how ya like them apples

Ya know what's worse than being sick. . . being sick on vacation! I'd felt ill for a while, then it got really bad my last night in florence. at that moment i wanted to get home as fast as possible. the biggest thing keeping me in italy was my one thing i wanted to see in italy the most - the sistine chapel. ever since i studied it, i've wanted to see it. there was a line in good will hunting where robin williams (who happens to look a lot like my dad when they both have beards) says to matt damon, "So if I asked you about art, you'd probably give me the skinny on every art book ever written. Michelangelo, you know a lot about him. Life's work, political aspirations, him and the pope, sexual orientations, the whole works, right? But I'll bet you can't tell me what it smells like in the Sistine Chapel. You've never actually stood there and looked up at that beautiful ceiling; seen that." that's where i'll be tomorrow.

rome at night is huge and amazing! when i turned the corner and looked at capital hill with the confident statue of victor emmanuell on horseback, i wanted to fall to my knees. there was something divine about that sight on a calm, clear night. i guess if you were the first king of rome you deserve to build something like that. the fact that it lasted through all the wars is the crazy part.

take a picture, it'll last longer

i spent the day looking at naked people. i wasnt at the beach or anything, just admiring some of the best art in the world. i saw the david, over 10 bucks for one statue, and it was well worth it! u cant take pictures there, which stinks, but who am i kidding, of course i took pictures, it's me! i got some decent ones, and it was a fun game, avoiding the security people. i overheard some girls commenting about how all the sculptors back in the day had a funny way of portraying the male anatomy. do people seriously not know what circumcision is?!!

i didn't realize we had our own language. "you speak american" is what a lady said to me after i asked to borrow a pen. she was from boston, and i didn't know if she would take it as a joke if i told her that the american language requires pronouncing your Rs.

NO means NO means NO

i've never considered myself much of an interpreter, and never thought i could be one between german, french, japanese, and australian. but when the first three can speak only broken english, and the aussies use their wicked cool accent, i'm the one everyone can understand the most. this was the scene of our dinnertable at the hostel in florence - what a blast! so many different cultures colliding. the german was a walking encyclopedia, informing the aussies about the next leg of their trip to north india. the japanese girls were hilarious, and we were all impressed by their english since their native tounge is not latin based. i didn't have to explain a lot, but it was fun.

i saw some amazing things to day, but it'd have to a serious fog not to see amazing things. tonite i'm going out with some american exchange students, then tomorrow its the uffitzi gallery, accideamia (david), and then hopefully some aggie basketball!

NO means NO means NO

i've never considered myself much of an interpreter, and never thought i could be one between german, french, japanese, and australian. but when the first three can speak only broken english, and the aussies use their wicked cool accent, i'm the one everyone can understand the most. this was the scene of our dinnertable at the hostel in florence - what a blast! so many different cultures colliding. the german was a walking encyclopedia, informing the aussies about the next leg of their trip to north india. the japanese girls were hilarious, and we were all impressed by their english since their native tounge is not latin based. i didn't have to explain a lot, but it was fun.

i saw some amazing things to day, but it'd have to a serious fog not to see amazing things. tonite i'm going out with some american exchange students, then tomorrow its the uffitzi gallery, accideamia (david), and then hopefully some aggie basketball!

Life's a journey, not a destination

in true backpacking form, i didnt bring any books to read for pleasure. i did bring rick steves book on italy, and its been very helpful. one of the interesting things i've learned is that the michaelangelo's david is a strong representation of how men began to appreciate life rather than just waiting around for the afterlife. they finally realized life on earth can be enjoyed.

thats certainly been true of my time in cinque terre. i arrived here from milan and spent the day in the first city, montorosso - it was awesome. the next morning i hiked along the italian riviera with the most breathtaking views ever. it was a beautiful day, and each hill brought better scenery. i wish i could add pictures to this blog, but i'll add them to facebook later. this amazing area only get attention from young people and europeans trying to get away from the hyped spanish and french coasts. if you make it to italy, cinque terre (5 land) is a must!

tomorrow i go to florence for at least 6 days!

Babel

It was just like the movie, except no Brad Pitt, or any other interesting part of the movie. OK, so I have not seen the movie Babel yet, but I've heard about it, and that's what it felt like in the Amsterdam Airport. I did fine with my connection in the Twin Cities to get across the big lake, but they decided to cancel my flight to Milan. We often use the expression "hearded like cattle", but this is where it was most appropriate. With no cell phones that worked, one pay phone that accepted phone cards, and a dozen different languages being spoken, chaos was always a minute away, and mutany was not an option because the language barrier kept us from organizing. It was a mess, but I was lucky to make it out that day and not spend the night in a town where the closest thing to a friend I could find was in their notorious red light district. I made it to Milan, and it's wonderful! Next is Florence. More blogs coming soon!