We were given one week [Fall Break] during our semester in Israel where we could go anywhere, with anyone! Quite the prospect to consider.
At first I really wanted to go to Greece...soak up some sun on the beaches, see the cute little villages portrayed in such movies as the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, see Athens, see the Acropolis, and the Parthenon...go back to some of civilization's earliest roots.
But alas, this was not to be. While we were considering Greece, overnight, the airfare skyrocketed. So it got ruled out....and Italy took it's place.
Now looking back, I can't imagine having gone anywhere else!
Then the Lord allowed our eclectic, but perfectly meant to be group to fall into place!
It started with Laurel and I wanting to be on the same trip from the get go. We then asked Nate and Ben to consider going with us (as we needed some strong, fun, capable male leadership in the group!) Then Rachael and Amanda asked if they could join us. And finally, Laurel convinced Kristyn to ditch her cruise idea and come with us. [Party of 7 complete].
[The team founders].
After all of these crazy decisions were FINALLY made: where we should go, with who, and when we should leave, we were enroute to ITALIA (driving to the airport at 1 am in the morning...a CRAZY idea, don't ever do it ;))!
After recovering from our initial sleep deprivation, and experiencing our first MAJOR communications barrier (at breakfast with a very confused waitress!)...we got adapted and Italy became our home for the week.
She met our expectations, and then some. Great food. Great architecture. Great fashion. Great culture. Great views. Lovely people. Rich history. And an exuberant atmosphere.
Some of the highlights for me were:
1. Meeting Damion and Magali Wallace, and Cesare Albanesi...getting to experience and understand the Italian church better, sharing sweet communion with these believers (who we had no previous connection with beforehand!)...They became like family to us. "POINTE DELUNGO!" "Right to left!" Their love, generosity, and hospitality blew us all away!
2. Hitting the town at night: almost every night Laurel and I would soak up the culture by getting some tiramisu or gelato or a cappuccino. We would then relax, unwind, and discuss the day while enjoying our Italian delicacies. Ben joined us for a few of our nightly adventures (the first time we almost got locked out of our hotel, the second time, we got lost outside of the city walls, and the third time, we were so poor we had to combine all of our money to order cappuccinos and then ended up sitting in a park at midnight sipping our beverages in plastic cups!) And Nate joined us on one nightly adventure too...and the next thing we knew we were all on the top of a shingled roof in Florence, looking out over the domes at dusk! :)
3. I loved the food. I could be Italian!! These people know how to live life! While we were there, I got to enjoy the most incredible, HUGE slices of pizza topped with every topping imaginable: broccoli, cheeses, tomatoes, mushrooms, sausage, etc., the most foamy cappuccinos, amazing bars of dark chocolate, creamy slices of tiramisu, rich, cold scoops of gelato, every kind of pasta dish imaginable (they were INCREDIBLE), etc.
4. I loved reading portions of Acts and Romans while in Rome, and Hebrews while in Vatican city ["Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when THIS PRIEST had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy," Hebrews 10].
[The Vatican Take 1].
[The Vatican Take 2].
5. I loved the ancient, towering architecture (see pictures below!) It was crazy being in the city that has held such an important place throughout history (especially in ancient history...the Caesars, the Roman empire, the Tiber River, the Colosseum, etc.) and I loved being in Florence, the "Seat of the Renaissance" for that reason too. It was particularly neat visiting Rome, however, as I was taking "Second Temple" with Benj Foreman at the time, and we spent several class periods discussing the Caesars and Roman history (as it so directly ties into the Intertestamental Period and the New Testament).
[The Tiber River: what Rome was founded on].
6. I loved soaking up the sites, beautiful Siena and Florence, and Rome, a city you could spend weeks upon weeks in and only begin to explore. I loved Siena with its Christmas decor hung everywhere, and its large town square, its scenic parks, its hidden cistern, its good deals on boots, its amazing pastry shops, etc. I loved Florence with its open-aired shops (silk ties and leather gloves and cashmere scarves!), artistic heritage, and its lovely river: so clean, and calm, and romantic, reflecting the glow of the street lamps and the shedding autumnal trees, with its bridge of locks, and its graceful kayakers. I loved riding the public transportation in Rome, and being thrown all over the bus and awkwardly having very little personal space. And I was enthralled by the Colosseum. So many stories I will never know took place in her stands. So much spilled blood contaminated her sands. So many people who died as animals tore off their flesh or as they were speared simply for the enjoyment of the crowd...for no noble purpose...just to appease the bloodlust of the mob.
[Siena].
[Florence...I was a little in love with the river, in case you couldn't tell].
[Roma: the Colosseum].
7. But honestly the highlight of the trip for me was just being together: [creating memories & inside jokes], [growing closer through conflict], [laughing], [crying], and [learning] together! We definitley had many bumps along the way (mostly having to do with transportation...not knowing which station to get off at, meltdowns, getting on the opposite train as the boys, losing each other, etc.) But looking back, these were the moments that bonded us together...and the moments that we now look back upon and joke about. Ironically, I wouldn't have had it any other way. One of my favorite memories was riding in our own little compartment (in true Harry Potter style!) on this posh train (which we had to pay more to ride on!) on Thanksgiving Day...playing Mafia and the "Who am I?" game (where you write down some famous person's name, then pass it to the person next to you, and they have to lick it and put it on their forehead without looking at it, and guess who they are), as Christmas music reverberated from the speakers of Amanda's iPod. We got embarrassed whenever someone would pass outside of our window (no doubt imagining what they must be thinking about the seven crazy Americans inside!) I also will never forget my very first Thanksgiving apart from my family...stuffing my face (until I couldn't walk...no joke!) with pasta, bread drenched in olive oil, and a cheese, tomato, and spinach salad...cherishing the company of my [second family].
Despite our budget crunching here and there, it ended up being a very expensive trip...but well worth every penny. Friendships. Memories. Experiences. A trip of a lifetime. Some things are worth splurging on. ♥
Grazie di tutto Italia!
("Thanks for everything, Italy!")
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