My Trip to Italy

Well, I did it. I did the impossible...in my opinion. I went overseas without my parents and spent ten days in beautiful Italy.

If you've read my other posts, you know how close I am to my family and how much I hate to be away from home. Well, for a long time my aunt--who is beyond amazing--has wanted to take my sister and I on a trip overseas. She finally decided to take us to Italy. She had taken a tour a couple of years ago and loved it so much that she wanted us to experience it.

We knew it was going to happen for some time, but over Christmas she gave us a finalized date. As that date came closer, I grew more and more anxious. As much as I hate being away from home, I hate flying even more. I'm not afraid of the normal things like crashing. I'm afraid of being locked inside a vessel that I can't stop if I need to. If something happens when I'm on a car ride, the car can stop and the side of the road is right there. Not so much on a plane. Knowing that the flight would be eight hours didn't help either.

Now that I'm back home (the flight back was better than the way there), I actually miss being in Italy. We had an unbelievable time, and even though I made sure to appreciate what I was doing and seeing while I was there, I still feel like it was just a dream. When we first got back I told myself that I wouldn't take that long of a flight again, that it wasn't worth it. We had three flights to get home, so I think that was part of it. Now that it's been almost two weeks, I think my body has done that pregnancy thing where it produces a chemical that makes you forget how awful the experience was (the flights), and I really want to go back haha!

So here is just a BIT of what we experienced!

Beautiful hotel in Venice.

The Doge's Palace. Essentially a courthouse.

Outside St. Mark's Cathedral.

Streets that look real sketch, but all of Venice looks like this and it's very safe.

Grand Canal.

These were everywhere!

Gondola ride with live music!

A beautiful vineyard where we had lunch. This was on the way to Florence.

Oscar!

Pisa.

Leaning Tower.

Our hotel in Florence. That was some amazing pizza.

Just one side of St. Mary's Cathedral.

The replica of Michelangelo's David. The original is breathtaking.

Inside St. Mary's.

Fantastic gelato.

View of Florence.

Basilica of St. Francis.

Inside St. Francis'

Colosseum in Rome.

Where chariot races and Olympic games were held.

A sculpture in Vatican City that represents the dawning of a new world.

Every inch of that ceiling is painted. No sculpture at all.

Inside the Sistine Chapel. You're not technically supposed to take photos...oops.

St. Peter's Square getting ready for Easter.

Inside St. Peter's. It was amazing.

A Pringles dispenser!

Trevi Fountain.

That's some good cheese.

Streets of Pompei.

The bed of a...freelance...prostitute.

Not everyone spoke the same language. So the brothel in Pompei worked like a McDonald's. Just point at what you want!

Bakery.

This was a "sign" that pointed to the brothel.

Temple of Apollo.

A pizza vending machine in Sorrento!

This was only 10 euros.

 

Beautiful staircase in our hotel in Sorrento.

That's Mt. Vesuvius in the background.