautiful ...

After our long day in Anghiari and Arezzo, it was time for late night homework and Italian pastries ...


One of the pastries didn't make it. I call this one "Death of a Pastry." He perished after his fatal fall from my upper bunk ... and I sadly mourned the loss. He was my favorite flavor :(


That's all for now!

Friday's events - including family dinner!

Dialogue to come ... I'm posting pictures now and typing up posts later to save a few euros :)

My Italian family's beautiful house:

The view from their yard ...

My Italian copy of Pride and Prejudice ... needless to say it was love at first sight.


More to come ...