Le Grande Tour De L'Europe: Assisi et Roma

Well today we started off by driving from Florence to Assisi. I felt as if I were Diane Lane in "Under the Tuscan Sun." The region of Umbria was picturesque! The trip took about two hours, but it was well worth the trip. Along the way we saw Tuscan chateaus tucked along the hillsides and acres of olive groves. We arrived in Assisi at the top of the hill and worked our way through the city down to the Basilica of St. Francis. It was such a quaint and beautiful village with tons of shoppes! It was so interesting to see real Monks and Nuns just walking through the streets. We got to see a Roman temple of Minerva that had been converted into a Catholic place of worship. Once we made it to the Basilica we saw St. Francis's tomb and robe. The fresco's inside the Basilica were gorgeous! This was the first church where I had been able to SIT DOWN and pray! I got out my rosaries that I had just bought and went to work! Upon exiting, we got the last few minutes of a performance by an African Chior!!! We then headed towards Rome. The scenery was even more beautiful that from Florence to Assisi! The vineyards and olive groves were my favorite part of the scenery. Upon arriving in Roma, we ate supper and immediately started touring. That night I got to throw a coin over my left shoulder into the Trevi Fountain. It was one of the most beautiful moments in my life. I know that may sound crazy, but just knowing that "one day" I'll return to Rome is just a very content feeling! That night we rode the bus  and saw the Colosseum, the Roman Baths, the Circus Maxis, the Theatre, the Forum, The Wedding Cake Monument, St. Peter's Basilica, and L'Arc de la Constantine. I thought that Rome was even more beautiful at night than it was in the day time. Then we headed our 51 miles outside of Rome to the Hotel Hilary.

Word Count: 344

 Assisi

 Under the "Umbrian" Sun

 Trevi Fountain

Wedding Cake Monument

Le Grande Tour De L'Europe: Milan et Florence

The next day we finally arrived at the train station in Milan around 2:45. We missed the 3:15 train to Florence, so we had to wait in the train station until the next train at 6:15. We passed the time by shopping; I can now say that I visited the Armoni store in Milan! I wish we could have gone out and at least seen a little bit of Milan, but we didn't. at 6:15 we boarded a very nice and clean train for Florence. The ride took 2 hours and the scenery was absolutely beautiful. Upon first arriving in Florence, I thought that it was a very filthy city. There was trash and graffiti everywhere on the outskirts; however, it became must more picturesque as we entered historic downtown. We did a very short night tour of Florence which included the Medici Fortress, The Duomo (Cathedral and Baptismal), The Statue of David, The ole Medici Covered Bridge, and the Arne River.  Tonight I had my first real Italian meal! The pasta was al denta (just like I like it) and they did not drownd it in sauce. On the hill above Florence we were able to see the church where the man that created Pinocchio is buried. The city of Florence had both a quaint and a big city feel.

Word Count: 221

A` la gare en Milan

 Bank de Florence

 Duomo

 Balcony

 Statue of David

Covered Bridge

Le Grande Tour De L'Europe: Night Train

Well I will say that the night train was without a doubt the craziest 14 hours of my life. It was the only part of our trip that I don't think I would do over again; it was hell!! We found out before we boarded the train that we would be delayed three hours because a tunnel was closed in Switzerland, then were were delayed another three hours because someone died on the train, then we were delayed another hour because one of the stupid Hawaiians pulled the fire alarm. The train cars were incredibly small but managed to sleep six people. I ended up in a car with John David, Armon, Claudia, Aaron, and Josh. Everyone kept staggering back and forth to the bar car to quench their thirst; I can't quite remember what they ordered though. The train attendants ended up sleeping in a room of French passenger women... I accidentally mistook the sink for a urinal at one point, but I wasn't the only one. I slept on the top bunk. The window was open all night and we nearly froze to death.
Word Count: 186