Sicily! And I am finally caught up (Outside of pictures lol)

      Late Tuesday night we flew into Catania, Sicily and then drove an hour south to settle into our hotel in Siracusa.  The next morning was chock-full of museums and sites as always.  But we were close to the ocean the entire time which made it all even better.  ^.^  

     I can tell I'm finally used to all the walking we do.  We probably only walked seven or eight miles yesterday and so I was not at all tired when we in last night as my body is used to around 13.  I remember the first week we all were dying from being on our feet for hours and we kept trying to reassure each other that we would get used to it at some point.  Well, that point has come!!

     We (being Audrey, Jacinda, and I) wandered the mainland for a bit before going back to the hotel for a quick nap.  There we met up with most of the group and ended up going on a boat tour with them.  During it they took us to a few sea-caves, around the island of Ortigia, and then they gave us a chance to jump into a bay and swim for a bit.  I definitely recommend it!  To finish off the evening, the three of us broke off from the group again and just walked around the island of Ortigia, investigating shops and wandering next to the ocean.  For dinner I stopped at a fish and chips place.  Ironically, there wasn't much fish, instead there was shrimp, anchovies, sardines and several other small sea creatures I can't remember.  It was deep fried and delicious.

      Next is Agrigento and we have less than a week til Greece.  I better start brushing up on my Greek.  :D

-Kyrie

Florence and Naples

     If Rome smells like wine and cigarettes, Florence smells like sewer with a bit of cigarettes on the side--which is sad because Florence is beautiful.  We only spent three days in Florence but it felt just right.  Our professors gave us 72 hour museum passes that gave access to 72 museums in Florence.  And after two half days of class, we were given a day and a half to simply explore and visit as many as we would like.  We say a range from the first Renaissance church in Florence, to ancient Greek statues, to a massive modern art museum.  It was incredible!
     On top of that, me and the two girls I usually spend our free time with visited the leather market.  It was stunning, and we haggled some leather jackets down to pretty good deals.  So.... all three of us ended up with one.  ^.^  I don't have much else to say about Florence as I spent most of the last day there laying sick in bed.
     After Florence, we took a train down to Naples.  Naples was a shock.  We hopped out of the train station and straight into the ghetto.  Rome and Florence are two very beautiful, semi-modern cities that have been upkept well.  Naples, on the other hand is a lot more run down, plus there is a thick layer of smog all the time because it is a port town.  It didn't help matters either that our professor assured us that as long as we stuck to groups of three or more, we probably wouldn't be mugged.  :D  Luckily though,  we stayed out near Pompeii which is much quieter and very green.
     And on the topic of Pompeii...  it was incredible!  I have had this fascination with Pompeii ever since I was little and the actual city more than fulfilled my imaginings of it.  We wandered around for four hours and still didn't see the entire town.  I think one of my favorite parts of wandering around Southern Italy is how much the Romans built on the earlier Greek colonies to end with a fascinating mix of cultures.  In fact, reuse is a major theme just in general!
     On Sunday, we had some very kind members carpool us from the train station to the church so we didn't have to walk a half hour or so.  And since it was a very small branch, they had to make multiple trips for all 30 of us.  Church was amazing as always.  I have yet to have an experience where we don't understand what is going on as there is always someone willing to translate.
      Monday, we went to Naples to explore a few museums and a library which has some ancient papyri from a nearby city.  The library was a massive maze of ancient books.  In fact, I'm pretty sure there were no books newer than 1800.  So of course I was on cloud nine the entire time.  :D
     On the subject of pizza, Naples definitely has the best.  The ingredients over here are just more fresh in general and my obsession with pepperoni has only grown since eating the real stuff.
      Well, that is it for now!
-Kyrie

My first post... finally!

Hey guys,
     I meant to start my blog posting much sooner but I have had Internet issues left and right.  However, my current hotel has decent enough wi-fi that I figured I should post now before we switch and I have no Internet again.
      Alright, to start off I landed in Rome and spent seven days there.  My favorite highlight was the Villa Borghese museum.  It is amazing!  They have so many incredible works of art.  Plus they regulate how many people are in there at a time so it never feels too crowded. I know that sounds like a weird detail, but after a day in the Vatican, you appreciate breathing space in your museums.  And although the Vatican is beautiful, spending all day feeling like your crammed into an Italian metro really detracts from the experience.
     Culture-wise, I have discovered at least ten uses for Prego which is the Italian word for please/your welcome.  Within two days I realized that if you are ever unsure of what to say, just put in a "prego" and you're usually okay.  Also, I never realized how successful the campaign against smoking was in the U.S. until I came into Italy.  Everyone smokes here.  Someone in my group said that Rome smelled like wine and cigarettes and that is probably the most accurate description.
      I'll post my pictures separately in a day or so.
-Kyrie

P.S.  If the format is funky, please let me know.  I am doing this by phone so I'm not sure how well it will work.  :)