Whoa Spring Break... too much fun!

What I have thus far but updates soon.....

So I feel very behind on blogging, but also have lots of work before our trip to Tunisia next week. But I need to tell about all my spring break adventures because they were amazing so here goes...

Day 1: Saturday was an epic day of traveling. We got up decently early and caught a flight to Rome where we switched airports and took another flight to Barcelona. The whole process was annoying, but when you are flying the budget airlines you gotta do what you gotta do. By the end of the endless haggling of how many bags we had, how much they weighed, how big they were (it's how these airlines make their money by charging lots of overage fees on baggage) I was very glad to arrive in Barcelona. Our hostel was right down the street from Gaudi's La Sagrada Famiglia and in a bit of a residential area of town so we settled for some yummy Chinese food at a restaurant down the street and then I turned in for a night of pleasure reading and sleeping... yay spring break. (Day 1 pics here)

Day 2: Sunday, I got up and ventured out to Gaudi's park, Park Guel, via the awesome Metro system in Barcelona. Gaudi designed lots of cool houses, fountains, and bridges in the park. It was a wonderfully sunny day so I popped a squat on a grassy space and did some more relaxing reading after walking around to see all the cool sculptures and listening to some musicians playing for change. There were also some decent artists set up selling art so I sifted through that, but didn't get anything as I happened to pick up a really cool leather-stamped journal on the walk up to the park. The park also had an awesome view overlooking the city-- you have to climb a very large hill to get there, but it is totally worth it.
Then Meg, David, and Phil who also went on the trip met up with me and we decided to grab some lunch at a cafe and head towards the harbor area. The harbor was gorgeous. Lots of people in very cool clothes walked around and just chilled out by the water. Several bands played out by the water so me and Meg decided to enjoy some free music. We also wondered amongst the vendors selling lots of arts and crafts. I may have gotten a cool scarf :).
That night for dinner we headed to "The Attic" on Las Ramblas. It's a tapas bar and was so delicious. I got some yummy steak and creamed potatoes. Others got ox burger, rice paella (one of my new favorite foods that I need to learn how to cook), and duck. Then we wondered around Las Ramblas a bit and headed back to the hostel, which by the way was very nice with kitchens and common rooms perfect for cooking and hanging out. (Day 2 pics here)

Day 3: Monday, we went out towards Mont Juic in search of some cool muesuems, all of which were beautiful, but all of which were closed. So we wondered around and found some pretty public parks and also went to see Olympic park and Olympic stadium where they held the 1992 summer Olympics. It was really cool. I wanted to take a lap around the track, but couldn't figure out how to sneak in :( (Day 3 pics here)

More pics here:
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6

Agrigento, Selinunte, and Jackie comes to visit!

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil, cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality." Romans 12: 9-13

So I'm a bit behind on the blogging and having a bit of trouble remembering everything that has happened.... My friend Jackie is in town so I have been spending lots of time exploring with her and laughing lots! :)

I'll start with this past weekend. We went on our first overnight fieldtrip to Agrigento and Selinunte. There were lots of temples that were in great condition. It was really beautiful and interesting. There were lots of unusual plants so when you check out my pictures (click here) please know that me and my naturey self really like the flowers so I took lots of pictures. We also got to eat a really yummy dinner Friday night- some tasty pasta, chicken, and really good pastry with ricotto. Then we went out to a bar that overlooked the beach with our professor. The hotel we stayed in was really nice and chic and also overlooked the beach as did the glass room we ate breakfast in on Saturday. We went to a couple of museums that had some really cool ancient pottery and such. A very good trip if you ask me.

Then Saturday, I met up with Jackie. We have been wondering around, hanging out with my Sicilian friends with the dorm (still my favorite part of the whole semester), and just generally having a good time. We went out that Saturday with a lot of our friends, Anna, Meg, Ciccio, Ciccio, Ciccio, (yes all three of them), Mario, and Paolo. It was lots of fun as they showed us what they like to do and then we went to see my Italian professor DJ at a bar. On Monday we went to Syracuse and today Jackie is visiting Taoromina. If we can figure out how to get there, tomorrow we are going to Mount Etna and hiking around to see some lava flows. YAY!

I'll be on spring break as of today at 4:30- woohoo!! So i may not be able to post for a while. I'll be off adventuring in Barcelona and Milan so you'll just have to accept my apologies :) Love and prayers as always, allison

so- i realize this isn't finished- no links, etc... but i will have to edit it soon. too much fun to be had outside :)

Quando sono andata a Roma...

So this weekend's trip to Rome was such a beautiful whirlwind of awesomeness. :) On Friday morning, we left super early for a field trip to Gela in Southern Sicily. There was an awesome museum at which we could not take pictures so sorry for that, but they had some great ancient vases and coins. Very cool for the Classics nerd like myself. Then we rode the bus straight to the airport thanks to Nigel (our head professor) and off we went to Rome.


It was a great trip filled with lots of walking and lots of sensory overload. It's unbelievable how much history and art one city has to offer. I kept seeing all of these things that I had learned about at Rhodes or in European History with Mrs. Stewart. She would have been proud. My favorite part of the whole trip was Vatican City. I love the Renaissance period and loved seeing St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Museum, and the Sistine Chapel. They were all absolutely beautiful (I use that word too much on this blog, but that pretty much describes everything). Click here to see all of my pictures. I was able to see The Coliseum, Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica, the Ara Pacis, the Roman Forum, the famous Marcus Aurelius statue (of him riding on the horse), Piazza del Popolo, the Medici Villa, Museo Borghese which is host to the most famous Bernini sculpture which were UNBELIEVABLE and some Caravaggio among other things, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, Trajan's Column, the Vittorio Emanuele Monument, the Arc of Constantine, and even went to Trastevere (the hip place) for dinner one night. I had a filet covered in truffle sauce- YUM! But that probably just sounded like a long list of confusion so be sure to check out the pictures.

This morning I taught English again. It was great- my favorite one yet! The teacher's phone rang and she mysteriously disappeared for about 30 mins so since we were learning how to describe our physical traits, I just started describing people in the room or making up silly people. By the time the teacher returned, all of the kids were giggling and begging for more :)

This weekend we are going on our first overnight field trip to Agrigento. It has some of the best preserved ancient temples so I'm getting excited. Then next week, my friend Jackie is coming to visit. WOOHOO!! I am trying to think of some fun things to do including a marionette show on Monday night. Puppet shows are still a big tradition in Sicily. Then it's Spring Break.... oh man, I think I'm getting a little ahead of myself. :) Hope all is well! Love, Allison

Ephesians 4:2

So though I do not have time to post about Rome quite yet (coming soon though I promise- just have to get a test and paper out of the way), I wanted to post this Bible verse of the week because it is wonderful in so many ways.

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:2

In a time in my life where I am not among a community of Christians which can be hard as they don't share the same ideals as me, I love this verse as I know all of you at home are "bearing with me in love." The Lord is teaching me so much in a time where I am so out of my comfort zone and among so many different people with so many different beliefs. It is challenging and beautiful at the same time. Thank you for your prayers and thoughts. Mine are with you as well. Love you all. Hope you are having a great week!

not much going on...

So not much has happened over the past couple of days. A little class, a little homework, and a lot of trying to get over this virus. I still haven't shaken it :( It went from a sore throat to a runny nose. boo runny noses. Everyone is getting it though- Americans and Italians. So prayers are much appreciated. Otherwise, I am just getting exciting about Rome on Friday!! Hope all is well with you guys!

A little taste of daily Catania...

So last night, I got a bit bored and adventurous and decided to take a stroll around Catania. People were out everywhere, perusing through stores, eating gelatto, chitting and chatting. Apparently, fare una passegiata ("to take a walk") is the thing to do on Sunday night if you are a Sicilian. I tried to take some cool night shots, but mostly miserably failed with my little camera. It is a great camera that I would highly recommend, but for low-light shots, being a basic camera, I really miss my d40. Alas, some of them turned out alright. This one above, I tried to get a cool blurred effect. I also antiqued it though the color wasn't good to begin with. Click here to see the other pictures I took.


Then this morning, I walked over to the fish market to grab some lunch. I bought some YUMMY cheese- a couple of different kinds. Cheese here is fabulous and there are about 34583475289345 different kinds. When I asked what kind the particular cheese was that I wanted to buy, the vendor answered "formaggio importante" ("the important cheese"). I thought that sounded good to me, so I went with it, and it was fabulous. I was planning on saving some for a late afternoon snack, but it didn't happen. Too tasty for that. I also had some really great fresh strawberries. I tried to take some pictures, but since I was with some people, I only snapped a couple. I didn't want to hold them up. Check those out here.

Dinner and some Antique Marketing

So after a time of no posts, you're getting two posts in two days. Oh my! :) But I really wanted to tell you guys about the weekend thus far. It has been lots of fun! Last night, we went to a nice restaurant right next to the dorms. It was yummy. Lots of fish and good antipasti (appetizers) and some really good seafood pasta and some artichoke risotto. You just come in and sit down and they start bringing you food. It's pretty great. There was also a great little Sicilian band playing songs from the Godfather among others. We were there for 3.5 hours eating and chatting. It can take a really long time to eat in Sicily. I'm not particularly complaining though. Then when we left, the owner gave us all roses. :)

Then this morning, my favorite part, a couple of friends and I ventured out to a big outdoor antiques market they have on Sunday mornings. It is filled with lots of junk, but also lots of cool stuff. They have some awesome art and some really cool old postcards. I got one from 1916, 1922, and 1929. They have the stamps and people's messages and such- a few are blank, but I personally like the postmarkings and stamps. I thought they were super cool and could have spent a decent amount of money on them. They are only like 50 cents each so pretty good buys. Here is a picture of one I bought from Rome, 1929. It is a really cool print though you can't tell much from the picture. If you want one or two, let me know. They have all kinds, paintings, people, etc. Anyways, it was lots of fun.

I also wanted to share some great Bible verses with you guys too. Andrew wrote me some letters to be opening while I am here (I know best boyfriend ever!) and included some really great Bible verses in them. They have all been so encouraging to me week after week as I try to commit them to memory and reflect on their meanings. Hopefully, they will do the same for you. Here's the one from this week:

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." Romans 5:1

Proclaim that for your life this week and see what happens. I dare you ;)

Well back to studying, and maybe a little basking in the sun... :)