At last, an update!

I've gotten a few complaints lately about not updating my blog. I'm VERY sorry, but I've been busy, plus my internet connection has been awful so I couldn't upload pictures. So just to sum up the time since I got back from Rome:

• My friend Rachel from Smith, who did CYA last semester, came to visit. I only got to see her once but we had a good time.
• The entire country basically went on strike to protest pension reforms proposed by the government. This wouldn't have been such a problem had it not meant power outages (electric companies on strike) trash overflowing on street corners (garbage men on strike) and major transportation difficulties (yup, metro and buses on strike too!) Let's just say I'm glad it's over.
  
• From Friday the 21st to Monday the 24th, I was in Northern Greece with my 'History of Macedon to the Death of Alexander the Great' class. Thessaloniki was unimpressive, but the countryside of Northern Greece was BEAUTIFUL. Very green, with huge mountains in the distance and wild flowers coming up everywhere. I especially loved visiting the site where Aristotle had his school (where he taught Alexander and other children of Macedonian nobility.)
• Tuesday the 25th was Greek Independence Day. We saw an awesome military parade which I unfortunately have no pics of. The parade was crazy - they seriously brought out heavy artillery, not just a couple of tanks but a ton of them, and they had crazy anti-aircraft vehicles, missile launchers, guys with huge guns and grenade launchers, even guys in scuba suits (not really sure why.) There were also helicopters and fighter planes flying overhead. It was intense.
• Since then I've just had a normal week of school, nothing special. Tuesday we all leave for our last CYA trip, to Olympia and Delphi. I'm REALLY excited - I've wanted to see Delphi for so long. I'll definitely post pics after!

This is on the grounds of the school. I called it my enchanted forest.

This is my class, listening to a presentation on the site. Those are the outside of caves behind us. We explored them, just like Alexander did!

This is my friend Anastasia and I. We put our scarves on because it was really windy, then decided to take a pic. We look quite marvelous, yes? LOL.

This is a really random shot of some of us watching the Parade last Tuesday. Don't ask... lol.

That's all for now y'all!
xoxo
Marilyn

When in Rome...

Hey friend and fam! I hope everyone is doing well. Please e-mail / facebook message/ Myspace message / blog comment - whatever mode of internet communication you prefer! - whenever you can, I really like to hear from everyone.

So, getting down to business: Rome was INCREDIBLE. My favorite city to date. It's so beautiful, with the most amazing architecture I've ever seen in real life, the people were so friendly and helpful, and the food... don't even get me started on the food! Great pasta (homemade!), amazing bread and cheese, best pizza ever, and yummy gelato everywhere. I swear if I lived in Italy I would just just expand!!!

Quick rundown of what I did (Will probably forget some stuff, but this is the gist):

Monday - Got to Rome that night. Mostly just walked around and took in the sights. Met some of our friends at the Spanish Steps. Had an AMAZING dinner at this nice restaurant that we spent way too much money at. Our flirtatious waiter did send us free desserts though!

Tuesday - Walked around the beautiful Villa Borghese and went to the Galleria. Saw some incredible paintings and sculptures. I loved Bernini's Apollo and Daphne best of all. No pics because unfortunately no cameras were allowed. Next we walked around the Ancient Rome district, saw the Roman Forum and Colosseum. That night we walked around Piazza Navona and had the best pizza I've ever had in my life - delicious and cheap!

Wednesday - Vatican City- Got up early to explore St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museum. Talk about incredible - I saw the Sistine Chapel in real life! I still kind of can't believe it. This was also the night we had a fantastic multi-course meal at this restaurant I had read about. We had so much food, it was awesome.

Thursday - Explored Piazza del Popolo, which was my favorite piazza. Visited the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. Saw the Spanish Steps in daylight. Went to the Trevi Fountain, which of course was beautiful but also a clusterfuck (as Dad would say!) of people. We bought stuff to make lunch and had our own picnic on the steps of a church overlooking the Trevi. We had fresh bread, cheese (best provolone I've ever had), ham, apples, and iced tea. It was delicious and saved us money. We also checked out the Piazza Campigolio, which was designed by Michelangelo. For dinner we went to a little place close to where we were staying (where I accidentally ordered liver... big mistake, lol!)

Friday - Tried to take in a few more sights before leaving for the airport. We checked out some of the Catacombs which were pretty cool but not exactly worth the 6 euro fee. We then went back towards the Vatican City area to check out the Castel Sant'Angelo and some palazzo what I forgot the name of. Lots of nice architecture around there, and the views of the Tiber were very cool. We then went down to the Trastevere district and had lunch at a tiny place with DELICIOUS food. Reasonably priced, homemade, and filled with Romans - definitely a recipe for a good restaurant. I had this yummy fried salt cod as my appetizer and ravioli stuffed with spinach and ricotta for my entree. Even the sauce was amazing. We found a gelato place after that (never hard to locate in Rome!) and ate on the steps of a random fountain in the sun. Definitely a nice conclusion to a lovely vacation.

So you wanna know where the pics are, right?? Never fear! I've actually uploaded a bunch to the internet. For the main album, go here: http://picasaweb.google.com/Marilynflo/ROME?authkey=oMfeKokunCQ
The Vatican album is separate: http://picasaweb.google.com/Marilynflo/TheVatican?authkey=CoF6htIJvfE
That one is pretty much all art, so if you're not into that you might want to avoid it.

Whew! Long entry. I think I'm done now. Check out the pics and tell me what you think!
xoxo
Marilyn

O Holy Sites!

Just stopping by to put up a couple of pics from my class trip to the sanctuary sites of Brauron and Amphiraion last weekend. I didn't take that many, because unfortunately, one decrepit temple is starting to look much like another, lol. And really, there are only so many photos you can take of crumbling stone foundations. But anyway, it was definitely still interesting.


I just have to say that I am SO EXCITED - I leave Monday for Rome!!! I still have 2 papers to turn in by Friday night but after that I'm free to enjoy my weekend in Athens and prepare for my trip. I still have to research places to go in Rome, and I have to hit the flea market on Sunday to look for a cheap duffel bag. I still can't believe that I'll be in Italy in 4 days! It's such a dream come true for me!

Oh and one more thing - just a quick shout-out to the fam. I REALLY MISS YOU ALL!!! Mom, Dad, Titi, Lindy, Jito & cousins too, I think about you all the time! Mom, please call this weekend because I won't be able to talk to you guys once I'm in Italy.

xoxo
Mari