Mid-Semester Crazies...

Ah! We are at mid-term right now (while everyone back home is going through finals..) and things can get kinda crazy. I had an exam for the Dante class last week and some more exams this coming week for language... and then I'm off for Christmas break!! My dad is coming out for the holiday and I'm really looking forward to that. A few of my friends are going home for the break and the more I listen to them getting ready to go, the more I'm confident that I needed to stay. Although, I'm sure my dad coming out helps that decision quite a bit. :) He will be leaving on New Year's Eve and I plan to spend that night right here in Florence with some good friends. The whole break is going to be quite a treat. The spring is going to bring ALOT of excitement with more trips, another opera, and more people coming to visit. So, I think I will just kick back and enjoy this while it's here :)

SO, yes, some very exciting things have been happening since I posted last.

Rome!
In mid-November the school made a trip down to Tarquinia, Cerveteri and Rome!
We saw some incredible sights, including all kinds of Ancient Etruscan sights as well as TONS of Roman ruins (of course... ) It got me very excited about going back to Rome quite a bit. It's a great town..

this is the gang, sitting on the Spanish Steps...


The Roman Forum
It was so gigantic! This picture is taken from Palatine Hill
We were trying to get to the Trevi Fountain, took a wrong turn and ended up
at the Pantheon, which is the only building I was really itching to see.
I was walking along, eating a piece of pizza, looked up, through an alley,
and I almost dropped my lunch. It was spectacular. And gigantic.
I had a friend take a picture to document that moment of pure elation....



The Trevi Fountain.
Had I been wearing a long black ballgown,
I don't know that I could have resisted wading in it..

The inside of the Colosseum.
Totally awesome. What else is there to say..?

The Vatican at night.
I didn't go inside this trip, but I probably will next time.
By the way, when you go see this for the first time and think to yourself,
"It's not that big at all...."
just wait.
Then after you've been walking towards it for about 5 minutes
and you are no closer than you were when you first saw it,
reconsider your previous assessment of its size...

Cerveteri!

The Necropolis (city of the dead)... it was literally a city for the dead.
There are thousands of tombs in a little valley, all bee-hive shaped with grass on top.


I was the only one gutsy enough to lay down in the tombs.
It wasn't that bad. But i might call down to the concierge for an extra pillow next time..
Sincere and Courtney, about to enter one of the tombs


At sunset, the care takers of the necropolis set off an alarm to warn anyone inside the park because they close and lock the gates at night. If you are stuck inside, then it's going to be a creepy night.
When we saw the sun going down, we were practically running back to the exit..



and then there was..
Thanksgiving!

We had Thanksgiving with some of the close friends...
(and yes, there was more food than that...)


Varpu, Sincere, Cameron, Lacie, Me, Kelli...
I believe Courtney took the picture...
Kelli, putting the finishing touches on
her fantastic green beans

Varpu, Courtney, Me, Sincere..
getting ready for a movie!

For those of you who feel that was not nearly enough pictures, I agree. However, there are hundreds of photos and I'm trying very hard to get them onto the flickr account. I will keep everyone posted on when I get the rest of all these pictures up.

Meanwhile, I'm getting ready for dad to show up for Christmas. Florence is certainly ready. There are little markets and tons of lights hung down just about every street. It really is beautiful. My roommates and I have decorated and we are ready for Christmas!

I've very much enjoyed the cards, letters and emails from home.
I miss you guys very much and it feels good to know that you miss me too...

Happy Holidays... or.... Buone Feste!