Quick update.

Hej!
  I apologize for the lack of update lately.  Life has been extremely busy lately.  I am averaging reading 400 pages per week for classes, Danish language courses, and balancing a social life (including a certain Danish man in my life!)


All the best, sending my love across the Atlantic :)


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So, my good friend Maggie Wilmer from Bozeman is coming to visit me!  From March 9-20.  We've decided to make a quick trip over to London, England from March 15-17.  $60 roundtrip.. gotta love budget airlines.  I haven't been to an english-speaking county since I left the States, so i'm sure it'll be comforting :)  Besides going to London, I am going to show here my life here in Aarhus and introduce here to some friends.  


What else?  Gosh I wish I had more to update on-- lately it seems like time is going by extremely quickly.  It is scaring me!  Each week has been flying by.
Oh!  Tuesday I am going to my first 3-D movie.  The Lion King, in Danish.  I'm excited :)


I will update with loads of pictures from my adventures with Maggie and stories soon.


All the best!

Firenze Part II.

Built in 1296, the Duomo took 150 years to complete.

Espresso break :)

Palazzo Pitti

Foooood.

Perfect lunch: caffe' latte, water, pizza, and glass of Chianti.

I think Russell ate Pasta alla Carbonara (with bacon,) every day.  We were also very spoiled with fresh mozzarella.   

Trek to Piazza de Michelangelo.

He had to stop to ponder.

 We had quite the experience getting to this view of Florence ;)  

Firenze Part I.

Here's a quick story about the adventure Russell and I ventured on when getting to Florence.  First of all, we took a train from Rome to Florence.  Once we arrived in Florence we realized there was no address on our hotel reservation.. and no internet or phonebook at the train station!  So after looking at each other with an "ooohh shiiit" look on our faces, we took action.  Russell, being the mule, carried our bags around while I ran around searching for internet.  Across the street from the train station I found a McDonald's.  I ran in there and found a man with an iPhone, so he was able to look up the address to our hotel.  Russell and I had a cooking class in an hour, so we needed to hurry. We figured taking a taxi would be the most efficient way. Buuutt, of course, there was a taxi strike ha.  After running around the train station for awhile, we got on the correct bus we needed.  THEN we got off the bus two stops too early :)  At this point I became extremely stressed.. I looked back at Russell-- he was smiling and shrugged his shoulders.. and said  "Well!"  He was cool as a cucumber.  After telling him he had the worst idea in the world (regarding what we should do next), I broke out in laughter.  He was completely composed and going with the flow.  Finally, we arrived at our hotel-- which was in an extremely small, unmarked alley.  On the entrance of the hotel was a note, "Sorry, we're out.. call the mobile!"  I would like to add that we did not have a cell phone ha.  Luckily we found a woman that lived near by and asked her to use her phone.

After we finally got into our hotel I looked at Russell and said "Russ.. I need an adult beverage, something to eat, an espresso, and somewhere to sit."  "Jesus Bailey, anything else?"  "Yeah, I also need a cigarette."  Once I realized how ridiculous I sounded we both broke out in laughter and were ready to take on Florence.  After all, not much more can go wrong after that.  

Ohh international travel.  Always dealing with the unexpected!  I love it.

Anyways, Russell and I took a cooking class the first night we got to Florence.  It was a blast!  Here are some photos--

Our chef and a French woman cutting the homemade pasta.

Cowboy cookin'.

This is Ragu' alla Bolognese.  

Pollo all' Aretina.

Dolce al Cioccolato.  HEAVENLY.

While cooking I kept looking at the Italians and making big hand gestures.. saying Perfecto!  They immediately knew I was American :)

After cooking, all of us students sat down with a bottle of Tuscan Chianti, along with our delicious meal we prepared, and talked about our traveling experiences.  It was such a lovely time.  I will remember it forever.

Roma Part II.

The first portion of these pictures are from Vatican City in Rome.  It was incredible.  My brother and I took a guided tour, considering the city is roughly 7 miles long-- it's a bit overwhelming.  By the end of the tour we could barely walk we were so tired!  

Our guide noted that if someone were to look at each piece of work in the Vatican, for one minute, they would be there for 12 years.  Say whaat?!

To begin, the Vatican is a centre of power for Catholics all over the world and a sovereign state since 1929, which is ruled by the pope.  About 1,000 people live there.

This is the view from the top of St. Peter's Basilica.  The Basilica was completed in 1506, after taking more than a century to build.  

---One thing I couldn't take pictures of is Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel.  It was hands-down  the most beautiful, breathtaking thing I have ever seen.  It is composed of two major masterpieces.  The first is the ceiling-- which consists of 12 different portaits, portraying the Creation of the World and Fall of Man, surrounded by subjects from the Old and New Testaments.  It was built between 1508-1512.  

Apparently, Michelangelo wasn't a fan of the Pope Julius II who commissioned him to do the work.  But, if the pope asks you to do something.. you oblige.  To get his secret revenge against the pope, Michelangelo painted small children giving him the finger.  :)

The second master piece in the Sistine Chapel is The Last Judgement.  Michelangelo worked alone on the fresco for seven years, until its completion in 1541.  He actually went temporarily blind after he completed it, from looking up for 7 years!  The painting depicts the souls of the dead rising up to face the wrath of God.  It is a very emotional work of art.  

Above the alter is the enormous dome of St. Peter's.  It was designed by Michelangelo and is 448 ft. high!

It was very difficult to take pictures inside St. Peter's.  Everything was so enormous, and no picture could do it justice.  So I decided to take a quick video showing you around :)

Around Roma:

The Spanish Steps, built in the 17th century.

This Roman column supports a statue of the Virgin Mary.

The Trevi Fountain!

This is Pantheon, 2,000 years old, and the largest surviving temples of ancient Rome.

Inside the Pantheon, wish I could be there when it was raining!

Piazza Navona.

Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi.

Fontana del Moro, portraying the sea god.