Europe 2006; The After-College Trip

Just a quick word on how crazy it was for Jenny and I to get home from Rome.  June 12th we were supposed to leave Rome, get to London by noon, enjoy the day by going to a theatrical performance, and then on the 13th take a flight to Minneapolis by making a switch in Iceland first (this was the process since we were flying IcelandAir).  Ok, let’s just say that was not what happened, not even close.  Our flight leaving Rome was cancelled and we ended up staying in the airport for 10 hours so we could take a flight into Bristol, England and from there would have to take a 2 hour train ride to London.  On the 13th, Jenny and I got seperated on the subways and then they were having major Underground signaling problems…..we had to switch lines five times and ended up missing our flight home.  I was speechless and frustrated beyond belief, why were we suddenly having the worst luck ever?!  We booked another flight (and of course had to pay more $$$) to fly into Boston the next morning.  We then had to book a flight to Chicago from there.  So, on the 14th we flew to Iceland and then Boston.  But if you can imagine, IcelandAir was delayed and we ended up missing our connecting flight to Chicago.  UGGGGHHHHH!!!  After we found everything out, it was midnight and we would have to check in at 4:00 a.m. to catch the next flight to Chicago so Jenny and I slept on the floor of the airport.  Not fun  

We got into Chicago at 8:00 a.m., rented a car, and drove to Minneapolis.  Picked up my car that I had left there in May, and drove to Grand Forks.  WHAT A DAY!  I am very tired and cannot believe it took 4 days to get home from Rome.  I will be putting up photos on the website early this coming week.  Hope everyone is having a great June!

Last night Jenny and I met up with her friends, Al and Susie, who were on their honeymoon.  We went out to eat at an outdoor cafe and had a jumbo amount of situations….the waiter thought Al was gay and kept poking his stomach.  I ordered fish and it came looking like a slab of meat, I would have freaked if the eyes were still attached!  Then we walked to a local pub to watch a World Cup game on the T.V. (soccer, or football as it is called here, is HUGE).  After the game was through, the bar turned into a disco/karaoke fiesta.  Interesting.  By the end of the night we were taking the microphone and belting out Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen.  Everyone in the bar was screaming it, oh fun

This morning I left Jenny and attended church.  I did not understand a word of it of course, but the basilica was beautiful, huge, and it was pretty cool going to mass in Rome.  Afterwards, Jenny and I set out on foot and saw the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Circo Massimo.  Everything was really worth our time hiking over to see, but by far the Colosseum blew me away.  I was actually INTRIGUED with history and wanted to read up on things.  That is crazy talk!  I have never been too interested with history and now want to find a Roman history book and get down to business!  If you ever have the chance, scoot on over to Italy and check this stuff out.  Tomorrow we take off early for London and once there, Jenny is going to get a tattoo.  Then that night we are going to a theatrical production, I am pumped.  On Tuesday then, I will be flying home.  Wow!

So, this will probably be the last update.  Thanks to all who have read my mumble jumble, and have written me emails.  I hope to talk to you all soon!  When I get back to the States I will put my pictures online. 

Jenny and I headed out this morning and took the subway…basically imagine breathing in thick air, hanging on to a slimey pole, and rubbing up against other peoples bodies.  We both agreed this was the worst subway experience we have had to date.  Too many people!  As a result we vow to shower five times   We got to Vatican City and realized the line was pretty long.  Then we rounded the corner and saw that it stretched 6 blocks long, and was 15 people deep……smart idea going to the sights on a Saturday, girls.  The sun was so hot, people kept shoving, but oh well… exactly 2 hours 11 minutes later and we were in!  We walked through the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel….amazing…I cannot believe the intricate work!  Then we were starving and grabbed a bite before going over to St. Peters Bisilica.  Our bodies physically would not allow to stand in line again to get in, so we just took many pictures and video from the outside.  The courtyard, columns, statues, and fountains were HUGE and mindblowing so we felt that was good enough  

Tonight we are meeting up with some newlyweds that Jenny knew from UND, who are on their honeymoon here.  It will be GREAT to sit down and speak English with people our age for awhile.  Yay! Have a good weekend everyone.

Howdy howdy there.  We got on to the bus leaving for Chianti yesterday and realized it was like an American carriage.  Everyone and their dog asked where we were from and when we answered with North Dakota, they looked and laughed.  I would smile and then make a few comments of my own under my breath…something having do with their oufits and/or bad teeth.  We visited a castle and its wine cellar, which was built in the 11th century.  Pretty cool.  I think I got some really good photos of the wine barrels, so I am pumped about that   We tried three wines which were served with cheese, and homemade olive oil on hard bread.  Did not have the bread of course, but everything else was great.  Chianti Classico was what was served.  From there we drove to a village called Greve, walked around and saw some shops, devoured some gelato and we were on our way.  The countryside full of vineyards and olive trees was a nice change from the citylife of Florence!  We left Alona and our villa for Rome then this morning.  Wahoo, our last trip in an Italian train, that equals the last time I have to use a bathroom in an Italian train!

We got to Rome fine and actually found our hostel right away.  Yippee, our luck is changing.  The staff is great because they joked around with us and can speak English pretty well.  If I have not stressed it enough yet, the driving here is insane.  Purely insane.  STOP signs are merely suggestions, they drive very fast, motorscooters zoom out of everywhere and blare their horns.  CRAZY!  The thing here is to just go when you have to cross the street, do not wait for a signal because the cars do not follow the lights!  Therefore, “when in Rome…”  Tonight we plan on hanging out at a local pub and figuring out our plan of attack for the next 2 days.  It is going to be an intense sightseeing weekend  

One more thing, my days and dates are all running together so I would just like to quickly say Happy Belated Birthday to Audrey and Happy Anniversary to Deni and Brad.  Yay!

Hi everyone, I will just keep this quick because I do not know too much new stuff.  We set off to do some designer shopping for Jenny this morning, and did not end up finding what she wanted.  We walked the city of Florence for 5 hours, lots of shops but everything very expensive……….I am so sick of fighting tourists on the sidewalks I could scream!  My feet hurt as well, all I want to do is curl up in a ball and watch English TV.  Oh well, guess that will not be happening    Tomorrow we are set to go to Chianti.  I plan on sleeping in until we have to go grab the bus!  Hope all of you back in the States are having a great week.