The few days before Thanksgiving and our time in Florence ended up being one of the most incredible weeks in Italy. First of all, we only had three day of classes, which is always great. But before we left, we had some pretty awesome activities in the former days.
To begin, Monday morning we got up quite early and went to the Vatican for mass. Fr. Nicholas Becker from St. John's is currently in Rome and he agreed to say mass for us in the lower level of St. Peter's Basilica. I know, it really doesn't get any better than that. He took us below the church to where there are many small chapels for mass. Our group felt quite important to say the least. The mass was really beautiful and I loved being in that setting amongst my fellow Bennies and Johnnies. That morning was one of my favorites and it reminded me how blessed by God I really am.
That evening, we had Theology class at St. Paul's Basilica (St. Paul Outside the Walls). This church is exceptionally beautiful. When we walked in, I couldn't believe how large it was. It's very open; much of it is empty due to it's size and somehow I found peace in that. These large churches remind me how truly big our God is. It's amazing really, he lives and breathes within us, but yet He is our creator, bigger and more powerful than anything on this earth. I have found that in each church I visit, these thoughts always find me again. What was even more incredible was the fact that St. Paul's tomb is located below this church. We were not informed of this beforehand so when we were, I was definitely excited. Paul's letters in the Bible tend to be my favorite and to say the least, I was in awe. Everything becomes more real, and that's the way Rome is in general. So much history is beneath where I walk now. Most of the time, I can hardly even wrap my head around it.
The following night, our director Greg took us to an Opera performance (again, how lucky am I?)! It wasn't your typical performance, for it didn't have a story line, rather it was segments of different songs performed. Each segment was only a few minutes, but there were quite a few of them. Never seeing an Opera, I didn't know what to expect or if I would even like it for that matter. To my pleasant surprise, it was very good. There were four different singers, two male and two female. Generally I enjoy male voices more, so I did during this performance as well. The two men were very theatrical and had very strong vocals. This group also had a great orchestra. It was small, but really good! And might I add, our group looked very snazzy for the night. Then guys sported their ties and us girls delivered as well, as always. Afterwards, guess what Jen did? Oh yes, she went and got gelato. Me and a few other girls (naturally) tried out a new gelato shop, which is now one my favorites. It has Oreo (OMG) and a really delicious cinnamon. I've probably been there 3 more times since then =)
The following morning, we took off for Florence! Our whole group had really been looking forward to this for quite some time and of course, Florence delivered. It was an incredible Thanksgiving. Everyone had the intention of doing a lot of Christmas shopping, and let me tell you, hooooly wow it happened. Florence is known for its leather and everyone took advantage. Many belts, purses, wallets, and boots were bought. The leather market is huge and it's really fun to just walk through it. I tried out my bartering skills and let me tell you, I'm quite awesome. I managed to knock down a few prices, and most importantly, my boot purchase =)
So, going into this weekend trip, I had really wanted to find leather boots. I was willing to spend 80 euro, and no more (it's partially a Christmas gift, chill). There was a store on the corner near our hotel and I had walked quickly through once before, but upon my second visit, two men remembered me. There was a pair of boots that I loved, but they were 120 euro. He could tell that I really loved them. Pretty quickly, he knocked down the price to 100 euro, but I told him that I was a student and could definitely not pay that much. When he asked me how much I was willing to pay, I said 80 and he pretty much cringed at that. Now, these guys were quite the charmers and were trying very hard to get me to buy the boots. Europeans love to bother you while you're trying to shop. They stand right in your face and show you pretty much every product they have in their dang stand. Most of the time it frustrates me enough to walk away, but in this particular case, it turned out quite well =) He asked me to try them on at least, and I could tell things were potentially looking up, so I decided to. I had them on and was walking around the store and the man asked me, "how much do you love these boots?" I said, "oh I love them quite a lot, but I can't pay 100 euro." He gave me the 'you are so relentless' look. He then asked me if I'd buy them, and I responded, "80 euro?" He then proceeded to say, "Ughh fine, special discount for you! Double discount, but don't tell my manage! Don't tell anyone!" He rattled some Italian off to his coworker, and before you knew it, I had the boots and was out the door. I was pretty much in shock, for this all happened within probably 15 minutes. I guess you could say I slightly love them... the following morning when I woke up, I rolled over and said good morning to my boots. Yes, I actually greeted my boots.
That was definitely one of my highlights, but the rest of the weekend was really incredible. Our hotel was beautiful, for one, and we were in a great location. Within a few blocks, we were in the central part of Florence where many of its attractions are located. I have failed to mention that we actually had class during this time, but I just really don't find it to hold that much importance. I did see the David by Michelangelo, but other than that, I saw a lot of stuff in a lot of museums. Some of you may be wondering why the attitude, but oddly enough, I have found that museums and me don't really get along. I can handle them for a short while, but then I just lose focus. The art I love and am talented at is quite different than what I've been seeing (Renaissance pieces). Oh well, you learn to appreciate new things!
There were many highlights of the trip and I really wish I could cover them all, but this blog would be way too freakin' long. To begin, our Thanksgiving dinner was definitely a favorite. On Thursday night, our hotel made us a Thanksgiving meal. They really tried to make it authentic, which we were all so appreciative of. Our turkey was very good, and they made us a cake that was supposed to have USA colors, but looked more so like baby blue, pink and white. Gotta love the attempt! Our director Greg and his wife asked that we all held hands and go around to say what we were thankful for. This was a really great moment. It really put into perspective how much this group is like a new family to me. To say the least, so much to be thankful for this semester.
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| My wonderful roommates! |
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| Beautiful spot of Florence! |
There were many incredible conversations and dinners out as well. Two nights we went for pizza and both times it was so delicious. I easily get sick of pizza at home, but here it seriously never gets old. Another night, me and a few girls went to an Irish bar, which was really great. I finally tried Cider, which some girls had really raved about. It is now one of my favorite drinks. It's closely related to beer, but is much sweeter and doesn't have that horrible after taste.
I also managed to have gelato 3 times while in Florence (oops, but not really). The last time though.. oh jeesh. So my friend Kate, who neeeeever suggest gelato, did. Naturally, Laura and I knew we had to get it then. (Now, remember how Kate started it all.) So I then decided on a place that we had walked by a few times. When we arrived, we all decided to get a SMALL cone with only TWO flavors. We figured it would be, as it says, small. And we also figured it would be cheap. Well, I went first and picked my two flavors. I notice that as she places the first scope, it happens to be HUGE. I then start to worry as she dishes up the next heap. She then proceeds to place whipped cream and fourrrrrr waffle pieces on it. She looks at us, points at the cone, and says "Mickey Mouse!!" with a big smile on her face. I hesitantly grabbed the huge cone and looked at her like, "Are you serious?" So when I go to pay, I know this is not going to be cheap. Well yep, I was right. 7 euro! ... on gelato! We were so full after eating those things, but I am going to be quite honest with you all, it was delicious and I don't regret it.
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| The ultimate gelato experience: "The Mickey Mouse" cone |
Beyond that, we also went to mass at the Duomo, which is the largest church in Florence and also the focal point for pretty much everything else. It is lavishly decorated on the outside and a famous masterpiece. I don't particularly like the design, but mass inside was beautiful. Many times throughout the weekend I also went to the famous bridge of Florence. It is famous because it stayed standing throughout the World Wars when all the others did not. It also is lined with really expensive jewelry stores. It's fun to walk up and down the bridge just to see the absurd prices. At night it was also all lit up with Christmas lights!
Our last day, we meandered around the city and just enjoyed the sites. We walked to Michelangelo's piazza, toured the Pitti Gardens and palace, and then had some panini's to finish off the afternoon. I did indeed find lots of gifts for my family and overall, really loved the city. Florence is gorgeous and I am glad I actually got to go there twice. I'd say I'm quite blessed to be able to spend Thanksgiving in such a beautiful place with such great people.
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| Love these girls! |
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| The famous bridge, lined with jewelry shops. |
I'm trying to bring you all up to date as fast as I can, but there has been so much going on, for the days in Europe are coming to an end. Only 5 are left and we are all in disbelief at how fast this all went. I will try my best to blog a bit more, but otherwise, I will see you all at the end of the week! =)
God bless & pray for appropriate weather and safe travels home!
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