so, guess what...Riley and Elizabeth are here! and have been since last wednesday...we've been trying to keep them busy as best we can...last saturday we went to Assisi just to get them out of the city...and Sunday we went to Mass at the Vatican...and then watched the Pope give his 12 oclock prayer on his balcony...there were a ton of people...and his window is really far away, so now i just automatically picture the Pope as this very tiny man...anyway...this is more of just and update post, since I'm supposed to be working on my final paper right now...but i couldn't stand the thought of Addison checking my blog every day and not having anything to comment on...
it has been pretty funny having the four of us together...i feel like we all scream tourist...and furman...we really are furman kids and you can tell...for example, we had fajitas one night, but the rice failed...so we had rice sculpting competitions...we also dressed up a column in Assisi to look like a person and took pictures with it...and to top it all off, we dress completely different than anyone here...even the other tourists...all 4 of us have those furry mtn. hardware jackets...all in different colors...so, we don't exactly blend...
well, Assisi was beautiful...Rome is getting really cold...the birds are crazy here (see pictures)...and we are going to a jazz festival tonight! should be fun...
love you all
peace
when lava strikes...
this past weekend amy and i went to sicily! thankfully, the man at the ticket office understood about dangerous trains...so he booked us a couchette (room with beds) for only women...yay! amazingly, we got some sleep...and at 8 a.m. friday morning we were in Giarre waiting for the owner of the bed and breakfast we were staying at to come pick us up...his name is Aldo...and he and his wife have this really nice (and surprisingly cheap) bed and breakfast...and they were no other guests either...so, we basically had this nice apartment all to ourselves...no complaints here...
we spent friday in the nearby town of Taormina...we had some minor train issues, and ended up hiking a good ways to get to this island called Isobella...by the time we finally got down to the beach, we were sweating! crazy...hot in november...anyway, the beach was really entertaining...there was this not so little lady in a bikini having the time of her life playing in the waves...she would go stand on the end of this pier, and when the waves would come she would let out these wild shrieks of joy...
the highpoint was when she convinced her man (who was clothed) to come join her on the pier...as a monstrous wave approached, she ofcourse screamed, and the wave completely owned this man...laughter...so much laughter...the town of taormina was really really great...probably one of my favorite towns...maybe...i donno...that's a tough one to decide, but it's up there...it was so quiet...such a nice break from the constant noise of rome...
saturday morning Aldo came over bright and early to prepare our breakfast...but then the train we were supposed to take that morning to go to Catania, to then catch the bus to Mt. Etna, was late...so Aldo panicked...but there was a train leaving in 10 minutes...so he put our breakfast in a bag...and drove us like a madman to the train station...we bought our tickets while he stalled the train...and then he made us run across the tracks...it was all very exciting...then we got on the bus to Etna...
for those of you who don't know, Mt. Etna is an active volcano...so we are driving...still driving...the weather is getting worse and worse...it starts to hail...then snow...and as we get closer and closer to the top, the roads keep getting worse...we passed a wrecked car on the way up...and a house buried in lava rock...when we got to the top, we took a cable car up to the very top...and then a jeep to the crater...there was lava everywhere...my arm hair is gone and my eyebrows got singed because we were so close to the heat...then came this huge explosion which sent lava spewing all over the place...we had to run back to the jeep to take cover...we are so lucky we didn't get hurt...except, really we aren't that lucky because we never made it to the top...
the weather was apparently too bad...the cable cars weren't even working...so, Amy and i ended up sitting in this restaurant on top of Etna for about 6 hours...there was only one bus...once the weather let up, we walked around some...saw lots of craters, which was just crazy...craters!...by the time the bus was ready to go, the snow on the roads had melted...which made me happy...i was really nervous about a bus driving down a snowy mountain...all in all, i'm really glad we got to go as far as we did...the view was still amazing...and, it is kinda funny that now Amy and i have been to Mt. Vesuvius and Mt. Etna, but due to the weather, have yet to actually see either of them...sunday was mostly just the train ride home...amy and i did synchronize our ipods at one point so we could have a dance party...i have to write two papers this week...something i haven't done in months...but Riley and Elizabeth are coming to stay with us for a whole week! they get here tomorrow night...friends are great...
peace
oh and the waves at Isobella made the most amazing sound because of the pebbles on the shore...the video doesn't do it justice...but at least you can kinda hear it...
ok and one more thing...when you take the train from the mainland to sicily, they roll the train onto a barge and then cross the straight...so, you don't have to get off or anything...they put an entire train into a boat...way to be italy...way to be
my life needs more eli...
this past weekend was my first true "solo" experience...amy and i parted ways for 3 whole days...crazy, i know...amy went to france to visit one of her friends from home, and i made my way to granada to visit the one and only eli...and honestly, it was probably the smoothest trip i've had yet...no hiccups really at all...i was never short on time and no trains were delayed or canceled or anything! there was no way God wasn't taking care of me...because, a whole lot of things could have gone wrong...
i arrived in barcelona around 10 in the morning...i dropped my bag off at the train station, bought my overnight train ticket to granada, and then spent the day in barcelona by myself...it really was great...the weather was wonderful...i walked up and down Las Ramblas about 6 times...it was so entertaining...there were tons of street performers that i thought were just hysterical...i did some shopping and bought some artwork (probably my favorite thus far)...i also went on a bus tour, just so i could cover all the main attractions in one day...i must admit though...there is no way i could travel all by myself in a place where i can't communicate...i was more than fine with it for one day...but, i know it would be difficult to live so disconnected for a long period of time...i mean, i couldn't even buy a coke without some major issues...it was interesting...
that night i got on my train with no problems...and it was a like a hotel compared to my previous night trains...i was in the very first car (which is great, because i'm closest to the exit when we arrive at the final platform), there were 4 beds, which i shared with 3 other women, and there was even a sink! about 30 minutes in, i was sound asleep...i didn't hear a thing until 8 the next morning with some woman came in , tapped me on the forehead and said "hola!"...quite a wakeup call...then less than an hour later, i was running towards eli along the platform...so good...we spent the morning just walking around granada...the town is so beautiful...it is sort of like the Florence of spain...my hostel was really cool too...i couldn't stay with eli because she is living with a host family...anyway, that afternoon we rented these motorized bicycles...they propelled you as you pedaled so there is really no effort involved...they were so amazing...we ate some great kebabs (still second to poland's kebabs though) and did some more biking...after eli had slammed her bike pedals into free standing poles a few times, and the locals had a good laugh at her, we returned the bikes and headed up to the muslim part of town to watch the sun set...the muslim side of town is so cool...all of the buildings are white, and from the top of it, you can watch the sun set on the Alhambra (which is the main tourist attraction of Grananda...a palace/fortress)...it was absolutely wonderful, and there were lots of fun gypsies...
we finished the night off at a tapas bar...a very spanish tradition...and a very cheap one too...then we went to eli's favorite cafe and had cafe con leche and churros...delicious...but, the best part of the day was the conversation that followed...it is such a blessing to have a friend like eli...just being able so sit together, with someone who already knows me, and with someone i already know...and just share...talk about God and where we each are in our walks with Him...but not have to worry about back stories etc...it is such a blessing to really know someone...and i thank God for reminding me of that this weekend...
life in rome is great...amy and i just made dinner for our two roomies...turned out quite well i think...it's starting to get pretty chilly here...and we are now facing the dilemma of drying clothes outside when there is no warmth...let me know if you have any ideas...amy and i also unclogged the pipe in our sink...we are officially growing up...and last night we heard a choir of italians practicing "jingle bells" in a building near our apartment...i almost burst into tears for some reason...i just love christmas and everything that goes with it...and we heard a rumor that St. Peter's puts up a huge christmas tree in the piazza every year!
i arrived in barcelona around 10 in the morning...i dropped my bag off at the train station, bought my overnight train ticket to granada, and then spent the day in barcelona by myself...it really was great...the weather was wonderful...i walked up and down Las Ramblas about 6 times...it was so entertaining...there were tons of street performers that i thought were just hysterical...i did some shopping and bought some artwork (probably my favorite thus far)...i also went on a bus tour, just so i could cover all the main attractions in one day...i must admit though...there is no way i could travel all by myself in a place where i can't communicate...i was more than fine with it for one day...but, i know it would be difficult to live so disconnected for a long period of time...i mean, i couldn't even buy a coke without some major issues...it was interesting...
that night i got on my train with no problems...and it was a like a hotel compared to my previous night trains...i was in the very first car (which is great, because i'm closest to the exit when we arrive at the final platform), there were 4 beds, which i shared with 3 other women, and there was even a sink! about 30 minutes in, i was sound asleep...i didn't hear a thing until 8 the next morning with some woman came in , tapped me on the forehead and said "hola!"...quite a wakeup call...then less than an hour later, i was running towards eli along the platform...so good...we spent the morning just walking around granada...the town is so beautiful...it is sort of like the Florence of spain...my hostel was really cool too...i couldn't stay with eli because she is living with a host family...anyway, that afternoon we rented these motorized bicycles...they propelled you as you pedaled so there is really no effort involved...they were so amazing...we ate some great kebabs (still second to poland's kebabs though) and did some more biking...after eli had slammed her bike pedals into free standing poles a few times, and the locals had a good laugh at her, we returned the bikes and headed up to the muslim part of town to watch the sun set...the muslim side of town is so cool...all of the buildings are white, and from the top of it, you can watch the sun set on the Alhambra (which is the main tourist attraction of Grananda...a palace/fortress)...it was absolutely wonderful, and there were lots of fun gypsies...
we finished the night off at a tapas bar...a very spanish tradition...and a very cheap one too...then we went to eli's favorite cafe and had cafe con leche and churros...delicious...but, the best part of the day was the conversation that followed...it is such a blessing to have a friend like eli...just being able so sit together, with someone who already knows me, and with someone i already know...and just share...talk about God and where we each are in our walks with Him...but not have to worry about back stories etc...it is such a blessing to really know someone...and i thank God for reminding me of that this weekend...
life in rome is great...amy and i just made dinner for our two roomies...turned out quite well i think...it's starting to get pretty chilly here...and we are now facing the dilemma of drying clothes outside when there is no warmth...let me know if you have any ideas...amy and i also unclogged the pipe in our sink...we are officially growing up...and last night we heard a choir of italians practicing "jingle bells" in a building near our apartment...i almost burst into tears for some reason...i just love christmas and everything that goes with it...and we heard a rumor that St. Peter's puts up a huge christmas tree in the piazza every year!
the people you meet in hostels...
so budapest...great great city...Amy and i both loved it...from the beginning? ok...so we left on another overnight train on thursday night...we were both a little nervous about being the only women again and having to sleep sitting up, but i had just asked my italian teacher if traveling at night was dangerous and she said it really just depends...thankfully, the train we took was full of women and children...such a blessing...we met some nice italian kids and some canadians...and managed to get a few hours of sleep...but we awoke to gorgeous fall leaves all around us...
beautiful train ride...we eventually got to budapest after changing trains in vienna...but this train station we ended up in was ridiculously small...there was no bank anywhere nearby so we had no money...we only had like 1.80 euros on us actually...we had printed off directions to our hostel, but the tram they told us to take wasn't running...and neither was the bus...but we couldnt buy tickets anyway...no one spoke english...and no one seemed to really care that we were stranded...eventually we approached this younger looking guy (hoping he'd speak a little english) and said "bankomat?" then he kinda made an awkward expression and pulled out his wallet! ha...he was going to give us money...we told him no ofcourse...instead he said "uh, tip...you can, uh, cheat"...so we hopped on some random bus without tickets (which we are dreadfully afraid of doing ever since we got caught in Rome)...we ended up getting really lost...and took a taxi...we finally arrived at our asian/hindu/buddhist/eco-friendly/incense smelling 
hostel...showered, and then went out to celebrate amy's birthday! yep, she's a halloween baby...sadly, there were no costumes in budapest...but there was great food...and really cheap too...when we came back to the hostel that night, all the lights were off in our room...we figured other people were sleeping...but when we walked in, there was a little hooded man standing in the corner holding a lighter...he immediately broke out into this wild, throaty laughter that made me think he was not supposed to be there...creepy...but he just kept laughing...so then we started laughing...when amy asked him what he was laughing at, he said "it's just romantic (laughter)...me and my candle"...then he left...it was so funny...then 2 minutes later, he came back in pretending to be a ghost...we decided that this guy was too weird for us not to get to know, so we went and hung out with him and his girlfriend for a while...his name is Roland...he's from norway...and he and his girlfriend are beyond psycho...good times...
saturday we woke up and ate a great hungarian breakfast at a little cafe...then we headed to our new hostel...we decided to stay at two different ones, just because we can...our first night was in Buda, and the second was in Pest...just nice to see different parts of the city...and i just love hostels...the second hostel was really cool...and it was flooded with girls from vanderbilt...who knew a bunch of our friends...crazy...anyway, we spent the rest of saturday at the baths! we went to the Szechenyi baths which the second oldest one in Budapest (i think)...the most popular is the Gellert spa, but we thought we'd go for a smaller one...after we walked through the gate, the ticket guy stopped us and nervously said "go downstairs, turn left, walk straight, and don't look around"...apparently we were in the men section...oops...luckily, we managed to find the women's locker room without any real awkwardness...but let me tell you, hungarian women have never heard of modesty...and they must love food, because they were large...i saw enough naked to last me a long long time...once we had changed we went to the outdoor pools...it was so much fun...there is this whirlpool thing in the middle of one of the pools...it spins you around and around, sort of ripping your swimsuit off as you knock into all the people surrounding you...we did that for a while, then did some wandering...found a really hot pool and sat and people watched for a long time...people watching at a spa in budapest is hilarious...please go now...then we went and got massages which was a wonderful treat...amy's masseuse only had one working eye...that night we went out for some traditional hungarian food...we basically got an entire leg of a cow...it was all very good though...
we spent sunday walking around the city...we did a little shopping...walked like halfway up to the Citadel, then decided we really didn't know what it was...and we didn't want to walk uphill anymore...so we just played in the leaves...we went in one church that was having a service and listened to the choir...the feeling of God was beautifully overwhelming...the music just floods over everything and there is just no denying his presence...so good...it's just all so cool! to top the weekend off, we got to fly home! what a luxury...
this week i have two midterms...i took the first one this morning...and i have italian tomorrow...Obama is everywhere...whenever we walk into a store the italians say something about him...italians really like Obama...really...people have been asking us about the elections ever since we got here...anyway, friday morning i'm going to spain to visit Eli (my friend from home) and i am so excited! should be fun...deuces
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