Last Day...Ciao Roma
July 18:
Today was my last day in Rome. When I said yesterday that it was going to busy, I didn’t realize how tight everything would be. Because of the train schedules, bus schedule, and the hours the store where I stored my luggage, I didn’t get to see a lot of the things that I wanted to see today. I guess that means I just have more reasons to come back to Rome sometime then J
I was a good day though. I am already almost totally packed. I’m just waiting for my Ipod to get charged and than I will finish packing the rest of my things. I’m going to try to get to bed early tonight so that I can get a good nights sleep because tomorrow is going to be a long day.
My flight leaves here at 11:55 a.m. from Rome. So, in about 29 hours, I will be back in the United States. What sucks is the fact that I have about a seven hour drive after my flight lands…sooo, it is going to be a long and tiring day.
Well, this was an amazing experience. I hoped you all enjoyed reading my blog and seeing my pictures. Talk to you all soon.....CIAO
Last Days
July 17:
Today was my day to say good-bye to the southern part of Rome. I took the entire day to see the city center. Besides seeing the sights that I have already seen once or twice, I finally saw a few that I had missed. I finally got to sit down and soak in the Trevi Fountain. It was interesting there to say the least.
While at the Trevi Fountain….well, it is important to preface this with the fact that the Trevi Fountain is the largest fountain in Rome and the most popular. You are supposed to throw a coin over you left shoulder into the fountain to guarantee a return trip to Rome, which is one of the reasons I saved the fountain until last and went today….Anyways, there was this lady there (kind of a gypsy) with a pole that had a magnetic tip. I watched here go all the way around the fountain picking out all of the fifty, one Euro, and Two Euro pieces out of the fountain. I don’t know about you but that kind of makes me mad. To me, the money is more that just money when thrown into a fountain but more like a wish or a dream of someone’s. Besides that it was great!!
I finally saw the Baths of Caracalla, which while amazingly big were not as great as I hoped they would be. After seeing the baths, I took a long nap in the Aventine Park (another place I hadn’t been yet). Later, I decided that I would regret not forking over the 10 Euros to get into the Coliseum to see it. And, while 10 Euros is a lot of money, it was really great to see and I am glad that I did it. Plus, the ticket also let me go back to the Palentine Hill and see that again. I saw a lot of other things today too such as the Spanish steps and many other monuments.
Oh, I almost forgot to tell you all this story. I got some gelato today and was sitting in a park when I pretty much got propositioned. Now, some of you are probably asking what did she look like….well, French and not a woman but a man. Italian and French men are really weird. Matt really got hit on one day while we were here and I have been hit on (not as bad as today) before too. This French guy walked up on me and asked if I spoke Italian, French, or English. I told him English. He then proceeded to ask me if I was alone and if I was, it would be “no problem” for him to hangout with me all day in Rome. Interesting story to say the least…
Tomorrow will be a busy day. I want to go see the northern parts of Rome again and other things up north that I haven’t seen yet such as the Milvian Bridge. For those of you who don’t know, the Milvian Bridge is a really famous bridge. According to Constantine, it was at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge that he say the Chi Rho in the sky which led him to victory and to convert to Christianity. After which, Constantine officially changed the official religion of the Roman Empire to Christianity. Well, the original bridge was destroyed during the battle but parts of the old bridge were used and Constantine built a new bridge in its place. This bridge is still there so I am going to go see it. On top of seeing everything, I have to pick up my luggage that I have stored and get them back to my hotel and then pack….all in all this means that I have a lot to do on my last day in Rome.
Speaking of it being my last day, CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT I AM ALMOST DONE WITH MY TIME HERE!!!! I never could imagine myself even actually going through with all of this let alone almost being done with it. It was really surreal to walk around Rome today because while I am excited to be going home, I really love Rome and will miss it.
Well, it is off to bed for me. Have a good day everyone and this will probably be my last post before I get home. I am getting home late Tuesday so if everyone will be able to get a hold of me by the end of this week. See you and hear from you all soon….ciao
Last Day 6 
Last Day 5
Last Day 4
Last Day 3
Last Day 2
Adventures in Como
July 16:
Things got better with James after I wrote the last post. We got up in morning to eat breakfast and than to go to Bellagio and see the rest of Lake Como. However, it turns out that like the rest of Italy, the public transportation system in Como likes to strike whenever they feel like it. And unfortunately, they decided to strike the day we were there. The buses, boats, and even the cable car down from the mountain were closed. James and I had to walk down Mount Brunate just to get to Como.
In Como, we walked around and looked at some shops. Como is known for its silk industry. Supposedly, Como has the best silk manufacturers in the world and the top designers get their silk from here. After looking around the town for a while, we decided to see if we could just rent a car or scooters so that we could see the lake, but no luck. Instead, we ended up laying on the walls bordering the lake soaking up some sun. Therefore, I really didn’t get to see much of Lake Como and didn’t get to see the parts of it that I wanted to and was looking forward to seeing. But that is just one thing I have come to expect and deal with from Italians.
That night, James and I ate dinner at our hotel which has a really good restaurant. We decided to order a meal that allowed us to get an appetizer, first dish, second dish, wine, water, and coffee. The meal started off a little different. The appetizer was full fished, not anchovies but similar. Needless to say it was weird trying to eat whole fish, bones and all, but I at least ate half of them. However, the first dish (risotto with sausage) and the second dish (veal stew) were absolutely amazing.
Today was a travel day. James and I parted ways (James went up to Switzerland and I went back down to Rome). The day went really smoothly. There were really no major troubles traveling and I got to my hotel in Rome and am now just sitting in my bed. However, I am really hungry. I have only have had breakfast today. With traveling on the trains and waiting for buses, I didn’t have time to eat. I figured that I could find a place near my hotel or in my hotel but there are no restaurants or even stores near the hotel and the restaurant here requires reservations. I about just ordered room service but when I call they weren’t taking orders right then, which I took as a sign that I should probably just go to bed.
I’m looking forward for tomorrow. It should be a really good day. I’m going to try to see the rest of Rome that I just didn’t get a chance to see very well when I was here for school. At the same time, it is really hard to believe that I only have two full days left here. The time went by fast but at the same time seems like I have been here forever (if that makes any sense at all). Well, it is time to balance my budget and to get to bed.
Last Day 1
Florence, Venice, and Como
July 14:
I really liked Florence. I did accomplish my plans for the day that I previously posted about. James and I went and saw the David in the morning. The line is long, but what line isn’t. However, while standing in line, we started talking to a couple in the late twenties or early thirties from New York. They were really nice. The wife was a third grade teacher and her husband was a consultant. We talked about New York, being a lawyer, and Europe. It helped the time go by pretty fast. Waiting to see the David was well worth it. There really isn’t much in the museum (there are some really great paintings) but the David is worth paying to see. The statue dominates the room once you walk into it. To look at it and think that it was carved out of one solid piece of marble that Michelangelo found in the piazza that he found it in, is simply amazing.
Later that day, after paying a lot (and I mean a lot!!!), for some gelato, I went to the Ufizzi museum. The line for this one was even worse than for the David. It took me over two hours to get in and while the museum was neat, it wasn’t the best that I have been in but at least I saw it. That night James and I went to dinner to, I guess, celebrate my birthday. We decided to go to this one that is off the beaten path, reasoning that it is one that all the locals go to. Well, when we thought locals, we didn’t picture Italian mob. Yep, the Italian mob. Now, I know that you are thinking that I am exaggerating about the place being owned by the Italian mob but I’m not. There is no doubt that it was the Italian mob. Besides that, the food was good but I did get sick from the wild boar that I had which caused me to call it an early night after spending a little while at the outdoor concert.
The next day (Thursday the 13), we headed off to Venice. After a little trouble finding the hotel, we unpacked an headed off to the actual town of Venice (we actually didn’t stay in Venice but a small town near by). Venice was amazing but James has started to get on my nerves. It seems like everything is about him. The days center around what he wants to do and when he wants to do. However, I did manage to see most of the things I wanted to see like the Piazza San Marco and Ponte dei Rialto.
Getting back to the hotel was an adventure. We got on the right bus and started heading home. James had the directions about what stop to get off. We passed two stops that I told him we should get off at because they were close to our hotel but he insisted that we hadn’t reached the right stop yet. Forty minutes later and 10 to 12 miles out of our way, we decided to get off the bus and walk back to the hotel. It took us about two and half hours to walk back to the bus stop that we should have gotten off at and than another ten from there to get to our hotel. However, while it was a long walk, it was nice to see the countryside of Italy and all the small towns that we had to walk through.
This morning we headed off to Como. The traveling and getting to Como went off without any hitches. It was what happened when we got here that has put me in a bad mood and wanting to be home. It took us a really long time to find a person to help us know what bus to take and than about an hour and a half before the bus driver of the bus we had to take to get off his break. But besides the waiting, it wasn’t bad. We got to the cable car to take us to the top of the mountain where out hotel is located when things went bad.
I was standing in line to get tickets when James started walking off to go do his own thing. James likes to do things at his own pace even if that means getting to places late or cutting things really close. He also doesn’t like to plan things out as shown by the fact that he is going to wing his last two weeks here without any train or hotel reservations. Well, he took off to go find an ATM to get money. The cable car was about to take off and I asked him where he was going. He got all pissed off and a fight ensued. He accused me of controlling the entire trip i.e. always having the directions and the tickets and such. A lot of things were said that just put me in a bad mood because everything thing he said was just not true and hinted that he just didn’t like hanging out with me except to help split the bills.
Note:
-The only reason I had the directions and the tickets was because I took the incentive to f@#$ing buy the tickets and find our hotels. If it were up to him, we would show up to the train station try to get onto the train and then spend most of our time walking around trying to find a place to stay. And he had the directions to the two hotels he paid for with his credit card (Venice and Como).
This as just put me in a bad mood but I am not going to allow this ruin my time in Como. If I have to go do things and eat by myself from now on then that is fine. We part ways on Saturday anyways. Well, I did say that I wanted this blog to chronicle my ups and downs while in Italy….this is one of my downs.
I hope all of you are having a great time and I can’t wait to see you and talk to you all again.
Como 5
Como 4
Como 3
Como 2
Como 1
Venice 6
Venice 5
Venice 4
Venice 3
Venice 2
Venice 1
First Days in Florence
July 12:
Well, I have been in Florence now for a day and a half and I have an entire day left here. I really like Florence. It isn’t so much of a big city as Rome is in that there are less cars and less scooters to potentially kill you. We had some trouble finding our hotel because the buss system here is a little different and we got on the wrong bus going the opposite direction but eventually it went in the right direction. The first night here (Sunday), James and I went to walk the city and get something to eat. We ended up running into a free music festival. The band that night was really cool. It was a mix of a lot of different instruments and singers.
Yesterday, I went off by myself to explore the city. I wanted to go to two museums but they ended up being closed for Monday. I did get to see the Duomo and Ponte Vecchio. I got to Ponte Vecchio when they were opening all of the jewelry stores. It was really neat to see that. As I had read, when they open these stores on the bridge, it looks like jewelry boxes being opened. Last night, James and I went to go to a jazz club but instead just ended up going to the music festival again. The band last night was pretty good but not as good as the first nights band.
My plans for the day are pretty simple. I am just going to go the two museums that I missed, find something to get for the last person on my list (Sis, you are really hard to shop for!!), and then maybe just walk around people watch and get something for me considering I haven’t gotten anything for me this trip.
Florence 5
Florence 4
Florence 3
Florence 2
Florence 1
Done with School
I just took my last final and I have to say..... Well, I won't say how it went. I don't want to be one of those people who talks about there tests. However, I am done and now it is my final ten days here starting tomorrow. It is going to be a great time and it will fly by really fast. Here's where I will be and when:
July 9: Still in Rome
July 10: Florence
July 11: Florence
July 12: Umbria and Tuscany by car
July 13: Venice
July 14: Venice
July 15: Lake Como
July 16: Lake Como
July 17: Back in Rome
July 18: Rome
July 19: Leave for Home
Well, there is my schedule and I will be sure to post at least twice during those times; however, I am not sure if I can put up any pictures during that time so I will put those up when I get back.
Also, I have received a few worried emails about me because of the London attacks yesterday. First, those attacks were horrible and the people that orchestrated and carried them out should be punished. Second, I know that you guys are worried about me but I am fine. It was a beautiful day in Rome yesterday, and beside being a little sick, I am doing great. I will be careful during my remaining time here. Third, despite some added security and hassle on my way home to Wyoming, I'm sure everything else will run smoothly and without any problems. But thank you for worrying.
Well, I have to get train tickets now for my travels next week. I already have hotels and such so this is my last thing I have to do. Can't believe I have a little over a week left. Its gone by really fast. Well, talk to you all and will actually see you all pretty soon....
Finals Week
My roommates and I went out for a good dinner last night, one of the last one before Matt leaves to go home. It was pretty good, but I have had better since I have been in Rome. I have been studying a lot for this last test and I think I know the material pretty well. It is my civil litigation test tomorrow (for those of you who don't know, it is all about procedure) and unlike my professor at UW, I get to take in an outline. The rest of the day is set aside for reading through my outline and maybe to start to pack.
Oh, speaking of packing, I have my plans finalized for my last ten days. I will post those plans tomorrow so everyone will know where I am at. However, right now it doesn't look like I will have a reliable source for internet during those last ten days, so I might not be posting about those last ten days until I get back into the States.
Wow, I almost forgot to tell this story. Woman here get a way way better deal on everything. We were talking to a lady in our class here last night when she joined us for dinner and she was telling us all of these stories. The ranged from having dinners just paid for for them to never paying more than 10 Euros for a taxi. NO MORE THAN 10 EUROS FOR A TAXI!!!! Being a guy, it automatically starts out at 5 Euros for me and than is never less than 15 Euros and more than likely way over 20 Euros. Its amazing but not unexpected that that happens.
Anyways, back to studying....
One down; One to go
Well, I just got done with my first final. I don't have another one until Friday, which is good because it will give my hand a chance to recover. I had to handwrite my test today....all I can say is that mad props to all of you back at Wyoming who hand wrote there tests this year. I couldn't do it and my grade will reflect that fact. My hand started hurting after about five minutes and my handwriting got steadily worse as the test went on. It didn't help that the test was probably the worst test I have ever taken.
I hated this test because it was how fast you can write. The test was so broad and general that anyone could have done well on that test if they could write fast. I new this stuff inside and out and could have done a lot better if the questions weren't the way they were. Now, I am thrown back into the rest of the class. To give you a general idea about how broad the freaking questions were the last question was, "You are the lawyer for 'said' client who has never done business internationally before but is about to start getting into the international business area. Please describe for your client the process of imports and exports, what laws apply, who are the players, etc...?" All I have to say to that question is..... @#$^$^%*&^*&!@#! That was they worst question ever written and it was the last question on the test which means that everyone was time crunched when they got to it. To give you an idea about how broad that question is, just my outline for imports and exports was twenty pages (and that was a short outline for me) and the applicable law for the question covered about 200 pages of statutes, regulations, and procedures. Needless to say, I guess, all I need is a C to have it transfer to UW so here hoping.
Also, it was extremely differently not being in the US for the Fourth. Oh, I also wanted to so congrats to my cousin, Stacey, who got married over the weekend. (I'm sorry I couldn't be there).
Well, it is back to studying and time to forget about this test that I just took.
Happy 4th of July!!!
Well, this is one day that I wish that I was back in Wyoming so that I could see the fireworks on the fourth. Well, that and so that I didn't have to study for finals. Anyways, Happy 4th everyone!!!
Finals suck, by the way. Talk about a dose of reality. I have been studying all weekend and while I think I get most of the stuff for my test tomorrow, I still have a long day of studying ahead of me. At the same time, it still hasn't hit me that I actually have a final tomorrow.
This past weekend was nothing special except for the Live 8 concert. It was interesting to go to. We got there about three hours after it started and missed all of the English speaking bands except for two. However, the Italian bands that went on for the rest of the night were pretty good. Some of them were really good even though I couldn't understand a word that they said. At that concert, I saw the most amount of drugs that I have ever seen. Everywhere you looked there were people doing drugs. Which is fine for them, just different for me to see all the time. All in all, it was a good time and something that I can say that I was a part of.
Well, back to studying....
Again, Happy Fourth of July!!!
Live 8 Concert 5
Live 8 Concert 4
For all of you who have been asking for a picture of me in Rome (that means you Nick) here you go.
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