Romeo O Romeo.. Verona!

Verona - 2/25/2013 -2/28/2013

Verona.. wow.. just when I think nothing can beat an adventure or city.. God shows me more beauty in a different way! I can't get over how much everything I do is so different. I am learning so much about life, cultures, love, trust, and relationships. We decided to stay an extra day after arriving in Verona because we loved the city so much. We had a bed and breakfast floor to ourselves, the best one we have stayed at yet. The couple was young and so nice. They made us breakfast and were so helpful with everything.

Verona is known for it being the home of Romeo and Juliet. (spelled with a G in Italian). Verona is also known for eating horse, since they had a period of time where the town was starving so they would have to eat the horses. I couldn't be in Verona without trying horse so Catherine and I planned on going to a restaurant to have it.

After settling in I went for a run. I couldn't believe how beautiful the small but busy town was. It is difficult to run in cities that are so distracting, so much I wanted to stop and see! The river and buildings were so charming that I didn't want to leave there! The river is beautiful, seeing people just happy and living their everyday life, and all the cute old people who ride bikes around town, so fun!

After checking out all the beautiful churches, shops, and markets Catherine and I went to dinner. We had fun sitting in the square at a restaurant and just visiting with the different locals we met. We walked into a small restaurant on a side street and they invited us in for wine. After speaking with the owner about the history of Verona he explained how it takes 30 hours to prepare horse and then he made us a plate to try. So awesome!! It was definitely a go big or go home experience. The horse tasted like a sweeter meat, not too bad actually. I would not order it but if someone got it for me I would eat it again. I still can't believe I ate horse!! (Poor Jack, Butterscotch, and Starburst.. the horses we had when I was a kid) We got some roses from some of the locals we met and just enjoyed our time in the city. When we visited the balcony of Juliet there was a wall you could write on.. Mom and Dad I wrote your names in a heart! :)

I met a new friend Giulia that worked at one of the shops. Everyone is so nice in Verona. We had fun talking about some of our travels and when I left she gave me a bracelet that she said means Good Luck in her culture! So sweet of her! I hope to be able to see her again someday she is such a great person!

One of favorite places in Verona was Lourdes Church at the top of the hill. It was quite the hike to get to it but so worth it. I ended up meeting some nuns and checking out there convent before finding it which was so neat. The church has a big window behind the alter and you can see Mary in the Grotto in the back of it. I just loved it so much and it makes me even more excited to go to Lourdes, France!

Milano!!!

February 23-25th, 2013

We left for Milan around 3 pm on Saturday. What was suppose to be a 5 hour bus ride turned into over 9 hours since there was a snowstorm and traffic was slow. We arrived to Milan at 12:30 in the morning and began a search for our hotel, was definitely an experience trying to walk through the snow with our suitcase and get to our hotel. We made it though and I was ready to crash as soon as we checked in. Sunday morning I had breakfast, coffee, eggs, and toast... they had toast! I am so "deprived" of America breakfast food! Yum, so good! The staff at the Hotel were awesome, I walked by and they were like "Good Morning Melissa". (so cool)

Sunday we spent the day going through the city, shopping, and went to mass at the Duomo at night. The Duomo is different from others I've seen. It is one of my favorite Duomos, just love the outside. The culture of Milan reminded me of something you would see more in London or New York, very busy city. Milan is one of my favorite cities, the architecture just seems to be more unique, I love it!!
After mass we were walking the streets and it just was magical. People were playing beautiful music while we walked the roads, I couldn't get over how beautiful it was! It was cold and rainy so we went to find coffee. (All the churches in Italy are freezing because they don't heat them.) It was fashion week and we were determined to get into a Runway show. We kept asking questions of where the show was and how to get in. Everyone said its impossible to get in, but we kept trying. After getting some information from different people we walked up through the line of people waiting to get in, telling the people we had to get inside, and they let us in!! Crazy! The show was incredible, definitely something I will probably only get to experience once. I was freaking out inside but kept my cool. We got invited to an after party called an Open Ceremony for Adidas, which of course we went to and met some designers! It was such an incredible night that I wont forget. Milan was good to us. So greatful that we were able to have such a fantastic experience!

Amalfi Coast.. Salerno and Pompei!

February 15th-17th 2013

Salerno!!
We went to the Amalfi Coast! The bus ride was long but we made friends with the drivers which made it a more entertaining ride. The scenery on the 6 hour ride was incredible! Snowy mountains, green valleys, and when I saw the coast, Oh my gosh, beautiful!! After arriving we checked into our bed and breakfast, the owner was a sweet Italian women that didn't speak much English but kept patting my face and saying "bella". She was so sweet to us! In Salerno we just enjoyed the coast, met some fisherman that taught us how to untangle a net, had great pizza (best I've ever tasted...amazing..my taste buds were going crazy!), learned how to make the pizza, went shopping, and swam in the Amalfi Coast. We were looking at wines and I found a bottle just sitting there for 340 Euro.. that's crazy! I had to pick it up and take a picture! It was super nice to get away to a warmer place and see the coast! A vacation from my vacation :)

Pompei!!
Pompei is an incredible historic town historic. We went to mass in the beautiful Basilica and went out to dinner. We stayed in Hotel Diana which was a pretty nice hotel, the breakfast was so good, unlimited coffee!! Sunday we spent the day exploring the ruins of Pompei. So neat to be able to see the town! It was sad to see the refugees that were covered alive by the Volcano. Definitely a place to see if you are ever in Southern Italy! On our way back we had the same bus driver, it was so fun to see him waving to us when he saw us waiting for the bus. It definitely is nice to know you have someone looking out for you when you are traveling. We made it back to Macerata that night with the help of our friend! Thank goodness he was able to pick us up from the town before Macerata because we didn't have a way back after finding out the bus didn't go far enough. God provided!

Tortellini.. in Bologna!

February 8th-10th 2013 in Bologna

Friday:
One of the teachers I worked with was telling me how her daughter lives in Bologna and I should meet her if I go. I took her information and sent her a message on Facebook. (Thank God for technology these days, makes life so much easier) She ended up inviting us to stay with her and her friend for the entire weekend!! That was so incredibly nice of her, she asked us to stay without even meeting us! (not sure if she knew what she was getting into, the combination of Catherine and I could be deadly)
One of the things I have learned about Italy is how hospitable Italians are. They always make you feel welcomed and help you with anything. SO MANY PEOPLE have blessed us by their help, they don't even realize it! I am so greatful to everyone I have met! Also so very greatful for the blessings God sends through all of these people to show His love. Just gives me a completely different perspective in life. 
We arrived in Bologona a few hours before we were to meet the girls so we started to check out the town. The commotion of big city was so refreshing to be in, after being in smaller cities for so long. We checked out the market for a while, always so fun and interesting to see all the unique things you can buy. After the market we went to a cafe' to get some Wifi to see where to go to meet the girls. We met a wonderful family that tried to give us directions then decided they would have their son walk us there. It was so nice of him to take over an hour out of his day just to make sure we found the right area. He blessed us so much by his help and I so greatful for him. We walked and talked about different American shows and his high school life. He is such a joyful person, very honored to have met him. This is what I'm talking about when I say I have learned so much about hospitality, just crazy that he did that to help us.
After meeting the girls Catherine and I set off to find their apartment to settle in since they had a class to go to. The area the girls live in is so beautiful. They are in a nice apartment surrounded by a big park and a couple minute walking distance from the mall, perfect! After the girls got back to class they made us dinner and invited their friends over to hang out. We all had to much fun talking, learning different Italian words, and playing stationary (which was not to the American advantage but a lot of fun). 

Saturday:
Happy Birthday Dad! The girls are all so sweet and down for anything. I told them it was my dads birthday and asked if they'd make a video and they were like YES! We had fun learning the Italian words to Happy Birthday then sending it to my dad, hope you had a great day! 
After we got ready for the day and the girls took us on their vespas! (How fun!!) We were so excited!! I still get excited when I think about how we got to ride around on them all day and how they let me drive! I drove a vespa! Watch out Minnesota.. I may be starting a trend when I get back. I have already googled to see how much they are :) After we went to breakfast and got hyped up on caffeine for the day we set out to see the city. We checked out the market, the two towers, St Stefeno, some other churches, and of course went shopping! So much fun! We went back to the apartment for lunch with some more of their friends. Everyone is so awesome, I just love my Bologna friends! 
After lunch we went to St Luca. It is a church on top of a big hill. The ride up was incredible and its one of the most beautiful churches I've seen. Mass was going on so we weren't able to take pictures of the inside. On the way back from St Luca we stopped at one of the girls' house and had tea, so much fun! We went to grocery store to get totillini and food to make dinner for the group. Tortillini!!!! Catherine and I got a bunch of salad but apparently its more of an American thing to eat a lot of salad. Oh and you eat salad 2nd not 1st.. there is an order of how you order and eat here which I have learned over the past few weeks. 
Side note: The guy sitting next to me on the train right now is designing cars on his computer. Its pretty cool, I'm talking like nice cars. (Yes, I know I'm creeping on him)
Sunday:
We left the girls around noon and went to a cafe for breakfast and to use wifi. We spent the afternoon in Bologna and enjoyed some of the carnival. Carnival was going on in every town in Italy. Carnival is a big deal, its a town parade where everyone dresses up with masks and throws confetti throughout the street. It was so fun to see the laughter and joy in the families, just loved it! Confetti covered the streets, families walking up and down the town, fresh candy and foods all over.. just a great thing to experience. We took the train back to Macerata to make the evening mass at 9 pm before we headed back to Convitto. Bologna was such a great weekend, so thankful to God for all the beautiful people he placed in my life and the adventures I had there! 

Firenze - Florence

February 2nd -3rd, 2013

Saturday morning I set off to Florence. It was raining all day but with my rain coat, umbrella (I bargained for £2), and rain protected backpack, I was set to go! I arrived in Florence and began the hunt of a place to stay and to ditch my bag so I could check out the city. I met some American girls that suggested the Florence youth hostile. It was reasonable and right in the center of the city, perfect! The family that owned it spoke English pretty well and were super nice and helpful. I got my own room, but had a bathroom and a kitchen that I shared with two other girls. After settling in I set out to look around at the shops before going to mass. The shops, oh my gosh, the shopping!! A girl could go broke, everything is adorable and great deals, so fun! I wanted to go to mass at the old Duomo (Santa Maria del Fiore), which is Florence's Cathedral. They had mass in ENGLISH, but they ended up canceling the English mass, which was a bummer. That is one thing I miss about America, hearing mass in English verse Italian. I ended up going to prayers at the church across the street at 5 pm and mass afterwards, which was still beautiful! After church it was still raining off and on so I went shopping again and went to the market.

Sunday morning I checked out of the hostile and started exploring Florence some more. Happy 25th Birthday to TJ, (shout out) was thinking about you and hope you had the best birthday!! Sunday was a perfect day, sunny and just warm enough for a light coat. I started my day at the local part of town, across the river. The view of the river and backdrop is incredible! One of my favorite sights so far! The golden bridge was filled with shops of jewelry, everything was so beautiful. I set out to see the churches and stopped to have a cappuccino. I met a man who worked at the cafe and he gave me a low down on the town. 

I went to various places throughout the city; Signoria Square, San Lorenzo Market, Pitti Palace, Palazzo Vecchio, etc. Michelangelo and the rose garden is a must see, walking up the long flight of stairs is so worth it (by the way, walking up long flights up stairs seems to be the normal here). Its this big square platform that you can see the entire city, spectacular view... The rose garden was so pretty and peaceful, can't imagine how much more beautiful it'd be in the spring when the roses bloom! 

Thoughts on Florence (Firenze):

The city smells old and kind of an odd stench. But the beauty of it is incredible. 
People walk around the streets with a glass of wine in their hand at 10 in the morning, no big deal..  

Fashion.. people walking the streets with their trendy clothes and fur, while I'm in Puma tennies with my backpack.. such a tourist. :)

In the middle of a square, there are groups of older men playing and singing Italian music. So joyful and fun to watch. 

Every dog here is very well behaved. In the squares you see owners meeting, like in 101 Dalmatians, and their dogs playing tug a war. 

Nuns everywhere! They have the kindest smiles when they walk by, you can just feel the peace, joy, and love they have for the world.
Lindts Chocolate shops, Disney stores, Prada, Gucci, tell me what you like and they have it! 

Never ending supply of pastries and treats... dangerous! 

Beautiful historic buildings, scenic views, and churches. Such a fantastic city to see! 

Before leaving I stopped at the Loggia del Mercato Nuovo (New Market), shopped, and rubbed the famous boars nose, Porcellino. It is believed that you rub its nose for good luck and to ensure a return to Florence. :)

Siena in a Day!

Friday February 1, 2013

Today we took a four hour bus ride to Siena and arrived a little after 11 am. We had to go through the mall to take an escalator up to the city. I'm talking about an escalator that goes STRAIGHT up, it was awesome! After we got to the city we searched for a place to stay. We met two girls that were staying in Siena for college and they recommend a place that was inexpensive. We went to check it out and we ended up getting an entire apartment for a crazy good deal! Two floors, a bedroom, a living room, a bathroom, a kitchen, and terrace garden that we walked out to from our living room!! After freaking out a bit in excitement, we set out to explore Siena.

We went to the new Duomo, Cathedrale di Santa Maria, a beautiful marble Cathedral with incredible paintings and sculptures. The details in these churches are fantastic, I could sit and look at them for hours! 

After checking out the new Duomo, we explored some other churches, then went to the Basilica of San Domenico. At the Basilica of San Domenico they have the head of St Catherine of Siena and her finger. Okay, stop and think, have you ever seen someones head after they have been dead for years? Its crazy, she was an incredible woman, but seeing anyones head like that kind of creeps me out. Still neat to expirence. 

After checking out the rest of town we went to a wine tasting. I still cant get over how great the wine is every where I go! We then had another amazing Italian dinner, great bruschetta, chicken, potatos, and wine. YUM!! 


After dinner we had fun talking to the locals.We got cappucinno at a bar then we went to the market to get a bottle of wine to drink. On our way back from the market we met two Americans (One of them lives in Europe and is a chief at a restaurant, and the other is traveling for two months to learn more about wine for the restaurant back in the US). We all went to the Piazza del Campo, the famous square in Siena, shapped like a shell. They brought more wine, cheeses, and salami so we had a night picnic right in the middle of the square. We hung out on the Gaia Fountain at the Piazza del Campo. It was so much fun hanging out in the middle and meeting all the of locals that were out and about. Good way to finish the night in Siena. 

Miss you all and wish you were here with me!!!

Oh.. Assisi!

January 25, 2013

 We took a bus to Assisi through beautiful snow covered hills and valleys. I am loving the bus and train rides because I can just relax and enjoy the incredible scenery! We were so excited to arrive in Assisi! When we got off the bus we stopped at a cafe' for advice on the town and where to stay. We then headed up to higher Assisi, which was quite the walk, down the road and up the hill. As we approached higher Assisi I could feel the peacefulness of the city. The walk up to the town was like nothing I have ever experienced before.  I could see the town above, the green rolling hills surrounding the town with fog, and to the left there was a beautiful rainbow! It was like God was welcoming us to Assisi! I have never in my life been moved by such beauty and love. After seeing Gods rainbow I was so touched I was crying. I felt so much joy and love. No wonder St. Francis fell in love with God and nature in Assisi! 

We were walking by a convent so we decided to stop and see if they would have a place for us to stay for the weekend. We rang the bell (felt like the Sound of Music) and Sister Samuella came and invited us in after we told her our story. That in itself was such a blessing, that without hesitation, she gave us a place to stay.  There are five sisters in total that stay at the convent. There was one other girl there that we were so happy to meet, she was also visiting Assisi and stayed there with us for the weekend. 

After settling in on Friday I spent the day checking out Upper Assisi. I went to the different churches of St. Francis and St. Claire, stopped in all the different shops, and checked out the cafes. I loved visiting the churches, spending time in adoration/mass, and just enjoyed learning about the incredible Saints and how they lived their life there. It's super neat to see St Francis' and St Claire's tombs, such a holy place!

Friday night Catherine and I got a bottle of wine and went to dinner at a family restaurant. We had such a great time and met two wonderful new friends from Milan that we hope to see again. After dinner we walked through the town and "accidentally" walked into a kitchen of a nice restaurant...whoops, silly Americans. :) The chief began to talk to us and invited us in for an espresso. It was such a nice place, the floor was made of glass, and everything was white, how beautiful! After enjoying our espresso we headed back to the convent and visited with the sisters before bed, they are so cute and witty. I felt so at peace the entire weekend and slept the best I have slept since I left the States.

Saturday morning we had breakfast with the Sisters and set out to enjoy our second day in Assisi. I headed  to lower Assisi. I found a path through a vineyard and walked down through the hills and countryside to get to the city. It was beautiful outside and sunny, such a great way to spend the morning. First stop was to go to the Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli, it is a big beautifully decorated church, in the middle there is the little church where St. Francis and his followers met.  After spending some time enjoying the Basilica I set off to learn more about the town. Everyone you pass walking through town was so nice. I had fun checking out all neighborhoods, the small businesses, the parks, and the local gym. Yes, I asked to tour a  gym! The gyms are somewhat different from America, so my curiosity got the best of me, defiantly an experience to see what they do there. 

Saturday afternoon I headed back to Upper Assisi and hung out in a wine bar. So relaxing and fun to be able to do what I want and see what I want when I am curious about something. Catherine met me at the wine bar and we visited with the owner before leaving to go back to our home for the weekend. The Sisters were so sweet and made us dinner. The food was home-cooked and so good! After dinner we enjoyed the rest of the night visiting and playing UNO with the Sisters. Let me tell you, those nuns can be very competitive and are spitfires! It was so entertaining to hang out with them! 

Sunday morning we went to Mass at San Damiano and spent the day shopping in the town. After shopping we thanked and said goodbye to the beautiful Sisters then headed back to Macerata. I am always excited when we are on our way back to Macerata to see our "family" here and tell them of our experiences. 

What a great weekend! Such a blessing to be in the presence of so many incredible people and to visit Assisi in general. One thing I have been learning a lot about is Gods love and all the different ways its possible. I learned a lot about it this weekend. Gods love for us is so great! I think sometimes that it can be something that is hard to remember, but the entire weekend that is the one thing I could feel. The feeling of leaving Assisi was like waking up from a GREAT dream! Just pure bliss and joy! 

Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli