Catch up Post!

Hello all! This post is coming from Florence; we got in this morning from a fast train around 11:30. All I can say about Florence is that it is absolutely beautiful. I was completely awe-struck when I walked out of the train and looked at all of the gorgeous architecture. For lunch I had the best Kebob I have ever had in my entire life (Kebobs to Italians are like Gyros to us). It was at a little hole-in-the-wall Arabic restaurant no tourists knows about, the only way we found out about it was because our amazing guide and program director, Danilo took us there. After lunch we went to the academia to see Michelangelo’s David…. it was gigantic, and we weren’t allowed taking pictures of it, but I snuck one…hehe. I figured it was okay because I’m putting it on my blog to enrich the minds of those people who don’t have the opportunity to see such a famous sculpture face to face… (also so I have physical evidence that I actually saw it!). Tonight we are going out to dinner, and maybe out on the town afterwards…we will see!

This past week seems like a blur, I feel like everything is going by so fast! I have been making memories here that I will remember for the rest of my life. Seeing the Coliseum, eating the best gelato of my life, shopping on fashion street, reading a scripture passage during mass in Italian (which, by the way, the priest who was at mass that day stopped Danilo, the program director, and said he was very impressed, and I must be very smart!). This week I also had a few moments I will never forget, Thursday we went into San Luigis church, they had a crypt in the basement. It reminded me of a cold cellar, it was damp and dark with kind of a musty smell. I looked up to the ceiling and saw this crazy looking chandelier. I had to take another look to figure out what it was made of…and as I looked closer I realized I was looking at sacrum’s, vertebra, and patella’s!! It was made of real bones! I guess the church, back in the old days, used to go out and pick up dead bodies and give them proper burials. I am still not sure how using bones as pieces of chandleries qualifies as a proper burial…but it was interesting never the less! Also, after coming back out into the church, we saw a priest kneeling down to pray. He got up once he saw us and started talking in Italian to our guide, Danilo, then he turned to me and said he want you to say a prayer in English. A little confused, I agreed and lead the group in a Hail Mary, the priest thanked us, and wished us goodbye. It wasn’t until I left the church, when Danilo told us he wasn’t just a priest, but a cardinal!! I SAID A PRAYER FOR A CARDINAL!! I couldn’t believe it.

Also, Tuesday while we were in Rome, I was walking past a resturaunt, and I saw this man dressed in a clown costume. Not really thinking much about it, I turned the opposite direction from him, so he wouldn’t bother me…I was turning to look as Sarah and about to ask her to walk with me when BAMM! The clown grabbed me from the back and squeezed me! I was freaked out a little…and you can see from the picture one of the guys got of it! I will put the picture up once I get it from him. After I told Danilo about it, he went up to the clown and had a “word” with him. Danilo is pretty much our protector throughout this trip, and he will defend us against anyone and anything.

Pictures: I put the picture of the bone chandeliere up..look closley and you'll see sacrums! Also, the picture of the David is up, along with a picture of Danilo and I ontop of Old Bridge in Florence. The picture of me kissing the pig is a tradition for all visitors of Florence to do...it is said to bring good luck!!

That is all for now, Ciao!