This is a week of lasts. I first had to say goodbye to one of my favorite traditions this past Saturday, the market. If I am in Leiden on a Saturday I always make my way over to the market where I buy fresh fruits and vegetables, a hot stroopwaffle, and occasionally some flowers. I really couldn't believe that this was the last time that I would walk along the canal and see all the booths set up. On Saturday I also visited Amsterdam for the last time, which wasn't hard to say bye to ha! The cleaning workers have been on strike for a few weeks so the streets were covered in garbage...it was disgusting. Sarah Shimon, Chels, Will, TJ, and I got to have the "Heineken Experience" and visit the Anne Frank house.
Today I had to say bye to C1000, the grocery store right down the street that I have been going to since the first week I arrived. I remember walking in the first time unaware of where anything was located yet alone what anything said since it was all in Dutch. I had no idea that you were required to bring your own bag to carry your groceries in or that the store doesn't stay open 24 hours. Now it just seems normal; I know where everything is located and what it means, I understand the cashiers when they ask me in Dutch if I want the receipt, and I have even become faster in loading my groceries in my backpack. I also had to say goodbye to the local bakery I go to get fresh bread. I am really going to miss the fresh bread I have become so accustomed to. This evening I had to say goodbye to Jackets, an amazing potato restaurant that we have been going to every Monday night for the past month. It was last month that we found out they give students discounts on Mondays and wish we would have been going a lot longer.
I only have two more days left with Rusty, my faithful bike. Though he has lost the rear tire cover and most of the power to its brakes, it would not have been the same experience without him. I have loved having a bike and am already looking into getting one when I return home. Later on Wednesday we are having our last dinner as a program.
I really can not comprehend that I will be boarding a plane this Thursday. It really does just feel like yesterday that I was getting everything ready to come to Leiden. I was anxious and unaware of what the semester would entail. Now I can not imagine not spending a semester abroad. I have learned so much about myself and it is bittersweet to leave a place that feels like my second home.
Monday, May 17, 2010
What could be better than waffles and chocolate?
My last trip planned was to Belgium May 5-7 with my entire program. I had just finished up three of my classes at Webster University the day before so I was thrilled to only have one final left before completing my junior year.
We took a 2 hour train ride to Brussels and checked into our hostel, The Sleep Well. I stayed in a three person room with the two Sarah's. After settling in, a few of us took the opportunity to grab a bite to eat and of course try a Belgian waffle before our planned activities began. The waffle was delicious and lived up to everything I had expected. That afternoon we had the opportunity to listen and ask questions to an American Diplomat who was working in Brussels. It has been interesting learning so much about the European Union and its relations with America. We then proceeded to take a tour of the city and then had some free time to explore ourselves.
We took a 2 hour train ride to Brussels and checked into our hostel, The Sleep Well. I stayed in a three person room with the two Sarah's. After settling in, a few of us took the opportunity to grab a bite to eat and of course try a Belgian waffle before our planned activities began. The waffle was delicious and lived up to everything I had expected. That afternoon we had the opportunity to listen and ask questions to an American Diplomat who was working in Brussels. It has been interesting learning so much about the European Union and its relations with America. We then proceeded to take a tour of the city and then had some free time to explore ourselves.
On Thursday we went inside a few churches and then later that afternoon visited the EU Parliament. Early Friday morning we packed up and took a train to Brugge. Unlike Brussels, Brugge was a quaint small town and I thoroughly enjoyed it. We went to a few museums and I finally had the chance to buy some Belgian chocolates. We were all pretty exhausted by the end of the trip!
RANDOM FACTS
1) Belgian Waffles can be messy- The more toppings you add the more likely you are to either spill it on your shirt or get it all over your face.
2) Museums- All museums start to look alike after visiting close to a 100 and lose its appeal fairly quickly.
3) Trains- Some times there are more people than seats available. In these situations you can either sit in the aisle or squeeze in a sit with a fellow friend.
RANDOM FACTS
1) Belgian Waffles can be messy- The more toppings you add the more likely you are to either spill it on your shirt or get it all over your face.
2) Museums- All museums start to look alike after visiting close to a 100 and lose its appeal fairly quickly.
3) Trains- Some times there are more people than seats available. In these situations you can either sit in the aisle or squeeze in a sit with a fellow friend.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Playing "Catch Up"- 2nd Germany
I knew I wanted to make a trip to Germany when I finalized my plans for study abroad. As a Rulketter I felt it was my duty to visit my where my family came from (thought you would like that Mom). I spent the weekend of April 20- May 2 with Sarah Shimon and Sarah Schmidt. We took an early flight so we had the whole day to spend in Munich. We knew it was going to be a great vacation when KLM provided us with free drinks and a snack, which was a luxury since most European flights, well cheap European airlines that we have flown with, charge for this. We checked into our hostel, European Youth Hostel, and then grabbed a map to go explore. Our first stop was Dachau concentration camp, which was only a 30 minute train ride from the city. It unreal to be at a concentration camp such as Dachau and enter in a place that cause so much pain. We were able to have a conversation with a woman whose uncle was a survivor and was actually with ten others visiting the camp that day. She told us stories that he went through and it really put it into perspective for us what an awful place this was. After Dachau we did some shopping and saw the square which contained the largest Coo Coo clock which Sarah Schmidt informed us we had to see. We walked around the European Gardens where we saw surfers using the fresh water from the alps, and then we went to the infamous Hofbrauhaus. There we experienced some real German food, music, beer, and the locals. It was an experience I will never forget!
On Saturday I celebrated my 21st birthday by going to the Neuschwanstein Castle which was the inspiration for Cinderella's castle in Disney Land. The castle is located in the Alps and is only about 20 miles from Austria's border. The castle was so beautiful and we had a wonderful time. Later that night we went out to eat and celebrated. It was a wonderful birthday :)
On Sunday we experienced Munich by bike, the only real way to experience a city anyway! It was a great way for us to see areas we hadn't been able to explore yet, and learn some history about Munich and the rise of Hitler.
RANDOM FACTS
1) A local informed me Rulketter was not German- He said he had never heard of it so I could just pretend my last name was Mueller. bahah!
2) The Coo Coo Clock- Was very large and very boring- It lasted 5 minutes, but we had enough after 2 minutes. So glad we saw it though :)
3) The English Gardens- There is a nude section in the gardens, and many people will pose and ask for money.. awkward to say the least.
On Saturday I celebrated my 21st birthday by going to the Neuschwanstein Castle which was the inspiration for Cinderella's castle in Disney Land. The castle is located in the Alps and is only about 20 miles from Austria's border. The castle was so beautiful and we had a wonderful time. Later that night we went out to eat and celebrated. It was a wonderful birthday :)
On Sunday we experienced Munich by bike, the only real way to experience a city anyway! It was a great way for us to see areas we hadn't been able to explore yet, and learn some history about Munich and the rise of Hitler.
RANDOM FACTS
1) A local informed me Rulketter was not German- He said he had never heard of it so I could just pretend my last name was Mueller. bahah!
2) The Coo Coo Clock- Was very large and very boring- It lasted 5 minutes, but we had enough after 2 minutes. So glad we saw it though :)
3) The English Gardens- There is a nude section in the gardens, and many people will pose and ask for money.. awkward to say the least.
Playing "Catch Up"- 1st Paris
This past month has been so eventful that I haven't had time to blog about all the experiences I have been having. Now that I am officially finished with my junior year of college, I have some down time to play catch up before I head back to the states. I'll start with Paris..
I went to Paris with four other students from my program during April 9-11. We decided to take the Euroline, like a Greyhound, to save some extra money. We took off from Leiden at around 5:30 a.m. to make it to Amsterdam to catch our bus. We were able to take in all the sights for a good nine hours before finally arriving to Paris. We took the metro to our hostel (the Aloha Hostel), checked in, and then wasted no time to experience some real Paris food. I am all about trying new things so I ate escargot, which took some effort to swallow, french onion soup (AMAZING), and duck. We then walked down a little ways to see Notre Dame, where gypsies eagerly greeted us. They asked one of the boys if he spoke english. He shook his head. While we were leaving, she overheard us speaking english and shouted "You lie, you lie!" We picked up our pace to avoid a run in with her. We explored more of Paris that night and witnessed a breathtaking sunset.
On Saturday we went all over the city trying to explore as much of Paris as we could. It did not feel like I was truly in Paris until I saw the Eiffel Tower early that morning. We hit all the touristy destinations such as the Arc de Triomphe, Sacre Coeur, Moulin Rouge, The Louvre, and finally the Eiffel Tower. The most memorable experience was climbing the Eiffel Tower. We climbed the stairs until we were required to take the elevator, which I gladly accepted. The view was incredible and was well worth the wait. Later that night we bought some wine and bread and took it to the park right by the Eiffel Tower, and waited for the light show that happened at the top of every hour. It was a packed day, but so enjoyable.
We checked out of the Aloha Hostel early that morning and with Big Bertha on my back (the name for my super large bag) we set off for the Jardin de Luxembourg, the largest park in Paris. We spent a few hours there before grabbing another crepe, and taking the metro to the euroline.
RANDOM FACTS
1) The metro randomly decides to break down- We experienced this multiple times in Paris. We would wiggle our way into the crowded cart after getting situated, the lights would turn off and the metro would be broken down for 5-10 minutes each time. At this point you have to decide to stay on the hot cart or squeeze your way out to find another route.
2) Paris is stinky- I have never smelled so many indescribable odors in my life, and they weren't ones I hope to smell again.
3) Don't speak English loudly- You will be asked for money if you do
4) Individuals in Paris think bathrooms are anywhere- We saw a man using a small garden area as a restroom. The ironic part was that a porta potty was right next to him.
5) Crepes are amazing :)
I went to Paris with four other students from my program during April 9-11. We decided to take the Euroline, like a Greyhound, to save some extra money. We took off from Leiden at around 5:30 a.m. to make it to Amsterdam to catch our bus. We were able to take in all the sights for a good nine hours before finally arriving to Paris. We took the metro to our hostel (the Aloha Hostel), checked in, and then wasted no time to experience some real Paris food. I am all about trying new things so I ate escargot, which took some effort to swallow, french onion soup (AMAZING), and duck. We then walked down a little ways to see Notre Dame, where gypsies eagerly greeted us. They asked one of the boys if he spoke english. He shook his head. While we were leaving, she overheard us speaking english and shouted "You lie, you lie!" We picked up our pace to avoid a run in with her. We explored more of Paris that night and witnessed a breathtaking sunset.
On Saturday we went all over the city trying to explore as much of Paris as we could. It did not feel like I was truly in Paris until I saw the Eiffel Tower early that morning. We hit all the touristy destinations such as the Arc de Triomphe, Sacre Coeur, Moulin Rouge, The Louvre, and finally the Eiffel Tower. The most memorable experience was climbing the Eiffel Tower. We climbed the stairs until we were required to take the elevator, which I gladly accepted. The view was incredible and was well worth the wait. Later that night we bought some wine and bread and took it to the park right by the Eiffel Tower, and waited for the light show that happened at the top of every hour. It was a packed day, but so enjoyable.
We checked out of the Aloha Hostel early that morning and with Big Bertha on my back (the name for my super large bag) we set off for the Jardin de Luxembourg, the largest park in Paris. We spent a few hours there before grabbing another crepe, and taking the metro to the euroline.
RANDOM FACTS
1) The metro randomly decides to break down- We experienced this multiple times in Paris. We would wiggle our way into the crowded cart after getting situated, the lights would turn off and the metro would be broken down for 5-10 minutes each time. At this point you have to decide to stay on the hot cart or squeeze your way out to find another route.
2) Paris is stinky- I have never smelled so many indescribable odors in my life, and they weren't ones I hope to smell again.
3) Don't speak English loudly- You will be asked for money if you do
4) Individuals in Paris think bathrooms are anywhere- We saw a man using a small garden area as a restroom. The ironic part was that a porta potty was right next to him.
5) Crepes are amazing :)
Thursday, April 8, 2010
London
Last Friday Sarah and I headed to the airport at around 6 a.m. to catch a flight to London. The first obstacle was trying to buy a train ticket to the airport since the counter was still closed and the machines don't take American credit cards. We managed to have enough change between the two of us to get tickets so we didn't have to resort to asking a stranger to help us out. We landed at around 9 and had to literally run to make our bus, which would take us into the city. Once settled in we did a little shopping, ate fish and chips, rode a double decker bus, walked through St. James Park, and saw Big Ben and Parliament. That night we went and got sushi in Victorian Station, which was Sarah's first experience :). She loved it by the way.
A friend of Sarah's who was showing us around the first day told us that if we woke up early enough on Saturday we could stand in line to get tickets for Wicked. It was a struggle waking up at 7 but well worth it since we were able to get front row tickets for a discounted price. After eating some lunch, we experienced the London Eye, Millennium Bridge, Globe Theater, Tower Bridge, and the Tower of London. We hadn't realized how far we walked until attempting to walk back to our place which took an hour and 45 minutes. haha woops! That night we went to Wicked and had an amazing time.
On Sunday, we walked to Buckingham Palace and experienced the Changing of the Guards along with 5,000 other spectators. It was unbelievable how crowded it was. We then headed towards Hyde Park where we found the Paddle Boat shop and rented a boat for an hour on the Serpentine. It was such a fun experience and we had some close calls almost running into other boats! The wind was so strong that we had to paddle in reverse in order to get our boat back to the dock.. it was quite the workout. We picked up some coffee and just sat in Hyde Park for a couple of hours listening to music and people watching. It was such a beautiful day! That night we went and saw the London Eye and Parliament lit up.
On our last day, Sarah and I ended up going to St. James Park and Green Park. There we did some journaling and again more people watching. We got back into Amsterdam at around 9 that night. I am so blessed that I was able to experience London. It was such a beautiful place and the thing I loved the most was that there were so many parks making the city seem not like a city. Tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. I am heading to Paris for the weekend. My parents will be here in 9 days :0
Miss you sissy!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Small Country... A lot to see
This past weekend consisted of traveling all around The Netherlands.. literally :) On Friday we went on a class trip to Rotterdam. The city had a completely different feel than the other cities I have visited. Because of the bombings that took place during WWII, the city basically had to start from scratch and rebuild. To me it seemed like I was back in America because of the modern buildings. One highlight of the trip was going into a modern apartment in Rotterdam. The building was made up of blocks. Of course the steps were narrow inside, but it was a really neat apartment.
After Rotterdam a group of us decided to go and explore Maastricht, which is a city located at the southern tip of the country. We took a two hour train ride and arrived right as the sun was going down. We found our hostel which was located right on the river. It was a major upgrade from the hostel we stayed at in Florence :)! After settling in, we went out to eat some dinner. Dinner could have been one of the highlights of the trip because it was the best meal I have had since I have been here. Chelsea and I got the Surf and Turf; salmon and chicken with a salad and fries. Hil was excited to finally get some ribs, she is from Texas and has been missing her meat. Cassie and Will tried rabbit, which they loved. We were all satisfied by the end!
The next morning we were greeted with beautiful weather, which was such a treat because it was suppose to be raining all day.. PTL (Praise the Lord). We first went and explored the center of the city. I was able to get in a few pictures before my camera decided to die on me and not turn back on. I took it to a local camera store where I was told the comforting words that they had never seen a camera act like mine and that it would be an expensive fix. That was a bummer of the day since we had so many exciting things to see. We then headed to get tickets for the Maastricht Underground, a cave with 6,000 passageways all created by human hands. It took 800 years for the cave to finally be finished, and the limestone inside was used for house and church construction. It was also used as a refuge for the people when the city was attacked during the French Revolution. Wells were dug and a bakery, chapel, and hospital were built in. This was also the place were The Night Watch painting by Rembrandt was held. Unfortunately the tour was in Dutch, but this precious old man came over and started translating it for us. I absolutely loved Maastricht. It had the European feel but also included forests. I could see myself living there.
On Sunday I went to Kasteel de Haar, located outside of the province of Utrecht. It is the largest castle in The Netherlands. Sarah, Melissa, Sarah, and I had such a wonderful time going through the castle and then exploring the gardens. A funny fact about the castle was that when it was restored in the 1800's the baroness had 7,000 full grown trees put in because she didn't want to wait for them to grow in the garden. Crazy!
It was a wonderful weekend. The Netherlands is a small country but offers so much to see. Every city is so different. I was able to get a new camera and will be traveling to London this weekend :)
After Rotterdam a group of us decided to go and explore Maastricht, which is a city located at the southern tip of the country. We took a two hour train ride and arrived right as the sun was going down. We found our hostel which was located right on the river. It was a major upgrade from the hostel we stayed at in Florence :)! After settling in, we went out to eat some dinner. Dinner could have been one of the highlights of the trip because it was the best meal I have had since I have been here. Chelsea and I got the Surf and Turf; salmon and chicken with a salad and fries. Hil was excited to finally get some ribs, she is from Texas and has been missing her meat. Cassie and Will tried rabbit, which they loved. We were all satisfied by the end!
The next morning we were greeted with beautiful weather, which was such a treat because it was suppose to be raining all day.. PTL (Praise the Lord). We first went and explored the center of the city. I was able to get in a few pictures before my camera decided to die on me and not turn back on. I took it to a local camera store where I was told the comforting words that they had never seen a camera act like mine and that it would be an expensive fix. That was a bummer of the day since we had so many exciting things to see. We then headed to get tickets for the Maastricht Underground, a cave with 6,000 passageways all created by human hands. It took 800 years for the cave to finally be finished, and the limestone inside was used for house and church construction. It was also used as a refuge for the people when the city was attacked during the French Revolution. Wells were dug and a bakery, chapel, and hospital were built in. This was also the place were The Night Watch painting by Rembrandt was held. Unfortunately the tour was in Dutch, but this precious old man came over and started translating it for us. I absolutely loved Maastricht. It had the European feel but also included forests. I could see myself living there.
On Sunday I went to Kasteel de Haar, located outside of the province of Utrecht. It is the largest castle in The Netherlands. Sarah, Melissa, Sarah, and I had such a wonderful time going through the castle and then exploring the gardens. A funny fact about the castle was that when it was restored in the 1800's the baroness had 7,000 full grown trees put in because she didn't want to wait for them to grow in the garden. Crazy!
It was a wonderful weekend. The Netherlands is a small country but offers so much to see. Every city is so different. I was able to get a new camera and will be traveling to London this weekend :)
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Italia
Sarah, Hillary, and I decided to take advantage of having a week off for spring break and travel to Italy. We left Friday afternoon and arrived in Rome with five other students from my program on the flight with us. Since there were eight of us, the tourist information booth encouraged us to take a shuttle that could leave right away. We followed her advice and loaded a bus with an Italian speaking man who only knew about Obama and Metallica. While driving, he pulled out the map and started pointing out landmarks for us to visit. We were all just glad to arrive in one piece! The three of us checked into our hostel, and then we set out to explore Rome. We of course had to stop and get gelato first :) We explored the Republic before heading down to the Colosseum. It was unreal to think that I was looking at a piece of history that I had studied for so long. It was lit up by orange and purple spotlights. It was quite the sight. We saw the Arch of Constantine and walked a little further to view the remain of the Circus Maximus.
We woke up early the next morning and were greeted with the sunshine. The sky was so blue and we headed out to meet up with our tour group, where we would explore the Colosseum, Palantine Hill, and The Forum. We learned that the Colosseum only took 8 years to build and over 5,000 animals were slaughtered the first 100 days. Palantine Hill, where Rome was founded, possessed beautiful gardens and remains of the Emperor's palaces. The Forum was also so amazing to experience, with many buildings still standing. Our tour lasted three hours and then we explored Capitol Hill. Later that night we met up with the five others we flew over with and ate dinner. After we went to the Trevi Fountain, where Sarah and I threw in our coins the wrong way. Instead of throwing it over your head, we just tossed it in. It wasn't until we saw other people doing it the correct way that we realized our mistake. haha woops! We then went to the Spanish Steps and then called it a night.
On the third day, we basically walked all over the city of Rome. We headed to the Castle Sant' Angelo which is located near the Vatican. The view from the castle was extraordinary. You could see Saint Peter's perfectly as well as the rest of the city in the distance. We decided to eat lunch in the castle where we could enjoy the view. After lunch we went to the Pizza Navona, which is a large square with musicians and artists. I bought some water color artwork, and enjoyed seeing all the talent that was located in such a small square. We then walked to the Pantheon. I turned around and couldn't find Hillary or Sarah anywhere. I followed my Mom's advice, "If you get lost stay exactly where you are." It worked because I found them, and they started giggling when they saw me completely still with a crowd of people all on the move around me. After we went and saw the Trevi Fountain during the day. It was packed, and we witnessed a man stealing coins out of the fountain with a magnetic wand. I informed Sarah that he better not of stolen our five cent coins hahaha. We walked to the Spanish Steps and then to Piazza Del Popolo.
On our last day in Rome we decided to spare our feet and bough metro tickets to Vatican City. The metro was so crowded that you really got to know the person you were standing next to fast. The Vatican Museum was unlike anything I have ever seen before. All the rooms were so breathtaking with intricate works of art all over the walls and ceilings. Truly unbelievable. The Sistine Chapel was wonderful. It was smaller than I anticipated, but was so amazing to actually see Michelangelo 's artwork that depicted creation as well as the gospel throughout the ceiling. We sat there for a while just taking it all in. We then headed to Saint Peter's Basilica. Again, magnificent. There was no comparison to its beauty with the other churches I have seen so far in Europe. We still had the whole afternoon so we decided to go explore a park that overlooked the city. Unfortunately we took a wrong turn and spent an hour seeing the tall wall of the park without being able to enter. We yelled up at a woman we saw and asked her how much longer. She started laughing and replied, "You have a while." We made it in and was so worth the walk. It was so green and had a wonderful view of the city. As we were walking back to our hostel an old man comes up to us and literally oinks. None of us have ever experienced someone oinking at us before. Haha but it was a wonderful last day in Rome.
We boarded a fast train to Florence and got there within an hour. We were greeted by snow and realized right away we were no longer in Rome. We climbed the Duomo, all 436 steps, and had an amazing view of the city. It was so cold we didn't last too long on top of the Duomo. Our hostel was quite the sight. A card table was used as the front desk. Hillary's bed was basically springs, while Sarah and I shared a full bed with two twin beds that were uneven pushed together. We couldn't help but laugh at our current situation. On top of that we bought some wine and groceries. and realized we didn't have a knife to spread our nutella and our wine had a cork in it, which we could not get out. Sarah had the brillant idea of trying to us a bobby pin to use as a replacement. It was unsuccessful. We ended up taking our wine to a sandwich/bar place, where the man was nice enough to open it up and give us knives. It was an hilarious situation to say the least.
We woke up the next day very sore from our sleeping arrangements. We explored the Uffizi, and then decided to get waffles with gelato in them. One problem was that the waffles were so hot that the gelato melted all over us. The woman only gave us a few napkins each so it was hard to clean up. An old man in the street started laughing at the spectacle. It was hilarious. We climbed to Michelangelo Plazza where we could see a wonderful view of the city.
The last day we all bought some purses in the market and went to the Accademia were saw Michelangelo's David. We were all exhausted and ready to take the train back to Rome for our last night. We got on the train and realized our seats were taken. The train was packed and the woman informed us to go sit in some empty seats while we try and figure out the situation. One of the ladies working on the train came over to us and informed us that our tickets were invalid. The tourist booth were we bought out tickets earlier in the week, had put down the wrong day. We couldn't believe this was happening to us and the woman informed us we could either pay 150 euros on top of buying new tickets or get of the train. So, we got off the train not knowing where we were. We bought new tickets for the slow train which was a four hour ride back. We survived and made it back. It was definitely an unforgettable event being kicked off the train.
Italy was amazing! We saw so much during the week, and had so many stories to bring back with us. :)
We woke up early the next morning and were greeted with the sunshine. The sky was so blue and we headed out to meet up with our tour group, where we would explore the Colosseum, Palantine Hill, and The Forum. We learned that the Colosseum only took 8 years to build and over 5,000 animals were slaughtered the first 100 days. Palantine Hill, where Rome was founded, possessed beautiful gardens and remains of the Emperor's palaces. The Forum was also so amazing to experience, with many buildings still standing. Our tour lasted three hours and then we explored Capitol Hill. Later that night we met up with the five others we flew over with and ate dinner. After we went to the Trevi Fountain, where Sarah and I threw in our coins the wrong way. Instead of throwing it over your head, we just tossed it in. It wasn't until we saw other people doing it the correct way that we realized our mistake. haha woops! We then went to the Spanish Steps and then called it a night.
On the third day, we basically walked all over the city of Rome. We headed to the Castle Sant' Angelo which is located near the Vatican. The view from the castle was extraordinary. You could see Saint Peter's perfectly as well as the rest of the city in the distance. We decided to eat lunch in the castle where we could enjoy the view. After lunch we went to the Pizza Navona, which is a large square with musicians and artists. I bought some water color artwork, and enjoyed seeing all the talent that was located in such a small square. We then walked to the Pantheon. I turned around and couldn't find Hillary or Sarah anywhere. I followed my Mom's advice, "If you get lost stay exactly where you are." It worked because I found them, and they started giggling when they saw me completely still with a crowd of people all on the move around me. After we went and saw the Trevi Fountain during the day. It was packed, and we witnessed a man stealing coins out of the fountain with a magnetic wand. I informed Sarah that he better not of stolen our five cent coins hahaha. We walked to the Spanish Steps and then to Piazza Del Popolo.
On our last day in Rome we decided to spare our feet and bough metro tickets to Vatican City. The metro was so crowded that you really got to know the person you were standing next to fast. The Vatican Museum was unlike anything I have ever seen before. All the rooms were so breathtaking with intricate works of art all over the walls and ceilings. Truly unbelievable. The Sistine Chapel was wonderful. It was smaller than I anticipated, but was so amazing to actually see Michelangelo 's artwork that depicted creation as well as the gospel throughout the ceiling. We sat there for a while just taking it all in. We then headed to Saint Peter's Basilica. Again, magnificent. There was no comparison to its beauty with the other churches I have seen so far in Europe. We still had the whole afternoon so we decided to go explore a park that overlooked the city. Unfortunately we took a wrong turn and spent an hour seeing the tall wall of the park without being able to enter. We yelled up at a woman we saw and asked her how much longer. She started laughing and replied, "You have a while." We made it in and was so worth the walk. It was so green and had a wonderful view of the city. As we were walking back to our hostel an old man comes up to us and literally oinks. None of us have ever experienced someone oinking at us before. Haha but it was a wonderful last day in Rome.
We boarded a fast train to Florence and got there within an hour. We were greeted by snow and realized right away we were no longer in Rome. We climbed the Duomo, all 436 steps, and had an amazing view of the city. It was so cold we didn't last too long on top of the Duomo. Our hostel was quite the sight. A card table was used as the front desk. Hillary's bed was basically springs, while Sarah and I shared a full bed with two twin beds that were uneven pushed together. We couldn't help but laugh at our current situation. On top of that we bought some wine and groceries. and realized we didn't have a knife to spread our nutella and our wine had a cork in it, which we could not get out. Sarah had the brillant idea of trying to us a bobby pin to use as a replacement. It was unsuccessful. We ended up taking our wine to a sandwich/bar place, where the man was nice enough to open it up and give us knives. It was an hilarious situation to say the least.
We woke up the next day very sore from our sleeping arrangements. We explored the Uffizi, and then decided to get waffles with gelato in them. One problem was that the waffles were so hot that the gelato melted all over us. The woman only gave us a few napkins each so it was hard to clean up. An old man in the street started laughing at the spectacle. It was hilarious. We climbed to Michelangelo Plazza where we could see a wonderful view of the city.
The last day we all bought some purses in the market and went to the Accademia were saw Michelangelo's David. We were all exhausted and ready to take the train back to Rome for our last night. We got on the train and realized our seats were taken. The train was packed and the woman informed us to go sit in some empty seats while we try and figure out the situation. One of the ladies working on the train came over to us and informed us that our tickets were invalid. The tourist booth were we bought out tickets earlier in the week, had put down the wrong day. We couldn't believe this was happening to us and the woman informed us we could either pay 150 euros on top of buying new tickets or get of the train. So, we got off the train not knowing where we were. We bought new tickets for the slow train which was a four hour ride back. We survived and made it back. It was definitely an unforgettable event being kicked off the train.
Italy was amazing! We saw so much during the week, and had so many stories to bring back with us. :)
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