Hey guys, this is unofficially my official last post of my trip (When I get back to the states, I will have pictures from Lucca and Pisa), but that’s on the way to the airport, so this is it from Europe! Well, tomorrow morning I start my long travels back to the states. We wake up early for our last group trip to Lucca and Pisa on the way to the airport, then we fly from Pisa to London and get into London at 1am. After getting to London, we drive an hour to the OTHER London airport and stay in a hotel for literally 5 hours then we fly out Monday morning at 9am… long 3 days:)
I just wanted to say thanks soooo much for following my journey thru Europe and all the support you have given me! I cant tell you how many days I was feeling so down on my art and thinking I just couldn’t do it one more day and I would get a comment from one of you or hear a relayed message through my mommy in reassurance about my art, so thanks!!! This was an amazing trip and I can’t even express to you the experiences and joys I have had from traveling all over this beautiful continent! I will see you guys soon. Thanks again, I love you all!
kels
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
I'm DONE!!!!
I feel like another finals week has come to an end. This morning we all turned in all of our paintings, in my case that was 6 oils, 12 watercolors and 1 sketchbook... whew! I am so glad to be done. To celebrate we went into Florence today for the last time. Tomorrow we start cleaning and packing up to leave... yay for seeing family again! It will defiantly be bitter-sweet because we are all so excited to go home, but at the same time we have forgotten how hard it will be to leave our family community here. We all have developed friendships and relationships that will continue far beyond this trip. I have been so blessed to be apart of this group. God gave us a group that so easily meshed in the beginning and only formed closer relationships as we got further into the trip, its been really amazing!
After an amazing mexican pileup dinner and cobbler, we had a sweet art study abroad, mandatory talent show... it was so cool! we were not allowed to do any performing or visual arts. we had a very diverse, funny group of great people. there were a lot of great and very entertaining acts. we had a blast!!! it lasted for over 2 hours and was soooo worth it! it ended in a great slideshow and it felt like the end of camp:) this great picture ended up in the show... i have NO idea how they got it, but its pretty funny and theres a story:)... so when we fist got to Rome, the teachers decided that even though it was 97 degrees with 80% humidity, it would be a good idea to walk all over the city, WITH our luggage to see some churches. i was hot, i smelled and i felt like a pack-mule!
After an amazing mexican pileup dinner and cobbler, we had a sweet art study abroad, mandatory talent show... it was so cool! we were not allowed to do any performing or visual arts. we had a very diverse, funny group of great people. there were a lot of great and very entertaining acts. we had a blast!!! it lasted for over 2 hours and was soooo worth it! it ended in a great slideshow and it felt like the end of camp:) this great picture ended up in the show... i have NO idea how they got it, but its pretty funny and theres a story:)... so when we fist got to Rome, the teachers decided that even though it was 97 degrees with 80% humidity, it would be a good idea to walk all over the city, WITH our luggage to see some churches. i was hot, i smelled and i felt like a pack-mule!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Another Hot day in Scandicci
Today its hot, almost 100 degrees. we had french toast for breakfast and a morning of painting. Someone had all the seasons of the show Will and Grace, and that is the ONLY thing we have had to watch for days, unless we wanted to watch more italian TV (i am so sick of not know what in the world they are talking about!) so anyway we went for a little walk to go get lunch, but I have just been last minute preparing for my final critique, and turning in work tomorrow. these 10 pictures that I am posting are my five best (not all favorite, but best artsi) photos...
they represent:
Shadows
Texture
Shape
Action
Balance
and the other 5 are of my theme series pictures of Gates around Europe, so enjoy!
they represent:
Shadows
Texture
Shape
Action
Balance
and the other 5 are of my theme series pictures of Gates around Europe, so enjoy!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Art
So my friend Sarah posted this pic of me today and i just had to post it cause I think its cool, i look like an artist:) (and i knew you would like it mommy:) )
Goodbye Rosa
Rosa cooked us our last meal tonight. Her husband is going into the hospital for an operation and so she is leaving to be with him. we will miss her dearly even just for the last 3 days we're hear. Thanks Rosa!!!
Today started out same as yesterday with breakfast, nap, painting... lazy morning and then i was blessed this afternoon with a really peaceful feeling knowing that i get to go home soon. Europe has been a once in a lifetime experience that i am so blessed to have had, but there is nothing like home and family and i cant wait to go back, see my sisters, my parents and my church... i cant wait! Anyway, it was just a great quiet afternoon and i had a lot of time to think and absorb my amazing experience, look back over pictures and get excited to be going home in just 5 days!:)
Today started out same as yesterday with breakfast, nap, painting... lazy morning and then i was blessed this afternoon with a really peaceful feeling knowing that i get to go home soon. Europe has been a once in a lifetime experience that i am so blessed to have had, but there is nothing like home and family and i cant wait to go back, see my sisters, my parents and my church... i cant wait! Anyway, it was just a great quiet afternoon and i had a lot of time to think and absorb my amazing experience, look back over pictures and get excited to be going home in just 5 days!:)
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
A boring day in Scandicci...
Our teachers decided we would all be tired from Rome and the heat so they decided to have a free day, which meant for me waking up for breakfast at 8:30 then going back to bed rest and and catch up on emails. after 3 boring hours of that i ate a snack and painted a watercolor then did nothing until Rosa cooked dinner. after dinner we went out for gelato and that pretty much brings us to now... a very uneventful day!
Monday, June 23, 2008
Roma... The Hottest City Ever (or so it felt)!
Wow, Rome was a whirlwind and it will be so hard to write all about it in one post, but i'll try my best.
ok, so day One: Friday
We woke up very early to head off on the train to Rome. We arrived about 11am and stepped out onto the street with a view of the Roman Forum... it was pretty awesome. It was like no other heat i had felt in my whole life! it was so humid and sticky, everyone was just soaked! we were all carrying our bags (my huge backpack) all over while our professors took us to a church and then on a long rout to our hotel. it was such a relief to finally get to the air conditioned hotel. we stayed at a very nice and beautiful hotel that used to be a nunnery. then we had a few hours to relax before heading into town. We walked to the Pantheon and saw that first thing, which was amazing because of all i had studied about it over the last year in my History of Architecture class, it was impressive. then we had some time to look around in a few churches and see some beautiful places. the we went to the trevi fountain to toss some coins (one means you'll return to Rome, two means you'll get married and three apparently means you will get a divorce). so after taking some cute pics we then split up into smaller groups and headed to have some dinner. Then a small group of us walked to the Spanish steps (they really are just steps... pretty non-eventful). then we all went back to the hotel and four of us (leriam, kate, alina and I) were all in one room which was really cool, but our TV was so tiny, so all of us climbed into one bed and found an English MTV show and alina just happened to have an entire package of cookies, so being the girls we are, we sat there, ate cookies and watched a stupid reality show until we all fell asleep around 10:15:) it was lots of fun.
Day Two: Saturday
We woke up around 6am to get ready in a hurry so we could get in line at the Vatican as early as possible. we waited in line (luckily there was plenty of shade where we were). we waited for about an hour then we toured the museum for another 3 1/2 hours. we got to see the Sistine Chapel and i snuck a few photos (i know, i'm bad... but there were no flashes). then we went to a few churches to look at some more architecture and then we went to an awesome and creepy church called "the church of the bones" and the whole crypt was decorated with bones and bodies of old saints that had mummified themselves and they were pretty gross, but it was fun. then we headed over to St Peters... INDESCRIBABLE... That place is amazing, huge, beautiful, breathtaking, all of the above and more. it was an amazing experience. we stayed there until it closed and then some of us really wanted to go to the Hard Rock Cafe in Rome, so we had a meal were it felt like we were back in American, which was a comforting thing, we had a very good meal. then we went back to watch the sunset at the spanish steps and walked back. We talked for hours and hours in our room that night, just fun girl talk and went to bed a little after 1am.
Day Three: Sunday
Sunday was our free day and lucky for me, my boy was there!!! yay! In the morning the girls and i went out shopping (dont worry dad, i didnt spend any money, i just helped the girls spend a lot:) ). Alina and I left the rest of the girls at about noon and walked around the Roman Forum and then saw the coliseum... that was of course a really cool and unique experience. we took a lot of pics, walked really far and then sat in the nice air conditioned hotel and rested until 5pm.
At 5, my favorite part of the trip showed up... Kyle!:)
Kyle, his other friend Kyle (we called him joe not to confuse that night:) ), and i went all over sightseeing. I took them to the pantheon and then the trevi fountain where we tossed our coins in and sat on the fountain for a while. then i took the boys over to the romantic Spanish steps. And yes, i did get my kiss on the spanish steps:) it was nice having Joe (kyle) around to take picture of Kyle and I cause we arent very good at remembering to do that and joe likes taking pictures as you can see by all the ones we have:) then i walked them over to get Gelato, of course, an italian staple, then we walked all the way to the coliseum and saw it at night, it was all lit up and beautiful. we walked about 2 miles back, hung out at the hotel for a while and chatted and then the boys had to say goodbye, sad, but true. I had a very fun and romantic Roman Holiday with my amazing boyfriend.
Day Four: Monday
Today was our last day, mostly packing and getting checked out, but we had just a few hours to kill so we went to the Christian Catacombs and saw miles of underground graves, and they were soooo cool! oh and it was awesome relief down there deep into the ground cause for 30 whole minutes, we got to be in 60 degree weather!!! yay! it was amazing! (oh and did i mention its supposed to be almost 100 degrees everyday this week... yucky!) oh and i forgot to mention the last thing we got to do, it made me so happy and it was the last Rome experience i needed to check off of my list. for any of you that have seen Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, there is a part in that movie where he takes her to the La Bocca della Verità (the moth of truth) and you are supposed to stick your hand in its month and if you tell it a lie, it bites your hand off. it was just a fun thing i had to do:) so then the group met up at the coliseum and headed back to Scandicci for the last week of our European adventure.
ok, so day One: Friday
We woke up very early to head off on the train to Rome. We arrived about 11am and stepped out onto the street with a view of the Roman Forum... it was pretty awesome. It was like no other heat i had felt in my whole life! it was so humid and sticky, everyone was just soaked! we were all carrying our bags (my huge backpack) all over while our professors took us to a church and then on a long rout to our hotel. it was such a relief to finally get to the air conditioned hotel. we stayed at a very nice and beautiful hotel that used to be a nunnery. then we had a few hours to relax before heading into town. We walked to the Pantheon and saw that first thing, which was amazing because of all i had studied about it over the last year in my History of Architecture class, it was impressive. then we had some time to look around in a few churches and see some beautiful places. the we went to the trevi fountain to toss some coins (one means you'll return to Rome, two means you'll get married and three apparently means you will get a divorce). so after taking some cute pics we then split up into smaller groups and headed to have some dinner. Then a small group of us walked to the Spanish steps (they really are just steps... pretty non-eventful). then we all went back to the hotel and four of us (leriam, kate, alina and I) were all in one room which was really cool, but our TV was so tiny, so all of us climbed into one bed and found an English MTV show and alina just happened to have an entire package of cookies, so being the girls we are, we sat there, ate cookies and watched a stupid reality show until we all fell asleep around 10:15:) it was lots of fun.
Day Two: Saturday
We woke up around 6am to get ready in a hurry so we could get in line at the Vatican as early as possible. we waited in line (luckily there was plenty of shade where we were). we waited for about an hour then we toured the museum for another 3 1/2 hours. we got to see the Sistine Chapel and i snuck a few photos (i know, i'm bad... but there were no flashes). then we went to a few churches to look at some more architecture and then we went to an awesome and creepy church called "the church of the bones" and the whole crypt was decorated with bones and bodies of old saints that had mummified themselves and they were pretty gross, but it was fun. then we headed over to St Peters... INDESCRIBABLE... That place is amazing, huge, beautiful, breathtaking, all of the above and more. it was an amazing experience. we stayed there until it closed and then some of us really wanted to go to the Hard Rock Cafe in Rome, so we had a meal were it felt like we were back in American, which was a comforting thing, we had a very good meal. then we went back to watch the sunset at the spanish steps and walked back. We talked for hours and hours in our room that night, just fun girl talk and went to bed a little after 1am.
Day Three: Sunday
Sunday was our free day and lucky for me, my boy was there!!! yay! In the morning the girls and i went out shopping (dont worry dad, i didnt spend any money, i just helped the girls spend a lot:) ). Alina and I left the rest of the girls at about noon and walked around the Roman Forum and then saw the coliseum... that was of course a really cool and unique experience. we took a lot of pics, walked really far and then sat in the nice air conditioned hotel and rested until 5pm.
At 5, my favorite part of the trip showed up... Kyle!:)
Kyle, his other friend Kyle (we called him joe not to confuse that night:) ), and i went all over sightseeing. I took them to the pantheon and then the trevi fountain where we tossed our coins in and sat on the fountain for a while. then i took the boys over to the romantic Spanish steps. And yes, i did get my kiss on the spanish steps:) it was nice having Joe (kyle) around to take picture of Kyle and I cause we arent very good at remembering to do that and joe likes taking pictures as you can see by all the ones we have:) then i walked them over to get Gelato, of course, an italian staple, then we walked all the way to the coliseum and saw it at night, it was all lit up and beautiful. we walked about 2 miles back, hung out at the hotel for a while and chatted and then the boys had to say goodbye, sad, but true. I had a very fun and romantic Roman Holiday with my amazing boyfriend.
Day Four: Monday
Today was our last day, mostly packing and getting checked out, but we had just a few hours to kill so we went to the Christian Catacombs and saw miles of underground graves, and they were soooo cool! oh and it was awesome relief down there deep into the ground cause for 30 whole minutes, we got to be in 60 degree weather!!! yay! it was amazing! (oh and did i mention its supposed to be almost 100 degrees everyday this week... yucky!) oh and i forgot to mention the last thing we got to do, it made me so happy and it was the last Rome experience i needed to check off of my list. for any of you that have seen Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, there is a part in that movie where he takes her to the La Bocca della Verità (the moth of truth) and you are supposed to stick your hand in its month and if you tell it a lie, it bites your hand off. it was just a fun thing i had to do:) so then the group met up at the coliseum and headed back to Scandicci for the last week of our European adventure.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)