All's Well That Ends Well

There it all happened, on that continent somewhere around the corner and across an ocean. I did it, I made it done, welcome back. And now there's just no way to make it all in writing the way I saw it through eyes and heart. There's no sleep, either.

The world was good to me for eight weeks, lugging, chugging along mountains and staircases, drifting through channels on ferries and high flying; wandering, wondering, being amazed. There was a feeling more alive, and aware. I made it done, I saw it. I loved it, beautiful scenes rolling on through windows, and sparkling city lights, sand between toes. Climbing. Driving. Planning and executing, the defeat of sitting still. No-matter-what, where-are-we-going, which-way, and we-made-it's. We made it done.

Sit down with my little friend jet lag. Confusion set in, steering down familiar streets in a recognized town and all I can think of is my incertitude of the air's temperature, the month, the day of the week...

...and my! Did that all really just happen? Did that happen?


Pinch me, I'm home.

Aww, Sad Day.

Last night in Amsterdam, and in Europe for that matter. It's been a blast. I would live here in a heartbeat.

This has been unreal. I've got a looooooooong day tomorrow, involving an Atlantic flight and a ton of luggage. Yuck.

Take care all.
Love
jc

Weimar

Hello hello

A quick note from Germany. Arrived here in Weimar yesterday afternoon after spending a day in Salzburg, Austria, where I saw some of the most stunning scenery Ive witnessed. I climbed through the hills and made my way to a fortress in Salzburg, took a nature hike and had a fabulous meal before visiting a garden where part of The Sound of Music was filmed. The city was very clean and beautiful.

Weimar is neat, though Germany has not been as enjoyable as some of the other places Ive seen (not to say that I have no enjoyed it, however). Things Weimar is known for: Bauhaus, Goethe and Schiller. Yesterday I took in the Neue Museum Weimar, which houses a ton of Bauhaus beauties (Bauhaus was a design movement during the 20s that originated in Weimar.) This place is so proud of Bauhaus, and it makes me happy! The museum was fab. I wandered a bit around the city center and found the Bauhaus University before returning for dinner.

I was pretty grossly bitten by some sort of insect while in Italy (likely in awful Lido di Jesolo or perhaps Venice), and have bites on my feet, ankles, and hips. Im not certain what got to me but it went to town anyhow. The bites itched like crazy for days, I finally went to a pharmacy when we arrived in Weimar and bought an anti itch gel. To add to things, Ive been feeling like garbage. May have been something I consumed, etc. but Ive been trying to sleep it off. I know I am not just sleep deprived because Ive gotten a solid 6 to 8 hours a night the entire trip.

Thus feeling like terribleness, I went to sleep last night right after dinner, at 20:30, and woke up at 08:00 this morning. Today was unreal. My day began with a visit to Buchenwald, a concentration camp that is right outside of Weimar. It was operated as a labor camp for prisioners from 1937 until its liberation in 1945.

Wow. How do you describe this experience? Unbelievable? Shocking? Surreal?

Most of the buildings on the camp are no longer, but the main entrance, many of the barbed wire fences, the crematorium, and several other buildings remain. I walked through the crematorium...sickening. There was a photograph on the wall of stacks of bodies, and I looked out the door and saw the exact spot that the photograph was taken. There are no words.

I am in Weimar this evening, then headed to Amsterdam in the morning. Well be there until Tuesday when I jump on a plane and head back to the States. If I dont have a chance to write again, Ill be arriving at Fargos Hector Intl at 6:20pm.

Goodbye

Afternoon in Venice

For the sake of the awkward Internet cafe I am at, I am going to make this quick. I am currently in a little resort town in Italy, called Lido de Jesolo. Theres not much to do here and I think its kind of a has-been town. Very dated. Were about a hundred yards from the beach, and I hung out and played games with friends in the sand all evening. Buy a few bottles of cheap wine and surround yourself with friends and you have yourself a perfect evening (better if the wine wasnt cheap...then again, the scenery makes up for it.)

Perhaps I am getting ahead of myself, and I should first finish recounting my journies in Florence. Florence, Florence! Unbelievable. Fantastic shopping, the best gelaterias around, and lovely sights. I woke up yesterday morning and did a bit of shopping and wandering. There is a fantastic market set up in the streets, where vendors sell leather bags, wallets, jewelry, etc. etc. Their prices are ridiculous but you never under any circumstances take anything for ticket price --- youve got to learn to haggle, and Ive become quite the negotiator! At noon I met up with my group for a visit to the Accademia, where Michelangelos David resides. I think David needs his own paragraph:

I didnt think it was possible for stone to steal my thoughts, attention --- my breath even. David was outright gorgeous, stunning. You could see his veins, every muscle, everything incredible. It looked as if he actually could breathe, and had organs. And he is TALL, much taller than Id pictured. I wish I could find better words for him. I feel under pressure as the person to my left is staring at me.

They dont allow you to take photographs of David, and I didnt care to. He speaks for himself, another thing that a photograph could not do justice for. Also, watching the reactions of others when they see him is outstanding. Everyone -- everyone is in awe, and hardly anyone says anything at all. The room was quiet of amazement.

Today we made a day trip to Venice, where I spent an incredible afternoon. We took a ferry, and upon arrival made St. Marks our first stop. Its an 11th century cathdral made of pirate loot and hands down ---and I know Ive said this many time before but-- hands down one of the coolest, most beautiful places Ive visited in my life. Absolutely stunning. I paid a little extra to get close to the altar, where St. Marks remains are, and the greatest of the loot: hundreds of rubies, sapphire, pearls, and other precious gems embedded in vast gold. The ceilings of the entire cathedral are gold mosaic. I am speechless.

Afterward I visited Doges Palace (cool) and took a trip across the Bridge of Sighs, the passageway that prisoners took from their cells into the palace for sentencing. I had a wonderful Rick Steves recommended lunch on a cozy street, grabbed some gelato then jumped on a gondola for an afternoon ride through the canals of Venice. WOW! I felt like I was in The Italian Job, minus the speedboat. It was terribly relaxing and beautiful to match. There is nothing...nothing like Venice. You dont see cars on the island, just boats, as water replaces streets! Very, very unique.

Tomorrow we are off to Salzburg for an overnighter. Hopefully the hills will be alive (with the sound of music...haha!) Ahhh. Time is so precious...

The man from the Internet cafe has invited me to karaoke this evening at the bar. Mamma mia! I might have to round up some friends after dinner!

Love again, and love always. Ciao!

jc

FLORENCE!

Hey from Florence!

We arrived here yesterday, and let me tell you, this place is fantastic. The best gelato, and leather everywhere. I did a bit o shopping this morning after a tour of the city, then got GIGANTICALLY lost. As in very lost, and Id left my map at the hotel. So I was very lost. Alas, I am okay!

There is great gelato here and the Duomo is stunning. I was going to climb the tower today but as mentioned above, I got really lost. Florence is the birthplace of the Renaissance, so you can about imagine how fantastic it is. (If your name is Kacy Ferrara, then you know.) On the cool side of things, I visited the Leather School of Florence (not certain thats the official title, but a school where they make leather schtuff) and bought some pretty authentic goods. There are markets on every street and if youre good enough, you can get really nice stuff for unbelievable prices. Our bus driver frequents this place and took a group to a leather shop today, where many bargained and bought beautiful jackets (myself included).

Im at an internet cafe right now, and dont really have much time to write...there is too much ground to cover, I could go on for decades. I am sad that I didnt get tickets to the Uffizi gallery, but will be visiting Michelangelos David tomorrow afternoon before heading out to VENICE for an afternoon, and then Lido de Jeselo (sp) for an evening on the coastline (I believe). Then again, I really have no idea where Im going, and therein lies the beauty of this trip: not knowing what to expect, etc.

I am going to spend my last night in Florence on the town, grab a nice drink and perhaps some gelato!

Wish you all well.
xo
jc

Ventures to Papa Benny XVI's Pad, a.k.a the Vatican

Today in my great Roman life:

The Vatican: Museum, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's, etc.

All glistened, all was wondrous, and I never want to be in the same place as so many people ever, ever again — or wait in a queue for that many hours (nearly three).

I am quite tired to elaborate, and as soon as I get the goods from my camera up and running on here, I may post a few videos from today.

Tomorrow we're off to Sienna in the afternoon, and Florence by evening. I cannot wait!

Signing off, my last night in Rome!
Jenny

Roming (Sunburn Included)

Buongiorno!!


At Torre pendente di Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
30 April 2009

It's May! I cannot believe it's May!

Another fantastic day in the European life. First stop: the Flavian Ampitheatre, better known as the COLISEUM. Very cool. It's not every day that I get to wake up and go to one of the greatest landmarks in Europe. If only. The sun was high by mid-morning and initiated the beginning of what was to be an impressive sunburn. I strolled around ancient Rome — unbelievable when you take a moment to think about it, that all of the ruins are real and not some Disney plastic; I feel like I'm looking for a roller coaster or a sign with a height requirement. No! It's all legit: The Forum, Coliseum, arches and pillars, etc. Older than dust and still kicking!

By late afternoon it was scorching. There was a gelato stop somewhere between roaming and roaming (where I discovered that half a bag of chocolate covered raisins had begun to melt in my purse), then a visit to the glorious Pantheon. By this time an afternoon siesta was most definitely in order. I think I'd logged on about 10 miles by midday, and 30 minutes of nap did the trick to reload. I was out wandering around by 1730.

One thing about Rome, or Italy in general — an observation of walking solo on the streets as well as with others: the Italian men are certainly not shy. They will make noises at you, or conversation, or just a simple "ciao, bella" in passing. The people, too, are aggressive. There is no such thing as a queue, and 'sorry' or 'excuse me' are hard to come by in a crowd. Space is invaded. I was waiting in line for a toilet the other day at an Italian rest stop, and literally had a headache from listening to the many Italian women bicker, their mouths like tapes rewinding as they shoved their way to a stall.

This evening was exceptional. Pizza and wine at an outdoor pizzeria, and then on to Concerto del Primo Maggio a Roma, a massive concert held on 01 May — Italy's celebration of Labour Day. There were hundreds of thousands there — a giant gathering if I've ever seen one — and many libations, music, and chaos. There was a famous Italian singer performing when we arrived, though his name escapes me. More gelato after the concert, and back home. I feel it was a successful day.

In the midst of updating I realized I left a gap in the week's events. We spent Wednesday traveling from Avignon, France to the cozy coastal town of Cavi de Lavagna, Italy, where we spent one evening. Our hotel was a block from the water, so my fellow travelers and I made a quick escape to the beach after settling in. It was absolutely liberating to dip my toes in the Mediterranean and jump along the shores. The water wasn't too chilly and the waves were surfable. Everyone was thoroughly satisfied. After dinner we returned to the beach to watch the sunset, and attempted to build a fire (unsuccessful). Cavi was also the place where I witnessed a lemon tree for the first time (until this I'd wholeheartedly believed that lemons replenished themselves in grocery store baskets, and in fact, did not grow anywhere).

Tomorrow I am visiting Vatican City, and who knows where else I'll "Rome" — HAHA! I most definitely love this place.

Mamma mia! CIAO (I need to work on some new phrases)

jenny


PS: I know it's a little late, but I've just posted on my adventures in Ireland. Read on, you crazy diamonds!