European Adventure Part One: Rome

For those who wonder why I haven't been posting, I have three good reasons!

First, my family and I took a long trip to Europe in mid May - early June.  Though it was an amazing trip, it was a busy one!  I've been asked if this was a mission trip and thought I should clarify before proceeding.  No, it was a family vacation just because none of us had ever been.  It was special to experience the Old World together.

Second, I jumped into a college class in June as soon as I got home.  It required much more time than I had anticipated, but I am finished and grateful that I took it.

Third, I said in the About Me page that I did not want to post just to make noise.  I have been learning so much and growing and seeing the hand of God at work in my life, but it's not really blog post material.  (Sorry!)  As much as I gravitate towards orderly timetables, I am realizing that my posts will be sporadic.

With that said, I do want to share pictures from our trip.  I have decided to mainly share pictures, because there is too much to tell from three weeks!  Enjoy!

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ROME, ITALY
5.14.15 - 5.17.15

Rome is a beautiful city - it has been rebuilt on itself for thousands of years.  Unlike some European cities, Rome has almost exclusively old, elaborate architecture.  The city is a mix of impressive buildings, the best sculptures I have ever seen, old cobblestone streets, and history appearing at every corner.

Isn't Rome beautiful?  I love the curved buildings.
(May I ask why we don't curve our buildings along streets in America?) 

This is a good example of a typical Roman side street.  
(Notice the motorcycles - there are at least as many motorcycles as cars in Rome.)
Most streets, however, had only cobblestone - no asphalt. 

Caroline, Mom, and me at the Colosseum

At the Colosseum, I wanted to remember my brothers and sisters 
who perished here for the cause of Christ.

Suddenly, I noticed something.  
If I stood in the right place and looked through one of the arches, 
the four windows of another building outlined a cross.  
God showed me a cross in the Colosseum!  Can you see it?

There is a reason that the Colosseum is a Roman icon.  It is really fun to photograph!

We could still see the Colosseum as we walked back toward the city.

This was one of the few cathedrals we were allowed to photograph.

The ornate decorations everywhere, from floor to ceiling, are a little overwhelming ...

and this was not even my favorite cathedral!

My favorite part of Rome was simply experiencing the city itself.
I loved walking down streets and photographing the orange-red buildings.
I later realized that these doors are often private residences, apartments, or inns.

Trailing vines and flower-decked sills, statues peering from a corner in the wall, 

elaborate fountains, extravagantly-decorated exteriors, ancient cobblestone streets...

it all combined in one beautiful collage of experience.  Ah, Rome.

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SOME OF MY FAVORITE THINGS...

Italians sound so Italian!  I know, that may be obvious.  But it was delightful to hear the perfect Italian accents every time someone spoke to us.  My sister and I found it very gratifying.  :)

Mealtimes.  Restaurants were quite different from American restaurants.  Supper was my favorite meal.  It often took 2 or 3 hours, even if it was not an especially fancy meal, simply because meals are a time to visit.  At first, the service was hard to get used to.  The waiter's job is not to wait on you hand and foot; it is simply to take your order and bring your food.  Almost every restaurant we visited for supper only seated each table once instead of turning them quickly to make more money.  Throughout contiguous Europe, it was the same.  I learned to savor not only the food but also the atmosphere of rest and fellowship.

Coffee.  I'm not a big coffee drinker, but when it appears in cute little cups everywhere you turn and it is just so good, it's hard not to like it.  Especially the rich, dark espressos.  Yum.

I'm afraid we became rather spoiled - 
we usually had a latte, cappuccino, or espresso three times a day!
Each morning at breakfast, we were greeted by a sweet Italian lady who asked, 
"Caffe latte, espresso, cappuccino?"  All three were very good!

The cars!  They are tiny!  Smart cars are actually smart in Rome.  You can park in the median... on the sidewalk... almost anywhere.  There are cars even smaller than Smart cars in Rome.

The motorcycles were great, too.  There are almost as many motorcycles as cars.  I think the rule for Roman motorcycles is: "If you can fit, you can go."  As chaotic as it might sound, I found Italian drivers to be very courteous.  I began to feel (cautiously) safe about crossing roads almost anytime.  It seems that pedestrians own the streets and vehicles and cycles just have to do the best they can.  Nowhere in Europe was as crazy as New York City.  I think Europeans don't get in the same frantic rush as Americans!

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I DID NOT EXPECT...

Smoke.  Europeans seem to be more health-conscious for the most part, but there is smoke everywhere.  That is why we ate meals indoors whenever we could, and even then it was hard to get away.

Tourism.  If you ever need a selfie stick, go to a crowded European city!  At every corner, there are street vendors accosting you with, "Selfie, madame?"  The wares change slightly from city to city, but the idea is the same.  Don't let the rose scammers fool you, either.

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On Monday morning, we left Rome for the next stop on our itinerary...