Pedes defessissimi!

140,000 steps on my pedometer!!

Thank you for the thank yous!!!!!

Day 11 - Katie and Andy

Today we enjoyed a four hour bus ride back to the city of Rome. On the way back, we stopped at the ancient Greek settlement, Cumae. Here there was a Greek acropolis Which is a city center built on top of a hill. When we first Walked In, we saw a section of the Aeneid written by Virgil That Introduces the underworld. Next to this was a large cave Which Was used to store Roman weaponry. Near this was the path Took Aeneas to enter the underworld. He Considered it the entrance time time immediately Because birds would fall dead out of the sky two to the large amount of sulfur.

We then Walked to the top of the hill where we found a temple dedicated to Apollo, the god of light and sun. It was here That We spent a solid half hour chasing lizards through rocks and cracks while enjoying a beautiful view of the lake.

After leaving this site, we drove to the crater of the volcano Solfatara in Pozzuoli. We found That if you stomped, somebody nearby could feel the vibration of the hollow ground.

On this crater, there were areas where steam of sulfurous fumes arose.

When we finally returned to Rome, we ate a three course meal at the local restaurant That We've become very familiar with. Here we Celebrated Sophie's eighteenth birthday (again) with a large cake. We also gave our tour guide, Linda, and bus driver, Pasquale, cards to thank them for making this trip as great as possible.

Now we are preparing for a very early morning wake-up call.

Solfataras

12/20/2014: Our Day in Amalfi

Today we drove along the coast from Sorrento to the town of Amalfi. This was around a two hour drive, through the mountains and along cliffs. The road wound through neighborhoods and farmland up into the mountains. The roads are very thin. Very very thin. All these roads have two lanes but in reality they should only have one lane. How ever our bus wizard Pasquali navigates the terrain with ease. Some times we came so close to other cars and the wall that I thought that we would have to squeeze like the Night Bus in Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban.

After a hour and a half this weaving and twisting through tunnels and mountains we began to descend into Amalfi. This road seemed even more windy and narrow with an even more sheer cliff. The water, a beautiful blue green, seemed to be just on the other side of the three foot barrier, until you got close to the barrier to see that there is at least a fifteen hundred foot drop.

We descended a little bit longer and slowed to admire the Fjord of Furore. Fjords are some of my personal favorite geological aspects of our earth. The rest of the drive was more of the same very sharp turns except now on a decline.

Arriving in Amalfi the first thing I noticed were the huge cliffs overlooking the water. They just gave off a feeling of power. We walked into the town square where there was a magnificent example of a romanesque church, but Ill get to that later.

Once thing Amalfi is famous for is their homemade paper, one of the more popular stores is located in the square. Seen in the picture below.

Here they sold lots of really cool stationery and leather bound books. From here we went up to the church.
The church was really a purrfect example of what romanesque art/architecture looked like. On the outside you see pointed arches overlapping. The alternating colors on the arches is also a huge characteristic of the romanesque style. The tympanum above the door is also a huge part of romanesque art/architecture.

For the rest of our time in Amalfi we sat on the beach eating sandwiches and looking for sea glass. The beach was not a sandy beach, it was a black rocked beach.

This is the view we had while we ate lunch.

Exhausted from our day the majority of us slept on the way back to our hotel in Sorrento. Once back some people napped while others walked through the shops of Sorrento. There was some sort of Christmas/Winter time festival with in the city, Lots of good deals in the shops and live music playing through the streets.

And Last but definitely not least at dinner we celebrated Sophie’s birthday at dinner.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SOPHIE!

Amalfi Beach

Anacapri

The view from the peak of Anacapri

The chairlift on Anacapri

Waiting for the boat at the dock

On a boat tour around Capri

On the stairs down to the port of Sorrento to visit Capri

A Little More About Day 7

Salvete omnes,

As El's poem suggested, yesterday (Thursday, 12/18) was yet another busy and amazing day. We hiked up to the top of Mount Vesuvius, visited an interactive museum of ancient Rome, the Mav Museum, and then toured the imperial villa at Oplontis. 

The weather was absolutely perfect for hiking; the sky was bright blue, the sun was shining, and the air was cool and refreshing. A good portion of the group wished we could hike up Mount Vesuvius from the very bottom, but the bus ride up was still fun. There were so many hair-pin turns that it was almost like riding a roller coaster. Our bus driver made the tight turns effortlessly; we're always impressed by his driving skills. Once we reached the top, it was a ten minute trek up to the volcanic crater. A mountain man and his dog, Fritz, led us there. The guide was hilarious and the dog was adorable and affectionate, and the view was breathtaking. We came back down to where the bus was parked and ate lunch in a little cafe/gift shop before driving back down the mountain. Most of us napped on the bus.

We really didn't know what to expect when we got to the Mav Museum. It turned out to be a lot of fun, and was unlike any museum I'd ever seen. The rooms were dark, with screens that you could interact with on the walls and the floors, depicting ancient Roman architecture and statues. There were even hologram-like images of ancient Roman artifacts that seemed to be floating in mid air! We watched a 3-D movie about the Vesuvius, in English. Exhausted from the hike, we were disappointed to see that there weren't any seats. But since we seemed to be the only people in the entire museum, we decided it'd be okay to sit on the floor. Little did we know that it was really a 4-D movie, and the floor would shake when Vesuvius rumbled! 

The imperial villa was incredible. There were elaborate paintings on the walls, and beautiful courtyards surrounded by ancient stone columns. Walking around, we imagined what the villa would have looked like in ancient Roman times. This was made a lot easier by our wonderful tour guide, Anna, and by the fact that the site was so well-preserved.

By the time we got back to our hotel Sorrento, we were exhausted (but not too exhausted for a little shopping, of course). We had dinner at the hotel, and it was, as usual, delicious.

Ciao for now!

Felicem Diem Natalis!

Happy 18th Birthday Sophie!

Capri- Day 8

                We began our day at our hotel, tired from yesterday’s L-iad. Our wakeup call came at seven am, and by eight-thirty am, we had set off on our new adventure. We walked down the streets of Sorrento, and when we came to the main square, we took an unexpected climb down from the city, across old walls, to the shores of the Mediterranean. We were allowed to shop around for a bit before embarking on our boat, and spending an hour crossing the sea. When we arrived on the shores, we were greeted by the picturesque view of Capri’s white stone mountains. They were covered in pine trees, and surrounded by a deep blue sea. The island was speckled with small Mediterranean homes.

                After another small stop in the shops, we met with our tour guide for the day, Anna, who along with Linda took us around the island. First, we began with a boat ride. We travelled around Capri, marveling at the white cliffs, and the deep blue sea, speckled with cyan coves, and full of small fish and a few jellyfish. We stopped in the coral grotto, which was full of (as you may have guessed) bright orange coral. We continued on, through a giant natural arch of stone, and past Tiberius’s main villa. Upon returning to the shore, we went on a bus ride to a small town at the top of Capri, Anacapri. From there, we took a chair lift up to the top of the highest peak of the mountain. On the way, we saw two cats sunning themselves on the grassy hills below, and upon reaching the top, found a whole family of grey cats. However, the cats were the least impressive things there, because when we looked away from them, we saw a spectacular view of Capri. On one side, perilous cliffs and jagged white mountains rose from the deep blue sea. Gulls flying below appeared to us as if they were the size of ants. The view was breathtaking, and my words, and the photos on the blog, don’t begin to capture the beauty of that sight. On the other side, the whole of green Capri could be seen. The white houses speckled the forests of the island.

                We came down from this height, and went to lunch. Unfortunately, the Blue Grotto, the most beautiful place on the island, was closed. Fortunately, this meant that we saved enough money for a group meal. We ate at a nice place, and afterwards we took a bus to a different part of the island. We decided to finish up our time on Capri with a trip to the gardens of Augustus (modern, only named after him unfortunately). The gardens provided us with the classical view of Capri, a perfect postcard image. We then took a brief stop at a special place on the island. A shop that makes Capri’s signature perfume. After a purchase there, our group decided to split up. One group went down the ancient stairs carved into the side of one of Capri’s mountains to reach the harbor where our boat was. The other group chose to instead use the far more modern and comfortable cable cars. Both groups reached the harbor around the same time. After a brief shopping spree, we went back to our boat, and returned to the hotel, ready for another adventure. (no epic poem this time… sorry)

Peacock...a bird

At Oplontis

The Mav

At Vesuvius

The L-IAD - Day 7 Vesuvius, Mav and Oplontis

Sing to me, O Muse, and through me tell the story

of the sleeping beast beneath and his lofty tomb.

Tell of the brave who climb his walls

and stare into his eye.

And face the ghosts that haunt this earth,

graves open to the sky.

The bus ride twists and turns

through Vesuvius’ steep sides,

and through it’s windows we did see

and mighty view apprise.

Majestic waves and sleeping mountains,

villas far and wide.

Though man’s creations may be great,

by nature they abide.

Our Heros’ journey begins here,

a quest to triumph gods.

With shining rocks as northern stars

through perils they did plod.

Soon they reached the mountaintop,

a marvel to behold,

a sight so mighty and so pure

it cannot be retold.

An ancient villa upon return

to the ground so sure,

with frescos so magnificent

yet modern life obscures.

Columns, vases, and peacocks

in fourth style abound,

A type of Roman fresco art,

never failing to astound.

Then to Herculaneum

our heros did ascend.

With an interactive museum

to their learning they append.

Modern science never fails

to bring the dead to life,

And when the mountain spoke to us,

it did indeed suffice.

To make history a living thing

truly is a feat.

Yet today did manage

to all expectations beat.

Our mighty heroes all worn out,

back to the hotel they venture.

Tomorrow is another day

with wonderful adventures.

Ella-zabeth, Day 5

Salvete omnes,

Today we had an early start to do some last-minute packing. This is because today we hopped on a bus to Sorrento! We drove for around 3 hours (we weren't really sure because we were all sleeping.) Then, because a lot of us needed to use the restroom, we stopped at what was originally perceived to be an ordinary rest stop. To our surprise, it was a massive, semi-gourmet, grocery shoppe! It was filled with oversized candies, like meter long kinder bars, and massive kinder egg surprises. Along with a large assortment of candy, we were delighted to find amazing sandwiches and pastas. After the rest stop, we drove for another 45 minutes, passing by the Appian Way, to get to our next destination. This was a mom-and-pop pizzeria. There was an adorable dog wearing a diaper and delicious pizza. We each got four gigantic pieces, adding up to a whole pizza. Only Mr. Green and Sophie were able to finish! Next we drove through the crowded streets and on to our next stop. We arrived at Pompeii right before the sun began to set. We toured the ancient city, pretending to be merchants and our guide, a wealthy wife to a politician. We saw beautifully preserved homes, shops, temples, and even an ancient brothel! We had a beautiful view of Mount Vesuvius, which we will be climbing tomorrow. After the tour, we drove to Sorrento. On the way it began to rain heavily. It was dark and rainy when we began to drive on a winding, narrow, cliffside road. Those of us awake were terrified. The fear was amplified by our growing awareness that the usually erratic Italian drivers were even going slow and driving regularly. We checked into our hotel, The Michelangelo, and after a short break where we had the option to explore or connect to wifi, went to dinner. We had choices of many delicious foods including swordfish, seasonal veggies, risotto, and much more. It was delicious and today was so much fun!

Domus Cornelii Pompeiis

Theatrum maius

Vesuvius procul

In the odeon at Pompeii

At Pompeii

On the top tier of the Colosseum

More statuary at the Centrale

A beautiful muse

Trying not to look like tourists in our required chef hats at Eataly before our bread demonstration.

At the Centrale

Jaires and Rena Blog Post: Day 4

We started today bright and early at 6:45, and headed down for a lovely breakfast at the Hotel President. After meeting up with Linda, our guide, we hopped on a bus to the gorgeous countryside of Ostia.  The drive was long and restive - most were KO'd in our seats and sleeping as teenagers do. Though it rained torrentially, we were safe and warm because we are both fashionable and smart dressers. Jaires wore a poncho as a cape. All were dry on the inside.

The ruins of Ostia are an incredible testament to the great cities of yesterday. It's wide and expands over acres. You can imagine daily life there, and we even went into an ancient restaurant-bar combo. There are still creatures living in the ruins - we met a dog, affectionately named Cinnamon, who limped slightly and was quite adorable. We've met several cats as well, among them Nona and Tiberius, and several others unnamed. We also saw ancient toilets - a trough of seats without dividers - great for socializing with neighbors!

After Ostia we went to lunch and split up to roam the streets of Rome for a tasty meal. Omlettes, Tofu Dumplings, Chicken, Potatoes, and Clam Fettucini awaited us. It was a tremendous lunch.

We hopped on the bus to go to the Catacombs, but stopped on the way at the ancient public baths, where Romans would exercise, soak, and detox. You've never seen ruins this large - it's incredible how huge the ancient world can be. They make you feel small, and imagining 1500 people there every day blows the mind. Even more people than that, however, are laid to rest in the catacombs.

The catacombs are a network of tombs, over twelve miles of them underground. Slots lined the walls where bodies once lay, most of which had been raided after the 9th century AD. It was the first official Christian buriel tomb, and it was both eerie and exciting to venture down. It was kind of like that one movie "As Above, So Below". Though a little claustrophic, everyone emerged amazed at what we'd seen.

We stopped at an ancient art museum before dinner, where we saw sculptures great and tall, male and female (and everything inbetween). The museum was located in what was once an abandoned WWII factory - the mix of stone sculpture and industrial metal was quite a contrast. Then, not far away, we went to the flagship restaurant "Eataly" which also exists in Chicago, but not nearly as astounding as the one we saw. Sorry you can't be here with us!

At Eataly we explored the true nature of the Italian diet, and got to see the bakery of 'Italy's perfect bread' in action. It was the Ikea of Foodstuffs, but less Swedish. Then we sat down for an incredibly gourmet dinner at a Michelin star restaurant, cooked by a world renouned Chef (who, underneath his apron, wore an FBI T-shirt. We were on to him). Though it was different from what we're used to, the experience of eating such well-prepared food was something to remember. Also, the antipasti were three-tiered prosciutto, cheese and bread.  That was fancy.  Dinner was polenta and dessert - tiramisu!

We arrived back at the hotel pleasantly tired and ready for Sorrento tomorrow. Ciao!

It has been a very rainy day but the students have been great.

Maya & Zan Blog Post 3

Salvete omnes! Quo modo sentitis hodie? We are doing great, how about you?

We had an absolutely amazing time in Rome on our third day here.  First we had a hearty breakfast - plentiful with meats, cheeses, eggs, bread, milk, cereal, and other outstanding breakfast foods!  After that we were off to another amazing day of adventures, including visits to the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, and the Church of San Clemente.   

First we were off to the Roman Forum, which is where many significant Ancient Roman monuments are standing.  On our drive to the Forum we caught a glimpse of the Colosseum, it was huge!  It made us super excited for the day's events to come.  When we arrived at the Forum we initially stopped at the Arch of Titus, it was outstanding.  The Arch, built by the Emperor Titus, was about 30 feet tall and had carvings throughout, which were very intricate, with a menorah   Next we saw huge structures like the Basilica of Maxentius, the Temple of Romulus, and the House of the Vestal Virigins. All were incredible.  

Next we had some free time to explore the forum and eat some lunch.  We went to a small cafe by the Capitoline Hill and had some amazing pasta and chicken. Then we hurried over to the Colosseum because of a sudden downpour. After we arrived at the Colosseum, we had to wait a little bit to enter because we needed to dry off from the rain. Linda, our tour guide, was able to get us a unique, once in a lifetime, reservation to see both the upper and lower levels of the Colosseum. The lower level was especially interesting because during the Ancient Roman times you would only see it if you were a gladiator, lion, or slave, while the upper level provided a great view.  

Finally we were off to see the San Clemente Church.  In the church, one of the oldest in Rome, we saw a great mosaic of Jesus and walked into the lower levels of the church  which housed an even older church.  The lower levels were very claustrophobic and bit frightening, but at the same time very interesting.  We got to see the temple of the priests of an ancient Roman cult called a Mithraeum. 

To end our day, we went out to eat at a fancy Italian restaurant. We all agreed that it was some of the best food we've had on this trip. The first choice was eggplant and meatballs. Our second course was a mix of two different pastas, one with bacon and cheese and the other with bacon and artichokes. Lastly, we had a multitude of desserts including cheesecake, and a unique Italian dessert with wine, custard, and other spices.  The reactions were mixed.  

We then hopped on the bus and went back to our hotel where we passed out from exhuastion.  

Hope all is well in Evanston, and you guys miss us as much as we miss you

Can't wait to be back on the blog!  

Arcus Titi

Clementines and Tivoli

It has started to rain:(

Templum Saturni

Ad Colosseum

Breakfast!

Un cappuccino :)mmmmm