A Mountie no longer abroad

So I've been home for a week now. Both my dad and I are really sick so it hasn't been a very pleasant week. I've been thinking of how to end this blog for a while and the thing is, I don't want to. I've loved being abroad, I've loved the friends, the experience, the food. Oh goodness the food. I go back to school in ten days and I couldn't be more excited, I love the Mount so much. At the same time I wish I was back in Tours. I was very Tours-sick today. I showed my parents how I went to school and where all my favourite places were using Google maps. I really miss the food though. Coming back I have had pizza two or three times and Friendly's twice. Don't get me wrong I love Friendly's and pizza but I miss the variety and the spice of life in Tours. Basically I miss Tours. This blog has been quite the adventure, I've loved having it and I've loved hearing the feedback from family and friends who eagerly awaited each post. I may yet update with some more photos but that is doubtful. I hope that in the future I can look back on this and remember the amazing time I had.
So, thank you. Thank you for reading my stupid ramblings of an internet and pizza deprived American teenager. Special thanks to the random people in foreign countries who took the time to look at my blog, I have no idea what interested you but thanks for stopping by. Special thanks to the family who financially made it possible for me to do this. Also thank you to The Mount and the Institut. None of this would be possible if you weren't awesome enough to have these programs available.
Guess that's it, thank you and bons voyages!

Last night in Europe

So I'm still dreadfully sick and totally looking forward to ten hours in a metal tube tomorrow. I guess I am homesick though. I want American sized drinks, pizza by the slice, English, my own room, American food, my car, school, frosting, and to not be electrocuted. (But seriously, I've gotten so used to it that I can literally sit there while being continuously electrocuted. It's something to do with the converter.) That's not to say I won't miss being in France immensely. (Italy, beautiful as it is, was not my cup of tea.) Enough of my misery, enjoy some photos:

 

So apparently this is not in fact the Coliseum but I don't care enough to look up it's actual name. 

 

This wall is about 2000 years old.

 

More stuff that's as old as Jesus.

 

This is where St. Peter, and a boatload of other Catholics, were persecuted. 

 

In my words: "Let's enjoy visiting the place where our ancestors in Christ were brutally murdered for their faith."

 

I'm sure something in this photo is important, it's certainly old.

 

More ruins. 

So today we visited the catacombs of St. Sebastian. Aka THE catacombs. As in they're the catacombs and all the other catacombs are named after these catacombs. Catacomb means near the cave in Greek and we even got to see said cave. They were very interesting and we got to see the original burial place of St. Sebastian and original Christian graffiti - and by Christian graffiti I mean prayers (pretty much all to Peter and Paul) written on the walls. The church above was pretty too. One thing I've noticed about churches here is that the Blessed Sacrament is normally kept at a side altar. This surprises me because my church did that too and then a few years ago the Tabernacle was moved to the center of the church behind the altar. I thought that that was the proper place but perhaps not. Anyway, I've got to get to sleep - early flight tomorrow.  

"If I don't make it, tell my parents I died of ice cream poisoning."

But really though. My family is out on a private tour of the coliseum and forum and I am stuck in bed. On the bright side if it is ice cream poisoning I'm dying of I will die happy. I have always loved ice cream, what girl without a legitimate medical reason doesn't. I ate an entire ice cream cake by myself to celebrate my lactose intolerant roommate's birthday. None of the ice cream I have ever had compares to what I've been getting in Europe.

 

Gelato in France

Gelato in Italy

 

More gelato in Italy

 

I don't care what you think I like gelato in Italy 

My all time favourite flavour is green apple gelato and they have it everywhere here. I got half pineapple once but green apple is clearly superior. It is so soft with just a little bite to it and really sweet but melts much faster. 

So there you have it, a post on gelato. 

Once again shout out to those who know where title quote comes from. 

I've got somewhere I belong I've got somebody to love This is what dreams are made of

So if you know Lizzie McGuire you know this song. I've actually been thinking about the movie a lot recently. For example it is my first week in Rome and I'm not feeling so well. And unlike Lizzie I'm not faking. My brother came over with a cough and I think he gave it to me. On top of that I got eaten alive at dinner tonight. And on top of that it is really hot here and I do not do well in the heat. 

We went to the Vatican today and it was absolutely amazing! I loved getting to see everything, the Sistine Chapel, the museum, the Basilica. I think the Basilica was my favourite, I could have spent more time there, especially learning more about the statues. We had a private tour going through the Vatican and it was well worth the money. We were the first people in this morning and we didn't have to do lines for anything. As the day went on the crowds grew. There was what looked to be a five hour line for going into the Basilica. 

I loved how there was a dress code at the Vatican, I wish we had something like that in America. Maybe not the same but still, no unreasonable clothing for entering a place of worship. There were a few people who had to have snuck past the guards though. I really did enjoy the Vatican but I didn't have the best start of the day so I was a little grumpy going through. Some time with The Blessed Sacrament really helped though.

I think it is so amazing that since the time of Jesus, Christians have inhabited this area. Peter lived here! They suffered so much and yet the faith survives all around the globe two thousand years later. It makes me think of and respect the Christians being persecuted right now in the Middle East. They are literally being killed for their religion and they find time to worship God where in the West we work Him around our own schedules. I didn't realize that St. John Paul II was right there in the Basilica. I was so excited to know that. Darling ex-roommate I don't know if you're reading this but I certainly was thinking of you. I went through with the old song I learned going through my head: John Paul II we love you we support all that you do while at work or rest or play we will pray for you each day. There's more to it but that was the part about JPII. 

I know the tone of this post is a little off, sorry about that. I have no idea what's on the plan for tomorrow. I'm hoping it involves being carried around Rome by a hot Catholic Italian guy, probably not but a girl can dream. Speaking of dream, good night! Or as Google informs me they say here: buona notte! 

Benvenuti in Italia!

Is that how you say welcome to Italy? I wouldn't know. Not speaking Italian is really a problem. I don't recall ever being in a place where I couldn't speak the language before. I mean French can be confusing sometimes but I can communicate well enough to get my point across. Here I can say good day, at the side of, thank you, yes, for a table you need wood, and good. Not really a working vocabulary. It was great to see my family again. I realized I hadn't talked to my brother the entire time. No big loss on either side. Our hotel here is beautiful, very much exactly what I think of when I think Italy. I'm looking forward to Mass tomorrow. I doubt I will actually understand anything but as I probably said before one of the best parts about being a part of the Universal Church is that no matter what language the praise and love are the same. And so is Amen. Oh, I do know how to say peace, that's useful! I'm hopeful being here and listening will help me when singing in Italian, I know I can do it well enough but better is always better.
Today was a long day, I think sleep is in order right now.

 

First views of Italy

 

Brother fell asleep with phone in hand

 

Real Italian food! (I'm still partial to New York pizza)

No more pencils no more books no more teacher's dirty looks

Had my last day today, it was very sad but we got to eat some great food.

 

The cookies were my contribution. I didn't have internet to get a European recipe so a lot of eyeballing was involved. Too much flour but they tasted great. 

Yesterday was the last night with my host mom so we took pictures. 

 

Me Paige and Alice and Huline. 

 

Me and dog. 

 

Dog eating my shoes. 

We said goodbye to our room. 

 

And hello to a swanky hotel room in Paris right by the airport. 

 

It has fancy mood lighting. 

Sleep tonight and flight tomorrow morning. 

Wow

So today is my last day in France. I really just can't believe it. I only have three more classes and then I'm done. I don't really want to go. I have such a wonderful time here, met so many great people and now I have to say goodbye. It has really been such an experience, I have loved seeing an entirely different culture and how they function. I'm really upset that it's pouring on my last day but it's gonna be okay because I'm making cookies in class today.

I could get used to a view like this. Yep, I'm used to it. Guys I want a castle.

Title quote from Tangled.
So yesterday I visited Amboise and Clos Lucé, well I already said that didn't I.

Castle

More castle

 

chapel

 

view

 

view featuring Ashley

 

still more view

 

tympanum

 

another view

 

panoramic view

 

panoramic view 2

 

this hall smelled like Christmas and looked like Hogwarts

 

big fireplace

 

I guess that's why it smelled like Christmas

 

What is this, Grimmauld Place? 

 

bedroom

 

I guess they had stuff and decided to put it in a room

 

view from tower

 

panoramic view from tower

 

type of house me and my friend liked

 

another view

 

I lost track of the flights we went down to get out of that stupid castle

 

Leonard(o) daVinci's house

 

I mean castle

 

 

I just felt that there were a lot of different eras represented here

 

La Jaconde

 

armoured tank as designed by daVinci

 

This is for my mother who thinks I don't drink enough. (P.S. Does anyone know where I can get Oasis in the US?)

Now I have to go deal with the fact that my class meets outside but it is currently raining. 

So done with the no internet thing

How many posts am I gonna have to write about this? Anyway went to Amboise and Clos Lucé (where DaVinci lived) yesterday and then there was a grand spectacle at the Guinguette. That was a lot of fun. Now though, I have class.