Very unfortunatley, I had to be over seas when my Great Grandmother passed away this past month. Although I wasnt able to be there with my family, I know that my Grandma was watching over me here in Spain. Of course 95 years is an age to celebrate, but as my Great Grandma made such a huge impact on all of our lives, we knew it would be hard to say goodbye. Being so far away was definitely difficult. Luckily I have made great friends here in Spain that were there for me. Everyone was wonderful, and that weekend, they all made a toast to "Gina's Great Grandma." It was very comforting for being so far.
I am so happy that my Great Grandma was able to come to my going away party before I left for Spain. As sad and hard as it was for me not to be home, my family kept reminding me that I saw grandma at her best, and will have a great last memory of her. She was such an amazing person, and had more wisdom and life experience then anyone I will ever know. About 5 years ago, my Great Grandma gave me a prayer that she said she wanted me to say everyday because it would help me make decisions. Im proud to say that I have said it every day since then, and will continue to say it. I will always remember her telling me to "make room for my guardian angel", as well as playing pokino on my kitchen table for hours, while listening to old stories. Michael and I will never forget when she stayed at our house one weekend when we were about 10 and 12. It was a school day and grandma made us homemade frenched toast before school!! Or the time I told her that I was using her name as my confirmation name..she cried tears of joy. From then on she called me 'Gina D' for Gina Dominica. I will also never forget on my Auntie Julie and Uncle Larry's wedding day when my Great Grandma was in the hospital. Our limo drove my entire family to the hospital after the church and we all went up in our dresses to see my Grandma! I admired her strength, her sharp mind, as well as her faith. I am so unbelievably lucky to have even met my Great Grandmother, let alone really get to know her as well as I did for almost 21 years! I am honored to have the name Dominica as my confirmation name as she will forever be a part of my life.
te echo de menos bisabuela y te quiero.
(i miss you great grandma and i love you)
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Halloween en Espana
After getting back from Malaga, I came home, showered, and started getting in my Halloween costume! My friends and I were dressing up as the Village people! Heather, Robin, Nicki, Maggie, Heather S., Laura and I were each a different member. I was the biker! I bought ripped up leggings, a bandana, sunglass, and gloves. I then wore black shorts, a black jacket, and sticker tattoos! We all got together to get ready, and it was so much fun!
Halloween is NOT a Spanish holiday but just something that they do because a lot of Americans are here. My senora said that it's something that has been happening for just the past 10 years or so. We saw a ton of Spaniards on the streets that were dressed up! As well as it being Halloween, Halloween is my Dad's birthday! I actually called him while we were still in Malaga on our bike tour...directly to our house number! My parents were very surprised to hear my voice on our home phone.
That night, we all went to Camborio, our favorite discoteca! It is the discoteca that is in Albaizin. The club is inside actual caves, and has an amazing view of the Alhambra at night. We danced all night (morning) until 7 30am, and walking home we got to watch the sun rise while passing the Alhambra! It was gorgeous.
It was so much fun getting to dress up here in Spain. We all would have been sad if we didnt get to take part in our American tradition!
Halloween is NOT a Spanish holiday but just something that they do because a lot of Americans are here. My senora said that it's something that has been happening for just the past 10 years or so. We saw a ton of Spaniards on the streets that were dressed up! As well as it being Halloween, Halloween is my Dad's birthday! I actually called him while we were still in Malaga on our bike tour...directly to our house number! My parents were very surprised to hear my voice on our home phone.
That night, we all went to Camborio, our favorite discoteca! It is the discoteca that is in Albaizin. The club is inside actual caves, and has an amazing view of the Alhambra at night. We danced all night (morning) until 7 30am, and walking home we got to watch the sun rise while passing the Alhambra! It was gorgeous.
It was so much fun getting to dress up here in Spain. We all would have been sad if we didnt get to take part in our American tradition!
Friday, November 6, 2009
MALAGA, ESPANA!
My friends and I went to Malaga, Spain last weekend! It is only about a 2 hour bus ride form Granada. When we arrived, we checked into our hostal, ate our lunches, and headed out. It was SUCH a gorgeous day, so we were really lucky=) The first place we wanted to go to was the Castle in Malaga. In order to get there, you have to climb the mountain. The path that we walked up was lined with beautiful gardens all the way up! Before we even got to the top the view was incredible. But, when we did, we were overlooking so much: the port with cruise ships, the mediteranean sea, the skyline of mountains, and the entire city that had palm trees everywhere, the bull fight stadium, their cathedral, and so much more! Once we took our pictures from the top, we went inside the castle! We first climbed to the top of the castle where it looked like something out of a fairy tale with towers and pointed tops! We explored the whole castle, and were blown away by its history and the views.
After this, we went to spend a relaxing day at the beach. As we walked to the beach, we strolled through a lot of the neighborhoods. The houses are so pretty! They were decorated really nicely, with bright colored houses, as well as bright flowers everywhere. My friends and I all want to retire there! We say that because Malaga is a very popular place for Spaniards to retire...we saw SO many old people. It was nice tho because the town was very quite and calm, super different than say Madrid, Barcelona or even Granada. When we finally got to the beach, it wasnt the most amazing beach ever, but being on a beach anywhere the day before halloween will do for me=) Our tour guide the next day told us that Malaga isnt really known for their beach, even tho it is pretty, it is just not white sand beaches. I love all the beaches here because they have the mountains in the background. Its like a postcard everywhere I go. The beach was awesome cuz it was later in the day, so it cooled down to about 70-75 degrees, and we all took a nice nap on the beach! We just layed and talked, and a couple of us took a walk along the shore. It was right as the sun was setting and really relaxing (not that im stressed out..i live in spain!) Next, we went to get dinner. It was gooood. A lot of the dinners come with fried eggs, which was weird to us at first, but now we all love it. Then, we went back to our hostal to sleep.
The next day was our tour of Malaga by BICYCLE! We were all really excited because 1. we didnt have to walk, 2. we all hadnt rode bikes in soo long, and 3. we got to ride the bikes on the beach! We met our tour guide, who was from England, and started riding around. She was awesome. She really knew her info, and we learned SO much about Malaga. As we were stopped in front of each landmark, she was told us something really interesting. One time, she told us the reason that ham and alcohol are so popular in Spain. We have all been wondering why ham is in almost EVERY SINGLE meal that we eat! The reason is because when King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel conquered all the Islamic areas of Spain, they told the people that they either
1. had to convert to Catholicism 2. had to leave Spain, or 3. would be killed. Most of them converted, but the King didnt believe that they would actually follow through with the religion. In order to test them, he would throw huge parties, and ONLY serve ham and alcohol. The reason for this is that Islamic Muslims are prohibited to eat pork or drink alcohol, so if they didnt eat or drink at the party, they were killed. Our tour guide said that this went on for many years, and ever since then, it has been pork and alcohol throughout all of Spain. After she told us this I said, "That is so interesting, I LOVE this tour!" She said, "I think you are the most enthusiastic client ive had yet!" haha. But the tour was really awesome. We got to see where Pablo Picasso was baptized, learned all about the church, saw a Roman Theatre that was recently dug up and discovered, saw and learned all about the cathedral, rode through a botanical garden with fountains and bridges, talked about the history of Malaga, rode along the beach, stopped for drinks to try the "sweet Malaga wine" (this is when I called you guys Mom and Dad!), saw the Plaza de toros, got to see up close what is used in percessions during Semana Santa (Holy Week), AND we saw the house that Pablo Picasso grew up in! Picasso only lived in Malaga until he was 10, but she told us that whenever someone asked him where he was from he would say "Soy de la tierra de chupa y tira"...What this literally means is "I am from the land of suck and throw"..But what it means is that Picasso lived in a neighborhood that was poor, and the money that the people had was all spent on clothing so that they could look nice. They never had any money for food, and since they lived by the sea, they would just eat the clams. This phrase is because the way you eat clams is by "sucking" them, and then they would "throw" the remainder into the trash cans. The tour was very interesting, and we liked that she told us about recent information too. For example, Antonio Banderas lives in Malaga, and she told us stories about seeing him, how nice he is, and what he does during Semana Santa!
After the bike tour, we ate lunch, and went to the Picasso museum! It was amazing. Every piece of art was perfect, and we loved that they were all his original works. Going into the gift shop, I saw a postcard picture of Picasso, and was in shock of what he actually looked like. In the photo he was wearing shorts, no shirt, was smoking a cigar, and had a crazy hat on! i LOVED it. He looked so chill and laid back, and not anything I would expect him to look like. I definitley bought it=)
After the museum, Heather and I had our bus back to Granada because it was Halloween, and of course we didnt want to miss out on dressing up! We first went to this italian restaurant and got realllly good pizza, and then went back to Granada. I really enjoed Malaga! It was a perfect amount of time to get a taste of another part of Spain. I love visiting other parts of Spain and comparing how different the people and daily life is in each place=)
After this, we went to spend a relaxing day at the beach. As we walked to the beach, we strolled through a lot of the neighborhoods. The houses are so pretty! They were decorated really nicely, with bright colored houses, as well as bright flowers everywhere. My friends and I all want to retire there! We say that because Malaga is a very popular place for Spaniards to retire...we saw SO many old people. It was nice tho because the town was very quite and calm, super different than say Madrid, Barcelona or even Granada. When we finally got to the beach, it wasnt the most amazing beach ever, but being on a beach anywhere the day before halloween will do for me=) Our tour guide the next day told us that Malaga isnt really known for their beach, even tho it is pretty, it is just not white sand beaches. I love all the beaches here because they have the mountains in the background. Its like a postcard everywhere I go. The beach was awesome cuz it was later in the day, so it cooled down to about 70-75 degrees, and we all took a nice nap on the beach! We just layed and talked, and a couple of us took a walk along the shore. It was right as the sun was setting and really relaxing (not that im stressed out..i live in spain!) Next, we went to get dinner. It was gooood. A lot of the dinners come with fried eggs, which was weird to us at first, but now we all love it. Then, we went back to our hostal to sleep.
The next day was our tour of Malaga by BICYCLE! We were all really excited because 1. we didnt have to walk, 2. we all hadnt rode bikes in soo long, and 3. we got to ride the bikes on the beach! We met our tour guide, who was from England, and started riding around. She was awesome. She really knew her info, and we learned SO much about Malaga. As we were stopped in front of each landmark, she was told us something really interesting. One time, she told us the reason that ham and alcohol are so popular in Spain. We have all been wondering why ham is in almost EVERY SINGLE meal that we eat! The reason is because when King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel conquered all the Islamic areas of Spain, they told the people that they either
1. had to convert to Catholicism 2. had to leave Spain, or 3. would be killed. Most of them converted, but the King didnt believe that they would actually follow through with the religion. In order to test them, he would throw huge parties, and ONLY serve ham and alcohol. The reason for this is that Islamic Muslims are prohibited to eat pork or drink alcohol, so if they didnt eat or drink at the party, they were killed. Our tour guide said that this went on for many years, and ever since then, it has been pork and alcohol throughout all of Spain. After she told us this I said, "That is so interesting, I LOVE this tour!" She said, "I think you are the most enthusiastic client ive had yet!" haha. But the tour was really awesome. We got to see where Pablo Picasso was baptized, learned all about the church, saw a Roman Theatre that was recently dug up and discovered, saw and learned all about the cathedral, rode through a botanical garden with fountains and bridges, talked about the history of Malaga, rode along the beach, stopped for drinks to try the "sweet Malaga wine" (this is when I called you guys Mom and Dad!), saw the Plaza de toros, got to see up close what is used in percessions during Semana Santa (Holy Week), AND we saw the house that Pablo Picasso grew up in! Picasso only lived in Malaga until he was 10, but she told us that whenever someone asked him where he was from he would say "Soy de la tierra de chupa y tira"...What this literally means is "I am from the land of suck and throw"..But what it means is that Picasso lived in a neighborhood that was poor, and the money that the people had was all spent on clothing so that they could look nice. They never had any money for food, and since they lived by the sea, they would just eat the clams. This phrase is because the way you eat clams is by "sucking" them, and then they would "throw" the remainder into the trash cans. The tour was very interesting, and we liked that she told us about recent information too. For example, Antonio Banderas lives in Malaga, and she told us stories about seeing him, how nice he is, and what he does during Semana Santa!
After the bike tour, we ate lunch, and went to the Picasso museum! It was amazing. Every piece of art was perfect, and we loved that they were all his original works. Going into the gift shop, I saw a postcard picture of Picasso, and was in shock of what he actually looked like. In the photo he was wearing shorts, no shirt, was smoking a cigar, and had a crazy hat on! i LOVED it. He looked so chill and laid back, and not anything I would expect him to look like. I definitley bought it=)
After the museum, Heather and I had our bus back to Granada because it was Halloween, and of course we didnt want to miss out on dressing up! We first went to this italian restaurant and got realllly good pizza, and then went back to Granada. I really enjoed Malaga! It was a perfect amount of time to get a taste of another part of Spain. I love visiting other parts of Spain and comparing how different the people and daily life is in each place=)
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
When In Rome!
Although I have already been to Rome, I was way too young to appreciate everything it has to offer. Leaving Granada on a Wednesday night after class, my friends Sophie, Amy, Monica, Morgan and I took a 5 hour bus to Madrid. From there we had to "sleep" in the airport. NOT a great experience, but cheaper then paying for a hostel for 4 hours. At 7 am, we took our flight to Rome!! It was really nice that we left that earlier because we had the full day when we got there.
When my flight landed in Ciampino (the airport in Italy), and my cousin Giovanna was there to greet me! It was SO nice. My friends took a bus to their hostal, and Giovanna and I went back to her house. Before going to her house, she took me to a park that was nearby. It was really pretty and the view of the mountains was awesome, but we didnt stay long because Giovanna said we had other things to do! We then went to her house, and I slept a little bit (i was ty ty). Afterwards, I was going to meet up with my friends, but their spanish cell phones were NOT working, soo Giovanna and I went around the city together=) She took me to a couple really cool churches, including Uncle Frank's favorite church in Rome! Then, we went to get pizza! There were so many kinds, but we got sausage with mushrooms, and potato pizza! Ive never had potato pizza before, and i LOVED it. After lunch we were going to go inside of the Colosseum. I was a little bummed that I wasnt going to see this with my friends, but it was no big deal. I figured I would get a hold of them by calling their hostal considering their phones were not working at all in Rome. Meanwhile, Giovanna and I are walking to the Colosseum and I heard "GINA!!" It was my friends! It was soo funny that we found eachother. We were all apologizing that our phones werent working, and they felt so bad, but we decided a time to meet later that night, and to go to the Colosseum together the next day. We were SO lucky to find eachother, considering how big Rome is. Instead of going inside, Giovanna and I walked around the outside of the Colosseum, she explained things to me, and we looked at the Roman ruins. We even went up to the top of the hill to a really cute church! Next, Giovanna took me to the street with all the best and most expensive shopping!! Something that is hard for me to resist. We went to some really cool stores, and I wanted EVERYTHING, but I kept hearing my moms voice in my head telling me "Gina, you have somthing just like that!" Honestly tho, im still thinking about this suade purse I wanted to buy in Rome...hahah I have a shopping problem. After shopping, we went to Giolitti for gelato, mmm! This is the icecream shop that Obama recently went to because it is right next to the House of Parliaments where Obama was when he came to Rome. Obviously, the ice cream was amazing. I had dark chocolate and hazlenut. Next, we walked to the Spanish steps. This place brought back SO many memories because Joanna, my Dad and I recently watched our Rome video, and me, Michael, and Joanna were all playing on the fountain in front of the steps and climbing the steps. I almost pushed my sister into the fountain! It was really pretty because it was night time, and the sun was just setting. Then, it was about time to meet my friends, so Giovanna walked me to their hostal, and we were going to go out for dinner! We first went out and got wine, and then went to a really cute italian restaurant. I ordered gnocchi, which was soo good, but I sadly spilled some of it while trying to take a picture of my plate! Giovanna then picked me up and brought me back. I went right to sleep considering we had a big day ahead of us!
Each morning Giovanna and her husband, Gianluca, ate breakfast with me. We had delicious pastries, milk, toast and cereal. They were SO unbelievably nice, and I am so fortunate to have been able to stay with them!! This day, my friends and I had a lot of things planned! I met them at their hostal, and we took off for the day. I am REALLY happy that I traveled with Sophie, Amy, Morgan and Monica, because 1. I only really knew Sophie and Monica, so I got to make new friends and get the know them all better! and 2. They were all knowledgeable of things I never would have thought... For example: I was SO surprised to hear that they all knew and LOVED cannoli. To continue where I left off, at 10 am when we left for the day, we found a bakery with cannoli. Amy and Monica said they have been waiting FOREVER for this, so we stopped in, and all ate cannoli at 10am! Haha, only in Rome. We then walked around the city, enjoying the amazing architecture, and looking at the artwork. We then arrived at the Spanish steps. It was during the day, so a different perspective, and it was a really beautiful day. I even pet a horse in front of the steps! Afterwards, we walked to Piazza de popolo, and were surpised to see that there was a dog show going on!! Missing Bella, I loved it. We explored the plaza, and found a trail that lead up a mountain. We climed up to the top of it so see a gorgeous view of the city! It was so cool. We could see St. Peters in the distance, and there wasnt a cloud in the sky=) Of course, we were all craving gelato, so we went to get some. Our next stop was the Trevi Fountain, and on our way we found some really cool pasta stores. They had EVERY type of pasta you could think of, in different shapes, sizes and colors. I loved it. We got to the fountain and it was amazing!! We stared at it forever, and made our wishes. We got a great picture while we were throwing our coins! I kept thinking of being there when I was younger. I even re-took a picture in the same exact spot that Joanna and I did when we were little=) After this we walked to The Pantheon! It was huge and gorgeous, and Giovanna gave me a book on Rome, so we were able to read up on it and know exactly what everything was. The painter Rafael is buried in there! We also learned that the entire ceiling was made of Gold, but it was stripped, and then used to build something in St. Peters Basilica. We next went to another beautiful plaza with statues, art work, and food, and then we went to the plaza with the italian market! Sadly we went later in the day when everything was about closing up, but it was still very cool to see, and there were stores with sales! Afterwards, we walked along the river. It was SO pretty! The day was perfect. We stopped next to the river and got cappuccino=) We then were headed to the Colosseum! Before getting there, we had to walk through this huge field, what used to be this huge stadium for horse races, and beacause it is so close to the river, they used to fill it with water and have battles in ships! It held up to 300,000 people, and Andrea told us the next day that now they have concerts there, and when Italy won the world cup, that this is where they all celebrated and there were 2 million people! We finally got to the Colosseum! I had seen the Colosseum with my family, but we never went inside, so I was very excited. It was awesome! It was so neat being inside of something that old, and it made it even better that the sun was shinging bright=) In my book, we read that underneath where the floor was, were prisions for slaves! It was cool because they only had half of the floor up so you can see underneath. Next, it was getting late, and of course we were hungry, so we went out to dinner. I got lasagna and meatballs! It was sooo good. We really wanted to experience the night life in Italy and compare it to Spain, so we took a bus to where we thought to go. We ended up near the Trevi Fountain, so it was cool to see it all lite up at night! After this, we went to a bar for drinks, and then to a discoteca to dance! It was a bit different from Spain, especially considering in Spain people dont go out until 2am and then stay out till 8am. We definitley had a good time tho! I then took a cab back to Giovanna's house.
The next day Giovanna had talked to my cousin Andrea and they decided to take me and all of my friends around all day to tour Rome! How lucky were we?! They each had a car, and we followed eachother as they drove us to different places in the city. It was so good to see Andrea! First, Andrea took us to this really pretty neighborhood. He said it was an expensive neighborhood, and it was very different from being in the heart of the city because it was nice and quiet. There were 3 gorgeous churches up there. All of which Andrea said that it can take up to 3 years in advance if you want to get married there! The first church that we went to was great. It was built over 1000 years ago, and the flooring was barely restored and still unbelievable. It was fun because there was a wedding going on that we got to see! He also showed us this "key hole" that people look through that has a PERFECT view of the top of St. Peters! It was so different and cool to see. Next, we passed by a piramid. It was really interesting, and Andrea told us that it was there because when the Romans conquered the eqyptians, they wanted to show that they conquered them, and they "stole" their architecture. We also got to see one of the walls of entrance into Rome from ancient times! It was like their wall of defense. After this, we went to "The mouth of truth". Your supposed to put your hand in its mouth, and if you have lied its said it would chop of your hand. Andrea said that him and Johnny (his brother) used to be SO scared of it when they were little! Afterwards, Andrea and Giovanna drove us all the way up to the highest of the 7 hills that Rome is built on. We went to Passeggiata del Gianicolo. It has the BEST view of the city. Although it was kind of a gloomy day, it was still breathtaking. The trees in this park were SO pretty and fall like! We then drove back down near St. Peters, and stopped for lunch. We had, of course, delicious pizza, and rice balls! I have never had one before and I loved it. All of my friends tried one too=) After lunch Andrea treated all of us to gelato! Not neccassary, but SO nice. I had cannoli gelato and it was awesome. This shop even had cannoli shell ice cream cones! (Dad you should make them) After we stuffed out faces, we were off to St. Peters Church. The Plaza itself is huge and beautiful. Full of pigeons just as I remember. I chased them like michael, joanna and i did years ago. It was AWESOME having Andrea and Giovanna there to tell us what everything was, inside and out of the church. Inside of the church was breathtaking, and I was most taken back by all of the mosaics that looked like paintings! They were gorgeous. After a long day of site seeing, we went to get coffee and tea. Giovanna treated us all to pastries and coffee! They were both SO generous, not only to me, but to my friends as well!! I was very lucky. We then headed off to do some shopping! Of course, I wanted everything again, but I did good, Mom! We shopped for a while, and then went to dinner nearby. We all had different pastas, wine and bread and desserts! mmm! Everything was wonderful! After dinner we walked past St. Peter's again because it was night time and all lite up! It was SO pretty. Giovanna had attended The University of Rome, and knew where all the college students hung out, so after dinner she took my friends and I to an area with all the college kids! It was really cool to see. It was similar to "el botellodromo"(drinking outside) in Spain. There were students playing instruments and having a jam session. It was great. We listened to them play for a while because it was super entertaining, and then went to get a glass of wine. Giovanna again treated us all for wine, which made me feel really bad!, but she insisted. We then dropped off my friends at their hostal and headed home for the night. On the way home I got to see the Colosseum lite up. I was really happy that I got to see EVERYTHING during the day and at night! Our day was so perfect. My friends were blown away and so appreciative of being shown around Rome. They couldnt stop talking about it! I am very lucky that Andrea and Giovanna showed me around, as well as my friends! They were the BEST tour guides ever.
The next morning was time to leave. Giovanna drove me to the airport, and we said our goodbyes. I didnt know how I could thank her for being SO great this entire time. I am a very lucky girl=) I LOVED Rome SO much. My friends and I never wanted to leave. The people, the food, the shopping, the history, it was all amazing! I loved being there that I am italian, and eating and seeing things that are my families culture! I really hope to be back again some day=)
When my flight landed in Ciampino (the airport in Italy), and my cousin Giovanna was there to greet me! It was SO nice. My friends took a bus to their hostal, and Giovanna and I went back to her house. Before going to her house, she took me to a park that was nearby. It was really pretty and the view of the mountains was awesome, but we didnt stay long because Giovanna said we had other things to do! We then went to her house, and I slept a little bit (i was ty ty). Afterwards, I was going to meet up with my friends, but their spanish cell phones were NOT working, soo Giovanna and I went around the city together=) She took me to a couple really cool churches, including Uncle Frank's favorite church in Rome! Then, we went to get pizza! There were so many kinds, but we got sausage with mushrooms, and potato pizza! Ive never had potato pizza before, and i LOVED it. After lunch we were going to go inside of the Colosseum. I was a little bummed that I wasnt going to see this with my friends, but it was no big deal. I figured I would get a hold of them by calling their hostal considering their phones were not working at all in Rome. Meanwhile, Giovanna and I are walking to the Colosseum and I heard "GINA!!" It was my friends! It was soo funny that we found eachother. We were all apologizing that our phones werent working, and they felt so bad, but we decided a time to meet later that night, and to go to the Colosseum together the next day. We were SO lucky to find eachother, considering how big Rome is. Instead of going inside, Giovanna and I walked around the outside of the Colosseum, she explained things to me, and we looked at the Roman ruins. We even went up to the top of the hill to a really cute church! Next, Giovanna took me to the street with all the best and most expensive shopping!! Something that is hard for me to resist. We went to some really cool stores, and I wanted EVERYTHING, but I kept hearing my moms voice in my head telling me "Gina, you have somthing just like that!" Honestly tho, im still thinking about this suade purse I wanted to buy in Rome...hahah I have a shopping problem. After shopping, we went to Giolitti for gelato, mmm! This is the icecream shop that Obama recently went to because it is right next to the House of Parliaments where Obama was when he came to Rome. Obviously, the ice cream was amazing. I had dark chocolate and hazlenut. Next, we walked to the Spanish steps. This place brought back SO many memories because Joanna, my Dad and I recently watched our Rome video, and me, Michael, and Joanna were all playing on the fountain in front of the steps and climbing the steps. I almost pushed my sister into the fountain! It was really pretty because it was night time, and the sun was just setting. Then, it was about time to meet my friends, so Giovanna walked me to their hostal, and we were going to go out for dinner! We first went out and got wine, and then went to a really cute italian restaurant. I ordered gnocchi, which was soo good, but I sadly spilled some of it while trying to take a picture of my plate! Giovanna then picked me up and brought me back. I went right to sleep considering we had a big day ahead of us!
Each morning Giovanna and her husband, Gianluca, ate breakfast with me. We had delicious pastries, milk, toast and cereal. They were SO unbelievably nice, and I am so fortunate to have been able to stay with them!! This day, my friends and I had a lot of things planned! I met them at their hostal, and we took off for the day. I am REALLY happy that I traveled with Sophie, Amy, Morgan and Monica, because 1. I only really knew Sophie and Monica, so I got to make new friends and get the know them all better! and 2. They were all knowledgeable of things I never would have thought... For example: I was SO surprised to hear that they all knew and LOVED cannoli. To continue where I left off, at 10 am when we left for the day, we found a bakery with cannoli. Amy and Monica said they have been waiting FOREVER for this, so we stopped in, and all ate cannoli at 10am! Haha, only in Rome. We then walked around the city, enjoying the amazing architecture, and looking at the artwork. We then arrived at the Spanish steps. It was during the day, so a different perspective, and it was a really beautiful day. I even pet a horse in front of the steps! Afterwards, we walked to Piazza de popolo, and were surpised to see that there was a dog show going on!! Missing Bella, I loved it. We explored the plaza, and found a trail that lead up a mountain. We climed up to the top of it so see a gorgeous view of the city! It was so cool. We could see St. Peters in the distance, and there wasnt a cloud in the sky=) Of course, we were all craving gelato, so we went to get some. Our next stop was the Trevi Fountain, and on our way we found some really cool pasta stores. They had EVERY type of pasta you could think of, in different shapes, sizes and colors. I loved it. We got to the fountain and it was amazing!! We stared at it forever, and made our wishes. We got a great picture while we were throwing our coins! I kept thinking of being there when I was younger. I even re-took a picture in the same exact spot that Joanna and I did when we were little=) After this we walked to The Pantheon! It was huge and gorgeous, and Giovanna gave me a book on Rome, so we were able to read up on it and know exactly what everything was. The painter Rafael is buried in there! We also learned that the entire ceiling was made of Gold, but it was stripped, and then used to build something in St. Peters Basilica. We next went to another beautiful plaza with statues, art work, and food, and then we went to the plaza with the italian market! Sadly we went later in the day when everything was about closing up, but it was still very cool to see, and there were stores with sales! Afterwards, we walked along the river. It was SO pretty! The day was perfect. We stopped next to the river and got cappuccino=) We then were headed to the Colosseum! Before getting there, we had to walk through this huge field, what used to be this huge stadium for horse races, and beacause it is so close to the river, they used to fill it with water and have battles in ships! It held up to 300,000 people, and Andrea told us the next day that now they have concerts there, and when Italy won the world cup, that this is where they all celebrated and there were 2 million people! We finally got to the Colosseum! I had seen the Colosseum with my family, but we never went inside, so I was very excited. It was awesome! It was so neat being inside of something that old, and it made it even better that the sun was shinging bright=) In my book, we read that underneath where the floor was, were prisions for slaves! It was cool because they only had half of the floor up so you can see underneath. Next, it was getting late, and of course we were hungry, so we went out to dinner. I got lasagna and meatballs! It was sooo good. We really wanted to experience the night life in Italy and compare it to Spain, so we took a bus to where we thought to go. We ended up near the Trevi Fountain, so it was cool to see it all lite up at night! After this, we went to a bar for drinks, and then to a discoteca to dance! It was a bit different from Spain, especially considering in Spain people dont go out until 2am and then stay out till 8am. We definitley had a good time tho! I then took a cab back to Giovanna's house.
The next day Giovanna had talked to my cousin Andrea and they decided to take me and all of my friends around all day to tour Rome! How lucky were we?! They each had a car, and we followed eachother as they drove us to different places in the city. It was so good to see Andrea! First, Andrea took us to this really pretty neighborhood. He said it was an expensive neighborhood, and it was very different from being in the heart of the city because it was nice and quiet. There were 3 gorgeous churches up there. All of which Andrea said that it can take up to 3 years in advance if you want to get married there! The first church that we went to was great. It was built over 1000 years ago, and the flooring was barely restored and still unbelievable. It was fun because there was a wedding going on that we got to see! He also showed us this "key hole" that people look through that has a PERFECT view of the top of St. Peters! It was so different and cool to see. Next, we passed by a piramid. It was really interesting, and Andrea told us that it was there because when the Romans conquered the eqyptians, they wanted to show that they conquered them, and they "stole" their architecture. We also got to see one of the walls of entrance into Rome from ancient times! It was like their wall of defense. After this, we went to "The mouth of truth". Your supposed to put your hand in its mouth, and if you have lied its said it would chop of your hand. Andrea said that him and Johnny (his brother) used to be SO scared of it when they were little! Afterwards, Andrea and Giovanna drove us all the way up to the highest of the 7 hills that Rome is built on. We went to Passeggiata del Gianicolo. It has the BEST view of the city. Although it was kind of a gloomy day, it was still breathtaking. The trees in this park were SO pretty and fall like! We then drove back down near St. Peters, and stopped for lunch. We had, of course, delicious pizza, and rice balls! I have never had one before and I loved it. All of my friends tried one too=) After lunch Andrea treated all of us to gelato! Not neccassary, but SO nice. I had cannoli gelato and it was awesome. This shop even had cannoli shell ice cream cones! (Dad you should make them) After we stuffed out faces, we were off to St. Peters Church. The Plaza itself is huge and beautiful. Full of pigeons just as I remember. I chased them like michael, joanna and i did years ago. It was AWESOME having Andrea and Giovanna there to tell us what everything was, inside and out of the church. Inside of the church was breathtaking, and I was most taken back by all of the mosaics that looked like paintings! They were gorgeous. After a long day of site seeing, we went to get coffee and tea. Giovanna treated us all to pastries and coffee! They were both SO generous, not only to me, but to my friends as well!! I was very lucky. We then headed off to do some shopping! Of course, I wanted everything again, but I did good, Mom! We shopped for a while, and then went to dinner nearby. We all had different pastas, wine and bread and desserts! mmm! Everything was wonderful! After dinner we walked past St. Peter's again because it was night time and all lite up! It was SO pretty. Giovanna had attended The University of Rome, and knew where all the college students hung out, so after dinner she took my friends and I to an area with all the college kids! It was really cool to see. It was similar to "el botellodromo"(drinking outside) in Spain. There were students playing instruments and having a jam session. It was great. We listened to them play for a while because it was super entertaining, and then went to get a glass of wine. Giovanna again treated us all for wine, which made me feel really bad!, but she insisted. We then dropped off my friends at their hostal and headed home for the night. On the way home I got to see the Colosseum lite up. I was really happy that I got to see EVERYTHING during the day and at night! Our day was so perfect. My friends were blown away and so appreciative of being shown around Rome. They couldnt stop talking about it! I am very lucky that Andrea and Giovanna showed me around, as well as my friends! They were the BEST tour guides ever.
The next morning was time to leave. Giovanna drove me to the airport, and we said our goodbyes. I didnt know how I could thank her for being SO great this entire time. I am a very lucky girl=) I LOVED Rome SO much. My friends and I never wanted to leave. The people, the food, the shopping, the history, it was all amazing! I loved being there that I am italian, and eating and seeing things that are my families culture! I really hope to be back again some day=)
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