It’s been a while since my last blog because I’ve been so BUSY!!! I have been traveling for the past 20 days, and I just got Abi on the plane back home so now I have time to blog…
Have you ever said, “I could eat pasta everyday”? Well I probably have… and I did during my 10 day trip in Italy. I had pasta at least for lunch or dinner everyday (sometimes both), and I’m sick of it. I have also been eating a lot of pasta in my dorm room because it is so easy. So I’m really sick of it. However it is one of my favorite foods, so I’m sure it won’t last long.
Italy was a really interesting trip because I have studied about the ancient ruins of Rome and the start of the Renaissance in Florence in my architectural history classes. When we were walking down the street I would look around and say… “This looks familiar… I know we studied this before.”
Brittany and I flew to Rome on Monday the 4th really early in the morning. We started off our sight seeing with the Colosseum and roman forum. We did a lot of walking in Rome and all of Italy because the metro system is not very good. There are so many ruins that it took Rome 45 years to get two metro lines they have. They have started a third but it could take another 20+ years to build it.
Rome was really beautiful at night, Brittany and I followed a night walking tour from my travel book. It took us by some of my favorite buildings, like the pantheon. We had to go back to all of the sites during the day so we could go in. The pantheon is really cool because the dome in side is a perfect circle. It is as wide as it is tall. Also, the oculus at the top is open- no glass. So when it rains outside it rains inside (don’t worry there are drains). I wish it had rained when we were there.
Thursday we trained to Florence. I haven’t visited so many churches since mom, dad, Ab, and I were in Germany when I was in 5th grade (I think). Florence’s most famous church is known as the Duomo, St. Maria del Fiore Basilica. The dome (duomo) is an architectural marvel. For centuries they could not figure out how to build it. The dome was much larger then what they had built before. Brunelleschi was the architect who figured it out in the 15th century.
Another tourist attraction in Florence is the statue of David by Michelangelo. The real one is in a museum (with a huge line to get in, but a short line if you make reservations!!) and the copy is in the Palazzo Vecchio. I found the unfinished statues by Michelangelo near the finished David in the museum fascinating. You can see the process it takes to make such amazing sculptures, and how one huge block of stone becomes… alive.
I had a great time shopping in Florence. They are known for leather. I fell in love with a red leather bag before I left St. Louis in February- but couldn’t afford the $100 price tag. And I found a cute red leather bag with a similar shape in Florence that I got down to 35 Euro ($50) that’s right doing the Hagy Haggle. So you could say I saved $50!! At least that’s how I like to look at it.
Sunday we trained to Venice, by far the most beautiful city in Italy. There is a main canal that divides the island in two and most of the streets are smaller canals with sidewalks along them. It is easy to walk around Venice, and much less frustrating if you just wonder. It is impossible to use a map… I’m not even kidding.
Everything is more expensive in Venice. For example a soda normally cost 1.00–1.50 Euro ($1.30-2.00) in the tourist areas of town. But in Venice it is more like 2-3 Euro. This is because everything has to be shipped into Venice. And since there are very few streets, it is all brought in by boat, and then “hand-trucked” (basically a flat wheel barrow) from the boat to each store, over the bridges and stairs. Every morning we would see young strong guys making deliveries to all of the small shops- it really takes a lot of effort.
Venice is known for its glass. Back in the day, the glass makers were kicked off of Venice because they kept starting fires and were putting the people of Venice in danger. They moved to Morano, only 20 min by public boat away. They make all kinds of things like wine stoppers, vases, jewelry.
Wednesday the 13th, Brittany and I headed back to Prague. It was such a long day. To save money we took a cheep flight to Vienna and then a bus from Vienna to Prague… 12+ hours later I was in my room. I’m so glad that after this Wednesday (when I come HOME!!!) I will not be traveling for a while- I have had enough.
Have you ever said, “I could eat pasta everyday”? Well I probably have… and I did during my 10 day trip in Italy. I had pasta at least for lunch or dinner everyday (sometimes both), and I’m sick of it. I have also been eating a lot of pasta in my dorm room because it is so easy. So I’m really sick of it. However it is one of my favorite foods, so I’m sure it won’t last long. Italy was a really interesting trip because I have studied about the ancient ruins of Rome and the start of the Renaissance in Florence in my architectural history classes. When we were walking down the street I would look around and say… “This looks familiar… I know we studied this before.” Brittany and I flew to Rome on Monday the 4th really early in the morning. We started off our sight seeing with the Colosseum and roman forum. We did a lot of walking in Rome and all of Italy because the metro system is not very good. There are so many ruins that it took Rome 45 years to get two metro lines they have. They have started a third but it could take another 20+ years to build it. Rome was really beautiful at night, Brittany and I followed a night walking tour from my travel book. It took us by some of my favorite buildings, like the pantheon. We had to go back to all of the sites during the day so we could go in. The pantheon is really cool because the dome in side is a perfect circle. It is as wide as it is tall. Also, the oculus at the top is open- no glass. So when it rains outside it rains inside (don’t worry there are drains). I wish it had rained when we were there. Thursday we trained to Florence. I haven’t visited so many churches since mom, dad, Ab, and I were in Germany when I was in 5th grade (I think). Florence’s most famous church is known as the Duomo, St. Maria del Fiore Basilica. The dome (duomo) is an architectural marvel. For centuries they could not figure out how to build it. The dome was much larger then what they had built before. Brunelleschi was the architect who figured it out in the 15th century. Another tourist attraction in Florence is the statue of David by Michelangelo. The real one is in a museum (with a huge line to get in, but a short line if you make reservations!!) and the copy is in the Palazzo Vecchio. I found the unfinished statues by Michelangelo near the finished David in the museum fascinating. You can see the process it takes to make such amazing sculptures, and how one huge block of stone becomes… alive. I had a great time shopping in Florence. They are known for leather. I fell in love with a red leather bag before I left St. Louis in February- but couldn’t afford the $100 price tag. And I found a cute red leather bag with a similar shape in Florence that I got down to 35 Euro ($50) that’s right doing the Hagy Haggle. So you could say I saved $50!! At least that’s how I like to look at it. Sunday we trained to Venice, by far the most beautiful city in Italy. There is a main canal that divides the island in two and most of the streets are smaller canals with sidewalks along them. It is easy to walk around Venice, and much less frustrating if you just wonder. It is impossible to use a map… I’m not even kidding.Everything is more expensive in Venice. For example a soda normally cost 1.00–1.50 Euro ($1.30-2.00) in the tourist areas of town. But in Venice it is more like 2-3 Euro. This is because everything has to be shipped into Venice. And since there are very few streets, it is all brought in by boat, and then “hand-trucked” (basically a flat wheel barrow) from the boat to each store, over the bridges and stairs. Every morning we would see young strong guys making deliveries to all of the small shops- it really takes a lot of effort.Venice is known for its glass. Back in the day, the glass makers were kicked off of Venice because they kept starting fires and were putting the people of Venice in danger. They moved to Morano, only 20 min by public boat away. They make all kinds of things like wine stoppers, vases, jewelry.Wednesday the 13th, Brittany and I headed back to Prague. It was such a long day. To save money we took a cheep flight to Vienna and then a bus from Vienna to Prague… 12+ hours later I was in my room. I’m so glad that after this Wednesday (when I come HOME!!!) I will not be traveling for a while- I have had enough. 
I have also been going to a few operas and ballets. Brittany and I saw opera Aida last week at the State Opera House. The singers were really good but we were confused about what was going on because they were not very good actors. It didn’t help that the opera is set in Egypt, sung in Italian with subtitles in Czech (on a digital screen above the stage). We had to read the program to understand the storyline.
And finally, last night Carrie, my roommate and our friend Sally went to see Swan Lake. I was really excited because it was shown at the National Theater, and it was my first time to see a show there. Also, I had heard so much about Swan Lake. Carrie was really excited about the tutus. It might have been due to the fact that I didn’t get much sleep the night before, but the performance was really long… I mean LONG. It was beautiful and I am glad that I got to see it.