Geneva Tomorrow/Colosseum Excursion Pictures

I've got a trip tomorrow. I'm going to Geneva, Switzerland and if I'm honest my nerves are a little shaky at this point. I'm not so much nervous about the destination and getting to my hostel and staying there as I am about going through two airports in two different countries of which I know almost none of the language. My Italian talents are minimal. I can say my name, where I'm from, and order pizza (with the aid of hand gestures) and my French skills are unfortunately lagging behind even those as I can only say a few words. It should be interesting and I feel like if I can survive tomorrow and get through everything easily I'll be confident the rest of the way through. We'll see. Another thing I'm nervous about is getting my Humanities paper done by Monday, but that should take care of itself! I'll certainly update this when I get back with pictures and other goodies.

Another note is that I've put up pictures from our class excursion to the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and the Maritime Prison (where Saints Peter and Paul were imprisoned). The pictures can be found here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=288008&id=658221001&l=751346c477

Pompeii

Today we went on our first class trip outside the city of Rome, heading to Naples and then finally stopping in Pompeii. I must say, I was very much looking forward to this trip and it didn't disappoint at all. It was actually better than I expected it to be. I got plenty of time to walk around by myself, chat with a myriad of Englishmen about football, see all of the sites I had wanted to see (including the amphitheater where Pink Floyd had played years before), practice using my Italian to manage to get back in after I had wandered outside, etc. Being in the amphitheater by myself at one point was magnificent and probably my favorite part was the completeness and perfect preservation of the Villa of the Mysteries. The fresco in there was great. What made it better than I expected was the landscape that totally surrounded the area. Obviously I knew of Vesuvius, but the mountain range that rises up 360 degrees around the city was utterly majestic (and watching the rain clouds tumble over them was a treat) and the view of those same mountains fading off into the water at the horizon was simply gorgeous. I couldn't help but think, though, that one day those sort of mudmen, those who died and remained at Pompeii could be us at any point. It put the day in perspective.

I did put the pictures from this trip into a new album and they can all be found here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=286669&id=658221001&l=55e37c9833

More Pictures Up

I uploaded over 100 new pictures from my trips to St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City and the Capitoline Museum. I should have made a new album for them, but I didn't. The next time I upload I'll be making a new album, but until then here's the link for the new set of pictures:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=7162763&l=29d1be7f5b&id=65822100

The new ones start at #87 and go until the end!

Planning Update

An update as to my plans, I'll be taking the following trips:

I'll fly to Budapest, Hungary on Thursday, November 11th. After a night there I'll be taking a train to Prague, Czech Republic to try to at least act like I don't deny my heritage and wish I was Welsh. The train will take me through Austria and change over in Linz, so the scenery should be spectacular and I'm very much looking forward to Prague. The German leg of the trip has been cut due to lack of time, but I prefer getting to do a few things in both Budapest and Prague anyway.

Also, I've booked a trip to Spain and Portugal. I'll fly to Spain on Thursday, October 7th and spend a night there then take the long train ride to Lisbon, Portugal and fly home on October 10th. This was sort of spur of the moment, but the cost of flights and the train made it worthwhile. The fact that I know a little bit of Spanish factored in, too.

One other note on the confirmation front is that whilst in England I've decided to indeed ride down to Hastings on October 26th. I made this promise to myself when Katie and I went to the Duquesne Incline in Pittsburgh this summer:

When we were there we were looking at a bulletin board full of other "famous inclines" from around the world and I saw the one in Hastings, the East Hill Lift:

I look forward to going to the top of that as well as seeing where the Battle of Hastings took place in 1044. There are a few castles and a few sites to browse as always. I'm still trying to book myself a day trip to Edinburgh as well, but we shall see if that materializes.

Finally, I'm considering going to the Plitvice Lakes region of Croatia. This would have to be on one of my only remaining free weekends and would cost a fair amount, but it looks worth it. More updates to come!

School? What is that?

Sorry I haven't been updating this as much as I'd like. It's crazy, I've gotten busy with schoolwork. I know, I know, it's hard to believe seeing as I came here for school and all. One good thing for anyone that reads this on a regular basis (and that means you Amy) is that I just booked my flight to Switzerland. I haven't posted my itinerary for anything yet I guess, so here it goes:

(Along with the previously scheduled school field trips)

Geneva, Switzerland and possibly Nice, France - September 30th - October 3rd

Paris, France - October 21-22

London, England and possibly Hastings, England and Edinburgh, Scotland - October 23-27

Cardiff, Wales - October 27-28

Dublin, Ireland - October 29-30

A flight to Budapest, Hungary followed by a train ride through Slovakia and into Prague, Czech Republic followed by another train ride to Dresden, Germany is still in the works along with a weekend trip to San Marino. I'll post all of that as soon as I get to it. I'm very much looking forward to Friday's excursion to Pompeii, after which I'll be viewing Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii which I astutely remembered to bring.

For anyone interested, too, I've been listening to a few different things as of late. The albums I'm currently listening to include:

Guthrie Govan's Erotic Cakes

Steely Dan's Two Against Nature

Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros's Global A Go-Go and Streetcore

The Clash's Combat Rock

Led Zeppelin's Led Zeppelin IV

and Joe Grushecky's A Good Life

Vatican City

Today we went on a class trip to the Basilica of Saint Clement in Rome and then made our way to The Vatican. Saint Clement was neat. Parts of the church are from the 1st Century AD and I drank out of a spring that's been flowing since then. I enjoyed that part as well as seeing all of the frescos and tombs and thinking that they basically dated back to Jesus's time. Peter could have potentially been there and Christianity was still very much illegal. To think of it in that context is amazing, but, and all due respect to Saint Clement, nothing can compare to The Vatican. I just used the word amazing to describe a tiny little church (because it really was amazing), but I can't even begin to think of the words to tell you all how incredible The Vatican was. It gave me goosebumps and literally took my breath away. The scale of it is simply massive, but the grandeur and history and spirituality associated with St. Peter's and the area in general is so tangible. To give an underwhelming description for an English major I'll say that it was overwhelming. I'll definitely be going back there to be in audience of the Pope and then also to climb to the top of the dome and maybe even to catch a mass.

We Made It, Contrary to Popular Belief

Our flight arrived in Rome on September 10th around 11am and since then I've been waiting to connect with the outside world in any way, shape, or form. The internet on this street (Via Nomentana) has been down due to user error involving a backhoe. Everything so far has been both overwhelming and spectacular. It was incredible to be on the way here from the airport and to look up and realize, "Oh, there's the Colosseum." It seems like everywhere you turn there's an historical building or monument or fountain or something. It's not at all like being in DC where each thing like that has its own sort of space. The Washington Monument is off by itself and sticks out from its surroundings. The other day our site director gave us a sheet of things to take pictures of and my group was looking around for some random thing. We got lost on a back alley and suddenly came to the Pantheon. It was just in the middle of a confluence of a bunch of back streets! But I've seen so many things that most people only get to read about and that's one of the main reasons I wanted to come. I've only been here a few days and I feel like I've seen so much, so I can't even imagine what the next 87 days are going to be like.

See more pictures from these few days here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=283848&id=658221001&l=1c8a0e26ad