Entry 2: June 21, 2009

Ciao!
 
We just got back from our second travel break! We went to Rome and was it amazing or what! To be in a city where there has been so much history throughout the years was truly powerful! We were able to see many historical sites from the Pantheon to the Colosseum!
 
The first night we were in Rome, we went on a night tour of the city. It was probably my favorite activity we did the whole trip! We were able to see all the highlights of Rome in three hours! I would definitely recommend it to future girls on this program! We went to see the Pope on Wednesday, and we were lucky enough to be in the first section of the audience! I had chills as we watched him process by us! We all got wonderful pictures and got a bit of sun sitting in the 95 degree weather for four hours! We continued our tours and saw the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps later that afternoon!
 
I am thankful for this wonderful trip and have had so many great experiences since I have been in Italy. I am so sad that in less than a week we will be leaving to head off to Switzerland but I am looking forward to the good times to come!
 
Until next time!

Entry 1: June 5, 2009
 
Ciao from Sansepolcro, Italy!
 
Can I just say that Italy is beautiful and I am having a wonderful time here! We have all been very busy meeting new friends and the locals since we arrived in Italy a few weeks ago. Just as we began to adjust to our new home in Sansepolcro, it was time for our first travel break. I was very ready to get away and go out on my first adventure! For the first break, there were six of us that went together in our travel group. We decided to go to Venice, which is located on the northern coast of Italy.
 
We left for Venice after we were finished with our morning classes on Monday. A one hour bus ride, four hours by train and a water taxi later we arrived at our hotel safe and sound! We were so proud of our first accomplishment in making it to Venice!  

On our first night we went to dinner on the Grand Canal. We ate a very nice dinner and watched gondolas pass us by for hours! It was such a beautiful evening that we felt like we were in a Disney movie.
 
On Tuesday, we went to the island of Murano, located about 20 minutes by boat from Venice. Murano is known all over the world for its precious hand blown glass. As soon as we got off the boat we were quickly ushered into a glass factory and watched a glass blowing demonstration. I had never seen a talent like that in my life. We were able to get a lot of our gifts bought in Murano! Wednesday was filled with museums and San Marcos square. We toured Saint Mark's Basilica and were amazed by its beauty. The intricate mosaics were breathtaking!
 
We arrived back in Sansepolcro on Thursday night and were looking forward to a good night sleep before beginning classes again today! I am enjoying it so much here and looking forward to all the experiences that are to come!