Home at Last!

Hi everyone!  I am happy to say I arrived safely back home late Thursday night after an extremely long day of traveling.  

I took a taxi to the airport around 8am with one of my apartment-mates (Jillian) who was on the same flight as me.  We both made it through airport security with no problems and our four checked bags were at 50lbs each which meant we didn’t have to pay extra.  When we boarded our plane around 11:15 we were amazed to find out that the flight was not completely booked which allowed the two of us to sit together.  I was so happy that I knew someone on my flight and we were able to sit next to each other.  Our flight was ten hours longs yet thankfully it did not seem it!  We spent most of our time talking about Rome and how much we were going to miss it and all of the amazing things we were able to see when there.  The rest of the time we spent watching whatever movies and televisions shows were being offered on the plane.  

The two of us both started watching the same movie which was called The Tourist.  It is with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie and suprisingly it takes place in Venice.  When they first showed Venice I got so excited I got teary eyed (I know, I am corny); Italy was my home and it hit me that I will no longer be living there.  

The flight ended smoothly and we arrived in Philadelphia, PA around 2pm EST (which is 7pm in Rome).  We went through passport check, baggage claim, and customs without difficulties and then we had to part ways because she was getting picked up at the airport while I had a layover before flying to Providence.  It was so hard having to say goodbye.  Jillian and I had become really good friends and I will definitely miss her.

Everything up until my layover in Philadelphia had gone really smoothly.  However, as Murphy’s Law states, “any that can go wrong will go wrong.”  After going through security again in Philly, I went directly to the Departures Board to look for my flight that was to leave around 6pm.  I finally find my flight headed to Providence.  As I gaze right to see what gate it is at, my smile of happiness of returning home is turned into an expression of bewilderment.  My flight home has been CANCELLED.  I was put into a state of havoc.  I immediately start power walking to US Airways customer service desk.  When I am finally seen by a representative, I give him my plane ticket and tell him that I guess my flight to Providence had been cancelled.  I ask him if he could tell me why the flight was cancelled and he looks at me like I am crazy and says, “The weather is awful.”  At this point in time I had no clue that there were major storms along the coast that resulted in hundreds of deaths.  The customer service representative told me that the next available flight to Providence was at 10:50 pm.  I’m not sure if it was because I had slept, had been on a plane for 10 hours, or just really wanted to go home, but I just started to cry.  He proceeded to place a box of tissues on the counter and turn to the other customer service representative next to him.  He says to her, “I promise I didn’t make her cry!”  I asked if I could be put on standby for an earlier flight at 8:50pm.  He said he would and that I was twelfth in line.

I went straight to the gate of the 8:50 flight and called my parents from a pay phone since I had no cellphone to use.  I told them I would call them to let them know if I made the flight.  I waited in the airport for almost five hours before they started boarding the flight.  After everyone who had tickets boarded the flight, they started to call people to board the flight who were on standby.  It seemed that all eleven people who were on standby were there to board the flight before me.  I got really nervous that they wouldn’t have enough seats on the plane yet all of my worries went away when my name was called.  I was told I had to board the plane immediately and therefore was unable to call my parents to let them know I was on my way home.  

The flight to Providence from Philadelphia only took forty minutes and I was in Providence before I knew it.  I immediately called home from a pay phone by calling 1-800-COLLECT.  If you have every used 1-800-COLLECT you know they ask you to say your name so the person you are calling can either accept or decline the call.  When asked to say my name, I said, “Sarah’s at TF Green [Providence airport]!”  I then hear my mom say, “Sarah?” like she is stunned.  It turns out when she didn’t hear that I got on the 8:50pm flight, she thought I fell asleep at the airport!  She said she would leave right away to pick me up.  I then proceeded to go to baggage claim and followed a Providence sheriff and his handcuffed criminal there (it turns out they had been on my flight).

I went to baggage claim and was really nervous my luggage wasn’t going to be on the flight because my original flight was cancelled and I was supposed to be on the 10:50pm flight.  Thankfully, my luggage had gone on the next flight to Providence which was the same flight I was on.  I carried my two fifty pound bags and backpack outside and waited for my mom.  She came about 15 minutes later and I was so happy to see her!  We went straight home where I was warmly greeted by my dad, grandmother, and dog.  My grandmother then said to my mom, “Where are the girls?”  I immediately think, “Hannah’s here?!”  And just as I think that, my two best friends from Conn walk through the door!!  I am sure the look on my face was priceless.  I was so happy to see my friends again.  I missed them so much.

I am so excited to finally be home.  I missed my comfortable bed and pillow and the silence of streets outside.  I was a little disappointed though to be awakened at 5am in the morning after falling asleep at 2am to my mother singing along with the hymns on TV for the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Katherine.

Thank you to everyone who has been following my blog the past four months I have been abroad in Rome, Italy.  I have put a lot of time into writing my posts and hope you all have enjoyed them.  If anyone is planning a trip to Italy or Europe and needs recommendations on where to go or what to do, I have four months' worth of adventures to suggest!  Grazie mille!  Amo Roma!

Last day in Rome

“O Rome! my country! city of the soul!” - Lord Byron

Today is my last day in Rome before I fly back to the United States tomorrow morning.  It is both a sad and joyous day; I am sad that I have to leave the place that I have called home for four months but I am happy to be returning to my home in the US to see my family and friends.  Rome will definitely always have a place in my heart though.  I have met some amazing people and done some amazing things.  I couldn't have asked for a better experience  

I have spend most of my day thus far packing and buying last minute gifts.  At first I thought my bags were going to be underweight (under 50lbs each) but now I am not so sure since I still have to pack my towel, sheets, and wool coat.  If worst comes to worst, I will be leaving some things behind in the apartment for the next students who live there.

I also had to hand back in my cell phone today that the program supplied us with.  I am so excited to finally have my own cell phone back.  Who would have though a basic phone that just calls and texts is so much more confusing to figure out how to use than a smart phone. 

For the rest of the day I will be exploring the city one last time enjoying the beauty of Ancient Rome.

I am very excited to be returning home and going back to my regular routine.  I know there are a few things I will do first upon landing in the US: get an iced coffee and diet coke.  Oh the luxuries of the US. 

Can't wait to see you all when I get home!  Ciao tutti!  Arrivederci Roma! 

Student Exhibition

Friday night the Pantheon Institute held a student exhibition for all of the architecture and landscape architecture students and their work.  The event was held in the architecture studio with everyones boards posted on the walls.  I was enrolled in the Architectural Analysis course and my board that I posted in my previous blog post was on display.

The exhibition was amazing!  It was great to see all of the hard work all of the students had produced during the semester.  All of the student projects were works of art.  I felt like I was in a museum walking the studio with all of the work on display.  I was so proud of everyone and was so glad I was able to be a part of it.

All of the professors and staff from the Institute were there to congratulate the students on all of the work they have done.  It was a nice end to the semester to have everyone come together and see we had something to show for our semester in Rome.

Architectural Analysis Final

Today, I am finally finished with all of my exams and projects!  I have probably spent almost 20 hours on my architectural analysis design and I hope it shows.

Clockwise from the left corner: Pantheon, Casa del Fascio, Tempietto, Piazza del Campidoglio, and the Vitruvian Man in the center

For our final project I had to apply four Roman architectural structures and designs from four different time periods and relate them to an over all concept that ties them all together.  I decided to base my project on the Vitruvian Man who portrays the ideal proportions.  All of the architecture I picked relates to the idea of ideal proportion relating to the human figure.  The structures I chose were the Pantheon, the Tempietto, Piazza del Campidoglio, and Casa del Fascio.  All but the latter are in Rome.  Casa del Fascio is in Como.

The Pantheon is based on a one to one ratio, the Tempietto uses the idea of the golden ratio, Casa del Fascio has a facade based on symmetrical bays, and the Piazza del Campidoglio is based on ideal proportion through human perception.

Do you all agree that these work?

St. Peter's and the Vatican: Behind the Red Ropes

I apologize to everyone for not updating you sooner on what I have been doing for the past week.  My life at the moment has been very busy with exams and projects.  I have three courses fully out of the way and I have only one final and one project left.  I can’t believe that I will on my way back home to the States in nine days!

As you all know, I have been taking a class titled “St. Peter’s and the Vatican: the Papacy and Architecture.”  The class has been a challenging one but a course I will always remember.  The course was taught by a woman who works in the Vatican in the San Ufficio office.  Our professor (or doctoressa which is her official title) is very passionate about the history regarding the Catholic Church and the Basilica. 

Over the entire semester, our class must have had fifteen site visits to the Basilica.  Last week alone, I went to St. Peter’s six times within six days.  Over the semester we have been able to go behind the red ropes to see things that the public doesn’t get to normally see.  We have been able to go behind the bullet proof glass of the Pieta Chapel, walk into the Sacristy and Choir, go into the archives, walk around the dome without the protective fence, go into the pier that houses the relics of the Passion, sit in the Pauline Chapel (the Pope’s personal chapel), watch workers clean the Baldacchino, and walk around the top of St. Peter’s overlooking San Pietro Square.  I am amazed at all that I have been able to see.  I am surprised that the Swiss Guards didn’t know us by name at the end of the semester!  Many of our visits in the basilica happened on Wednesday morning when there was a papal ceremony happening outside.  This meant we had the basilica all to ourselves!  

Bernini's Baldicchino

Bernini's Cathedra Petri Altar

St. Peter's Dome

Looking down at the nave

This past week, I spent most of my time studying for the exam for this class.  I went to the basilica on Saturday for a review session with our professor.  At this time our professor introduced us to Cardinal Angelo Comastri who is the current President of the Fabric of Saint Peter, Archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, and Vicar General for the Vatican City State.  He welcomed each us with a smile and a handshake.  He blessed us and gave each of us a blessed rosary.  Our professor told us that he is the cardinal that many people believe will be the next pope.  It was an honor meeting him and who knows, maybe 20 years down the line I will be able to say I met a pope.  

April 17th was Palm Sunday and our class was lucky enough to be invited to attend the service.  Ten of us went and were expecting to have seats in San Pietro Square.  Once we were met by our professor and walking to our seats did we realize we were on the grand step of the basilica!!  We were sitting in the fourth and fifth row on the Pope’s left.  I had a great view of the altar and of the Pope and cardinals.  

The procession of the youth, priests, cardinals, and the Pope was amazing with each person holding a palm.  The congregation was instead given olive branches which are much more common in Italy than palm leaves are. 

The service was over a couple hours long and was spoken in many different languages.  Most of the service was in Latin and Italian.  One of the liturgical readings was in English though.  I did my best to follow along since the service itself is organized in the same way.  

Waiving of palms and olive branches

Pope Benedict XVI

It was a beautiful day and a stunning service.  Never would I have expected to be that close to the Pope and altar in St. Peter’s.  There were thousands of people lining the streets watching on.  I am so lucky to have been a member of the Vatican course.  

Crowd of 50,000 

We were all told to that we had to follow a strict dress code for Palm Sunday at the Vatican.  We had to dress in black and grey because there was a chance we might be on TV.  I thought it was funny because I felt we were all dressed to attend a funeral.

For Easter, I am planning on attending an Anglican service at one of the two churches I found in Rome that is Protestant.  Although I love St. Peter’s in all of its beauty, I have not converted to Catholicism quite yet.  I have only missed going to church on Easter once in my life, and that was my freshman year at Smith when my coach unknowingly scheduled a lacrosse game the same day.  I don’t want to miss it again (although I would love to play some lacrosse).

Football anyone?

As the semester is near its end, I am now in full gear studying for finals.  I am taking five classes and have a final or project in each one, all of which are next week. 

This past Tuesday, the Pantheon Institute arranged for the girls in my program to play in a soccer scrimmage which was a nice break from studying.  Unlike the boys who played against a group of Italians the week before, there were not enough Italian girls interested in playing so we played against ourselves.  We traveled to a park right before you reach the city walls to play at 9pm at night.  We divided ourselves into two teams and soon realized that none of us played soccer competitively in high school (I played when I was six and seven years old, but that did not help me at all).  The best player out of all of us was Simona, one of the Pantheon Institute office assistants who played with us.  I guess when it is the most popular sport in Italy, everyone knows how to play!

Eleven of us played and had such a great time!  It was fun just to get out of the apartment and do something active.  At the end of the match we were all out of breath and tired.  Some of us took a couple of dives to prevent the ball from going in the goal and skinned our knees (yep, I was one of them).  Others got a ball kicked directly at them from a person no more than three yards away.  Despite feeling a little sore in the morning, I really wish we had organized more soccer matches throughout the semester.  I know I can speak on everyone’s behalf and say that we had so much fun.

I was unable to take photos during the game (since I was playing) but I will be able to post photos from the match as soon as one of my friends uploads her photos. 

Sadly, this was the only photo so far I could get.  It's from the Pantheon Institute's blog.
Yep, that is me.  And yes, I agree, it is not an attractive photo haha

"The best of America drifts to Paris."

From April 1 to April 4 I visited one of my close friends from Connecticut College in Paris, France.  My friend Emily is studying with the Wells College program and is concentrating in studio art.  She loves Paris and after my visit I now know why!

At the Eiffel Tower

Paris is so much different from Rome!  Rome feels so ancient in comparison to Paris.  Paris doesn’t have any ancient ruins and it seems to be a lot larger than Rome.  Paris feels so much more modern with its extensive metro system since Rome only has two metro lines that seem to go nowhere (at least nowhere I need to go).  It was weird to be taking the public transportation everywhere instead of walking.  I loved it though.

Emily and I had an amazing long weekend.  She showed me the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, the Pompidou, the Moulin Rouge, Notre Dame, Sacré-Cœur Basilica, Avenue des Champs-Élysées, Hôtel de Ville, and so much more.  I would go into the history of each, but no one I’m sure wants to read that.  I also got to talk to some Parisians (in English while Emily talked to them in French) and experience the night life.

Eiffel Tower at night

Rose window of Notre Dame

Moulin Rouge

Me and Emily at the Arc de Triomphe

One of my favorite parts of my time in Paris wasn’t the sight seeing but participating in a Parisian activity of going to a wine and cheese tasting.  The Wells College program held the activity for their students and I was invited to attend.  It was great too because I was able to meet up with my field hockey teammate from Conn who was also studying in the same program.  At the wine and cheese tasting I learned about the French concept of terrior denoting the special characteristics that geography, geology, and climate affect the taste of the product.  There was about fifteen or so different types of cheese to try.  My favorite by far was chèvre, a cheese made out of goat’s milk. 

Emily also made sure that I tried as much French cuisine as possible.  I was able to try French baguettes, crepes, eclairs, tartines, and macaroons.  Everything was delicious!  I am really going to miss this European food when I return home. 

The weekend was what I need and I was so glad I got to see friends from home.  This week is a busy one for me in Rome getting ready for final projects and exams as well as picking housing and classes for when I return to Conn next semester.  

The main building on the campus of Cité Internationale Universitaire where Emily lives

Louvre

Winged Victory in the Louvre...The replica at Conn is so much whiter!

Pompidou Center

A Visit from Home

This past week I was blessed to be visited by someone from back home, my mother!  I was so happy to see her!  I was sadden that my sister and father weren’t able to take time off from school and work to come and visit too.

Twins in green and black?

My mother and I had an amazing time together.  I was able to show her where I have been studying and living for the past three months.  During the week she was here, we explored the Vatican, including St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museum, the Colosseum, Ancient Forum, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, and, of course, the Pantheon.  One of my favorite things we did was going to an Italian Opera.  We went to see the Italian Opera Tosca the night she arrived.  My poor mother I’m sure was still jet lagged and just wanted to sleep by the time the opera started around 10pm.  However, we had a great time listening to their amazing voices.  Thankfully, I was smart enough to print out a synopsis of what the opera was about in order for us to follow along.

Dinner in the Jewish Ghetto

After our 300m climb in Cinque Terre

On Friday and Saturday, my mom, two friends from my program, and I took a train north to Cinque Terre.  Cinque Terre is on the coast of the Italian Riviera.  “The Five Lands” are comprised of five coastline villages.  It is a beautiful region with terraces and cliffs overlooking the sea.  There is a train that goes between the five towns but the scenic way to get to the towns is by walking or hiking the trails.  We were able to walk the trail from Riomaggiore to Manarola called Via Dell’Amore (“Love Walk”).  This trail is very well known because it is decorated with locks from hikers.  It is customary for “lovers” to walk along the path and put a lock on of the many fences overlooking the sea and then to throw the lock into the ocean binding their love.  Too bad I had a lock with me but no lover. Haha.  The scenic path from Manarola to Corniglia was sadly closed due to possible landslides.  Instead, we took a trail up the hill that would then go to Corniglia.  This was not a walking path but a hiking path!  My mother was such a good sport!  She made it up the entire 300m hill and kept up with us the entire time.  It was an exhausting hike and all of us were sweating by the time we reached the top.  It was definitely worth it though because the views were amazing!  The path we were on led us through vineyards that overlooked the sea.  We finished our day of hiking with a great meal and the local Cinque Terre wine.

I had such a good time showing my mom around the city that has become my home.  But most of all it was great to have someone from home to show my new home to.

(P.S. Mom, I hope you realize you get jet lagged both coming to Rome and when arriving back home haha)

Florence, Verona, and Venice

After my week of independent travel, I traveled with my program to northern Italy to visit Florence, Verona, and Venice.  From Monday, March 14 until Friday, March 18 I was once again living out of my backpack from hotel to hotel.

Baptistry and Duomo

We stayed in Florence for two days and visited many architectural sites and was able to meet up with a few friends.  I saw the Church of Santa Maria Novella, Ospedale degli Innocenti (Foundling Hospital), Pazzi Chapel, Laurentian Library, Palazzo Medici, Baptistery, Duomo, Piazza Republica, Palazzo Pitti, and many other architectural significant buildings.  While the architecture was amazing, I was able again to see my Smith roommate who is studying Italian in Florence.  I was also able to connect with one of my high school teachers from Rocky Hill.  The week before I left for Greece and Turkey, my mother emailed me saying that a group of Rocky Hill students would be traveling to Italy for Spring Break.  She thought that I should meet up with them when they were in Rome.  Oddly enough I wasn't going to be in Rome when they were, but I was going to be in Florence at the same time they were going to be there.  So, I was able to meet up with the group from Rocky Hill one night for gelato.  I sadly only knew one of the students who was a freshman when I was a senior.  I couldn't believe that she was now a senior!  Did I feel old!  It was great though to reconnect with students who went to the same high school I did.

Ponte Vechio

Meeting up with RHS

Michelangelo's David

Mid week we went to Verona.  It rained the entire day and Verona did not become one of my favorite place.

For the last two days of the week, I was in Venice.  It was absolutely amazing!  Venice is a collection of islands; it is a city built on silty clay.  The architecture is specifically built for the land.  Instead of having a lot of vertical qualities, the architecture is more horizontal.  This is because the vertical pressure ultimately causes buildings to shift.  Ultimately, there are very few towers in Venice.  In 1903, the Tower of San Marco collapsed in the middle of the night.  Besides observing architecture and art history, I was able to enjoy the Venetian ways.  I took a gondola ride with three other people among the canals of Venice.  It was great!!

Tower of San Marco

Gondola ride!

During the week, Italy also celebrate its sesquicentennial anniversary of its unification.  It was an amazing sight to see such a patriotic spirit among everyone.  It made me feel proud to be in Italy during such an important time in Italian history.

It's all Greek to me, unless it's Turkish

It has been a crazy past two weeks!  I am so sorry for not being able to update my blog, but I have not had access to my computer.  It is nice to finally be back in Rome and clean all my clothes after living out of my backpack for fourteen days.

As many of you know, I decided to travel to Athens, Greece and Istanbul, Turkey for my spring break.  I spent my first five days in Athens and the last four days in Istanbul.  I left Saturday morning on March 5th for Athens with a group of girls in my program who were also going to be in Greece.  It turns out that all the other girls in my apartment, besides my roommate, decided to stay at a hostel by the coast.  Oddly enough two other girls from the program, who are from Penn State, were staying in Athens when we were.  We ended up spending most of our time together when we were in Athens.

Acropolis at night

Athens is a lot like Rome that its heritage of the classical era is still evident in the city.  It has a lot of archeological sites that are definitely worth seeing.  When I was there, I went to a lot of sites and museums.  In a nutshell, I went to the Acropolis Museum, Acropolis, Parthenon, Temple of Olympian Zeus, Theater of Dionysos, Ancient Agora, Temple of Poseidon, National Archeological Museum, Museum of Cycladic Art, and others.  

Parthenon

One of my favorite sites was the Acropolis that houses the Parthenon (not to be confused with the Pantheon!).  The Acropolis, meaning high city, is about 500 feet high and was the location of temples paying homage to the goddess Athena.  On the Acropolis is the Parthenon which is a temple dedicated to Athena, the protector of Athens.  It was constructed in 432 BC and is a great example of the Doric Order with amazing sculptural elements on the metopes, friezes, and pediments.  Most of these sculptural elements can no longer be seen on the site because of the deterioration over time, but there is a reconstruction of all of them at the Acropolis Museum.  The Parthenon originally was used as a treasury and a place for a large statue of Athena.

Temple of Poseidon, Cape Souinon

Another favorite site of mine I saw when in Greece was the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Souinon.  It took about an hour and half bus ride to get to, but it was definitely worth it!  The temple sits on a cliff overlooking the sea.  It was built around the same time as the Parthenon and is also a Doric temple.  The temple is gleaming white and once served as an icon of comfort for ancient sailors who when they was it they knew they were almost home.  Lord Byron visited the temple and carved his name on one of the columns.  I agree with Byron when he said, “Place me on Souinon’s marbled steep, Where nothing save the waves and I, May hear our mutual murmurs sweep…”

Also, I couldn’t leave Athens without getting myself a pair of leather sandals.  I went into a shop with my friends and we tried on sandals.  Well, I found a pair I loved yet they were too wide (which is no surprise).  The man who made the sandals said “no problem” and customs fit them to my feet!  Never before have I had a pair of sandals fit perfectly on my feet!  The man who sold me my sandals had also sold sandals to Barbara Streisand, Jackie Onassis, and John Lenon (just to name a few).

Bronze statue of Poseidon in the National Archeological Museum

Athens was absolutely amazing, despite the fact the weather was overcast and even snowed (I thought I left the snow in New England!), I didn’t let it ruin my experience.  Greece is a beautiful country and I only hope that I can come back again when the weather is warm and take a trip to one of the islands and go swimming in the Aegean Sea. 

Celebrating the last night of Carnivale in Athens

I flew to Istanbul, Turkey late on Wednesday night, March 9th with Emily, my roommate from Rome.  There is so much to do and so much to see in Istanbul that I feel that our three full days of touring the area didn’t give the city justice.  Turkey, a Muslim nation, is so different from the United States and Italy.  You hear the Muslim call to prayer five times a day and it is an amazing sound! 

In a nutshell, I visited Haggia Sophia, Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art, Grand Bazaar, Blue Mosque, Dolmabache Palace, Pera Palace Hotel, and Turkish bath.  

Interior of Haggia Sophia

Having tea at the Pera Palace Hotel

One of my favorite places to visit was the Grand Bazaar, one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world.  It has more than 58 covered streets and over 4,000 shops!  Supposedly it can attract up to half a million visitors a day!  I’m sure it is no surprise then that Emily and I got lost in the Bazaar and spent over 5 hours in there.  We weren’t lost the entire time, we spent the majority of it haggling for good deals.  I started my day with nothing and left holding many bags,  Most of my shopping was for gifts for everyone back home.  Hopefully, you all like your gifts!

The Blue Mosque was also another favorite site of mine that I visited.  The Blue Mosque, officially known as Sultan Ahmed Mosque, was built in the early 17th century and faces the Haggia Sophia.  The design is the culmination of both Ottoman mosque and Byzantine church architecture.  The interior of the mosque is well known for its blue tiles, which gives the building its nickname.  When I went to the mosque, I had to cover my head with a scarf and take off my shoes because it is a holy building.  If you are wearing a short dress or shirt, you will be given a sheet to wear.  Stupidly, I went to the mosque wearing a long shirt that came to my mid thigh and black spandex pants.  Because I had no clean pants left, I didn’t even think that it was going to be a problem.  Well, I guess my spandex were considered more as tights and I was handed a sheet to wear.  I was so ashamed of myself!  I would never have worn spandex to a church and I’m not sure why I didn’t plan head to wear something else.

In the Blue Mosque

I also had a very interesting experience in the Turkish bath!  It’s like a spa but A LOT different.  They exfoliate your skin, give you a massage, wash your hair and bathe you.  It is very much like an ancient Roman bath.

I had so much fun in Istanbul and wish I was able to have stayed longer.  It has an amazing culture that can only be understood when you see it for yourself. And, as always, the food was amazing!  Gyros and kebabs were a great break from pizza and pasta!  I was excited to go back to Rome, even if it was just for one evening because I had to leave for Florence the following day.  Rome has become my home and it was nice to return to it after an exhausting, fun filled vacation.

Galata Tower, Istanbul

View from Galata Tower, Istanbul

Dervish Whirlers

View of Haggia Sophia at night