Travel Memories

Hi everyone,

       Last week, I had the opportunity to go to Italy with other exchange students on a rotary trip. We were there for six days, from Monday until Saturday. We were only able to visit two cities but since they were Rome and Venice, I can't really complain. Actually overall, I have so much to be thankful and can't really find anything to be discontent about. I just wish that I had more time to enjoy all the amazing things happening in my life.

      On Monday, I woke up really early so that I could get to the meeting point in Zug on time. After I got there, I waited with the other exchange students until the train arrived. What followed was a seven hour train ride to Rome that most people spent sleeping or trying to sleep. When we finally arrived in Rome, everyone headed to the hotel to drop off our stuff before we headed back into the main part of the city to visit the Colosseum. I can't even begin to describe how unreal it was to stand before the Colosseum, structure that I had seen in so many photos but never actually thought I would see in real life. I am still try to wrap my mind around the fact that I have actually been there. I felt like that throughout my whole trip.

       Tuesday was also really great because we visited the Vatican. Although I was unable to meet the Pope (an emergency came up and he told me he couldn't make it) I did get to see the St. Peters Basilica, the Cistine Chapel, and St Peter's Square. I was blown away by the beauty of the St. Peter's Basilica, by the paintings of the Cistine Chapel, and by the grandeur of St. Peter's Square. I am still processing all of the things I saw. However, the best thing I saw and by far my favorite was the Pietà. There is just something about that sculpture that touched me and it is easy to see how it became one of Michelangelo's most famous pieces. I was stunned by the beauty and detail that he achieved when sculpting one of the saddest and most touching scenes from the bible. To be honest I could have sat there in front of Mary and Jesus for the rest of the day but unfortunately I had only a couple of stolen moments to view the statue before we had to move on with the tour. The other highlight of my day was being able to talk to one of the Swiss guards that was posted outside the Vatican. They are like the sentries posted outside the Queen's palace except better because they were Swiss.

         Wednesday we toured most of the other famous parts of the city. Early in the morning we got a guided tour to see things like the Spanish steps which I know are famous for some reason but I am not quite sure why since I had a really hard time hearing the guide. Nevertheless, the steps were rather wonderful, especially since they gave my poor, tired feet a rest. The next thing we saw was the Trev fountain, which I found almost as beautiful as the Pietà. We even got to stop and throw our three coins into the fountain after which everyone made three wishes. There was something cool about the fact that I was doing something that millions of other had done, that we were all connected through our wishes. A bonus to the whole coin thing is that all the coins get collect and donated to charity so it also felt like I was making a small difference.

     The only thing I didn't like about the fountain was the fact that there were so many people, an unfortunately common thing in Rome. That is why I loved being allowed to explore the city at night with my friends, all the things I didn't like about Rome during the day mostly disappeared when the sun went down. Anyways, I also got to see the Pantheon, which I found to be a really good example of the history of Rome. It originally was a temple dedicated to Roman gods, was structured in a slightly Greek manner, is now a Catholic church and has a obelisk outside with Egyptian hieroglyphics on it. I mean talk about a mix of cultures, it was fascinating!



    Thursday we didn't have an opportunity to tour in Rome anymore because we had to catch a train to Venice. I have to admit that although I loved Rome, I was happy to head to Venice. The trip was relaxing and I spent most of the time just talking with friends, catching up with what had been happening in their lives. My first glimpse of Venice was a little disappointing because there was absolutely no water that I could see. I was relieved to find out that we would go to the island part of Venice after we had dropped off our stuff at the hotel. I can't even describe how much I loved Venice. It is one of the most interesting cities I have ever been in and that is including Rome. However, because we got into Venice late in the day, we didn't get to much time by ourselves to explore so I just spent an hour or so wandering around looking at all the many sights before we headed to eat and after eating, we went back to the hotel.

     Friday morning we got a tour through a lot of the main sights in Venice, such as St. Mark's square, St. Mark's Basilica, the Venetian duke's palace, and the clock tower. I really liked our guide too because she was so engaging and friendly. She was also really funny and knowledgeable. After our tour was finished though, we got a whole six hours free to just explore all of the canals, nooks, and crannies that Venice was comprised of. I had such a blast searching high and low for gifts for my host family and seeing all that this unique city had to offer. One of my favorite things about Venice were all of the different masks that are a trademark of the people. There were hundreds of different types and colors, all of them so beautiful. They could be found on almost every street and I think almost all of the girl exchange students bought one and also some of the guys. One of the most striking things about Venice was how different it was from a normal city. Because it was built on a bunch of islands, the town is divided by water and as a result, the people that live there use boats where people would normally use cars. The police, ambulance, buses, taxis, and normal vehicles were all boats. I don't think I saw a single car the whole time I was in Venice.

    

   

       I loved Venice so much and was really sad when we had to head back home on Saturday but I consoled myself with the knowledge that I would come back. Because I know for a fact that someday I will go back, but this time I will be sure to have more than two days to explore the city because I can tell you, it had not been enough for me. I was still happy to go home at the end of the week. I only have one more week till I switch host families and want to spend as much time with them as I can before I move. Five months went by faster than I had ever expected them to. Before I know it, I will be back in Alaska starting school again. If there is one thing that this exchange has really taught me, it is how to live in the present and enjoy, because once it is over you can never get it back. So, instead of worrying about what degree I want and where I will go to school in the future, I will take this time to live out my present. After all, what better time is there than the present.

                                                                                                              Your traveler,

                                                                                                                         Grace

p.s. I have changed the settings on my blog so that people are now able to post comments. I am sorry I wasn't aware of it not working before. I can't wait to hear back from people! =)