Unfortunately for all of you reading this blog there really isn't anything to exciting for me to talk about today except we met for class in the classroom and boy were there some interesting thoughts about how history should be viewed. Now, I know most if not all of you reading this blog are not history majors ( Except you Dr. Mann but you are my teacher), but as a history major this is a big deal. what type of lense are you going to look through to get your views on how did history plan a part in shaping the world we live in today, why history happened the way it dad, and what is history really all about. We a history major reads a book that is about some historical event many times they will read it with hesitation and a critical view. Where did the author get his sources, was there an agenda when writing the book, what are your thought and views on certain issues. All of thee things play a factor in how one views history. That isn't always a bad thing but one had to always keep that in mind when reading. Sometimes historians can come a cross very negative towards society in general. That is something that we need to be aware. It was interesting to get to see how others think and view history compared to the way that I view it. I hope that you enjoyed this post it is a bit different than all the others but I hope it makes you think. Ciao from here in Rome
Monday, May 30, 2011
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Luther's Stairs and Mass
So, it is time for an update and what has been going on here in ROME!!! Yesterday was a quiet day compared to the day before when we went to the Colosseum and the Forum. We went to St. Paul's outside the Gates. It is a beautiful Roman Catholic church that has been there on the site since the second century. It is where Paul is believed to be buried. We got to see his casket which was exciting. It isn't known for sure whether it is for sure or not but either why it is was exciting to go and see this beautiful church. After that we went to the other side of town and got to see what is know as San Giovanni (which translates into St. John's) There the main doors of the Cathedral came from the building were the senate meet in the forum. I find it cool that we had gone to what is left of the forum the day before and now we are getting to see the doors of one of the builds here at the Cathedral that served as the home church for the Bishop of Rome (ie: the pope for those of you that might not know) What a statement that makes. It shows that the power of authority is really no longer with the government but rather the church. We also got the see the steps that Martin Luther climbed when he was here in Rome. It was that experience that really was the turning point for Luther and the work that he accomplished. It was powerful to stand here and to realize that these are the same steps that he climbed. We then came back had a quiet evening and watched the Manchester United and the Barcelona game. (and BARCELONA won!!, sorry that is a random shout out)
PS: Yesterday is also special cause my best friend asked me to be his girlfriend and I said yes.
Today was a very interesting experience for I got the opportunity to hear Mass at St. Peter's. That was something I will never forget. As I was sitting there if finally dawned on me why the Catholic church make such a big deal when the Bible was translated into the language of the people. When that happened the Church really lost control of the masses. I could not understand what the priest was saying and I was just having to take him at his word that he knew what he was talking about. It was this and the fact that most could not read that the church was able to tell the people what they wanted them to believe. When the Bible was translated into the language of the common people they were able to understand it and realize what it was saying. They were able to think for themselves what they wanted to believe. This opened the door for not only religious freedom but the freedom the be willing to think on ones own about other issues as well. I get why they were so upset and wanted to put an end to it. All of these things that I have studied throughout my schooling are finally making sense on a very different level. Not just an academic level but on a personal level too. I am loving learning and discovering history in a very different light. I hope that you enjoyed this post and ciao until next time.
PS: Yesterday is also special cause my best friend asked me to be his girlfriend and I said yes.
Today was a very interesting experience for I got the opportunity to hear Mass at St. Peter's. That was something I will never forget. As I was sitting there if finally dawned on me why the Catholic church make such a big deal when the Bible was translated into the language of the people. When that happened the Church really lost control of the masses. I could not understand what the priest was saying and I was just having to take him at his word that he knew what he was talking about. It was this and the fact that most could not read that the church was able to tell the people what they wanted them to believe. When the Bible was translated into the language of the common people they were able to understand it and realize what it was saying. They were able to think for themselves what they wanted to believe. This opened the door for not only religious freedom but the freedom the be willing to think on ones own about other issues as well. I get why they were so upset and wanted to put an end to it. All of these things that I have studied throughout my schooling are finally making sense on a very different level. Not just an academic level but on a personal level too. I am loving learning and discovering history in a very different light. I hope that you enjoyed this post and ciao until next time.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Day off and the Colosseum
Thursday was our day off and boy was it much needed after a day at Pompeii. I didn't wake up until noon our time which is 6 in the morning for most of you. Some of us then went to this great place for lunch and man on man was it GOOD!!!! Some of the best Italian food I have ever had (beside my Aunt Pam's and and Uncle Ralph's) We then came back and did pretty much nothing for the rest of the day. We went for gelato after dinner and then came back and watch a video on the Colosseum and the Forum that we were going to see the next day. I know that there isn't much here but the day off was a nice break to the very busy week that we have had so far. It hard to believe that we have seen so much and we have been here not even a full week yet. I look forward to the come weeks and what we have ahead of us.
Friday- There are words to describe the feeling that I felt yesterday but I will try my best. We went to the Colosseum and the Forum yesterday and the magnitude of the places are truly mind blowing. I am finally understanding things that I never really understood before. Rome truly was a beautiful city in the days of its high point. Yes, there were things that went on here that were not pleasing to Christians (but look at our society today) The way that they build things and just the detail that went into these things were incredible. The Colosseum was bigger that I could have ever imagined. I walked in and it was the strangest thing to know that emperors and poor people alike had entered these walls before me was a humbling experience. Knowing that Christians that came before us had given their lives here at this very place was sobering, and wondering if our society would ever get to that point again where we are once again killed for entertainment. Now, imagine yourselves a first century Christian you have been arrested because you were worshiping Christ. Instead of turning your back on Christ you stand up for your beliefs. You know this will get you kill in one way or another but you stand your grounds. You are tried and sentenced. Your form of death is the some form of entertainment in the Colosseum. You know that the starve the animals weeks before and then right before they let them loose they give them a taste of human blood. It is the day of the games and you are led from your cell to the platform that will take you to the floor of the arena. As the trap door opens this is the site that awaits you. 50,000 to 80,000 screaming people. They have come to watch you and possible hundreds of other people and animals die.The smell of blood was already strong in the air making you feel sick to your stomach. The people were already in a blood frenzy and seeing you and the ten other Christians that were going to die with you all that more excited. Some of them were tied to post while you and the others were let there defenseless against the blood thirsty animals getting ready to be loosed. You guys gather together and start praying that God would give you peace and strength in the moments to come and then you see get to see your heavenly father soon.
That my friends is what the Colosseum was there for. to the keep the masses entertained and happy. It give them what they wanted and they wanted bread and blood. We watched Gladiator last night after being at the Colosseum and I finally get the movie, I finally see what it is all about. (yes they were not historically accurate and there were things that were there cause it is a movie) but I can have a better feeling of what it must have been like.
The next place that we went was the Forum and did I have the wrong idea of what it would be like. I always just thought that it was a few builds that were for their government and that was really it. Oh how wrong I was there. The Forum is massive with multiple building of all different kinds. It really was the heart of the city. It was were there met for politics (side note there are game boards built in to the steps of where the council met and they would sit around on the steps playing these games) it is where several major temples were, there were markets and different shops. There are different victory arches ( these are exactly what they sound like. When a famous general of emperor won a major battle they would build these arches and have then ride under them) they depicted difference scenes. You have to use your imagination when you go to the Forum since most the of the stiff is in complete ruins now, but man you can see a picture of what Rome looked liked. It truly was the center of the known world.
We ended our day with going to some catacombs that are close to the convent that they are staying at. That was again another very interesting experience. One that I am not likely to forget for a long time. These particular catacombs were 9 miles long and had anywhere from 30 to 40 thousand graves. There was a painting of Mary and the Christ child that dates back to the 2 century. (History Geek moment!!!! btw there have been a lot of those on this trip) The parts that we got to see most of the graves have been opened either by grave robbers looking for gold or later those that wanted bones of the saints. The catacombs for awhile and some of the graves opened and the bones still in there but unfortunately people would take them so they were forced to remove them to protect them. There are parts of the catacombs that are still left unopened and untouched. While we were down there as well there was a group that was holding mass, that was something that opened a discussion.
To finish our day some of us went to an Italian restaurant and got pizza to go. I hate to tell this to all of you back home but American pizza is not nearly as good as Italian pizza. It is a then crust (which I normally don't like but this was GOOD) It is then cook in a brick oven (yes, the pizza get a little burnt but that is where all the favor is)
I hope you guys are enjoying this blog as you get a little bit of an idea of what I am seeing and feeling as I am here in Rome.
Friday- There are words to describe the feeling that I felt yesterday but I will try my best. We went to the Colosseum and the Forum yesterday and the magnitude of the places are truly mind blowing. I am finally understanding things that I never really understood before. Rome truly was a beautiful city in the days of its high point. Yes, there were things that went on here that were not pleasing to Christians (but look at our society today) The way that they build things and just the detail that went into these things were incredible. The Colosseum was bigger that I could have ever imagined. I walked in and it was the strangest thing to know that emperors and poor people alike had entered these walls before me was a humbling experience. Knowing that Christians that came before us had given their lives here at this very place was sobering, and wondering if our society would ever get to that point again where we are once again killed for entertainment. Now, imagine yourselves a first century Christian you have been arrested because you were worshiping Christ. Instead of turning your back on Christ you stand up for your beliefs. You know this will get you kill in one way or another but you stand your grounds. You are tried and sentenced. Your form of death is the some form of entertainment in the Colosseum. You know that the starve the animals weeks before and then right before they let them loose they give them a taste of human blood. It is the day of the games and you are led from your cell to the platform that will take you to the floor of the arena. As the trap door opens this is the site that awaits you. 50,000 to 80,000 screaming people. They have come to watch you and possible hundreds of other people and animals die.The smell of blood was already strong in the air making you feel sick to your stomach. The people were already in a blood frenzy and seeing you and the ten other Christians that were going to die with you all that more excited. Some of them were tied to post while you and the others were let there defenseless against the blood thirsty animals getting ready to be loosed. You guys gather together and start praying that God would give you peace and strength in the moments to come and then you see get to see your heavenly father soon.
That my friends is what the Colosseum was there for. to the keep the masses entertained and happy. It give them what they wanted and they wanted bread and blood. We watched Gladiator last night after being at the Colosseum and I finally get the movie, I finally see what it is all about. (yes they were not historically accurate and there were things that were there cause it is a movie) but I can have a better feeling of what it must have been like.
The next place that we went was the Forum and did I have the wrong idea of what it would be like. I always just thought that it was a few builds that were for their government and that was really it. Oh how wrong I was there. The Forum is massive with multiple building of all different kinds. It really was the heart of the city. It was were there met for politics (side note there are game boards built in to the steps of where the council met and they would sit around on the steps playing these games) it is where several major temples were, there were markets and different shops. There are different victory arches ( these are exactly what they sound like. When a famous general of emperor won a major battle they would build these arches and have then ride under them) they depicted difference scenes. You have to use your imagination when you go to the Forum since most the of the stiff is in complete ruins now, but man you can see a picture of what Rome looked liked. It truly was the center of the known world.
We ended our day with going to some catacombs that are close to the convent that they are staying at. That was again another very interesting experience. One that I am not likely to forget for a long time. These particular catacombs were 9 miles long and had anywhere from 30 to 40 thousand graves. There was a painting of Mary and the Christ child that dates back to the 2 century. (History Geek moment!!!! btw there have been a lot of those on this trip) The parts that we got to see most of the graves have been opened either by grave robbers looking for gold or later those that wanted bones of the saints. The catacombs for awhile and some of the graves opened and the bones still in there but unfortunately people would take them so they were forced to remove them to protect them. There are parts of the catacombs that are still left unopened and untouched. While we were down there as well there was a group that was holding mass, that was something that opened a discussion.
To finish our day some of us went to an Italian restaurant and got pizza to go. I hate to tell this to all of you back home but American pizza is not nearly as good as Italian pizza. It is a then crust (which I normally don't like but this was GOOD) It is then cook in a brick oven (yes, the pizza get a little burnt but that is where all the favor is)
I hope you guys are enjoying this blog as you get a little bit of an idea of what I am seeing and feeling as I am here in Rome.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Pompeii, and a review of the last two days
Ok guys I am sorry that I have missed a few days of keeping you informed it has been BUSY!!!! and by the time I get in at night I am so tired that it is hard to keep my eyes open. So here is the recap:
Monday: Wow what a day that was and the sites that we got to see were incredible. We went to the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, and Piazza Navona, Which is where some incredible Bernini sculptures are, we found a beautiful French church as well on the way back, I will come back and give more details in a moment. (remember this is just a recap)
Tuesday: It was somewhat of an off day for us. We didn't have class in the morning just that evening so most of us went to St. Peter's so we could have a better appreciation of it when we go next week as a group. I am so glad we did there was so much to see and to take in that we would have lost a lot of it if we just had gone with the guide. Once we were done at St. Peter's Elijah ( who is another one of the students) and I decided that we weren't ready to go back yet and we decide that we would go on an adventure to find some churches (which normally have incredible art) That was an adventure and a half.
Yesterday We took a train to Naples and then from there we got on another train and went to Pompeii. What an experience that was. It is a weird feeling to go to a city that really is frozen in time. To walk and the same streets that these people walked on just before they died from the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. What a trip that was; after that we went back to Naples and we were going to get pizza from a place that was suggested to us by the girl here at the convent. Well....we could not find it and Naples is SCARY. It was not very clean at all and the people made you feel very uncomfortable. I eas glad to get back to the train station. We finally got back to the Convent close to 10 at night.
Ok, there you have it a very brief recap of the the last few days. Now that I have that down I will go back and if you guys a little bit more details and what exactly I have been feeling this first week here in Rome.
First, Rome and Europe in general is different. Not in a bad way at all. Just different. There are smart cars EVERYWHERE. They park on the sidewalks and they just kinda go where they want. When you want to cross the street you just GO and they stop. There are moments where you get to play live froger (For those that know what I am talking about) you get to dodge the cars. There are moments that you are in the middle of the street and a car is coming and you have to stop right there. and wait and then make a dash for it. Wow, it is completely different. I am sitting here in the "library" of the convent and the widow is open there there is so much noise but it is completely normal. The buses are PACKED at least most of the time. I think this is one of the most different things. In the States it isn't normal for people to take public transportation while here and in most other places it is completely normal. It is also a lot easier then trying to drive here. ( If I move here I would like to learn how to drive here just to say I can but I think for the most part I would use the buses and the other forms of public transportation. So there are sires going off. Either police, medical, and the car security alarm. I truly love the sound of Rome ( but I think that if I lived here I would want to live in the country somewhere in Southern Italy) Let's see what else is different.....It is weird being the foreigner (I know that I have traveled to Thailand and there I could not communicate at all) here I can communicate a bit (for the most part all Italians know some English for that I am grateful, but I am trying to learn Italian and use it) It is also a bit easier to understand them cause a lot of their words sound similar to the English word. There is history around every corner. The other day we walked right by the place that Julius Caesar was killed. I promise I am getting the to details of the last few days.
Monday: Where to even begin except on my word!!! It was breath taking. The first place that we stopped at was the Trevi Fountain (just to let you know no word can describe it and no picture just it justice. You just have to see it for yourself) It was incredible that someone designed it and carved it. The details where everywhere and you could see that a lot of effort and time was put into it. It was also every busy there. People from all over were there. Even Italians which for some reason I found funny ( I don't know why it did I mean we live in the States and we still go see sites that are in other states and even our own) I took pictures and I have seen some of the ones that others took and the pictures are great but some how NO picture can truly and honestly do it justice. After we left the Trevi fountain we mad our way the the Pantheon. Oh my word ( I know I am using a lot of the same word but these sites are so incredible that there really aren't a whole lot of words to describe them) The dome was massive and the really cool thing is that it is a perfect circle. The fall of the pantheon is built at a slope so that when it rains the water won't just sit there but rather runs to where there are little holes in the floor and it drains the water away. The Pantheon is also the resting place of Raphael. As a history major I am loving every minuet of this. I mean how many people get to say I have my picture in front of the tomb of Raphael. This trip will be something that I will get to use when I start teaching. Something that I found out was the the roof line of the Pantheon was meant to be higher but the columns that were build were too small so if you look just right you can see bricks that were added so the roof line would be just right so the columns would fit. We then went to the Piazza Navona. It is here that the famous Bernini statues are.The most famous one and the one that was used in the Movie Angles and Demons is the middle one of the four River gods that were the four major rivers that were known at the time. The interesting thing is that the god of the Nile has his head covered and the artist did this because at the time the head waters of the Nile were not known. It was after the Piazza Navona that we came across a French church that was build in the 1600. This church that is just kinda there has three Caravaggio painting of the Apostle Matthew. The three that are there are the calling of Matthew, the inspiration of Matthew and the Martyrdom of Matthew. I think that it is so interesting that these churches are just kinda here and a lot of them have art work by some the most famous artist of the times. That really was the end of that day and boy were we tired. We saw a lot that day and I was glad to get back and kinda relax for the rest of the day.
Tuesday: Tuesday we had part of the day off. We had class in the morning and the afternoon we had to ourselves. So most of us decided that we were going to go see St. Peter's (Our teacher suggested that we go and see it once before we go next week since there is so much there and it is so big that we might not be able to fully appreciate it if we just went the one time) so that is what we did. Boy am I glad I sent. i think that if there had not been so many people I would have just dead stopped a few steps in. It is truly breath taking. I can't put into words what I thought and was feeling. The details, and the art and just EVERYTHING. We got to see where Pope John Paul II is being laid to rest. The center alter is so detailed that I think some of us looked at it for 5 mins and even then could not take everything in. Once we left there Elijah and I decided that we wanted to continue looking around the city so we got off the bus early and we started walking down the same street that we would have if we had stayed on the bus. Along the way we found one or two churches that we went into. We continued to walk and some how ended up at the back side of the Pantheon where we were the day before. Man, and I glad we found this church. We found a Michelangelo there in this church. We also found my name saint patron. Saint Catherine was buried in this church that we found. We then left the church and walked some more and some how ended up in the Northern part of Rome. We found the Spanish Steps; we later found out that Keats house is around there and there is a coffee bar were all sorts of famous authors and others have been there. (needless to say I am hoping to go back and find the bar. btw: when someone talks about a bar here in Rome it is a coffee bar) We then realized that we had two hours to figure out where we were and get back in time for dinner and class. So we walked and walked and walked some more until we ended BACK at St. Peter's. YES, we had done a massive circle. I have not idea just how much we walked that day but I can tell you it was a lot. We made it back with 15 minuets to spare.
Yesterday: Yesterday we went to Pompeii and what an experience that was. The city literally was frozen in time. It is an bizarre feeling walking down the streets knowing that people just like you walked these streets two thousand years ago and had no idea what was going to happen on that fateful day. We got to see the molds of people of how they were when they died and pots and other items that they have found in the city. It was cool to get to touch the same things that were touched my so many so long ago. Overall the day was great. One of our girls unfortunately got hurt towards to end of the day. It was a long day at Pompeii. I think one of the funniest things was that we got lost in Pompeii. Yes, it is possible it get in a ancient destroyed city. Cause most of the streets are still there. We got to see the bath houses, the forum, the market place, the temple, and even the brothels (There are some who say that Pompeii was a more "modern" version of Sodom and Gomorrah) I would not have been surprised if it wasn't. It was a city of pleasures of every type. After we left Pompeii we rode the train back to t city of Naples. The city was a ghetto to the max. I was honestly afraid that someone might try and rob us. The city smells and it is extremely dirty. I was glad to get back to Rome. The countryside that we past to get there however was beautiful. So, there you have it....I will get on later and tell you want I did for today but right now I need a break. I hope you are enjoying following me.
Monday: Wow what a day that was and the sites that we got to see were incredible. We went to the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, and Piazza Navona, Which is where some incredible Bernini sculptures are, we found a beautiful French church as well on the way back, I will come back and give more details in a moment. (remember this is just a recap)
Tuesday: It was somewhat of an off day for us. We didn't have class in the morning just that evening so most of us went to St. Peter's so we could have a better appreciation of it when we go next week as a group. I am so glad we did there was so much to see and to take in that we would have lost a lot of it if we just had gone with the guide. Once we were done at St. Peter's Elijah ( who is another one of the students) and I decided that we weren't ready to go back yet and we decide that we would go on an adventure to find some churches (which normally have incredible art) That was an adventure and a half.
Yesterday We took a train to Naples and then from there we got on another train and went to Pompeii. What an experience that was. It is a weird feeling to go to a city that really is frozen in time. To walk and the same streets that these people walked on just before they died from the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. What a trip that was; after that we went back to Naples and we were going to get pizza from a place that was suggested to us by the girl here at the convent. Well....we could not find it and Naples is SCARY. It was not very clean at all and the people made you feel very uncomfortable. I eas glad to get back to the train station. We finally got back to the Convent close to 10 at night.
Ok, there you have it a very brief recap of the the last few days. Now that I have that down I will go back and if you guys a little bit more details and what exactly I have been feeling this first week here in Rome.
First, Rome and Europe in general is different. Not in a bad way at all. Just different. There are smart cars EVERYWHERE. They park on the sidewalks and they just kinda go where they want. When you want to cross the street you just GO and they stop. There are moments where you get to play live froger (For those that know what I am talking about) you get to dodge the cars. There are moments that you are in the middle of the street and a car is coming and you have to stop right there. and wait and then make a dash for it. Wow, it is completely different. I am sitting here in the "library" of the convent and the widow is open there there is so much noise but it is completely normal. The buses are PACKED at least most of the time. I think this is one of the most different things. In the States it isn't normal for people to take public transportation while here and in most other places it is completely normal. It is also a lot easier then trying to drive here. ( If I move here I would like to learn how to drive here just to say I can but I think for the most part I would use the buses and the other forms of public transportation. So there are sires going off. Either police, medical, and the car security alarm. I truly love the sound of Rome ( but I think that if I lived here I would want to live in the country somewhere in Southern Italy) Let's see what else is different.....It is weird being the foreigner (I know that I have traveled to Thailand and there I could not communicate at all) here I can communicate a bit (for the most part all Italians know some English for that I am grateful, but I am trying to learn Italian and use it) It is also a bit easier to understand them cause a lot of their words sound similar to the English word. There is history around every corner. The other day we walked right by the place that Julius Caesar was killed. I promise I am getting the to details of the last few days.
Monday: Where to even begin except on my word!!! It was breath taking. The first place that we stopped at was the Trevi Fountain (just to let you know no word can describe it and no picture just it justice. You just have to see it for yourself) It was incredible that someone designed it and carved it. The details where everywhere and you could see that a lot of effort and time was put into it. It was also every busy there. People from all over were there. Even Italians which for some reason I found funny ( I don't know why it did I mean we live in the States and we still go see sites that are in other states and even our own) I took pictures and I have seen some of the ones that others took and the pictures are great but some how NO picture can truly and honestly do it justice. After we left the Trevi fountain we mad our way the the Pantheon. Oh my word ( I know I am using a lot of the same word but these sites are so incredible that there really aren't a whole lot of words to describe them) The dome was massive and the really cool thing is that it is a perfect circle. The fall of the pantheon is built at a slope so that when it rains the water won't just sit there but rather runs to where there are little holes in the floor and it drains the water away. The Pantheon is also the resting place of Raphael. As a history major I am loving every minuet of this. I mean how many people get to say I have my picture in front of the tomb of Raphael. This trip will be something that I will get to use when I start teaching. Something that I found out was the the roof line of the Pantheon was meant to be higher but the columns that were build were too small so if you look just right you can see bricks that were added so the roof line would be just right so the columns would fit. We then went to the Piazza Navona. It is here that the famous Bernini statues are.The most famous one and the one that was used in the Movie Angles and Demons is the middle one of the four River gods that were the four major rivers that were known at the time. The interesting thing is that the god of the Nile has his head covered and the artist did this because at the time the head waters of the Nile were not known. It was after the Piazza Navona that we came across a French church that was build in the 1600. This church that is just kinda there has three Caravaggio painting of the Apostle Matthew. The three that are there are the calling of Matthew, the inspiration of Matthew and the Martyrdom of Matthew. I think that it is so interesting that these churches are just kinda here and a lot of them have art work by some the most famous artist of the times. That really was the end of that day and boy were we tired. We saw a lot that day and I was glad to get back and kinda relax for the rest of the day.
Tuesday: Tuesday we had part of the day off. We had class in the morning and the afternoon we had to ourselves. So most of us decided that we were going to go see St. Peter's (Our teacher suggested that we go and see it once before we go next week since there is so much there and it is so big that we might not be able to fully appreciate it if we just went the one time) so that is what we did. Boy am I glad I sent. i think that if there had not been so many people I would have just dead stopped a few steps in. It is truly breath taking. I can't put into words what I thought and was feeling. The details, and the art and just EVERYTHING. We got to see where Pope John Paul II is being laid to rest. The center alter is so detailed that I think some of us looked at it for 5 mins and even then could not take everything in. Once we left there Elijah and I decided that we wanted to continue looking around the city so we got off the bus early and we started walking down the same street that we would have if we had stayed on the bus. Along the way we found one or two churches that we went into. We continued to walk and some how ended up at the back side of the Pantheon where we were the day before. Man, and I glad we found this church. We found a Michelangelo there in this church. We also found my name saint patron. Saint Catherine was buried in this church that we found. We then left the church and walked some more and some how ended up in the Northern part of Rome. We found the Spanish Steps; we later found out that Keats house is around there and there is a coffee bar were all sorts of famous authors and others have been there. (needless to say I am hoping to go back and find the bar. btw: when someone talks about a bar here in Rome it is a coffee bar) We then realized that we had two hours to figure out where we were and get back in time for dinner and class. So we walked and walked and walked some more until we ended BACK at St. Peter's. YES, we had done a massive circle. I have not idea just how much we walked that day but I can tell you it was a lot. We made it back with 15 minuets to spare.
Yesterday: Yesterday we went to Pompeii and what an experience that was. The city literally was frozen in time. It is an bizarre feeling walking down the streets knowing that people just like you walked these streets two thousand years ago and had no idea what was going to happen on that fateful day. We got to see the molds of people of how they were when they died and pots and other items that they have found in the city. It was cool to get to touch the same things that were touched my so many so long ago. Overall the day was great. One of our girls unfortunately got hurt towards to end of the day. It was a long day at Pompeii. I think one of the funniest things was that we got lost in Pompeii. Yes, it is possible it get in a ancient destroyed city. Cause most of the streets are still there. We got to see the bath houses, the forum, the market place, the temple, and even the brothels (There are some who say that Pompeii was a more "modern" version of Sodom and Gomorrah) I would not have been surprised if it wasn't. It was a city of pleasures of every type. After we left Pompeii we rode the train back to t city of Naples. The city was a ghetto to the max. I was honestly afraid that someone might try and rob us. The city smells and it is extremely dirty. I was glad to get back to Rome. The countryside that we past to get there however was beautiful. So, there you have it....I will get on later and tell you want I did for today but right now I need a break. I hope you are enjoying following me.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
So it begins
WOW, What a day has been!!!! I can't believe that I am sitting here in Rome writing this to all of you. There to begin? I guess the best thing would be to start at the airport and work my way to the end. Well, I left Lynchburg at 10 in the morning Saturday and made our way to the airport. A little side note the wife of one of my favorite teachers at Liberty was the one who took us to the airport. After we go through security and everything we settled in for the long wait until we left the United States. It was cool as we waited I got the opportunity to talk to a young man who was on his way home from his senior trip. It was cool cause as we were talking it came up that I went to Liberty and he was a Christian as well. He told me that he knew something was different about our group. He knew that we were special. It was an encouragement to hear that we really are different than the rest of the people. I think it was God giving me the encouragement that I needed to hear. So after that conversation was done I waited around a bit longer. We finally boarded our plane and left the US around 6:30 at night. We then had a 7 hour flight ahead of us. All I can say about the flight is that I honestly don't remember much about the flight except when we landed. There was something wrong and the thing that normally would connect and you would just walk straight into the airport was broken so we had to walk down the stairs and then up the stirs again. At least we didn't start our trip off boring. We FINALLY got through security in London and once we did that we did not have much time to wait for our next flight. It was three hours fro London to Rome and it was an uneventful flight. I can say that I was TIRED when we landed. We got tot eh convent that we are staying at and had time to get things together and then eat. After we ate we had a brief tour of the place and then we went out and explored where we would be living for the next month. WOW, it was really cool. There were so many things that it was like I now this, or I have study this. It was neat to walk the streets were so much history has taken place. So, that really was the first day. There is so much more but I am so tired and I honestly can't remember much of it. hahah, I love it here and I can't wait to be able to come back and be able to live here. I hope that you guys are good and I will see some of you when I get back.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Count Down!!!!
OK, everyone I know I said the next time I would post was when I was in Rome, but I decided to post one more time here in the States. Things have been going fast now that school is out. I still can't believe that on Saturday I am leaving the country to go to Rome for a month. Pretty much everything is ready I just need to get a few last minuet things. I am going to warn all of you that I do not have a digital camera with me unfortunately so it might be a while before picture come up. I am bring my 35mm camera and planning on taking some color and a lot of black and white prints while I am there. I do have my phone and so I might us the camera on that. That being said I am going to ask all of you NOT to send text or call while I am in Rome that way I am not charged. I have not SD card and so I am hoping to be able to post some picture while I am there. I can't wait to get there and start telling all of you about it. Please pray for us while we are there. Yes, we are there to study but I am hoping that the Lord opens the doors for the gospel to be shared as well. If you could be praying first of all that the doors are open and then second that we would be prepared to share; that the right words are spoken and we would not ignore the opportunities.
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