Adair, Leah, me, Cole, and Theresa at the top of the Reichstag
The 10 Days of Incredibleness began when our whole Furman group boarded a plane for Berlin. Cameron and I sat next to an interesting and nice Belgian named Dauwe. We talked to him the whole flight, which was nice. Anyway, we made it to our hotel that night and settled in. I loved our hotel! It was so charming!
Tri Delts with Poseidon
I won't go through everything we did everyday, but I do want to mention my favorite parts of Berlin. Walking in the Brandenburg Gate area, seeing the lines that represent where the Berlin Wall once stood, was so cool. There is a great Holocaust Museum right next to the Gate. It is exceptionally welld one, and it offers a wide array of personal stories of Jews during the Holocaust. It was very moving.
Brandenburg Gate
I also really loved the DDR museum! It was like taking a glimpse into daily life in the German Democratic Republic. I was very impressed with how the handled the history. For so many people, life behind the Wall is their past, and for many it isn't a very happy one. The museum did a great job of displaying the past in a tasteful way that was almost nostalgic, just as most people around the world look back on earlier times in their life. At the same time, it sisn't hide the difficult parts of life or the extensive use of propaganda. Anyway, it was a great museum. we all had fun trying to dance the Lipsi and exploring the model apartment. 
MG and I being silly in front of the Reichstag
We also visited the Stasi museum. We had read the book Stasiland by Anna Funder, and it was amazing to see many of the things we had read about in her book. Our tourguide through the museum was also interesting, and he told us many of his own experiences growing up in East Germany.
Adair, Allie, Shannon, and I goofing off in front of the Victory Monument
I also got to see Robin while I was in Berlin! That was so fun. I am so glad I got to see her and give her a big hug!
THRILLED to be hanging out with Robin!
There are tons of other incredible parts of Berlin, but those are the things that stand out most in mind. On Tuesday afternoon, some of us borded a plane for Rome! We arrived really late and went straight to bed. First thing in the morning, we headed to Vatican City. We snagged a bunch of "golden tickets" and got in line for the papal address! It was really amazing to see the Pope. Even though I'm not Catholic, I have enough Catholic background and enough appreciation for Church history to recognize the significance of this figure. It was cool to hear him speak and to be blessed by him (along with my future children, sick family members, and any relics I had brought with me). 
Inside St. Peter's Basilica
After the papal address, we explored St. Peter's Basilica. Wow. I don't even have words. Michaelangel's Pieta has always been my favorite pieta, and to see it in person...The whole building is incredible. We then took a break for the best gelato ever. Soon it was time for our tour! we heard the history of the Sistine Chapel and wandered through the Vatican Museums. The tour ended at the Sistine Chapel. It is so crazy to see things in person that you have heard about your entire life. The Sistine Chapel was in many ways different than I imagined. It doesn't really feel like a chapel anymore, mostly because everyone is talking (despite the signs saying, "Silence Please") and taking pictures and it is super crowded. But it was still incredible. Seeing the Judgement Day painting was incredible. Seeing all of Michaelangelo's work made me appreciate what he did even more, especially knowing that he did all of the actual painting himself and it only took him four years!
Sitting on the Spanish Steps
That night we headed to the Trevi Fountain. I may or may not have burst into a few Lizzie McGuire songs (actually, I kept saying in Rome how I wanted my "Lizzie McGuire moment," you know, where I was mistaken for a pop star? Haha). The next day we explored the old parts of Rome. We went to the Colosseum, which was very emotional. Seeing it and knowing what happened there was very moving. I am really thankful that I got to see the place where so many were killed for their faith. It was hard, but so good at the same time.
Cross at the Colosseum
After the Colosseum, Mary Grace and I wandered through the Roman Forum, the temple of the Vestal Virgins, and many other ruins. Then we met up with the group and walked to Piazza Trastevere for lunch. I had some of the best pizza of my life, and it was even better sitting on a fountain looking at a beautiful church. Then we headed across the river to the Pantheon, which I loved.
Green door outside the Pantheon
Afterwards, we headed to what became my very favorite part of Rome, Piazza Navona. There are artists everywhere displaying their work and painting, musicians play, and the fountain bubbles in the background. It was such a cool area. I walked around for over an hour, looking at art and just taking everything in. It was perfect. After a great dinner, we headed back to the hostel to pack up.
Artists on Piazza Navona
We took a train on Friday morning to Florence. We grabbed some breakfast and then went to the Uffizi museum. It was so cool to see paintings I had studied in my Art History class (Mrs. Badham would have LOVED Florence). The Birth of Venus was perfect. After the museum, we grabbed a great (and cheap!) lunch and headed to the Academia Museum. Now, I loved the Uffizi, but if you have to pick, choose the Academia. Wow. There was a Bartolini exhibit that I could have spent hours in. Bartolini has been one of my favorite sculptors since high school, and to see his statues with their eloquent facial expressions is to understand a little of the person he was sculpting. It was incredible.
The "Orphan Fam" in Florence
After the exhibit, we walked out and there in all his glory was the David. Oh my gosh, y'all. I just stared. It is more breath-taking than you could imagine. Mary Grace, Anna, Adair, and I sat and stared for almost an hour. There is a reason the David is so famous, and he is worth every bit of his fame. Incredible.
Pont Vecchio
That night we grabbed dinner at 13 Gobbi (translation: 13 Hunchbacks). It was so good! So fun to laugh and talk and joke around. The enxt day we got up, grabbed breakfast, and then hit the markets for a little while. Then we made our way into the Duomo. This church is so beautiful! After the Duomo we grabbed lunch, and then Mary Grace, Adair, and I headed to the Santa Maria Novella, another stunning church. then we headed up to Piazza Michaelangelo. This was quite a hike, but worth ever bit of it! On the stairs leading up the mountain, there are the stations of the cross, which end at the monastery on top of the hill. the view from the piazza was breaktaking. So beautiful! Afterwards, we wandered up to the monastery and poked around the chapel there.
Enjoyign the view
We then met up with everyone for another fantastic dinner. It was such a great trip, and I loved every minute of it. Leaving on Sunday was definitely difficult, but in the words of Anna during her toast to the trip, "We'll always have Italy!"
No comments:
Post a Comment