March 10th, 2003
Italy: Eight Days in Fast Forward & Flashbacks
   Trip Details: Our 10 hour flight stopped in Copenhagen
& was rather uneventful except for the fact that I
woke up as we were flying over Greenland. I tried to
stir Jeff so he could share in the joy of seeing
millions of miles of solid ice, but he only got upset
with me & has been angry ever since.
From Copenhagen, we flew to Milan arriving about 6:30
p.m. We immediately hopped on a shuttle headed for
town & booked train tickets overnight to Rome. Each
of us, hungry, exhausted, & annoyed, decided we’d like
to eat anything but airplane food, so we sat around in
McDonalds for over an hour waiting for our train.
The ride (8 hours from Milan to Rome) was spent
crammed together in a make-shift overnight
compartment; we tried to get as much sleep as we
could. The train was musty and noisy, we were
uncomfortable, but it was opportunity for rest and a
free place to stay. We woke up at 6:10 a.m. at the
Roma Train Station.

   Total travel time accounted for = 32 hours.
   Needless to say,
we were relieved to find our hostel so near
the train station & available for our use.
Carrie & I took showers, praising the Lord for soap &
hot water. We’re staying in a lovely little quad-room
at the Faulty Towers/Bubbles hostel. It’s a beautiful little place.
   Rome is so rich with culture & history that it’s
absolutely impossible to grasp the grandeur of what I’m seeing.
   This morning we navigated our way to Vatican City &
stood in a line a mile long (literally) waiting to get
in. Jeff struck up a conversation with a
wonderful couple from just South of Cambridge. Just
listening to them was amusement enough for the hour we stood in line.
   Vatican City is truly a wonder. If you spent all day
roaming the maze of halls full of art work, it
wouldn’t be enough time. Jeff & I worked our way up
to the Sistine Chapel (the finalé) & sat looking up
in awe of Michelangelo’s masterpiece.
   Vatican City was followed by a pushy Italian lunch.
From there we moved on to St. Peter’s Cathedral- the
most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. History (or
rather, the Pope) says St. Peter is buried there; I
took a picture of what is his "tomb." The church is
more elaborate than I will ever have words to describe
so I took a great deal of pictures that won’t do it
any justice. It is also said that the church was
erected in the spot St. Peter was crucified upside
down. We cam back home to our Bubbles Room & everyone
took a nap. We awoke to ride the Metro to the Trevé
Fountain (still powered by Roman aqueducts) & the
Spanish Steps. The whole experience of today has left
me fulfilled & exhausted.

   Rome
March 11th, 2003
   We woke up late & were still exhausted.
After hurriedly getting ready, we caught a Metro to the
Borghese Museum where we saw about a million
sculptures by artists too old & famous to keep track
of. We’re sick of art & it’s only day 2. I went to an
internet café to email my parents, but ran out of
things to say in less than 5 minutes.

   Rome
March 12th, 2003
   While Jeff & Carrie took a five hour nap, Jeff & I
hopped a Metro to Colosso. After some confusion as to
how to leave the subway, we stepped into daylight &
caught sight of the grandeur of the Colosseum, Forum, &
the whole of ancient Rome.
Sadly, the ticket booth had closed, so we didn’t get a
chance to go inside the ruins; we did, however, meet
an interesting man who cornered us into buying
bracelets. He talked politics— mostly about his
distaste for President Bush. Smile & nod.
Even though we didn’t get a chance to enter the ruins
we still had a phenomenal view.
We bickered a bit on the way home & even more so when
we tried to figure out those damn Italian payphones.
I finally got a hold of my mother & told her I was
still alive. It was good to hear her voice.
When we returned to Bubbles, Carrie & Jeff left
immediately for the Colosseum. I took a shower, got
"dressed-up" & we left to find a true Italian dinner.
A bottle of red wine, delicious bread, & 3 courses
later, I found myself a bit tipsy.
Today I feel better— renewed with a clear head.
Skipping ahead— I am currently experiencing the Italian
country via Euro-Star. It’s beyond gorgeous.

   Venice: The Hotel Minerva
March 14, 2003
   We finally left Florence at around 6:00 p.m.
The inner-city train was crammed wall to wall with
passengers from every corner of the world. Jeff & I
sat on our backpacks in the hall for about an hour
until seats started to open up. He got rather sick
and didn’t snap back to life until we reached Mestre.
Standing in a crowded line, we bought $1 train tickets
for the remaining 5 minute journey to Venice.
Reaching the city gave me a feeling similar to what a
child would have felt entering the world’s greatest
theme park— you can hardly believe your eyes. Jeff kept
whispering, "Water water everywhere, but not a drop to drink."
Our one star hotel is the best and cheapest yet.
We went out to dinner— a real Italian treat— pasta.
Full & exhausted, a good night’s sleep will be welcome.
This room, unlike Florence, is dry, warm, and even has a
shower curtain. Tomorrow is made for our exploration.

   Venice: 9:40 a.m. March 15th, 2003
   I woke up this morning feeling more rested and relaxed
than I have before in Italy. I saundered into the
bathroom & took a long shower in clean, clear water,
wrapped up in a huge, comfy towel, & got ready in a
warm room. I’m ready for Venice.

   9:00 p.m.
   Jeff & I decided to wing our adventure without a final
destination or any know-how. Following the yellow
signs pointing to San Marco, we wove in and out of
ally-ways until we stumbled about St. Mark’s Basilica
& the beauty of the Grand Canal.
The most remarkable part of the day was our tour
through the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. Although we
promised ourselves NO MORE museums, we couldn’t help
but close our Italian tour with Dalí, Picasso, &
Chagall. Both Jeff & I were more fascinated with the
20th century private collection than we were with the
Uffizi- maybe we could just understand it better.
Our good mood didn’t last long after we left- we got
lost after a brief walk through San Marco's.
Eventually, we found our way back; we probably
walked a good 5 miles. Venice is unlike any other
place in the world.

   Venice: Restoranté Vittoria 12:00 p.m.
March 16th, 2003
   We took our time getting ready this morning, packing
up all our stuff with care since we wouldn’t see it
for hours. We’re wasting the afternoon in Venezia
today & taking a 7:54 p.m. train to Milano where we’ll
meet up with Carrie & Jeff and spend the night in the
Linate airport. We fly out of Milan at 6:40 a.m. and
arrive in Copenhagen 2 hours later. After a 7 hour
layover, we’ll be on our way to Seattle. I can’t wait
to see the view.
   Last night Jeff & I went on a search for a pair of
scissors in order to cut my hair. The final result?
I’ll need to go to a stylist when I get home, but at
least my mullet is gone. As of now, I’m awaiting a
plate of tortellini pomodoro at a random restorante.
Jeff is writing post cards to Brett, Amy, Cort & Eliza.
So far our break up hasfailed. It’s going to hurt
like hell when we finally get home. I already miss him.

   Vienna—I mean… Venice
March 16th, 2003
   My mom called Venice "Venus" in her last email.
We’re waiting for our train to Milan at the restaurant
in the station. As I look back over my journal
entries, I realize that I never mentioned anything
about our time in Florence. Again, I’m back-tracking.
We arrived in Florence the morning of the 13th. We
bumbled around allies, again looking for our hostel
until we finally found it. At first sight our room
looked pleasant enough, but by the last night, each of
us had sufficiently caught colds— I still have mine.
The shower didn’t have a curtain & the drain was
completely insufficient. Anytime someone took a
shower, the bathroom flooded. Our room (on the top
floor) was damp & cold the entire time.
Other than that, Florence was an excellent city. No
metros, no trains—we wandered wholly on foot. The
first day was spent looking for the Duomo. Rick
Steves’ Italy Bible was no longer our guide. We
stumbled into (what we thought was the Duomo) San
Lorenza— a church without a view. After we realized we
were in the wrong place, we made our way to the REAL
Duomo. It was obvious this time. 45 minutes & 6
euros later, we were climbing up a windy narrow
passageway to the dome of the Cathedral. It was
something Dr. Kress admonished us to do. "Amanda, go
to the top of the Duomo."
   Our first stop on the way up was a view from the
inside of the dome. There were elaborate paintings of
Heaven & Hell 30 ft. above us. The images of Hell
were so grotesque that it made me fearful to think of
what a cursed afterlife is really like. I found
myself repenting again.
We finally reached the top of the dome & the view of
Florence was astounding.
   We descended. Took a five minute look around the
church. Looked through the gift shop. Went to
dinner. Went to bed. That damn room was so cold & wet we could
have never had enough blankets. I woke up that morning
with bright yellow snot— a sign (Carrie tells me) of
dehydration. I guess Caffé Lattés do more harm than
good- but here they’re cheaper than water. (So is
beer for that matter).

   On the airplane from Milan to Copenhagen 7:50 a.m.
March 17th, 2003
   I would give anything to just close my eyes & wake up
at home, but as it stands, we have a 7 hour layover &
another 10 hour flight.
   Last night Jeff & I took a 2 ½ hour train from Venice
to Milan. I fell asleep for most of it despite the
chatty Italian adolescents in our car. When I woke
up, I felt horrible, dizzy & weightless. Jeff rushed
me outside in a frenzy to find a bus to the Linate
Airport (we had to meet Jeff & Carrie at midnight—it
was about 11:30). We stood in the cold for about 15
minutes until we realized the busses weren’t running.
We took a 20 euro "taxi" instead.
We caught up with our other half & slept on our
respective benches. I, however, was freezing cold &
uncomfortable. I got up to wander around & found that
for 5 euros I could use the internet for about an
hour. I emailed random people to waste the time:
Craig, Nate, my Mom, & even Bobby Hance.
Jeff woke us up at 4:54 a.m. I went to the WC to
brush my teeth & wash my face. We then made our way
to the check-in counter.
While we were waiting at the gate, Carrie & I ran into
a girl from Northwest College. Random. She talked so
much and so loudly that Jeff could hear her across the
room. She had been to all the same cities that we
had- odd.
   We should be landing any minute now; we’ll probably go
into the city center & get some real breakfast.

   Still on the airplane 8:20 a.m.
March 17th, 2003
   Sometimes I look at Jeff & I think he’s the most
beautiful boy I’ve ever seen. He’s been wearing the
same 3 shirts since we’ve left for Italy, he hasn’t
shaved, he’s barely slept; yet this morning, as he’s
hunched over a drawing of the ace of spades, he looks
adorable. Nobody in the world has a better nose & has
brown eyes as stunning.

   Copenhagen Airport 2:00 p.m.
March 17th, 2003
   Our flight to Seattle leaves in almost 2 hours.
I can’t wait to take a shower (shake a tower).
We took the 7 minute train ride to Copenhagen’s
central station & wandered around a small part of the
city. Everything was ridiculously expensive so we
just had lunch (odd sandwiches in the Hans Christian
Anderson Café) and terrible lattés. We weren’t too
impressed.
   On the ride home, I asked Jeff where he put our tube
of posters. He had left them somewhere in the city, so
we decided, unanimously, to go back to find them.
As it turned out, he had left them outside a Danish
bookstore by a row of bikes. They were still there
untouched. Right now I’m sitting at the gate C39
trying to be as patient as possible.

   On the airplane 1:00 p.m. Seattle time
March 18th, 2003
   3 hours & 41 minutes to go. Now that we’re winding
down to the final few hours, I can hardly sit still.
I’ve already watched two movies and now I’m listening
to Victor Borgha on the comedy radio station- by far
the most humorous part of my extremely long day.
         We’re on our way home-on our way home- we’re going home-