Venice

4 March 2008
Unlike most European towns, Ravenna does not openly flaunt its old aspects. However, it is the home of two gorgeous Early Christian churches, San Appolinare Nuovo and San Vitale. I was especially impressed by their intricate and beautiful mosaics. If I ended up living in Italy, I would choose Ravenna.
The final EPIC TOUR adventure took place in Venice. We played with the pigeons as we waited for our guide. She did not show, so the wandering began. At my insistence, the first stop was St. Mark’s Cathedral, which is a nice, centrally planned church, influenced by the Byzantine arts. Forget what I know—the Cathedral was gorgeous, with phenomenal mosaics and sculptures.
We ate at a pizzeria and did some shopping before ducking into a Burger King to escape the driving rain. Sarah and I stopped in a small café and had a cup of tea. We were all glad to be in Venice, but relieved to be in our dry and warm hotel rooms.

Medici=Mafia

1 March 2008
My final day in Rome was spent shopping. I did a little (too much) shopping. I enjoyed an amazing Italian pizza for lunch and a cappuccino to get me through the day. I went dancing that night, and boarded the bus after only 2 hours of sleep.
We stopped at Assisi. I looked at the churches there and couldn’t help but think that, if St. Francis saw all the churches in their full grandeur, he would be rolling in his grave…which was conveniently located beneath one of the aforementioned churches.
I listened to a This American Life episode of love stories and another on testosterone for the rest of the bus ride. It made me happy.
The next day, we went on a very long church tour, starting at Santa Croce. We saw Brunelleschi’s Dome, San Lorenzo and finally Santa Maria Novella. After the tour, we had some free time and I went to Happy Hour at an Irish pub called Joshua Tree with Gretchen and Fiona. We played cards as loud hard rock music played in the background. Fiona joked that we had all listened to that sort of music and kind of looked the part some time in the past, although we all looked out of place, with our sweaters, blazers, skirts, and knit hats.

2 March 2008
Early mornings and occasional worries may keep trips interesting, though I could probably do without. We began the day at the Academia, the location of Michelangelo’s famous David statue. We were there for quite a while since we couldn’t meet our guide until later that day. I sat behind the statue for some time, talking to Sarah until Clint came and suggested that we go for a walk before we met the guide. We looked at Ospedale di Innocenti and the Mosque.
The official walking tour began and we saw several old medieval structures. It was nice and informative. The Ponte Vecchio is a place I’ll need to re-visit. It is a dangerous place for men to go with their significant others because it is a street completely dedicated to jewelry. It would have been tempting, had the shops not been closed, due to it being Sunday.
After a lunch break, we went to the Uffici gallery, which was gigantic. I am ashamed to admit that the religious arts had become a little tiresome. There are only so many crucifixes and Madonna paintings you can look at in one week. However, I still loved Filippo Lippi’s Madonna and Signorelli’s Crucifixion paintings.

Roma!

26 February 2008
Yesterday, we arrived at the Italian port of Bari and began the drive to Rome. On the way, we stopped at Pompeii to see the ruins there. We saw every part of the town, including the city center, authentic Roman homes, and the brothels.
The rest of the drive to Rome was pretty lousy because people were getting sick, many were cranks and by the end of the drive, we were all very glad to be off the bus. Ah Roma! La Bella Vita.
This morning, I awoke refreshed and ready to take on Rome. The day began with a bus tour of the city. We stopped at the ancient catacombs, where the early Christians buried their dead. I was a little weirded out by being underground, but it was still a really cool experience. In the chapel, there was a sculpture by Bernini of Jesus that I really liked. It apparently was sculpted later in his life, after all his Vatican projects were out of the way. Anyway—more from Bernini later…
The next stop was St. Paul outside the walls, the famous Early Christian church, where all the popes are depicted on the walls. The architecture, sculpture, mosaics and stained glass were all gorgeous and I really enjoyed the tour. There are only 6 places left for the popes, and the superstition is that when those are filled, then Rome will all and with it, the world. I guess we’ll see about that.
We arrived at the Coliseum and the Roman Forum. We couldn’t go in, but we took silly photos of ourselves there. Then, we walked through the ancient forum, to the Capitoline Hill. It was as though our art books came to life today. Capitoline Hill, designed by Michelangelo, has the proud equestrian monument of Marcus Aralias, a pagan emperor, in the center. It was not destroyed by the Christian regime because it was assumed to be Constantine. While on the hill, I took photos of Kevin and Katie’s feet and two birds pooped on Aaron.
We followed our guide to the Pantheon, but on the way we stopped at the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola, where Fra Andrea Pozzo’s ceiling fresco of Ignatius going to heaven is. It was so impressive! The ceiling was also painted to give the illusion that the church had a dome.
The Pantheon was also pretty cool, with a coffered dome, made with a single piece of concrete. There is a hold in the ceiling, but the rain still managed to stay outside.
Independently, we walked Bernini’s Four River Fountain. Unfortunately, it was being restored so we couldn’t get a good look. There, we were harassed by street vendors who made us all a bit angry. We stopped for Gelato and I had Kiwi and Macedonia flavors, convincing myself that the fruit in my ice cream would cancel out all the sugar and fat. Ha.
Wow—we did a lot that day.

27 February 2008
I gave everyone an early wake-up call so we could go and attend an audience with Pope Benedict XVI. After a crowded and stressful wait in line, we found seats that were toward the back. When the pope arrived, he was very far away. The audience was a little like a pep rally, with the Spanish and Italians coming forth with the most pep.
Walking through the Vatican museum and Sistine Chapel was more informative and interesting with my new background in art history. Michelangelo’s ceiling was amazing, as was the Last Judgment at the altar. However, Perrogino’s paintings—the ones that get no glory—were actually quite interesting and we had a good time examining them as well. I also saw Raphael’s room of the four sciences. Raphael is probably one of my favorite Renaissance artists because he uses bright and beautiful colors.
After making our way out of the museum, we continued to St. Peter’s to see what we could see. Bernini’s throne and Baldaccino, Michelangelo’s pieta, the pope’s tombs…It hadn’t seemed like an especially long day, but we had done quite a lot. Later that night, I returned to the Spanish Steps with Clint, Linda and Milan. It could have been peaceful and “romantic” (see Roman Holiday) if it hadn’t been for an underlying feeling of tension.
Oh well—I like the hotel we’re staying in. It’s like an apartment complex and I slept on a hide-a bed in the front room.

Back to Olympia

22 February 2008
We had a free day yesterday to do some exploring of Athens of a Greek island called Aegina. I caught the 10:30 ferry to the island where I rented a yellow moped and cruised the island with Carly, Milan, Catelyn and Ashley. We cruised along the beach and through the mountains where the trees and scenery are absolutely gorgeous. Milan’s scooter broke down, so we tried to find the town. We certainly did see many parts of the island during our search. It made me love and want a moped all the more.
By the time we found the town, we were all very hungry so we stopped at a small diner for a late lunch. I ate a grilled piece of feta cheese that was amazing. On the ferry ride back, I played gin with Kevin, Fiona and Gretchen. The metro got us back to our hotel just in time for dinner. We all knew the next day would be an early start, so most of us return to our rooms and watched The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, which depicted Greece quite well and managed to make me cry.
The next morning, we loaded the bus bright and early and began our drive up to Olympia. On the way, we stopped in Corinth (see Acts 18) and Mycenae. In the ruins of Mycenae, we found a long, deep, dark tunnel and went in, climbing all the way to the bottom. It was so cool! Then we continued our drive and finally arrived in Olympia at around 6:00 pm.

24 February 2008
We couldn’t visit the Olympian ruins until 3 pm, so we were given the option to go to the beach. I should have known that I would end up in the water, but I assumed that it would be too cold and did not bring my bathing suit—and unfortunate error that forced me to swim in the Aegean Sea in my underwear. Catelyn, Allison and I went away from the group, where no one would see. It was a lot of fun and I am really glad that Catelyn talked me into it. The water was quite cold, but I spend the hour catching waves and getting sunburned. I went swimming…in February. Hmmm…
After and nice, long shower, the group met our guide to tour the Olympian Ruins. Again, we were all blown away by the ingenuity of these ancient people. Plus, seeing as it was the site of the first Olympic Games, the tour ended at the stadium with a race. Depending on who you ask, I either won or cheated.
After our last scrumptious Greek dinner, we decided to go out. We found a small dance club, but no one was dancing but our group, so it was kind of awkward. It was still a fun night, though I was exhausted and opted to return to the hotel early.
The next morning, we continued out Olympic tour at the museum where I saw one of my favorite Classical Greek statues, Hermes with the Baby Dionysus. We drove to the port and boarded the ferry to Italy. It was a close to the first chapter of the EPIC TOUR 08. We were then ready to embark on the still epic, though far more strenuous Italian adventure. UP…are you ready? Um…is Italy?

Ask the Oracle

20 February 2008
Yesterday, we explored the ruins of Delphi as well as the museum. Delphi was where the ancient Greeks went to get advice from the Oracles, who channeled the gods and stuff. I found it really amusing that in reality, the Oracles were really inhaling Methane Gases and giving advice and predictions that were vague as horoscopes and the people were really serious about it. We arrived in Athens late last night and did a little exploring, but we had a guided tour of the acropolis planned for the day. Today was sunny, warm, eventful and exhausting. We were followed by a couple of stray dogs as the guide led us up the hill. The walk was beautiful and the view from the top, even more so.
What can I saw about the acropolis? I was just so excited to by outside in the sun, but the fact that I was exploring a famous landmark and historical site made it even cooler. After exploring the acropolis for a while, we caught to metro to the National Archaeological Museum where we saw sculptures, from the Mycenaean to the Greek Hellenistic eras. It is pretty amazing what humans are capable of—even that long ago.
The guide left us and I grabbed some lunch with Allison, Catelyn, Milan, Linda, Sarah C., and Clint. They all had gyros, but I only had cheese fries and the food I’d stolen from breakfast. We each had shopping goals and wandered around the modern day agora until the stores began to close. We went back to the hotel, exhausted. I snoozed for an hour or two before dinner, which was an entertaining meal because we discussed movies, Disney movies, and politics. Now, I am going to sleep, excited about tomorrow. I am going to Aegina, a nearby Greek island, renting a moped, and being reckless!!!

Animal House

18 February 2008
Yesterday, we were in Meteora, visiting some Greek Orthodox monasteries. They were on top of these tall, narrow buttes and looked like a Dr. Seuss book, come to life. We visited three monasteries and admired the icons as Anna explained them and told us a bit about the Greek Orthodox denomination. We also played with the many cats that were wandering the monasteries.
For lunch, I ate a huge pile of cabbage and drank some wine. Then, I looked around the city of Kalambaka with Allison, Denise, Milan, Catelyn and Sarah B. It was very cold and we were all wearing skirts (a requirement). We eventually decided to get a coffee at a little café and wait for the bus.
After dinner at the hotel, us crazy UP kids had a toga party. Getting ready was more fun than the actual event, but that was OK. We did our very best to imitate Greek statues and had numerous photo shoots in our togas. We are such nerds.

Another Lonely Night in Amsterdam

16 February 2008
I have been awful about keeping my blog updated. As I write, I am in a hotel in Rome, Italy. Three weeks ago, I was in Amsterdam. I had flown up on Friday morning, then checked into the hostel and walked toward the van Gogh museum. Unfortunately, we are mere mortals and hadn’t eaten all day, so we stopped in a little pancake house. I enjoyed a small plate of pancakes, coated in powdered sugar and butter. They were delightful.
The van Gogh museum was amazing—just as I had expected. I spent a few hours on my own, taking in as much as I could. Maybe it is just “trendy” to like van Gogh, but I do because his style, though not realist, is unique and intriguing. There is also a little to be said for his tragic life.
On the tram up to the Plein, I listened in on a Dutch conversation. I am not a fan of Dutch for two primary reasons. Firstly, after studying German, there are moments when I think I can understand them, only to be mildly frustrated that it’s not German and I can’t understand them at all. Secondly, it is one of those really throaty language, even more than German (or at least Austrian German).
True to form, we ended up wandering quite a bit. I bought some Ben and Jerry’s chocolate chip ice cream (yummmm) and saw the “coffee houses” and souvenir stands before taking our time when walking back to the hostel. We went to bed really early because it had been such a long, exhausting day.
The next day, I insisted on renting a bike and looking around a bit on my own. Having a bike was the best idea of the trip because I could get pretty much anywhere quickly and with ease (though the traffic was a little intense at times). I rode up to Anne Frank’s house and took the tour. As I went through, I constantly thought of Natalie. She would have loved the place, I thought. At the end of the museum, there was a little place where you could learn about new civil rights issues around the world and vote on what you think should be done about them. I was there for about an hour!
I spent the majority of the afternoon cruising on my bike and exploring the city. Around 4, I decided to check out the Bols Bartending Academy and Museum. It was my favorite part of the weekend. Basically, I could go through the museum and learn about all the different flavors of liquors and genevers that the Bols brand had to offer. Then, I answered a few questions and was recommended a Double Dutch Cosmopolitan. It was tasty, classy, and ice cold. The bar tender even informed me that it was a “very healthy cocktail” made with natural, organic cranberry juice. Well…what more can you ask for? After drinking my cocktail, I was allowed to sample as many flavors of genevers as I wanted. I tried a few and chatted with the (very cute) bartender for a while.
Then, I rode my bike back to the rental place (my time was almost up), and met up with Joe and Val. We agreed to get some dinner and head back to the hostel early because we had to be up by 4 am for the airplane. We arrived back in Salzburg happy, healthy and unscathed.
The next weekend, I went tobogganing in the Alps. It was amazing and very fun. Mid term week went by, fairly well. I feel that it all went on…
Then…SPRING BREAK BEGAN!

Herr Salzburg

SALZBURG, AT

Tension and excitement penetrated the air in the Frauhaus and Penthouse this last Thursday night as young women from all accross the United States gathered for the big event. VIP, Father Jim Connelly also put aside his important duties as director to see what the fuss was all about.

No. It wasn't the Vienna Opera Ball.

It was the Mister Salzburg Competition, 2008. The theme being "step yo' game up" and the fine young lads of Mannerstrasse certainly did that.

The mistress of ceremonies, Valerie Vernale, kept the crownd in suspense as the men prepared for the Evening Wear portion of the program. As the competetors were introduced, the crowd could hardly contain their excitment. They became even more undone with Isaac Otto's shirt buttons. Joe Hanson-Hirt owned this segment of the competition, sporting a vinyl overcoat and looking suave as could be.

Vernale conducted the interviews, covering many importatnt topics: philosophy, world policy, interpersonal relations, and UFOs. The audience was thrilled to see the deeper, more sensitive side of the competitors. Smooth operator, Clint Niehus impressed the judges the most with his interview skills.

As is to be expected, the talent segment of the competition was the most exhilarating and eventful. Otto shared a beautiful and graceful ballet to Swan Lake with the lovely and talented Seonaid Squires. Niehus came forth with a rap full of angst and brutal honesty. Aaron Ragsdale melted the hearts of the audience with his original song, "Does She Know?" It is certain that every single girl in the crowd secretly wished he was singing to her. The audience was soon dazzled by Hansen-Hirt's well-executed ribbon dance. Finally, Kevin Mowery exhibited runway technique that would put even Derek Zoolander to shame. Mowery took home the prize for most talented.

Vernale kept the crowd entertained as the men prepared themselves for the Beer Chug portion of the competition. Not only were they judged on their frat house skill but also their class. Otto came out on top in the beer chug, though Hansen-Hirt certainly brought the class.

As the judges tallied the points, I overheard Hansen-Hirt exclaim, "I told them to step their game up...and they actually did."Otto came out as runner up in the competition, but Ragsdale took home both the Mr. Congeniality and the Mr. Salzburg awards.The dining room was cleared out and the beer pitchers washed and the UP center threw an after party that would put Sean Combs to shame.*

*major exaggeration

Bohemian Rhapshody

It has been a while since my last entry. Since then, I went home for Christmas, which was wonderful and helped me sort out a few things. School began, full throttle. Classes are interesting, but also tough. I'm doing my best to stay on task.

Since school began, I have also had two amazing weekends. The first one was spent on a retreat with the group. It was nice to be away from the Center and learn a few things about myself and my colleagues that made me feel a little less alone. After the retreat, we returned to Salzburg and I went down to O'Malley's Pub with a group of Seahawks fans and watched Green Bay slaughter Seattle. It was a fun night.

This last weekend was spent in Prague. As soon as I lookoed out my train window and a small Czech town, I could see how different it is from Austria. It seemed more truely "old country" or something.

Allsion, Ashley, her cousing, Carly, Linda, and I got off the train, took 1000 Krowns from the ATM and found our hostel, where a cure Irishman worked. We put our stuff in the room and set out to explore the city. We wandered through the Jewish Quarter and peeked into the ancient cemetary. The buildings of Prague are unique and colorful. It was really neat. We also chilled with the Franz Kafka statue for a bit.

At twilight, we crossed St. Charles Bridge. The view is beautiful from the bridge. I could see the massive St. Vitus Cathedral, towering over the city. We then grabbed some dinner at a small cafe. Eager to try some genuine Czech beer, we ordered 4 Budvars. Well--Budvar is kind of available in America, too--under the name Budweiser. We were a little depressedappointed (Allison's new word).

After supper, we began walking back to the hostel, when I saw a sign for a Salvador Dali exhibit. We went in to check it out. The art was definitely weird--some even a little disturbing--but there were several different styles exhibited and it was really quite cool.

We went to bed a little early, since we were all exhausted. We vistited the palace the next morning. THe portrait gallery was a bit mundane until Allison, Ashley, and I began noticing small hillarities in the backgrounds of some paintings--like dogs pooping and humping off to the side. Call us immature, but it was pretty funny.

Things are fairly inexpensive in Prague, so we did a little shopping. I bought a stein--oh heck yes! We then saw a guy go a runnin' because he had robbed someone. Allison and Linda made up a very amusing little anecdote, involving a bayonett and a purse. Then we found the John Lennon wall, which is basically a memorial to him that is now covered with graffiti. We only had a ballpoint pen, but I decided to write, "As soon as you're born, they make you feel small" on the wall. I know--not the most original thing I could have done, but I felt a bit like I was immortalizing my trip. We watched the extra special Atomic Clock in the City Center chime. As the clock chimes, each apostale comes to the window of the church--like a giant coo coo clock. I also ate an amazing Hummus Platter at Bohemian Bagel before we caught the train home. The excitement never stops--they stopped our train to arrest someone and we saw it all from our window. It was a pretty successful trip.

Dark Christmas

Salzburg is in a festive glow and the Christkindlmarkts are busy with shoppers, buying toys, ornaments, Gluhwine, and sweetend nuts. I have been taking peaceful stolls along the river by myself after dinner, but that may have to stop, now.

There's this tradition in Austria called the Krampuslauf, traditionally taking place on December 5, the night before St. Nicholas Day. Apparently it came from some old pagan tradtions of the area, before it was Christianized...and it's still around. The Krampus arrive with St. Nicholas and hit or kidnap pretty girls and terrorize the people.

I joined some friends at Hellbrunn for a traditional Krampuslauf last night. Before the Krampus showed up, I had the pre-rollercoaster jitters, but I did not expect it to be bad. Plus, we were told that it was "family friendly" which led me to believe that there would be no beatings or kidnappings. Well--I was wrong. The Krampus paraded in with torches and sparklers, wearing huge scary masks and growling. At first, they seemed nice--like they were just going to parade on by--but then, they began to attack. The area around me cleared out and everyone ran away. I closed my eyes out of fear, and opened them and there was a huge, gruesome white face, inches from mine. Before I was fully aware of what was going on, I screamed, "no!" pushed him away and ran. Then, a candle burning nearby was knocked over, and the red-masked Krampus had grabbed Jenni.

I was so scared. I knew that they were just guys in costume, but the fire and the masks and the whips...I just couldn't really take it...so I left the center, and hid in the petting zoo. Now that I'm writing this, I know how incredibly pathic I was. The others managed to suck it up. They took some tackles and beatings, but I was chillin' with the goats. Well--don't call me a chicken, just yet. I present to you some amazing photos of the Krampus, and maybe you'll understand.