The Church of Sant’Andrea della Valle

Campo dei Fiori

Ut oh, I just figured out how to upload my really lousy videos, LOL!!! Sorry my camera doesn't have a stabilizer, and I am quite obviously the worlds worst videotographer, hope you don't get motion sickness, LOL!!!

Baroque Class Trip to Naples

Naples is Doggie City

Rome is full of cats
(or so they say, I have only seen a few) but Naples is full of dogs.
There were so many stray dogs wondering around Naples it was really strange, they didn't seem to be scary packs of wild dogs, more doggies that have just become accustomed to living with the tourist crowds. They were sweet and friendly, and didn't look at all malnourished which was nice. At the end of our trip to Naples we had some free time to wander about and to our group was added two very cool pups, they hung out and followed us for hours. Of course I bought them a panini, which they picked at and ate very delicately (unlike my dog which would have swallowed it whole).
At one point we were enjoying our time down by the sea enjoying the scenery when I spotted the dog catchers, Katherine (seen above on the ground with the pups) and I made a pack those dog catchers were not taking our new furry friends and we would do what ever it might take to stop them, LOL!!! Luckily the for the dog catchers, they were after some other pups which was still sad. There was a gentle man hanging out at the square and then later joined us down by the sea view with about 20 stray dogs and I think he was also trying to get our pups to join his "pack". He is totally my hero, as he fought with the dog catchers (as Katherine and I had intended) and was able to shoo them away with only having lost one dog.
I miss my sweet pup so much, I really wish she was here with me =(

UGH!! still sick =(

OK, sorry guys I haven't been keeping up with my blog but I am still sick. I was on bed-rest for a week and was a good girl and did stay home, as I was actually too weak to not comply with doctors orders. I'd like to take back the comment a previous comment that I have confidence in the doctor at the hospital, as I think all the medicine she prescribed me was basically just candy, LOL!! I'm still freaking sick!
Yup Renee is complaining, right here right now for all to hear/read. I am sick of being sick, I did everything as prescribed but still feel like crap. The thing is I had to go back to school this week. When I went back I saw that almost everyone there was also terribly sick,runny noses, hacking, glassy eyes with pale skin except for the rosy cheeks of fever. They really need to disinfect and sanitized my school, I've never seen so many sick people at once, it was kinda scary and gross,LOL!!
I would help if the weather would improve, Rome has been experiencing record breaking low temperature and raining almost every day (I swear I keep expecting to see snow) for the month and a half I have been here. CRUD CRUD CRUD

For those of you who I have not told yet I have offical plans for spring break now. I have never done a "spring break" before, and if this oppertunity had not presented itself I would have once again just spent spring break at home as I have no interest in drinking my face off, sleeping with strangers and ending up on a girls gone wild video, as many of the springbreakers do LOL!!! So here it is..... I am going to AFRICA for spring break!!! What do ya think of that?? I'm pretty freaking excited~! One of the professors from my school here in Rome also teaches in Africa, Tunisia to be exact and she is leading a small tour of the country for a few of us non-party hardy students. Tunisia has some of the best preserved ruins ( not even ruined!!LOL!!) from the Roman empire. *** Tunisia is the tiny green colored country between Algeria and Libya, right off the tip of the toe of Italy's boot***
Tunisia isn't the Africa I was expecting ( lions, grass lands, gazelle, elephants, tribes in huts) but it does apear to be a fascinating PEACEFUL and SAFE Islamic country. The landscape is pretty much barren with the occasional oasis, we will actually be visiting the places they used to film Lukes childhood home in Star Wars, LOL!! We will also be visiting the Sarhara desert, riding camels, wraping our heads up in turbans the whole bit and for those of you who know me, you know I'm always up for an adventure and this is one I am definately not gonna miss out on!!

this will probably be me :)
See? Ruins, not ruined!!
Excited for me?>? I know you are!!

I love sculpture

A long weekend class trip to Florence

The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore is the cathedral church (Duomo) of Florence, Italy, begun in 1296 in the Gothic style to the design of Arnolfo di Cambio and completed structurally in 1436 with the dome engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi. The exterior of the basilica is faced with polychrome marble panels in various shades of green and pink bordered by white and has an elaborate 19th century Gothic Revival facade by Emilio De Fabris.








Such a shame. I was too sick to enjoy it. I have been over the moon with all the "real live" just inches from my finger tips art history here in Rome and was very excited to be going to Florence to see the actual original 1504 Michelangelo's David and the Duomo, but by the time I got there I was delirious with fevers and couldn't have cared less. Also a shame is you are not allowed to take pictures in most museums and churches, usually I try anyway with out a flash but again to sick to snap. Bummer, but it is OK because I live in Italy now and Florence is only an hour and a half train ride away I'll just have to go another weekend. Oh yeah and the shopping and the leather, man it just makes me wanna cry that I couldn't participate. You know how it smells when you walk past a bakery and the smell of fresh baked goods just surrounds you and makes you drool? Well Florence is like that only with the smell of Leather, fresh leather smells just float out of every store and it smells fantastic.

Neptune is like, "You talking to me?"








Here is my "crazy" Renaissance Professor at dinner, the man is so inteligent and loves to say what ever he likes politically, sexually, about religion the world and it's history, nothing is too taboo. Now I (and most of the students) often don't agree with him but he definately keeps us on our toes and thinking even more about world affairs and politics than art history.