Home Sweet Ambialet

We are finally "home" in Ambialet after being gone for about 3 weeks!  It feels so nice to be back to the monastery for our last month in France.

Today Katie, Morgan, and I got up early and went to the Albi laundromat to do laundry so we would not have to do any when we got back.  We then got some lunch and headed to the train station where we were supposed to meet the bus at 2:00pm.  However, the bus never arrived and Taylor called Tim and he made sure a bus came and got us.  We then arrived back to Ambialet!!  The dogs, especially, were very very happy to see everyone!  We then went to our rooms and Katie, Rachel, and I unpacked our suitcases.  I am now realizing that I have A LOT of stuff to bring back to the USA.

Tomorrow we have a free day, so I'll be studying anatomy.  I may not be posting for a few days since we have an anatomy test next Tuesday and a lot of my time we be spent studying.  I think these last few week left in France are going to fly by!!!

Our Adventure to Albi

Well, we are one step closer to being "home".

Today Brady, Katie, Morgan. Jen, Alicia, and I got a taxi from our hotel at 12:30pm to go to the Toulouse train station.  When we got there, we were confused on how to get a ticket, and basically no one spoke English there.  Lets just say Brady spoke a lot of the "language of the world" as he calls it, in the train station.  We finally got a ticket for Albi only to find out that we had four minutes to get to the train.  We basically raced to the train, with all of our luggage only to find the train leaving.  Therefore, we were back to step number one.  Brady went back to the information desk and got us a new ticket to Albi on a 2:10pm train.  We did make that train!  The ride to Albi was about an hour long.  When we arrived in Albi, we got all of the luggage off of the train and then stood around outside the train station trying to figure out how we were going to get to our hotel.

We apparently looked confused because this very very nice french family came up to us.  The son tried to call for us a taxi, but they were all full.  The father said he could take our luggage in his car and his son could walk us to the hotel.  Brady went with our luggage and us girls walked with the son to our hotel.  We finally arrived at the hotel and Brady and our luggage met us there.  We were soooo thankful that this family helped us.  They were probably the nicest people I have met on this trip.

After getting settled at the hotel, we walked around Albi and got some dinner.  Tomorrow we return home to Ambialet.  We have to get the bus at 2:00pm.  I'm excited to be back "home".

Also, just so you all know from yesterday's post, my family safely made it to the USA.  I'm very thankful that they made it back to America after a bad airplane experience yesterday.  I miss them already!

Airports........

Well, I safely made it to Toulouse, France with my friends after dealing with a delay and a missed flight.

We left Sorrento Italy around 9:00am and we hit a lot of traffic to the airport!  We arrived at the airport around 10:30am.  We checked into the airport and when I first checked in, the lady told me I had a 20 minute flight delay.  After my parents checked in, the lady told them that there was an hour delay.  If the plane we on time, I would have had only 20 minutes to get to my connecting plane to Toulouse.  Well, once we got on the plane, my family and I already knew I missed my connecting flight since the flight from Naples to Paris was going to take two hours.  I was highly upset during the Naples to Paris that my parents were going to leave me alone since they would have only 20 minutes to get to their plane.  However, when we got close to Paris we were told that both my flight and my parents' flight will be gone by the time we arrive.  Let me just say, my parents were not happy that they missed their flight because of the inefficiency of Air France.

When the plane landed in Pairs it was 4:30pm.  My family and I proceeded to the Air France ticket desk.  My flight was changed to a 6:45 departure.  Unfortunately, my parents have to wait until tomorrow to get a flight back to the USA.  Therefore, Air France had to pay for their dinner, hotel, and breakfast.  I said "goodbye" to my parents and I left for my terminal in order to catch my new flight.  I safely made it to the terminal and made it on my plane to Toulouse.  However, it was one of the roughest flights I have ever been on.  There was a lot of turbulence and it was a pretty rough landing.

When my flight landed, I got my luggage (thank goodness it made it to Toulouse).  I then got a taxi and went to the hotel to meet Katie, Morgan, Jen, Brady, and Alicia.  I have never been soo happy to see them!

Tomorrow, we have to get back to Albi on a train.  I'm absolutely exhausted from today (I tried to get some sleep on my Toulouse flight but that did not happen)!  I hope my family has a very safe flight tomorrow morning!!  I love you guys and thank you for a wonderful spring break!

Good Night Everyone!

Pompeii, Mt. Vesuvius, Naples

Today was our last day of adventure in Italy.  I'm sad to see that spring break has ended and that my parents and sister will be heading back to America.  However, I'm happy that this means that I only have about a month left in France, until, I too, am back home in the USA and I can see my family again, my friends at SFU and from Johnstown, and especially my dog Cassie.

Our first stop of today was in the city of Pompeii.  Pompeii was the city that was destroyed by the volcano, Mt. Vesuvius in the year 79 A.D.  The city was buried under 20 feet of hot volcanic ash.  Pompeii is the most well preserved roman architectural site in all of Italy.  By the way, this historical information was provided by Samantha, since she is very interested in Pompeii and Vesuvius.  We walked through some of the ruins, and it is easy to see that volcanic ash turns everything to rock and preserves things very well.  There were even some bodies and even a dog that was preserved in the ash.

The Dog Of Pompeii

The second stop was at Mt. Vesuvius.  This volcano stands about 6,000 feet above sea level.  Our driver took us most of the way to the top, however to get to the very top, one must climb.  Under my current circumstances with my knee, I was not physically able to climb to the top of the volcano.  However, my sister and my mom made the climb to the top.  When they got down to where my dad and I were, they said that it was spectacular at the top and that the volcano was "smoking".  However, my mom pulled a tendon in her foot on the way up and is now having a hard time walking.  I guess that makes two of us now.

The last stop of the day was at the city of Naples.  Naples is a very large city!  We got a piece of pizza there, since it is believed that pizza was "invented" in Naples.  We also did a little shopping.  We then headed back to our hotel.

Tonight, we are going out for our last dinner in Italy!  The rest of the night will be spent packing!  Tomorrow, I have a flight from Naples to Paris with my parents.  After that flight I have a flight to Toulouse, where I will meet Alicia, Jen, Brady, Morgan, and Katie at the hotel close to the airport.  My parents will then fly back to the USA after my flight leaves Paris.  I'll update you all tomorrow about how tomorrow goes.  I'm a little nervous about getting through the Toulouse airport by myself.  Ciao!

The Amalfi Coast

Today we visited the Amalfi Coast of Italy and we had an absolutely beautiful sunny 65 degrees day!

We had breakfast to start our day, and then our private driver came to the hotel to pick us up around 9:00am.  Our first stop of the day was at Positano.  The road to this city and all the other destinations on our tour was probably the curviest road in the world!  However, on this road was some of the most amazing views I have ever seen!  Positano is a city built into a hill.  It is also a very expensive city!  Most of the famous Italians have villas here.  While we were in Positano, we went down to the beach.  It was here that my sister and mom put their feet in the Mediterranean Sea for the first time in their lives.  The water was very cold though, around 55 degrees Fahrenheit  After visiting the beach, we looked around in some of the shops, but they were all very exclusive and expensive.

The second stop of the day was at Ravello.  Here we had lunch at this amazing homemade restaurant.  The lady who was cooking kept giving us food that we did not order, and she did not make us pay for the extras!  The Tiramisu was very good!  I usually do not like Tiramisu but her's was delicious!  After lunch we walked around the very small town and got a couple of pictures.

After Ravello, we drove to the city of Amalfi.  In Amalfi we looked in a couple of the shops and got some gelato.  We also visited the beach there.  However, beaches here are not like beaches back in the USA.  These beaches are very rocky and there is no sand.  However, the water is more beautiful than the ocean water at the beaches back home.

After leaving Amalfi, we ended our tour back in Sorrento.  We then did some shopping in Sorrento and then headed back to our hotel.  Tomorrow we are visiting Naples, Mt. Vesuvius, and Pompeii.  Ciao!

Island Of Capri

Ciao!

Today we visited the Island of Capri!  It was absolutely beautiful!  To start the day, we had a wonderful breakfast at our hotel.  Let me explain this hotel to you.  It is not your normal hotel.  It is called the Villa Orliana and it only has seven rooms.  It is owned by a lady named Maria and she, each morning, makes a homemade breakfast.  This morning she made quiche, apple cake, and chocolate cake.  Also, there were fresh tomatoes and mozzarella cheese, homemade bread and fruit on the buffet.  Every single person at this villa is so friendly, especially the one guy receptionist named Emilio.

 After breakfast Maria drove us down to the port where we met Paula, our tour guide for the day.  We then got on the ferry to get to the island.  When we arrived on the island it was pure sunshine with at least 65 degree weather.  For our first stop of the day we took a bus to Anacapri.  In Anacapri, there was this chair lift that took you about 1,800 feet above sea level.  At the top of this mountain was a spectacular view!  I've never seen anything like it before.  The view of the villages of Anacapri and Capri with the Mediterranean Sea was just beautiful!

After coming down off the mountain, we walked into the historical district of Anacapri.  Here we saw two different churches.  The most interesting church was the church of St. Michele.  The floor of this church was done completely in ceramic tile.  The tiles made the scene of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

After visiting the historical district, we took the bus to the village of Capri.  Once there, we walked to the gardens.  From there we had some more spectacular views of the island!

After seeing the gardens, we got some gelato and looked in some of the shops.  We then boarded the ferry back to Sorrento where we got a cab back to our hotel.  Around 7:00pm we went for probably our best meal in Italy so far.

Tomorrow we will visit the Amalfi Coast and surrounding areas!  I love this part of Italy!!!  Good Night!

Seaside Sorrento

Saluti da Sorrento!

On The Terrace Of The Hotel

The Mediterranean Sea with Mount Vesuvius In The Background

Today we traveled to Sorrento, Italy!  We left Rome around 11:00am and we have a private car transfer.  The trip took about three hours.  During the last hour of the trip, we were able to see the Mediterranean Sea!  It looks much prettier here than it did in Spain.  The driver took us to our hotel which is on top on a steep hill.  This means that we have a beautiful view of Sorrento and, most importantly, the Mediterranean Sea and the city of Naples.  Also, from our hotel balcony, we can see Mount Vesuvius, which Samantha is extremely excited about.

We then got a taxi and headed down to the main square of Sorrento, where we had dinner and looked in some of the numerous shops.

Tomorrow, we are going to the Island of Capri.  I heard that this island is very beautiful!  I'm pretty excited!  Good Night all!! 

Christian Rome

I'm pretty sure I have found my  new favorite church in Europe!!!

Today we explored some of  the major Christian sites of Rome.  Our first tour took us to the Vatican!  Compared to the regular line, which looked about a mile long, since we were with a group, we did not have to wait as long to get in.  We first explored some of the Vatican museum and saw some of the roman sculptures.  After seeing some of those, we went into the Sistine Chapel!!!  This was absolutely breathtaking!!  It is just unbelievable that one person could paint something so spectacular!  The Sistine Chapel is the private chapel of the Pope.  In addition, this is where new popes are elected by the cardinals.  After seeing the Sistine Chapel, we were taken to the massive and beautiful St. Peter's Basilica.  This is the largest church in the world.  In addition, three saints, including St. Peter and St. Jude are buried in this Basilica.  On May 1, 2011 Pope John Paul II will be buried on the top floor within this Basilica and he will be beatified.  This Basilica also contains the original Pieta which was sculpted by Michelangelo.  St. Peter's has many more details, but you just cannot see them all since it is so big.  It is just absolutely beautiful and is probably my favorite part of Rome.

Our second tour took us to some of the other major religious sites around Rome.  First stop was at St. John Lateran Basilica.  This is one of the four major basilicas of Rome and is the Cathedral of the Church of Rome.  In addition, it is the first church in the world to be built.  Furthermore, it used to be the official seat of the bishop of Rome, who is the Pope.  I found it interesting that this church contains the skulls of St. Peter and St. Paul.  Outside of St. John Lateran is a small building.  This building houses the "Holy Stairs".  These stairs were transported from Jerusalem and are known to be the steps that Jesus was condemned by Pilate and scourged on.  If you want to climb these steps, it must be done on your knees, and you say a prayer at each step.  It take approximately an hour to make it to the top.

 The second stop of the day was at the catacombes.  The catacombes are underground burial sites.  When walking through the catacombes, you can see spaces in the walls that were used as tombs.  There are no longer bones in these burial sites, since visitors would try and steal the bones to take as a souvenir. 

The last stop of the day was at the Basilica Of Santa Maria Maggiore.  This is a basilica dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.  This basilica hold the pieces of wood that is known to be part of the holy manger that baby Jesus laid in.

To end the day, we had another delicious Italian dinner.   I really enjoyed my time in Rome, and I'm glad I got to see as much as I did, even though we were on many tours that lasted all day.  Tomorrow, at 11:00am, we have a private car transfer to Sorrento, Italy.  Sorrento is located on the coast.  I'm excited to see the Mediterranean.  Ciao!!!

Roaming Rome

Today was a very busy day touring the "Eternal City"  However, to start the day, we attended 11:00 mass.  It was all in Italian, so I did not understand anything.  If you go to a mass in a different language, just pretend you know whats going on and you will be fine!

After mass we took our first tour which was called the "Tour of the Caesars".  This tour took us to some of the most famous archeological sites around Rome.  Our first stop of the day was at the world-famous Colosseum.  Much of the Colosseum still remains, however, some of it has collapsed over the hundreds of years it has been standing.  For example, the platform where the gladiators fought, no longer remains.  The second stop was at a church where relics of St. Peter remained.  This relic was the chain that St. Peter was attached to when he was in prison.  The third stop of the day was at the ruins of the main square of the Roman Empire.

Chains Of St. Peter

Ruins Of The Roman Empire

After that tour, we went on a night tour of the city of  Rome.  It was beautiful seeing most of the major sites lit up at night.  It was especially spectacular seeing St. Peter's Basilica lit up at night.  This tour was followed by a delicious Italian dinner.

Trevi Fountain

St. Peter's Basilica

Tomorrow is our last day in Rome and we have a tour of the Vatican and a tour of some of the other religious sites.

Rome, Italy

Saluti da Roma!!!

We arrived in Rome, Italy today!!!  Our train left the Florence station around 11:10am and let me note that European train stations are very confusing for first time riders!  Our train arrived in Rome around 12:45pm.  We then had a private car transfer to our hotel.  We then went to dinner, which as always was delicious!  I had penne pasta with a tomato sauce and a breaded veal cutlet.

After dinner, we walked to the Trevi Fountain!!!  It was awesome to actually see it!!  You always see the Trevi fountain portrayed in pictures and movies, but seeing it in person was a lot better!  I even got a toss a coin, actually two, into the fountain.  It is rumored that if you throw one coin, that means that you will return to Rome; if you throw two that means you will find your true love; and if you throw three that means that you will find your true love in Rome.  I just threw two because my sister messed up the first picture she took.

Tomorrow, we have a tour of some of the major sites in Rome! I'll update again tomorrow! Ciao!