"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words" - Donna Robert.

May be a cheesy quote (haters don't hate), but I like corny and it really applies. Since being here my friends and I apply lyrics to all of our daily routines. Yesterday, one friend said, "We are like the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants; only we break out in song." Today I sang the A.C. Siena calcio fan song aloud in Italian class. Ci piace cantare!

Anche (also)...walking home tonight I saw a blonde middle aged woman dying with laughter, surrounded by her best girlfriends and husbands. At dinner tonight, my friends and I discussed how we maybe would have never met each other if it weren't for this trip. "Strangers are just friends waiting to happen"- Steve Klaka. It makes me think that things are meant to be and without a doubt we will be eachothers lifelong friends. I hope in years to come some study abroad girl looks over to see us being our typical hysterical selves!

Help A Stranger Out

One night over a month ago, my friends and I were heading home on a Siena bus after an exhausting weekend of travel. We met a young English guy who didn’t know what to do or where to stay in Siena, but we suggested some places and invited him to hang out with us that night. Recently, he sent us a thank you. One of my friends blogged about this as well, and I have been meaning to share this for awhile. This is a lovely life lesson in which you never know how many people can be affected from one small kind act.

"hi, i never really got back to you all to say thanks for taking me out in Siena, and helping me find a place to sleep. i really appreciate it.
You've got some great photos up of Italy that make me pretty jealous i diddnt have longer to stay and explore more of the country. I suppose ill have to go back some day and do it properly - but then, i think like that every time i go somewhere new, and its a big world, theres not enough time to go everywhere.
By the way, do you remember that map you gave me of the town? my original plan was to keep it as a souvenier of that part of my trip, but i met another traveller in Volterra who said he was visiting Siena, and i thought he needed it more than me, so i gave it to him. i spoke to him on facebook when i got home and he said he gave it to someone else aswell, as he was leaving Siena. i think its pretty cool that its changed hands so many times and helped a bunch of people. a lot of times you'll never realise how far down the line your actions can affect other people.
hope you're all well and the sun is shining
Magnus"

Roma

I think everyone goes through a phase with their blogs of not writing for awhile...at least I am telling myself that! Because I only have four precious weeks left here that will be my first and last pausa (break). I’m back tutti (everyone)! Back from my (second) spring break, and playing catch up.

Roma excursion was now 4 weeks ago: Thursday April 28 – Sunday May 1. Thursday afternoon we jumped right into sight seeing. The coliseum was just as magnificent as the last time I had seen it, and our art history professor Pierre Giacomo didn’t leave out a single detail. My friends and I are doing line ups where ever we go and what better place to do it than one of the most famous monuments in the world.

The Roman Forum. It is the oldest part of Rome, and there are still remnants of stone columns and traces of buildings.

Cesare’s tomb.

Stone slab where Marc Anthony once stood to make a famous speech.

View from the Forum.

The Pantheon.

Piazza Navona.

I had to smile to myself sitting at it’s fountains, because it took me back to summer six years prior of my sisters as very little girls frolicking in the same water








That night we had a delicious group dinner in a romantic side alley. We had the best tiramisu of our time here; pudding style with a really moist cookie layer. Sadly, there is no picture of this one.

Friday we started early at St. Peter’s square and the Vatican museum.
Usually, April would not be as crowded as it was, but because of the Beatification of Pope John Paul II that Sunday, tourist season was in full throttle.

Banners hung from pillars of significant photos from the Pope’s time of reign and we got to watch the ceremony being set up.

Entering the Vatican one is overwhelmed with the size, although it never gets old.
Walking around I spotted a girl with a backpack on with the Greek letters PBP for Pi Beta Phi. I approached her and she is a Pi Phi at a university in Florida. It was cool to meet someone who lives on the opposite side of the country, yet we share that similarity.

After many museums we spent Friday afternoon at the Trevi Fountainand then on to eating gelato, relaxing, and people watching on the Spanish Steps. What a lovely afternoon!














Saturday morning our group toured Raphael’s villa and ended in the Campo de Fiori, a traditional market beloved by locals and tourists. The group left that afternoon, but two others and myself stayed until Sunday to see The Beatification of Pope John Paul II. We stayed with a friend who is teaching English and another friend of ours also living in Roma as an au pair joined in along with her cousin visiting from the States. They are all Pi Phi alum, so it was quite the reunion.

Me falling asleep on the bus from lack of sleep.

Sunday’s Beatification welcomed 1.5 million people from across the world; 300,000 people were in St. Peter’s Square and the rest (including us) were at one of seven big screens that surrounded the Vatican.

It was hot and people were pushing, but I could see. I witnessed a very historical day for the Catholic Church.

Now ‘The Blessed Pope John Paul II,’ is recognized as performing one miracle, and is one step away from canonization.
















Lots of sightseeing and witnessing The Beatification made for quite a successful Roman holiday!

Mammia Mia!

Con amore da Italia!

I am putting off writing about last weekend in Roma and this weekend in Siena to highlight one of the reasons I am able to be in Italia in the first place; Kelley Harrington.

To all of you who know my mother, you know she is one of the most enthusiastic, self-less, good-hearted people out there. Rarely do I hear her complain, for she puts all others above herself.

It is interesting being in Italy, and how much less communicating we do. I call her at least three times a day, and now we are sometimes not able to Skype but once a week - it’s been an adjustment:) Yet she is with me in spirit and I am so happy here I know she is happy for me.

I admire how involved she is; I’ve really learned from the best. I’ll be on Skype for two minutes before its, “I’m off to work out class” or “going to a clients house” or “coffee with the girls” or “a meeting at Central” or “I’ve got to go pick up the girls from school!” With a busy household she still manages to fit everything in while giving each of us unconditional love. Just today one of my friends was rattling off all the things she had to do, and I quoted my mom with her motto, “One step at a time.”

I thank God every day that I was blessed with the mother I have. I love you!

Napoli, Sorrento, Capri!

Mi scuso per il blog ritardo! Two big traveling weekends have taken place in the last three weeks. This weekend we are relaxing in Siena and I am finally writing to my loyal readers.

Easter weekend April 21-24, my friends and I went to Napoli, Sorrento, and Capri. I woke from my sweet slumber at 4:30am to catch a 5:57 train. We had heard Napoli is not the safest of places, so our plan was to stop only for lunch, and then train on to Sorrento. If any of you didn’t know, Napoli is known world wide for their pizza. When we stepped out of the train station with hungry tummies, our eyes were immediately drawn to the streets strewn with trash. I am not completely educated on this issue, but basically there is a major garbage strike happening. Therefore, people have been burning and tossing their trash in the streets. Not the most pleasant of sights.

We went to the famous pizzeria called ‘Da Michele.’

The line was out the door, so we got it to go - four euro for a good sized ‘small’ personal pizza. While we were waiting for it, the pizza makers made a ruckus when they found out we were American.

One of the cooks had another customer take a big group picture. By the way, Eat Pray Love was filmed there and naturally I gave a nod to Julia’s picture on the wall.

We took our boxes to the curb and scarfed our pizza margherita! We thought about it the rest of the weekend.

Kaela threw her pizza box in a trashcan, but the man standing there started yelling and made her dumpster dive to retrieve it. While trash surrounded my ankles, and I could have easily tossed it on the ground, it’s the Oregonian in me to not want to litter, so I found another trashcan to dispose of it (even though it will end up in the street too).

After a very long travel day we made it to Sorrento.

We stayed at campgrounds called La Fortunata. The cabins were on cinder blocks, with a bunk, a cot, and a small bathroom-truly a step above camping. We met up with guys later that night that we had met in the train station, and small world one of them goes to UO.

Saturday we spent the day in Capri and it was one of the most memorable days I have had thus far on the trip!
A local man with leathered skin and an abundance of knowledge of his town, gave the eight of us a 15-euro private boat tour around the island.

Although it got a bit overcast, there was no denying Capri's beauty.











He took us into every grotto and pointed out everything, including hillside villas of Dom Pérignon and Ferrari.

Orange Grotto.

It was the perfect day and no one wanted it to end (despite some feelings of sea sickness including yours truly). Then we hiked up a hill to restaurants, shops, and an incredible view. We ended up losing track of time and realized our ferry was leaving in five minutes.

So what did we do? We SPRINTED down the windy hill. Karly and I were in hysterics. Everyone stared at us like we were crazy Americans, but we made the ferry didn’t we? Sono Americana and proud of it!

Easter in Italia means less running buses and trains, and many more people traveling. While I didn’t go to church, and I didn’t have my chocolate eggs or Easter basket, I did wear my Easter dress. Just a different kind of year!

Mary, Karly, Anna and Kristin during one of our many train layovers of the weekend.

Then on our last train we met a 20-year-old German guy who we taught, ‘Teach Me How To Dougie.’ We are gathering some great footage; this video is going to be awesome. To end the day I got to be transported to Easter at my house in Portland, and I saw all my family members. Skype is such a blessing! Ciao per ora!