The Final Hours...

Today is painfully my last full day in Rome. This past week has been a period of finals, packing, and cramming in all of my favorite places for one last time. It's unreal. I cannot believe how quickly time has flown by. This past semester I have visited incredible places and met even more extraordinary people. It is safe to say I will never forget this time in my life. I would never trade these memories I have created for anything. Rome will forever have a special place in my heart. It has become my home away from home. As I sit here in my room with all of my bags packed, I still cannot believe I leave tomorrow. Four months ago I could not believe I was actually here. Now I cannot believe I have to leave...

Ciao Roma

The Land of Sardines

The final trip came and went. Bonnie, Christina, and I took our last trip to Cagliari, Sardinia for a little vacation in the midst of the stress of finals. (The place where sardines actually got their name...who knew?) It was heavenly. It was just us, the beach, and lots of Italians. Needless to say, we stuck out there more than we do here in Rome. We definitely got to practice our Italian seeing how only a few people spoke English. It was time to relax and we did just that. We spent literally all day on the beach. Unfortunately we suffered the consequences shortly after. Our backs were a little pink at the end of the day. Since we were physically not able to beach it again the next day, we decided we would explore the medieval city. We headed back to the beach when it was safer for our skin during sunset. I think it is safe to say our favorite part of the trip included a couple train rides over to the town Dolionova for some wine tasting. It was just us, wine, and our lovely tour guide Francesca (literally just us though, the town was completely empty). It was fun and educational. The walk back to the train was a struggle though I must admit. Our last trip was spent just relaxing; no clubs, no frantic sightseeing, no stress. It was a nice break before we hit the ground hard for our last days in Rome.

 Our dinner on the beach

Seeing the winery

Learning...

Post wine tasting

Czech You Out Later

This past weekend I went to my new favorite city, Prague. It was amazing not only because it was cheap (19:1 to the dollar), but it was right out of a fairytale. I felt like I would run into Pinocchio at any point strolling through the streets. Unfortunately I did not, but that could have been possible with the overwhelming supply of Absinthe Prague has to offer. Since we didn't know much about Prague before we flew there, Christina and I decided it would be best to make that our one tour-guided trip. It was worth it because I learned so much from our lovely Czech local. She took us to the Museum of Communism, the Old Town Square clock tower, St. Charles Bridge, the John Lennon Wall, the former castle, and also all of her favorite local spots to eat. It was in these places I tried duck, rabbit, special sausages and other Czech delicacies. When we weren't touring with her, Christina and I were exploring on our own. We climbed up Prague's own version of the Eiffel tower and stopped at a brewing monastery for some Easter beers. I also was able to try the strongest beer in the world. Delicious. It seems to have become a common trend that food and drinks have become the incentive for my trips.
This past weekend I learned so much about the Czechs' sarcastic and witty culture, and also experienced some of their fantastic nightlife. Needless to say, I have to go back.

Easter Beer

The strongest beer in the world (tastes like honey)

Old Town Square

Peeing Statues

The John Lennon Wall (Beatles song "In My Life")

Mead; a honey wine that tastes like butterscotch

The Freemans Take Over Rome

I cannot believe it was just a week ago that my parents and sister were visiting me here in Rome. Time is moving too quickly.

The pressure was on. I had to be the best tour guide one could be. I had to show them how amazing life is here in Rome, not that it would be hard to demonstrate that. Since they had been to Rome before, it was time for a non-traditional visit. They had to visit my Rome. I took them to all of my favorites spots. They ate pizza at the best pizzeria in Rome, and had wine at the oldest wine bar. They saw sites they had never seen before (including the Prison of St. Peter-a weight lifted off my shoulders after all these years), and places again but from my point-of-view. They even got a little taste of the Roman nightlife including a visit to the infamous karaoke Irish pub. Unfortunately non of them mustered up the courage to sing, but they were still a hit. My friends loved all of them, and continue to talk about them. But most importantly our beloved bartender and friend Laura adored them. My parents and her were best friends in no time. Despite the late nights, we were able to rally for some sightseeing and Easter mass at the Vatican.
The mass was an incredible experience. The sun was beaming down on St. Peter's square filled with flowers as Pope Benedict XVI delivered the mass. You could have heard a pen drop amongst  the 100,000 people in attendance. The reverence was amazing and the spectacle was breathtaking.
Then once I blinked they were gone again. It was a fantastic trip being able to show the three of them how I really am living la dolce vita. 

Easter Mass

Karaoke night

Carly with the gang

Villa D'Este for the day

When Life Gives you Lemons, Make Lemoncello

This past weekend Bonnie, Christina, and I made a trip down to the Amalfi Coast. I had been there before with my parents a couple of times, so going down without them was surreal. After the stress of constant sightseeing over spring break, it was time for a spring break from spring break. And Sorrento was the perfect place. We had three days to do nothing but eat gelato, drink wine, and bask in the sun. It couldn't have been more perfect. We had a delicious and inspirational dinner with my family's friend. Then it was off to bed for an early day in Positano. It was wonderful (minus the windy bus ride along the coast). We were just sitting on the dock with nothing to do. It's not like our lives here in Rome are too strenuous, but it was still nice. There was no rush for anything. We sat and had a fabulous 2 hour lunch at a restaurant where we were the first customers of the season. Then when we felt we were Positano-ed out, we headed back to Sorrento for more gelato. With two bottles of local wine in hand, we headed to the pier to watch the sunset. I think magical is the right word to describe it. The weekend went too quickly, and right now I want nothing more than to be back sitting on the dock watching the sunset over Vesuvius with two of my best friends.

Positano

                                  

Just hanging out in the Mediterranean

Hellooo Vesuvius 

Palm Sunday Italian Style

Me and Chris!

La Dolce Vita

The final stop on our excursion was my home away from home, Rome. Since Joe had been to Rome before, he wanted to experience my version of it as best as he could. After a few glitches (typical of FCO airport) we finally made it to my beloved neighborhood of Trastevere. It was late and we were hungry. Unlike Vienna where restaurants were closing at 8:30, the restaurants were just getting crowded the time we arrived at 10. After walking in circles trying to appease an angry Italian woman who was our apartment host, it was finally time for Joe to try my favorite pizza place in the whole world, Dar Poeta. I think it's safe to say it was the Nutella and ricotta filled calzone that won him over. The next day was full of sightseeing. I took him to all of my favorite spots including the market in Campo di Fiori and Piazza Navona. It was also necessary to take him to the oldest wine bar in Rome for lunch. He claims it was the best pasta he'd ever had. After seeing the Coliseum, it was time to reenergize for the Roman nightlife. Joe was finally able to meet the faces in all of my pictures. As I assumed, he was a hit. Even though we were a little tired, the next day we managed to do some final sightseeing. We spent a lovely afternoon at the Vatican before the rain came. The evening was filled with an amazing last meal made up of steak and pear-filled ravioli, followed by drinks with my roommates. It was so fun to be able to be a tour guide for a few days.

Piazza Navona

Hanging out at the Coliseum

View from my apartment

Joe and the girls

Resting at the Vatican

Best conolo he has ever tasted

Wiener Schnitzel in Vienna

The next stop was Vienna. As food being one of my primary motives for anything, the first thing we did was eat. Bratwursts and cakes galore. I think this is the city where I ate and drank my weight in sausages and beer. Joe's lovely and delightful aunt is a longtime residence of this magical city. While we were visiting, she was kind enough to take us to the hills above Vienna for a breathtaking view of the city and the Danube River. From there we went for some authentic Viennese cuisine. So authentic I had no idea what the menu said, but we ended up with Wiener Schnitzel. It was like a five-star version of chicken fried steak. My mother would have been so proud. To continue on the topic of food, I had tasted the most delicious combination of beer possible in the Viennesse drink the Radler, a beer and lemonade delight. Sounds iffy, but trust me it's amazing. The next day was an action packed day. We walked around the city from 9 to 7 seeing everything possible. We started Freud museum, and meandered to the Rathaus, the Burgtheater, Stephansdom, the Vienna Opera House, Mozart's house, and the beautiful Schonbrunn palace. We decided since we experienced all of Vienna culturally it was necessary to experience its nightlife as well. It was an interesting night to say the least. Our final day was spent at Pratar riding the oldest ferris wheel and with Joe's aunt at her favorite restaurant. After losing track of time the Viennese residents witnessed us sprinting to make our bus to the airport. It was definitely something you would see on the Amazing Race.

Can't handle Vienna

Joe and his aunt

Freud's waiting room

My new home

Demel, home of the best Sacretorte

Beer and Bratwurst, perfect combo

View from the top of the oldest ferris wheel