Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Flashback: Rome Update 9

Flashback: Rome Update 9

Monday, October 25, 2004

Good Morning All -
This week has been wonderful!  I met my parents last Monday at a random train station near the Vatican City and it was one of those situations where both of us thought we were in the wrong place and then all of a sudden, Mom came out from behind a corner and I looked up and there she was.  It was really cool and it was SO wonderful to see them both.


Monday they were pretty tired so they got settled in the hotel and then saw some of Vatican City while I was in class.  Then they came back to my area of the city (Trestevere) and saw some of my school and we walked to my apartment and then I fixed them dinner.  When we walked down the streets between my school and my apartment, they were very amused at the really old feel of the streets.  Daddy said that all we needed was cattle and some pigs to complete the scene.  Then we had a nice dinner of pasta, grapes and toast (which I cooked).


Tuesday, they saw the Vatican Museum and the Sistene Chapel and St. Peter's Basillica while I was taking a midterm and we met for lunch at my school and began the whirlwind Roman tour.  We began at my school and walked through the whole city of Rome hitting almost all of the sights (except the Vatican) in about three hours.  We hit:  Via Julia, Campo di Fiore, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, Via Del Corso, the Victorio Emmanuel Building, the Roman Forum and the Colosseum.  It was a lot of fun and I tried to remember as much about the places as I was told on the first tour of Rome I did back in August.  Tuesday night we split for dinner as I had a long day of classes and another midterm the next day.


Wednesday Mom and Daddy heard the Pope talk in the morning (as he speaks every Wednesday morning that he is in Rome) and walked past the Castle of St. Angelo along with the Ponte St. Angelo (a bridge) and then walked back to the Roman Forum past Campidoglio for a professional tour of the forum and then came back to meet me at my school in time to meet an interesting lit professor that I have told them a lot about and then have a nice four-course Roman dinner out in Trestevere.

 

Thursday we went to Paris.  :)  We traveled most of the day, so not a lot can be said here.
 

Friday was our busy Paris day as we saw the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Saint Chapelle, The Louve Museum, The Orsay Museum, the Champs Elysees, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Chauteau Versailles (the Palace).  It was a busy day but we had no lines anywhere we went and the weather was nice and crisp, perfect for walking.  It was a wonderful day!
Saturday was more relaxed in that we went to Napoleon's tomb and the Eiffel Tower and then we did a boat tour up and down the Seine River where we saw all the sights from the water.  Then we took some time to browse the Champs Elysees in terms of shopping and Mom and I had a chocolate French Crepe (SO GOOD).  That evening, on our way back to our hotel, we passed a French Pastry shop (well, we passed several) but we decided to buy a dinner to take back to our hotel and we got some bread, a salad, some chicken (roasted on the street) and a few pastries and everything was SO good!  One of the pastries we got was a little light tart filled with fresh raspberries with a few strawberry and apple slices included, one was a flat almond cookie half covered in chocolate with a cherry and one was two small marange puffs covered in chocolate moose and then rolled in sprinkles.  They were AMAZING!

 

Then Sunday I came home and Mom and Dad spent the day exploring the French Farmers Markets (that apparently are in business on Sundays) and then today they are on a train to London.  It was so wonderful to see them and not only share all of my Roman experiences with them, but also show them how I experience other cities.  I was the one with the map in Paris routing our way around the city, and I think it set their minds at ease regarding my well-being whilst I am abroad.
 

This week is another Red-Letter week in front of me, but I will save what is coming for next week's update.  Actually, the update will have to come on Tuesday, or else much later on Monday because Monday, November 1 is All Saints Day and we don't have classes, and I don't think the school is open.  So if my update isn't as regular next week, please do not worry, it is just due to the school schedule and the holiday.
 

I hope everything is going well in your part of the world.  My email has been a little messed up lately, so if you have sent me a message and I have not responded recently, it could be because things are really busy and wonderful here, and it could be because I did not get it.
 

Love you all!
- B


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