2 days!

I come home in two days HUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZAH!

Its very bitter sweet but, I am ready to come home. I love London, and hope to return for Grad School but right now I just need to see my Mom, Dad, Friends, Aunt Pam, and Chris.

This weekend we went to Bath and checked out the Roman Baths and Fashion Museum, and had wonderful strawberries at Dr. Webb and John Roses house.

Then after the theatre majors, cathy, Lisa, and Jo had dinner and I picked their brains about grad schools all night.

Saturday, we went to the Science Museum, I did a bit of shopping for people and then in the evening we went to see a preview performance of Streetcar named Desire with Rachel Weiss (will include picture). And afterwards waiting to stage door guess who comes out of the audience, James Cromwell! I almost peed myself, I love London you see people in the oddest places (will include picture)

Yesterday, Cathy, Amanda and I went to church at Westminister Abbey, visited The Tower of London for a bit, and then Carlene, Lauren, and I took in a show at the Globe of Troilus and Cressida. After that we rested our poor feet and did homework till I couldnt keep my eyes open.

Today, Amanda and I are hopefully going to do a tour of the National, and then I hope to check out Harrods and go to Notting Hill again. Tomorrow, I think I am going to go to the V&A which is a big museum, and PACK! Then in the evening we are all doing a big excursion to the London Eye, to close out our trip.

For all who care, my flight is American Airlines. Direct flight into RDU at 2:40. Be there or be square!

CIAO
SBC

LET THE COUNTDOWN BEGIN: 6 DAYS

6 Days left on the rollercoaster that has been my life for the last 2 months, cant believe I am this close to coming home.

Anywho, yesterday was a big day in Sara-land. Amanda and I woke up at 4:30am, to get ready and grab the first tube from High St. Kensington to Leicester's Square to rush for Hamlet. We decided to forgo a trip to Brighton to do this, because A) It was our only chance to go without having to miss class and B) we both weren't really up for spending a day at the beach when we can go to the beach in 6 days when we get home. All you previous study abroaders will probably be mad at me for this but, ah well. Anywho, when we got there a bit before 6th we were 8th and 9th in line, which guaranteed us a ticket. So our ass-crack of dawn wake up call would not be in vain. After making friends with the people before and after us we settled in (literally we sat on the sidewalk) for the next 4 hours till the box office opened. During which time I searched the illustrious morning coffee and breakfast for us, we read newspapers, regaled (sp?) of our trip to our line buddies, and caught up on some journaling. After FOREVER on the sidewalk and one very cold bum later we got our tickets around 10am. Amanda and I scored again on two box tickets stage right, which would later prove to be pretty darn good tickets for only 25pounds. I am really amazed at the seats we have gotten for shows this summer, pretty much 80% of them have been AMAZING and the not so amazing ones werent that bad either.

Anywho, we came back after our excursion took a well needed nap and then toured about town for awhile and went to shops and sights we have missed so far. I also got an extra duffle for all the gifts I have bought on this half. I am serious I have done some SERIOUS shopping for people. I have a huge itemized list of all the gifts I have purchased people, its ridiculous.

The show was pretty good in my opinion, and Jude Law definitely didn't dissapoint. But it was sort of the Jude Law show, and I felt the supporting cast could have done a lot more to back him cause the dude was onstage for 90% of the show and some of the other characters were just a bit lacking. Really (and I hate to say this because I love me the ladies) but the women in the cast were just lackluster, and the men were really dragging them along most of the time. I felt like Jude and the actor that played Laertes were the best in the whole show, and Laertes was really the only character that stood up to Law's level throughout the show. Ophelia was pretty eh too, I thought she could have projected more because I was pretty close to the stage and had a hard time hearing her and her crazy scene was a bit too un-crazy for me. But even though some of the supporting cast were not up to par Jude Law made up for them massively. That man had to have worked off at least 10 pounds during the show, and this was a two day show for him, so I can imagine that is how he stays in such good shape. And for inquiring minds, yes he really is that cute in real life too. He did an amazing job at Hamlet though, he had intention and projection, and his physicality was what amazed me the most. That man was up down, standing, sitting, miming, fighting, crying, screaming in seconds and each movement was fully understandable. It may from this write up seem like I didnt enjoy the production, but I did . No production is perfect, and yes Hamlet had its shaky bits but in the end it was totally worth rushing and waking up crazy early to see this interesting take on a classic.

Today, I went to cabinet war rooms and the Churchill museum which was really neat. And tonight its back to Leicester's Square for dinner and roaming about. I also have crazy homework to do! hehe
6 days
CIAO
SBC

Sunny Monday

Hooray for the sun, its been a bit overcast these last few weeks so its a great change to actually see the sun come out for more than ten minutes. I am feeling a bit better today, finally got some good medication that has been slowly battling this cold away. Its our last full week in London can you believe it? Today we are having class, and then headed to the British Silver Vaults which should be neat, hopefully I can see a lot of stuff I cannot afford but I guess there are some areas where you can buy some of the silver from the vault, and then hopefully trying to make it to the Tower of London later on in the afternoon if my cold holds out.

So this weekend we were able to see two shows, first War Horse on Friday and A Little Night Music on Saturday evening. A Little Night Music by Stephen Sondheim was great and the vocals of that cast were amazing but I have to say that War Horse by far has been the best production I have seen in London so far, which is saying a lot because pretty much everything we have seen has been fabulous.

This production was INCREDIBLE, and the highlight of the show was the puppets that were used throughout the production, in particular the horses themselves. These horses were lifesize so they were HUGE, and we were sitting in the FRONT row and I swear a few times the horses galloped towards us and I backed up in my seat because they were so close. The horses were very lifelike too, you could actually see them breathing and it took 3 puppeteers to man the things. Two men were visible under the horse moving his legs and tail, and one puppeteer was at the front moving his head and making all of the horse type noises. There were also small bird puppets, a goose, vultures, and this INCREDIBLE tank puppet that you can see in the image gallery that was wheeled out during one of the scenes on this immense trolley. I have no idea where all these puppets were stored behind the scenes because all of the puppets were incredibly large.

The story is about a boy named Albert Naracotte and his horse Joey during the first great war. Albert is 17 and cannot join the Devon military yet to fight the french but unknowingly his father sells Joey to the military to become a officers horse for 100 pounds. After a year of remaining behind waiting for Joey to return Albert runs off and joins the army himself to save his horse. Along the way Joey meets another horse Topthorn and the production is basically about the trials and tribulations these two horses encounter during their journey in the war, and their fight to return home. It was a really touching production and gave me a completely knew insight into the plight of animals during wartimes. It was also a bit of a history lesson because I learned during the first world war about a million horses were sent into battle and only about sixty two thousand were ever brought home, pretty sad when you think these animals had to fight a war that they had no part in.

Anyway this production was just amazing and the acting and puppeteering were awesome. Hopefully you guys will check it out and see for yourselves.
Have a great Monday!
SBC

TGIF!

Hey there,
Its the second day of our "travel break" and I have decided to remain in London again, because I really have no need to go anywhere else hehe. Although we are doing some day trips to see outside the city, because I hate to admit it but London is not the only place in England. hehe So yesterday the four of us who are staying in London decided to take a day trip and visit Oxford. We didnt plan out our trip all that well and by the time we got there (mid afternoon) most of the real "sights" had closed. But, I really didnt mind it because we just walked around and got lost in the buildings and shops that line the streets of Oxford. We saw a lot of college buildings and the Radcliffe camera (no Melissa not of any realtion to that Radcliffe ;) the Bridge of sighs, the new Business building, and the Oxford Castle. It was a really neat town, and I am hoping I have time to visit again and be there when I can actually go in and explore these places. I'll include a picture of the camera, cause I thought that was probably the neatest thing we saw there.

Afterwards, we came back to London, had dinner, I did some homework and tried to get a lot of sleep to beat this stupid cold I have.

p.s I finally got my phone figured out and if you know my us virtual number you can now call that and contact me. Sorry it took so long, piccell wireless is not the most speedy company out there.
Anywho, hope everyone enjoys there friday 12 days!
Sara

AHHHHHHH!

I totally met Sir Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart last night!!!!!! We stood outside Waiting for Godot after their evening performance. And after an hour or so of standing outside in the rain, they came out and could not have been nicer. I actually had a conversation with Sir Ian, ekkkkkk!
We also got to meet Simon Callow, who was also a perfect gentleman.

If you are not sure who these guys are (which would be a true shame) I will include some picturesSo here is Sir Ian McKellen, he was in Lord of the Rings, X-men, and pretty much everything else on the planet.

Here is Patrick Stewart, he is best known for his role as Jean Luke Pacard in Star Trek, but he is also a well known Shakespearean and classical actor.

Ugh, I just love London!

More of the weekend

Well its monday, so I thought I would update you on how the rest of my weekend went.

Friday, Amanda and I spent literally 5 hours in the Imperial War Museum. 5 hours! My feet were killing me by the end of it, and we didnt see all of the exhibits either! That museum is well put together, and I really enjoyed touring all the old machinery and learning all about the British point of view in the first and second world wars. My favorite exhibit I think though, was the Holocaust exhibit. It was two floors and covered from beginning to end about the holocaust and how we may continue to remember it in the future. It was interesting too because no matter where you were in the exhibit you could hear accounts of survivors describing their lives at that time, we walked through a cattle car, and saw a huge model of Auschwitz. What got me the most was the section of clothing and trinkets that were taken from the Jewish victims on their way to the camps, just to realize that these are real shoes of victims was quite jarring. I also got to overhear this touching moment between a young boy and his father. His father was basically telling him who Adolf Hitler was and all of the monstrosities that occurred during the Holocaust, and he did a great job explaining to him and answering all of his questions.

So Friday night I decided to lie low and catch up on some homework. Saturday we went to Portobello Market which was BONKERS! I have never seen so many people packed into such a small street before. Portobello Road is beautiful street in the Notting Hill section of London. Its lined with all these multi-colored houses and every Saturday they hold a big market filled with antiques, jewelry, clothing, and other knick knack type stuff. They also have musicians on each corner playing music: I saw a guitarist, a stand up base, and steel drums on alternating street corners. I actually picked up a new leather bound journal there because I am almost through with my first one, and it was neat to check out all the interesting stuff that was being sold. Though, at times it did get a bit too crowded and I felt like a sardine.

After that we went to the show that I have been waiting for since we got here Waiting for Godot with Sir Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart, and believe you me it did not disapoint! First off the set was gorgeous, and so was the Theatre it was in. The set looked like a dilapidated theatre with a second proscenium arch and two boxes on each side, then the stage was raked up with large holes in the floor, and a tree growing from the floor boards. The back of the set was a large brick wall with a small wooden slatted door that was closed shut and they actually used some of the interior of the Royal Haymarket Theatre to be included in the set. The Royal Haymarket Theatre was gorgeous! It was very grand and was covered in ornate sculptures, marble columns, and a big elaborate ceiling, so a vast contrast from the set. The whole cast was incredible, and found moments and relationships in the show that I had never seen before.

Waiting for Godot is a Beckett play from the absurdest portion of theatrical history so basically the plot is (and get ready for it, its a duzy) Two men waiting for someone or something named Godot, THATS IT! They really do nothing the whole play, except for two other additional men come and visit with them on two different occasions. The men have no sense of time and during the whole play one of them constantly says "we should go" and the other one says "no we cant we are waiting for Godot." People try to find new meanings in this play but really its just two dudes waiting for something that never comes.

Now that all of you will never see a Beckett play, I have to say this production was just phenomenal and Stewart and McKellen together had wonderful on stage chemistry and I loved the relationship between their two characters. They were like an old married couple, with Patrick Stewart nagging at Ian McKellen about everything from his shoes to eating carrots! We were so lucky too, because you could tell that Patrick Stewart was coming down with a cold. He ended up not coming out to stage door because he was leaving and his understudy would be stepping in for him for the evening show, so our timing couldn't have been better.

So after that Chip, Amanda, and I decided to go to the National to see what was playing that evening, and we ended up seeing Time and the Conways. I have just decided that everything the National produces is just awesome. The National is this huge complex of theatres of the river Thames that is one of the last government subsidized theatres. Anyway, Time and the Conways was about a family in 1919 and then you see them in 1939 and then at the end back in 1919. The family consists of 2 brothers, 4 sisters, and a widowed mother. The lead character in the play is named Kay and when the play opens its her 21st birthday, she is also the character that ends up having these visions and thats how we fast forward in time to see what the future will be like for this family. The play was a bit confusing to follow, but interesting none the less. I actually thought this would be a great play for Meredith to do, because it had 5 women and 4 men, and all the conflict is balanced on the female characters. The COOLEST part of this play was was the design elements, especially during Kay's visions. The first vision we saw ended act 1, and Kay was seated in the living room reading a stack of papers and her sister Carol was upstage twirling a scarf in the air. At one point Kay took in a big gulp of air and then time appeared to stop on stage, the whole set rotated and everyone froze. And when I say everyone froze I mean Kays stack of papers that had shifted when she took in her breath froze in the air, not touching the ground by in the midst of falling, and Carol and her scarf froze in mid air. IT WAS SO COOL! It took me completely off guard too and for a second I thought I had either fallen asleep or passed out, it was just too cool. The second vision involved this elaborate ensemble they brought in for this one scene. This time Kay is almost 40 and at the end of this large family argument she walks to their fireplace and turns on a light. When she does this time stops again and the set pulls away from her leaving just this fireplace, then ten or so identical fireplaces come into view set diagonally away from her, and ten identically dressed Kay's step up to the fireplace just as she did. Then they did this elaborate dance where the first Kay would start and each of the ensemble would dance in succession, it was just so neat to watch. Then at the end Kay and her brother Alan did a dance as well but behind a hologram screen and they actually danced with each other as young people then as their older selves. I just cannot begin to describe how cool this was, and this write up probably doesnt do it justice at all.

Yesterday, Amanda Chip and I hung out all day in Leicester Square and then an neighborhood in London called Angel where we saw a dance play called "Dorian Gray." In the morning Amanda and I grabbed breakfast, and then we met up with Chip around noon. After we got to Angel and picked up our ticekts for the evening we went back to Leicester Square and roamed through the National Portrait Gallery for a bit. We saw the Gay Icons exhibit which was neat, and the National GP Portrait Awards. After that we walked through Covent Garden for a bit before getting Dinner and seeing the show. I don't think I had ever seen a whole play just in dance, and I really enjoyed it. Dorian Gray is based on the Oscar Wilde book, and revolves around this devastatingly handsome man who suddenly is thrust into the public eye. Lets just say that Dorian Gray throughout the play was also quite lucky with the women and the men in his life. Its actually quite a tragic tale at the end, but the dancing was phenomenal and all of the male dancers were quite easy to look at for two hours, and thats all Ill say about that ;)
Anywho, today I am giving myself the night off because I did way too much this weekend, and I am quite pooped. Sorry I droned on again, but the theatre here is just too good not to describe. Love you all!
SBC

Plays, Plays, More Plays, and Changes on the Horizon?

Hey there, I think I have figured out this public computer thing. The key is to wake up at the crack of dawn because everyone else is asleep and therefore you have the computer for as long as you want, which is what I am doing today. Yesterday, today, and this weekend is our first "travel break" but since I love London so much, I decided to remain here and also save money that I would have been spending to go elsewhere. I sort of wanted to go to Ireland on one of our breaks but we checked and the tickets are like 2oo American dollars just to get there, so I decided Id rather stay here, take in shows, and experience London more in-depthly (blah blah blah...)

So lately I feel like my life has been consumed with seeing theater shows, which I couldn't love more. Two days ago I got to see a matinée and an evening show (I was a busy girl). The matinee was a show called Arcadia by Tom Stoppard. Its a show about two time periods first is a Victorian time period, and the other modern. Two of the characters Hannah and Neil are trying to figure out a mystery of a supposed "murder" and who committed it, you find out through your time with the Victorian period that most of Hannah and Neils assumptions are in-fact in wrong. Really the show has sort of this message that the more time/things change the more they remain the same. I really enjoyed the show, although there were a few points when I was thinking, now what the heck is going on I am so confused! lol There were also a few cool moments when Stoppard put both time periods on stage at the same time, and some of the modern characters were dressed in Victorian attire for a party and one of the Victorian characters was working on a schoolbook behind a present day laptop so she appeared to be in the modern times, talk about keeping your characters straight sheesh! The cast was awesome too, and laden with cute boys which only helped the production in my opinion hehe. And for all you Harry Potter fans, I got to meet Collin Creevy (aka little blond boy who took lots of pictures of Harry in Order of the Phoenix.) Believe you me, colin creevy is not a little boy anymore ;) lol, but off of my ever present boy watching...

The next show I saw that night was Jersey Boys, which was AWESOME! I have to say this was one of the most fun nights of theater I have had in a long time! For all, Jersey Boys is the musical story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, its the story of how they formed into a band, and what happend, before, during, and after their success. Really the show is more like a rock concert than a West-End Musical, but man I didnt care what it was, it was just fun. The four guys sing some of the most popular Four Seasons hits like: Walk like a man, Sherry, Big girls dont cry, Oh What a Night, Beggin, Dawn, Cant Take my Eyes off of you, Rag Doll, and Who Loves you. This show was also technically amazing, I have not ever seen people change scenes like that in my life. Cast and crew were essentially running from scene to scene in a blink of an eye, I cannot imagine how tired everyone was at the end of the night. There were also things being constantly flown in from the ceiling, brought up from trap doors, being slid on, or wheeled off. They also had live feed cameras attached to some of the props that fed onto huge monitors to show the real cast performing in black and white, to give the appearance that they were on American Band stand, or the Ed Sullivan show. It was just such a well thought out piece, and to top it all off all the actors were British; so not only did they have to sing and run amok the whole show they also had to speak in Jersey slang the whole time. I was completely convince they were all American born but when I met some of the after the show (more on that later) I was shocked to find they were all British, so cool! The actors were great too, and the vocal pipes on the man that played Frankie Valli were incredible, I just cannot see how he can sing that high night after night. We actually got to see the original London cast of Jersey Boys except for one lead that was played by a very cute swing, because the show to my surprise has only been open for about a year.

During the show, I found an ad for an acting school that one of the members of the cast (actually the cute swing I was telling you about) had recently graduated from. Which has gotten my thinking that maybe London is the place for me after school, and perhaps the reason I love this place so much is because its where I am meant to be to continue my studies in Theatre. I have spoken to mom and dad about it and I am hopefully going to continue to look into schools here, and try and find out all I can about international studying and what sort of postgraduate programs they offer. Who knows what will happen after I graduate, but this summer in London wont be my last...

Anyway, last night the 7 of us who decided to remain in London got cheap tickets and saw our first show at the National, which was All's Well that Ends Well by William Shakespeare. The basic premise of this play revolves around Helena, who cures the king of an ailment and the king rewards her by allowing her to pick any man in his kingdom for her husband. You see Helena has been a ladies maid for Count Rosillion all her life and she has developed quite a crush on her son Bertram so obviously she picks him for her hubby. Bertram is none to please about this so he goes off to war and leaves her a letter that says, A) if you can get my ancestry ring off my finger, which I never take off and B) If you can get yourself pregnant by me than I will love and accept you as my wife ( I know real gem isnt he?) Obviously this appears to be impossible since he is in a war zone and she is in France, but for Willy Shakes anything is possible and in the end Helena does do both these things (sorry if I ruined it for you). This production was really cool, and their set was probably the coolest set I have seen in a long time, and the production was heavily laden with cute boys again so you cant go wrong. I just still cannot get over the set I saw last night, they used every inch of that stage for set and it made everything look so grand and immense, very neat. They have this large barricade type thing that forms one moment and then a second larger mountain behind that in the set and two large castles that are flown in, and behind all that is a large curved projection screen from which they project seasons changing, aninmals, weather and all other neat type things. They also had a lot of neat effects dropped from the ceiling (like rose petals at the end of the show, very romantic.
If you want to see more about it, here is the National's website. They have a trailer of the show which I am sure is really neat, but I cant watch it here cause this computer is crapt so let me know what you think! http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/49017/alls-well-that-ends-well/about-the-play.html

Ok, now that i have utterly bored you about my theatrical escapades, here I need to go in the search of breakfast. Today we are hopefully seeing the Imperial War Museum and the Cabinet War rooms, and then tonight its another play yahoo!

Sending you all my love!
Sara

A London Update

Sorry I have been so bad about updating this the last week, we JUST got internet at the Assumpta center, and its also been hard to get a decent spot on the computer to think out what I am going to write about.

We have done TONS since we got here so I wont bore you with all the details, but so far we have done: The Foundling Musuem (which was a hospital in the 1700's created for destitute women to come and give up their children if they came upon hard times) The Charles Dickens House (a bit too small for my taste, plus while we were there a HUGE group of middle schoolers were also touring and they were smashing about the entire time) The British Museum (HUGE! but really neat they have historical artifacts from every country imaginable), St. Pauls Cathedral (we went for a service which was really neat), and Parliment (which we toured today). I have also been able to see A Doll's House at the Donmar Warehouse with Cathy, Bill, Chip, and Amanda which was such a good show. If you are familiar with the X-Files the woman who plays Scully named Gillian Anderson played Nora and she was awesome. I am also about to see a matinee of Arcadia by Tom Stoppard which looks to be a really neat production that mixes time periods, and after that we are seeing an evening performance of Jersey Boys, which we were able to score some amazing tickets that should have been 60 pounds for 25, thank you student i.d!!!

The harry potter premiere was last night as well, and it couldnt have been a worse night for a movie premiere. Daniel Radcliffe stayed out for an hour or so braving the terential rains to greet fans and sign autographs and I hope the poor guy doesnt catch pneumonia. We also heard that Rupert Grint was just coming off a bought of Swine Flu so he was escorted through the handicap gate, but some of the girls got an AWESOME picture of him upclose. I unfortunately, decided not to brave the rain. But I did go and stayed for a little while to take pictures and see all the whoopla. I have been having some trouble with my right calf, and I thought it was probably better for me to rest it than stand there for four hours trying not to keel over.

So far, London has been amazing. I love the sights, the sounds, the people, and the general feel of this city. London has such a rich history I feel like I could just get lost for years soaking it all in. Plus, the people here are SO NICE! I was in search for a gift for one of you, and was having the hardest time finding it until I asked this nice lady who ended up giving it to me FOR FREE! I couldnt believe it, and when I did try to pay for it the woman absolutely refused my money and said it was nothing. The other thing that has been really great is all the Theatre I get to see while I am here, I could honestly see a show a day and not crack the tip of the iceberg at everything that is available here in London, granted some of it is a bit weird but neat none the less. Its also been nice to have Cathy's family here, Chip and I got to catch up and we spent the first night gabbing over digestives and milk (lol digestives are their cookies and to answer your question no, they dont stimulate your digestion, thats just the word for them I guess) it was wonderful.

We have our first travel break this week and I have decided to just stay here and spend more time exploring the city. I plan on going to the Tate Modern tomorrow, Imperial War Musuem Friday, and hopefully the Globe sometime this weekend. I am also seeing WAITING FOR GODOT on saturday with PATRICK STEWART and SIR IAN FRIGGEN MCKELLEN! I am so pumped its not even funny, I am going to try my damdest to get both their autographs if its the last thing I do, I am sure it will be brilliant (hehe). I am also hoping to see Dorian Gray this weekend, and if I am lucky Hamlet sometime soon.

I wish I had more time to explain everything we have done so far, but it would probably be pretty long and boring hehe. Miss and Love you all!!!
Sara

p.s. only 21 days left on the trip as of today, can you believe it?

LONDON!!!!

So sorry about how long it has taken to post, we havent had internet since I got here and I finally found a decent Internet Cafe today. So we are now officially in London, and I LOVE IT. We arrived on Monday from Paris on a Eurostar train and immediately I felt settled, calm, and relaxed here. London just seems to be a quiet fit for me and I adore it completly. Our accomodations here at the Maria Assumpta Centre (now Hethrop College) are incredible. I literally feel like I have died and gone to heaven. I have my OWN ROOM! It felt so good to spread out all my things and organize the room to my likings, and not have to worry about inconviencing anyone else. This trip has truly allowed me to appreciate the little things in life, and having my own room is definetely one of them. We also have breakfast and dinner at the Centre which to this point has been pretty good. I love the breakfasts in Italy but its been nice to get some cereal back into my diet.

So our first day, we had classes and then a bunch of us set out to figure out the tube system and went to Leicester Square and picked up tickets to Billy Elliot. Let me just tell you if you have the chance to ever see this show, GO! No matter what you have to pay its worth it. The play is about a little boy named Billy who is forced into boxing lessons by his father who is a miner in Durham, England that is on strike during the Maggie Thatcher political period. By a series of hilarious events Billy falls into a ballet class and discovers his love and raw talent for dance. This show made me laugh and cry and cheer for this tiny titan that is on stage for pretty much 95 % of the show for almost 3 hours. This kid does tap, ballet, jazz, hip hop, and some CRAZY acrobatics, the boy that played billy could not have been more than 9 or 10 and has more talent in his pinky finger than I have in my entire body! We got to meet him backstage after the show and I was just in awe of him before his dad whisked him away. I did some research on this show and apparently their are three billies that share the role and are only allowed to do the show 3 times a week because of child labor laws and how taxing the role is on their young bodies. Like I said they are on stage for almost three hours dancing pretty much the entire time, it was incredible. One of the best musicals I have ever seen. I am not usually left speechless but after the first act I just sat there with my mouth open trying to take it all in, I am already planning on seeing it again hehe.


Anywho, yesterday was low key. I went for an early morning walk with Amanda and Cathy through Kensington Gardens which was beautiful. It was also Princess Di's birthday so we got to see a bunch of cards and flowers left for her to celebrate. Its incredible to me just how much the brits appreciate and idolize her to this day, she truly was the peoples princess I guess. Its nice to think that her memory and legacy lives on, and that people still celebrate the milestones in her life. Its funny to think she would have only been 48, she was far too young.

We also went to the National Gallery yesterday and I got to see some Van Gogh's and Monets, which was really neat. I have truly been blessed to see some of the most awesome pieces of artwork this summer. I still cant believe, I have been able to see some of the paintings I have. We spend about 2 hours there, and also we got to be in Trafalgar's square on Canada Day, which as you can expect was quite a sight to see hehe,

Today we had classes, and in a few hours we are seeing Calender Girls. Which is a stage remake of the popular movie, and we have awesome seats, 3rd row center for 27 pounds = amazing. I hope it will be as good as I think it will be, stay tuned I guess.

Anywho, Miss you all
Sara


P.S
will post address soon, hopefully tomorrow! Thanks for your ongoing support this summer, its been great to read your posts. They truly keep me going when I am gone, I have the best friends and family in za world!!!!

Wrapping it all up

So today is our last Saturday in Sansepolcro, sad day... Classes wrap up tomorrow, we have our last big family dinner tomorrow night ( I have to sing again grr...) and then we head to Cinque Terre at the ass-crack of the morning on monday, spend three days there and head to Switzerland early Thursday morning. From there we spend two days in Stechelberg (spelling I give up) and then head to Paris for 2 nights before going onward to London. Phew, it tires me out just thinking about it! I dont think I will be able to blog till we get to London, but maybe I will be able to pop on in Paris just to let everyone know that I am safe and whatnot. I dont believe, I will be able to use my phone in Paris either since we dont have a sim card for it, and I dont feel like being hammered with a crazy phone bill.

I am super pumped about this next week though, if we can make it through this I am pretty sure we can make it through ANYTHING this trip has to throw at us, I am totally getting jinxed for saying that...

Italy has been an amazing experience, and it seems sort of crazy that it is slowly wrapping itself up. The troubles we had as a group have seemed to all but dissapear and I am happy that this trip is ending on a positive note. It will seem weird to leave the Italy half of the girls in Switzerland with only 3 of us continuing on to Paris and London (the other 2 are going to Amsterdam before London) I am really excited to meet the new group of girls that are coming to London and see how different the atmosphere will be with them as opposed to the Italy ladies. I am also quite excited to be going to a country where I speak the same language as everyone else (that is a very un-study abroad comment, but I cant help it. I have felt like a perpetual idiot since the day we got here)

I think this is it for tonight, I will probably have a larger wrap up blog tomorrow, but tonight I have a module and a paper to tackle... Ti amo!
Ciao
SB

Venice

Alright back from Venice! Venice probably is the most beautiful place I have visited so far. On Monday we cut classes short, headed to the bus station and rode to Arezzo our leaving spot. From there, a group of around sixteen of us (professors included) took a train to Venice Saint Lucia. It was a bit late so we hung out and people watched for awhile till it arrived. I swear this trip has really allowed me to take hapiness in the small things in life, and one of those things is having a reservation so that you and your friends are guarenteed a full cabin on the train. This means we all have seats together and can close the curtains and not have to worry about people getting on and off or going through our stuff. The train ride was about 4 hours long so not too bad, and great for getting in that nap I had missed out on for the last few days. So Venice is gorgeous! (will include picture) Its basically a fish shaped island surrounded by some more quiet smaller islands. From the quiet large train station (they said about 10,000 people go through this train station PER day, hold on to your purses ladies! From there we purchased a rolling venice pass and a 72 hour vaporetto pass. The vaporettos are basically these boats that ferry people to and from the island and to many destinations along the way since walking across Venice would take forever. I actually would have perferred the walk since I have this nasty seasickness habit hehe. Anywho, we had mass confusion for a few minutes before finding the right vaporetto and heading to the most wellknown landmark in Venice, Saint Marks Square. Ok, Saint Marks is basically this enourmous square flanked by a church, a belltower, and 3 large window-filled buildings. Within the square are A) tons of people and B) lots of restaurants and chairs (dont sit, they charge out the wazoo!) C) Late at night bands from competing restaurants come out and play famous orchestral music (I could dance all night, I feel pretty, Maria etc..) D) this square is filled with couples dancing and kissing and blah blah blah you know the deal... Actually, people are not only allowed too but encouraged to dance in this square to the music so on the first night I twirled Bria around in my best tango-esk fashion (dad you would be proud)

Anywhoo, we got to the square marvelled a bit, and realized we all still had our enourmous packs and went to find our hotel. Venice is filled with these tiny shop-heavy streets, so we got a bit lost because of Brias tiny map until we found our hotel. It was right near the Ferrari store, which I am sad to say I never actually got the chance to go in lol. Our hotel, Hotel Astoria was nice, it was exactly what we needed since we wouldnt be spending much time in it in the first place, the only downside was Kiran and I in our two bedroom had no A/C and it is hot as bejesus in Italy right now! lol. After that, the six of us decided to commit another cardinal sin of study abroad and we went to The Hard Rock Venice Restaurant. OMG, I seriously need a moment of silence just to appreciate how nice it was to go to this restaurant after a month of straight Italian food. This place had chicken nuggets, fries, burgers, and most importantly free refills and they split the check! I cannot even express how incredible I felt after I finished my food SO GOOD! Ok, back to business than we went and hung out in Saint Marcs for a bit, found a little quiet pub and had some wine and gabbed about Venice so far, then I got dragged to another not so quiet bar and all the girlies had a bit too much to drink. I was alright though and still managed to get us all back to our hotel safe and sound. Then we crashed to get ready for our next day.

Our next day, We took the vaporetto and visited Murano and Burano. These two small islands are known for their blown glass, and lace. It was really fun to go to Murano because its a sleepy little town cut in half by a large canal of water and filled with small glass shops, a glass blowing factory, and large glass sculptures everywhere you turn. We spent about an two and a half hours there picking up presents for our lucky friends and family at home ;) Before a group of us split off and went to Burano, an even smaller island. This island was cute and covered in beautiful multicolored buildings lining its "grand canal" but we quickly saw all the main sights and decided that all our feet had, had enough. About a two hour vaporetto later we were back in Saint Marks. I then required a nap for 45 minutes while everyone got pizza, and I got gelato for dinner (hey like I said an any time of day food, plus its cheap and Venice my friends is not!) We then had the bright idea to hop on a vaporetto (they run 24 hours a day) and do a "night cruise" to see the sights. Ok, A) we got on the wrong boat so we saw pretty much nothing and B) I felt horribly seasick. Blah, not fun but we did see a few huge cruise lines that were docked there and we all commented about how a vacation from our vacation would be nice.

Ok, Day 2 (trying to make this short) Kiran, Spencer, her friend Eric, and I went with Cathy to Vicenza this day. We woke up bright and early, took a vaporetto to the train station, hopped a train (Spencer and Eric missed this one so they met us later) and an hour later we arrived. This place is known for its ancient theatre (teatro olympico) that has been beautifully perserved over the years. We arrived, took a bus, and had AMAZING lunch (I had shrimp and zuccihini salad, a water, and roasted potatoes) and visited the museum. The Theater tour itself was pretty short but the theater is gorgeous. Its this raked stage will a front wall facade and three streets projecting backwards that are designed in perspective style and get shorter as the distance increases. They said that they put little people at the back of the set to give the perspective even more believability, which I think is too funny. Its also surrounded by statues of the members of Academia at the time looking down on the stage watching the show going on. The theatre opened in the early 17th century I believe and its opening show Odeipus Rex started at 1:30 in the morning and didnt end till 4, housing over 2000 people. After the theatre we got amazing gelato, and headed back to the train station. That night I had a way too overpriced dinner and turned in early while the other girlies went out

Our last day we got breakfast, hung about, packed up and hopped the train back to Arezzo. After a long bus to Sansepolcro here I am safe and sound. Overall, this trip was amazing. I think our group is now comfortable with each other, we all know our particular roles we play, and its pretty much smooth sailing to find and reach our destinations. Now we are in Sansepolcro for three or four more days before my group is headed to Cinque Terre for three days and then on to Stechlberg Switzerland for two. Hope everyone is doing well, thanks for all your great messages about the blog will continue to post as much as I can!

Ti amo!

Ciao

Sara

Little Known Facts: Italy #1

Had some extra time today and thought I would gather some silly little known facts for you guys that I have learned so far on my trip

1. There are in fact more grapes in Italy than people.
2. If you can see one iota of sky above your head, im talking a half a centimeter or more be AWARE. Bird poop happens here, the birds know we are american and aim accordingly.
3. If indeed "shit happens" while you are out avoid removing immediatly, instead let the locals have a little fun staring at you until it crusts upon your head and you can flake it out.
4. Gelato is an any time of day food, for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. They are the only stores that are open at all times!
5. Between the hours of 1 to 4, everything in Italy closes (except aforementioned gelaterias) Italians enjoy a good nap, everyday.
6. Italians do NOT under any circumstances split checks, even if it is a table of 14 you will have to delegate the tab yourself.
7. Similiarly, Italians do not enjoy anything that is not cash. The mafia tends to like to take a cut of profits so cash is the most sneakable form of currency.
8. It is perfectly fine to have a bit of vino before noon, infact preferred if you are having lunch. Bottles can cost as little as .99euro so, drink up!
9. Small children know a lot more english than you anticipate. They are also not afraid to scream these "certain words" they know at you. The boys here all know a certain word we use for a cat, and will ask you if you in fact own one, at any time of day. Even with their parents.
10. Men here are clever with their come on's (or so I hear I have not infact been acosted by any Italians yet)
11. If a woman attempts to give you her baby in a throwing motion RUN you are about to be robbed.
12. If a woman tells you that you have any type of condiment on your clothing RUN you are about to be robbed.
13. If a cute dog stops beside you resist the urge to pet, and RUN this cute dog has an owner, an owner that is about to rob you.
14. People that beg here for money, often jingle from the money they have in their pockets, smoke expensive cigarettes, and cary cell phones. Think before you give!
15. It is perfectly accepted to let your child run like madmen in church, its also alright to talk during a service, and to not bow your head during prayer. It is also mildly acceptable to sleep during service.
16. Olive Oil goes on everything, period.
17. The food here is amazing you will get fat, its an unavoidable fact.
18. Be aware of surroundings at all times, especially on trains. Avoid mothers with small children that look like they need to pee (yes there is a story that follows it, and no its not pretty)
19. Hand sanitizer is your best friend, use and care for it as such
20. Dental Floss and bed posts make a quite suitable clothing line, avoid the mint type it leaves marks ;)
21. A laundry day is perfectly normal if it involves a sink, some febreeze, and wrinkle release.
22. Italian women wear heels all the time at any age. You will feel inadequate, except it.
23. People will stare at you, do not smile, smiling and eye contact is a no-no.
24. You kiss the right cheek and then the left if you know someone, confusing these directions can lead to an awkward almost kissing someone on the lips moment.
25. Lastly, Italy is the most beautiful country ever, and these facts are meant to be funny and showcase my hysterical moments trying to fit in thus far.

Hope you have enjoyed,and look forward to many more additions as I learn more of these little known facts in the future. :)

Jewlery Day!

Hey there,
So today was a good mix of old and new stuff. We woke up around 7:45 had breakfast, and went to our Italian and Theatre class. Usually we have three classes so one was removed and we got out at 12:30 for lunch (hooray!) Lunch was awesome as usual, the nice ladies made me plain pasta and everyone else this tomato and red pepper pasta that everyone seemed to die over. After we had bread, green beans with olive oil, salad, and garlic crusted fish. It was so goood, I am beginning to think I am enjoying the food here too much. I hope to not have to buy a whole new set of clothes before I come back or have to be wheeled off of the plane in RDU so I am going to try and cut down on my crazy Italian food intake. I am not its not too bad, and I havent really noticed any changes in my body but I feel like people are constantly eating here. Its like Italians live to eat not eat to live so I am constantly being told to eat more! Granted, the food here is "more healthy" but gelato everyday still doesnt seem to be all that great for my figure ;)

Anywho, after lunch Kiran, Spencer, Kaitlin, and I had a little group room clean up session, cause our room was getting a bit overwhelming with clothes and bottles and whatnot. Then I forgoed my usual mid-day nap (another little tid bit that Italians love to do) and started my paper that was suppose to be due tomorrow but later got moved to thursday. After an hour or so of that, we headed out to the jewlery designers house. We Meredith ladies are so very lucky, and we have an in with a local jewlery designer that each year opens her home for us to come and visit and purchase oodles of her designs. It seems to be a win win situation for both sides. The jewlery was GORGEOUS to say the least and with 23 girls clamoring around a table a quickly became a free for all until the designer told us she had duplicates of everything. It was also nice that everything wasnt crazy expensive. There were inexpensive earrings, rings, pendants, necklaces, and then more expensive bracelets and other larger items. I bought myself some 5 euro earrings and a 10 euro ring, which looks very nice on my finger as I sit here typing this blog (thank you me! hehe) but mainly I got gifts for all of the pretty ladies in my life! hehe. I had to limit myself though because I kept finding things for people and then had to set it back down remembering that I have Venice next week, which is famous for their handblown glass. Afterwards, I walked back to the Servi and finished my paper so that it would be out of the way for the rest of the week. Then I finished The DaVinci Code (thanks chris) which I started on the plane here. My next "for fun" book will not actually be that much fun, because its a book I need to have read for a class I am taking in London. So tomorrow, we dont have classes (huzzah!) and we are instead waking up for an 8:30 departure to Asisi and Perugia for the day. Some of you may think Perugia sounds familiar, and thats probably because its been in the news lately. Recently, an American student was arressted there and charged with murdering her British roommate that was also studying abroad. They allege that she, her Italian boyfriend, and some other random dude killed her while on a drug/alcohol induced trip. I know, what joy! Cathy, and Greg insist that Perugia is a pretty place to visit despite this, but hopefully we wont be starred at, as potential murderers all day! Will let you know!
Ti amo!
Ciao
SB

Rome, Sorrento, and Pompei: Excursion 1

So the last 3 days I have been on my first excursion of the trip abroad. It was filled with ups and downs and I think I am still sorting out how I feel about the whole thing so here is the play by play.

Monday which seems like a millenia ago, we ended class early and headed to the train station in Arezzo. Kiran, Spencer, Kaitlin, Nikki, Meredith and I had reserved a car for ourselves and took off on the direct train to Naples. This was probably one of the nicest trains we have been on so far and it was GREAT to have our own room to ourselves. We pulled the curtains (to keep unwanted creepers away) turned off the lights and slept on and off for the four hours to Napoli. So when I pictured Naples I pictured a sort of Raleigh like city in the countryside with a large overlook of the coast of Italy. WRONG! Naples I now know is pretty much the armpit of Italy and the scariest ghetto-looking area I have been too in a long time. When we exited the train a nice Italian boy named Fillipo showed us to the subway to get to sorrento and on our way there I saw a woman throw up into the train track rails (WELCOME TO NAPLES FOLKS!) I should have known then to expect the unexpected on this trip lol. So anyway we got on the subway for about a hour or so and arrived in Sorrento. Which again was nothing like I pictured, granted it was overlooking the ocean but the weather was pretty crudy. Our hostel though was very nice and much cleaner than I expected it to be. For a six person room it was pretty spacious and had just enough of the ammenities to keep us satisfied. The first night we grabbed a light snack for dinner and met some Canadians, Brits, and Americans and played a large series of card games so that was nice. We turned in fairly early cause we had to wake up early the next morning. The next morning we woke up around 8 got our complimentary breakfast and hopped on the first train bound for Pompei. Pompei was probably the highlight of my entire trip. Its this huge ancient town that was destroyed when a large volcano in the area covered it in lava and molten ash, but this disaster also preserved the remains for centuries. You can see roads, houses, gardens, even a theatre. Its cool to see how innovative the people were back then, in the roads they have large rocks in the intersections that were used when the roads were forcibly flooded to clean them and citizens used the rocks to cross over the flooded streets. There are also remains of the unfortunate souls that didnt survive the volcano attack. I know its creepy but I took pictures of the statues I guess you would call them. I kept thinking about what they were doing right before it happend and what they looked like before they were essentially molded into a statue. Ok so after about 3 hours of exploring pompei we went into town grabbed another cheap lunch and went into this limoncello factory. Limoncello is a lemon flavored liquer that is native to that area. We also discovered that there was a man there that made hand made shoes, so I counseled with mom and did my first and only splurge of the Italy portion of the trip. I bought myself a nice pair of sandals that I had custom made to my feet, I got to pick the colors and everything. I took about a million pictures of the man (his name was castello) making them so I will post those as soon as I can. Then it began to pour outside so we rushed back to the subway and headed back to Sorrento. Some of the girls met boys that night and stayed out way too late so I got very little sleep that night making sure everyone was okay and safe. The next morning we woke up around 6:45, grabbed breakfast, and headed on the first train back to Naples or the armpit as I call it. After arriving we got on the next possible train and went to rome.

The train to rome was a Eurostar which was a very swanky train but we couldnt all sit together and it was extra money to reserve it so I wasnt that impressed. The train station in Rome though was super nice and I knew from the moment we got off the train that I was going to like Rome much more than Naples ( I mean no one threw up in front of me in this station so that right there made me like it even more!) Our hostel in Rome was about four blocks from the station ( you will find out later that this was a very good thing) and so nice. It was called the Alessandro Palace and its suited just for young travelers. It was about 30 euro a night so a bit more than we wanted to pay but it did offer free breakfast and dinner so it sort of was a good deal in the long run. Our six bedroom was clean but quite odd since you had to stick the key to the room in this little slot for the electricity and air conditioning to work. Anywho, after we dropped our stuff we set out on our first walk to the Colloseum. So on this trip, I have become the card carrying map reader (they call me the bloodhound ;) Which I am actually pretty proud about because if you asked me to read a map 14 days ago I would have had no clue. Granted it took a bit of fenagalling but I finally got us there. Then we tried to find an atm which was an illustrious fail so we decided to just chip in for each other for the ticket in to the Colloseum. Then we got roped in to our first tour of the trip which to be honest I didnt really think was all that worth it. Granted, we got to bypass the line in, but a lot of what the guy talked about I already knew. The colloseum was beautiful and very well preserved, I enjoyed it and we stayed about 2 hours inside. You cant actually climb as high in it as I thought we could, but the second level had a good view of the mechanics inside so I got some interesting pictures. After that we walked past ancient rome, pass this huge monument called the wedding cake, to the Trevi fountain. The fountain was probably my favorite place we visited in Rome. It was ten times bigger than I thought and very crowded but it had this peace about it that was exactly what I needed at that point. When we got there our feet were pretty well tuckered out so we grabbbed some of the most glorious gelatto I have had so far and had a bit of a sit down. I had a big ol' cone of menta stracciatella (mint chocolate chip) caffe (coffee) and niccolia (hazelnut) I know I know weird combo but it was amazing! So we sat for a bit and than took pictures and tossed in our coins. I tossed in two coins which is suppose to signify that A) I will come back to Rome soon and B) I will fall in love in Italy (go figure). Afterwards we walked about in the marked and I picked up some postcards and checked out the area around the fountain. I also got sexually harassed by a living statue in the area dressed up as Charlie Chaplan. Yes folks its impossible for an italian man to look my way but Charlie Chaplans have no problem expressed their interest (my luck) and we committed a cardinal sin of study abroad and ate at mcdonalds. It was the best mcdonalds I have ever been too (it had burgers on foccacia bread) and spencer even got a beer in a italian sippy cup. We then trudged our way back to the hotel about an hour walk and crashed from the excercise. All the girls showered and than we went down for dinner. After that I was feeling a bit low and I went back upstairs to shower and relax.

Today, we visited the vatican. We took another very long and in my opinion expensive tour but again we got to bypass the lines so that was good. The vatican city was beautiful and immense and I was quite bummed we didnt have time to see everything. We did however get to see one of the museums and the Sisteen Chapel, which was beautiful. Its much smaller in person but one of the most ornate churches we have visited so far. Our tour guide taught us some neat stuff about Michelangelo and I learned that he really did not want to have anything to do with painting this church which seems ironic for all the prestige it now receives. We also learned that back in the day one of the cardinals gave Michelangelo flack about his paintings (which included alot of nudity that this particular cardinal didnt appreciate) so late one night Michelangelo sneaked into the chapel rubbed out on of the faces and repainted it in this mans likeness. The man he turned into the cardinal was actually the mythological human figure that was suppose to be the gatekeeper of hell tehe ;) and then the pope wouldnt allow the cardinal to have his face removed so its still there in the right corner of the judgement.

After that, we booked it back to the Trainstation via the metro, and realized we had only ten minutes till the last train back to Arezzo left. This where the trip gets interesting, we quickly designated four of us (spencer, kaitlin, nikki, and yours truly) to RUN back to the hotel grabbed ALL our bags and RUN back in less than ten minutes mind you. Apparently all this walking has put us in better shape because I have not ran that fast since jr. high. We basically sprinted four blocks (in my crocs) to the hostel. Formed a line and heaved bags to one another and than ran back to the station in six minutes! When we arrived the two girls with all our purses had moved from where they were before so we were left money and phoneless. All of my lack of sleep than caught up too me and I began to cry and curse quietly in the middle of the station next to the train we needed to get on until heavenly spencer and kaitlin found Kiran and Meredith and we all boarded the train. I have never been so happy to get on a smelly train before! We sat down and I couldnt believe we had done it, I was so proud of myself I could have just kissed myself if it was possible. Granted, I was embarassed I lost it along the way, but hey growing pains I guess...


Look for some postcards coming your way(s) soon.
All my love, miss you all so much
Hopefully the next post wont be so long!
Ciao
SB

Firenze!

BenaNotte! (its almost midnight here, 6pm for you all)

Sorry about missing the last three days, its been a bit hectic here at the Servi! So last time I blogged was monday at the casa I believe. So, tuesday was a bit boring just classes and what not. I love this trip but boy can the classes get a bit monotanous, we are in the same classroom from 8-3:30 with one lunch break and its all I can do to stay focused and not wander off! Anywho, tuesday a large group of fourteen of us went out to dinner at Restorantino Florentino (i think!) and I tried duck for the first time. Eh, not my fav and certainly not worth the eleven euro. So after I got espresso, and that made up for it. I also took out some money for our first excursion of the trip to Florence (I ended up not needing it at all but Id rather be safe than sorry). After that I packed and finished homework. Wednesday morning we only had one class (whoo hoo!) from 8:30 to 11:30 and then we broke for lunch and met back up at 12:15 to catch the bus from Sansepolcro to Arezzo to meet our train reservations. The bus ride was quite winedy so I fell asleep to avoid carsickness. After catching flies for an hour, Cathy woke me up by scaring the crud out of me and I was thoroughly embarassed that she saw me sleeping in a very ungraceful fashion (curled in a ball mouth wide open). After the bus we suited up and went to the trainstation. Cathy and Greg gave us the low down on the train system and tips/tricks to avoid catastrophe. We popped on the next train to Florence (firenze for you Italian speakers out there) and we were off! The train was wonderful and we slid the windows down, felt the breeze and caught some magnificent scenery on the way. Nikki, Spencer, Kiran, and I bopped to our ipods till we arrived about an hour later. So we arrived in Florence and got ready to go out there. Greg and Cathy put the fear of god in us so we all had our game faces on to dodge pickpocketers and gypsys. For me I locked all my large bag compartments and kept all the valuables to close to me in my purse. I also figured out a way to wear my purse under my backpack and then strap my backpack around my waist so that theifs would first have to unstrap me before getting my purse. I also carried all my big valuables in my handy dandy money belt (talk about uncomfortable) and an extra stash and my bag lock keys in a purse within my bra (thank you mom!). We than set out for the hour long walk to our hotel in Florence. I carefully took mental pictures of our route (which came in handy today) and we finally arrived at the hotel as hot, sweaty, and very unfriendly campers. After freshining up we walked downtown to see the piazza (think town square). BTW, ashley p. if you are reading this when we got to the Piazza Cathy and I belted out some Light in the Piazza just for you ;) I believe my exact words were, WERE ON VACATION!

In the piazza in downtown Florence there is a church called the Duomo. Its this super extravagent church that has a huge bell town and rounded ceiling. Ill include a pictureWe also passed the Uvitzie which is an art museum I went to today. After being shown the piazza we were released to do as we pleased so what did we do? Check out historical buildings you ask? WHY NO! we went shopping of course. I picked up some gifts for you lucky few ;) and got myself a t-shirt, leather bracelet, and a pashmina. We also stumbled into an H&M and I allowed myself a skirt since its been so unusually warm here and my poor black skirt is not going to make it at this rate. After finishing our barganing we headed back to the hotel and had a fabulous three course meal. The girls dragged me out and we found a local artistic type bar and gabbed for a bit. I unfortunately drank a small amount of beer made with corn (without knowing beforehand) and if any of you know me, I was punished for it all today. ù

So that brings us to today, I woke up very early and had breakfast before heading downtown again! This time the girls popped back into H&M for their purchases before we got in line to go inside the Duomo. The church was quite immense with this beautiful painting ceiling. Definetly, worth the wait. Some of the others in our group climbed the tower (something like 800 steps) and I decided I would sit that out. After peeping back into the market we had lunch, and met the rest of our group for our reservation at the Ufitizie museum. The museum is probably large enough that two days would be enough time to really take in everything, but we only had one so we crammed a whole museum into a little over two hours. The most well known painting that was housed there is "The birth of Venus" by Botticelli. Will include picture. Believe me it was even more than I could have imagined, and I was very dissapointed that pictures were forbidden anywhere in the museum. We also got to see some Rembrandts, DaVinci, and Michelangelo. It was gorgeous, but I was quite overwhelmed by the end of it. So after we finished it was 3:15 our time (9am yours) and we booked and I mean BOOKED it to the trainstation. Remember the hour long walk I memorized well we did a quasi version of it at 3:15 and got the train station and 3:40 (I called myself mother goose the whole way there leading people with the trusty help of my friend LO) We had just enough time to check in, get a drink, and carefully find and board our train for 4:08. The train ride was great. I fell asleep (mouth open again) and they all took pictures of me, I did some homework and we hopped on the 6:15 bus from Arezzo to Sansepolcro. Although we were the last group to get home besides the professors around 7:20ish, it meant we had the most time in the museum which I thought was important. All in all, it was a scary and exciting trip. It was also great practice for our next trip, next week to Sorrento, Pompei, and Roma (rome)! Anywhoo, this is way too long. Hopefully not too boring! I miss and think of you all everyday. Trying not to be homesick!

Ciao,

SB

Casa Buittoni!

Today was our excursion to Casa Buitoni and believe me it did not dissapoint! Casa Buitoni is actually the public relations center for the Nestle brand in Italy. I have decided that when and if I get married I will get married in Casa Buitoni and you will all be invited! The hike to the casa was very long and hot but well worth it! I will include a picture I found on the internet of it, since we arent allowed to publish photos of it, but I did take pictures to show you when I get home. Anyway, we had a tour of the home which included 8 bedrooms, a large experimental kitchen, and a bevy of conference rooms. After the tour the lead cook made us a wonderful lunch of chicken, potatos, pasta with asparagus, lima beans, pizza, salad, and gelato for dessert. After the food Spencer, Bria and I sang for the tour guides and our very attractive waiter ;) The walk home was equally as long and hot and to my dismay we still had 2 hours of class before we were let out for the day. The people at the servi served us a light dinner that I wasnt crazy about so I went to Pam and bought bread, honey, and butter for dinner which really hit the spot. After finishing homework, I wrote my journal entry for the night and decided to write you all a little blog. Hope your monday went well, enjoy the view of casa buitoni.

Love you all!

Ciao,

-SB

First Day of Classes

Ok, classes are way too early! We woke up this morning at 7:45 for breakfast and classes started at 8. I dont think I have woken up on a Sunday morning that early in months. Our first class was a crash course Italian taught by this citizen of Sansepolcro apply named, Sarah!. She taught us how to introduce ourselves, state our age, nationality, profession, and were we live. After that we had I.D.S class which is basically a class about Italy were we go on excursions, today we went to church in the large cathedral at the town square. First off, its a Catholic ceremony all in Italian which was hard to understand and nothing like the churches here. They have no daycare services so the children basically run-a-muck for a few hours and the parents chase them too and fro. This was great for us because I understood nothing of what the priest was saying but the children were sure entertaining to walk. The congregation was informal with people in jeans and they talked during the actual service. You are also allowed to stand and people stood in line to give confession during the actual service. After that, we headed back to the Servi and started our third and final class which for me is modern drama. We had an hour an a half of class and then broke for lunch. Lunch today was funny, the nice cooking ladies made me plain pasta but the girls didnt realize it was for me and ate it all before I got it :( The second course, however, I could eat which consisted of spinach, bread, pork, and the most amazing potatoes I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE. I have also decided that a small glass of wine with lunch before class makes everything much more enjoyable. So we finished our last class and my other roommates and I went for a long nap. After waking up in the late afternoon I took a shower (this shower puts gigis old shower to shame, its saying a lot that I get claustrophobic in it) and we booked our two hotels for the Rome trip. We will be traveling Monday to Sorrento for two nights (staying in the Ostello le sirene di sorrento) and one night in rome (staying in the Hostel Alessandro Palace). Then we ate dinner at the fabulous pizza place we discovered yesterday, read our theatre assignment at the pub and finished the night with some gelatto. Spent more than I wanted probably 7 euro all together but oh well! Tomorrow we have some classes cancelled because we are making the trek to Casa Buttoni to check out their experimental kitchen and have lunch made for us by their top chefs. Some of the people in Sansepolcro have never even been invitied to this place so its a high honor for us to visit. They asked three of us to sing after lunch so will let you know how that goes. Anywhoo, hope everyone is enjoying my little updates. Love you all!
Ciao!
-SB

First Full Day

Today was our first full day here in Sansepolcro. We woke up a tad late (all alarms were set on military time so none of them went off at the right time) and went down for a breakfast of croissants and tea. After breakfast I took another cat nap and got ready for my day. Kiran and I went for a long walk with two other girls to explore more of Sansepolcro. This morning they had a big market were we got to look at clothing and handmade toys. After our walk we woke up our other two roomates and the three of us went on another exploration of the town. Lunch was delicious! We had white wine, polenta, salad, bread, meatballs, and french fries? hehe too funny. After lunch we had orientation on the back garden which overlooks at crossbow shooting range, so every now and then we got to hear them go off. After orientation we had a long walking tour and purchased our bus tickets for our excursion next week to Florence. I am a little nervous because it is suppose to be one of the more dangerous cities when it comes to pick pocketing but I am sure with caution it will be alright. Six of us girls also planned our long vacation next week to Rome, Sorrento, Pompei, and Capri. Its a lot to do in 4 days but we are hoping we can see everything. We have already found our hostel for rome which is ironically titled, The Beehive. After that, we went and got dinner, real italian pizza and sodas. It was amazing, best pizza I have ever had in my life. We also traveled to Angihari today and saw a religious concert put on by a church there. Although, it was quite long and I understood nothing it was a good time. We met a young girl there and I practiced my Italian and we actually had a pretty lengthy conversation forthe both of us knowing little of each others language. Our driver, Luca was nice enough to show us the city and bring us home to sansepolcro. Tomorrow is our first day of classes, they start at 8am (grr) so we will see how that goes! I also found postcards today so please comment me your address so I can send you some mail.
Hope all is well!
Ti amo
SB

Finally Arrived

Well we have arrived here in Sansepolcro, Italy. Forgive me if this entry is not the best spelled I am still getting use to this new keyboard they have here. So our flight from Rdu to NYC was pretty uneventful. It was however, the smallest plane I have been on, in a long time. It was a three seat width plane, and I had a seat all to myself on one side. We had a long layover in Nyc where we took in our last American food (thank you McDonalds and your wonderful chicken nuggets) and played uno and the game (curt I am not sure what the title of the name is) and I think we made some converts out of some of the girls on the trip. The plane from NYC to Rome was enourmous! And I ofcourse, got placed in the middle isle middle row (lucky me). The seats were pretty comfortable and the food good but between nerves, homework, and my body I just could not get any sleep! I think I got around 2 hours, we woke up and head a great breakfast before we landed in Roma. The airport in Rome was less frightening than I thought it would be, but passport check in was a big confusing nightmare. Thankfully, I was waived through and picked up my in-one-piece bag. We then chartered a bus to Sansepolcro, which was about a three hour ride. I wish I could say that I stayed up the whole time taking pictures and breathing in the sights that wizzed past us, but alas I was pooped and curled up into my two seats and fell asleep. I did however see the first half an hour of leg and man the scenery out here is more picturesque than I could have ever dreamed. The hills are large, the cars are small,and I fell in love within minutes. The town we are staying in is probably around the same size as Henderson and Oxford put together except much more beautiful (no offense! hehe) Each building has a beautiful large,thick front door and gorgeous wooden shutters. Every building is a different neutral tone with vines and flowers growing all around. We settled into the Servi which will be our home for the next month or so and I am living in a quad room with Me, Kiran S., Spencer P., and a girl named Kristin. They are all beautiful and I cannot wait to get to know each of them better. We had a light lunch and then did a walking tour of the town visiting the grocery store (apply entitled Pam dont worry I took a picture ;) After that we had dinner it was amazing three courses of Pesto pasta, chicken peas and salad, and a wonderful strawberry desert. Next six of us ladies went out and enjoyed our first gelato (mine was chocolate and coffee AMAZING!) After that we walked the town for an hour or so trying horribly to blend in with the Italian folk. Later we returned home and I wrote in my journal and finished homework. So far I have learned: Basta! (stop), Smetah deendespeerme (stop bothering me), Prego (welcome), escuzi (excuse me), Ciao (hello,goodbye), dazzo! (damn), gelato (yummy goodness) and various pick up lines! hehe. I am happy to be here and awaiting what tomorrow brings. Miss you all and look forward from you soon.

All my love! (ti amo!)
SB (mouse)

Day before the big leap

Welcome to my Blog!

So this will be my blog for my European adventures this summer in Italy, Switzerland, and London.  I leave tomorrow morning bright and early at 8:30 am with all my fellow angels.  Everyone keeps asking me if I am excited for my upcoming travels and I feel bad saying that I am more nervous than anything else.  I just hope I have all my ducks in line for the journey and I have packed enough supplies to last me two months.  I know I will be able to buy things while being abroad but I hope that I have taken care of all the vital essentials.  I cant seem to concretely express how I am feeling at the moment because I am such a jumble of emotions, insecurities, wishes, and goals for this trip.  On one hand I am petrified of leaving the home I have made in Raleigh for the last 3 years and venture into a land that I know little about with a language that I speak nothing of.  Part of me is pumped to see all these monuments and sights that I have only pictured in my mind or witnesses in books/television.  At the same time I hope I have prepared myself to walk into this situation and handle whatever is thrown at me in a safe manner.  I know this experience will change my life and I can't wait for the changes to come, I guess its just the fear of the unknown that is a tad unsettling ;)

Phew, ranting aside.  I am very excited for this new chapter in my book to begin.  

To all my friends and family that will be reading while I am gone, I just want you all to know how much I love and miss you and I will try my best to keep this blog up as periodically as I can.

I guess the next time you hear from me I will be in Italy (ack!)

Sara Cro.