I'm in Roma Trick!

Trevi Fountain... Make a Wish!

So full of Ranch.. When in Rome...

Jesu-What church!

Inside... Gorge!

Sunset over the Vatican!

On the roof of the Jes Res 

Pantheon

Spanish Steps.. Where's Lizzie Mcguire??

At the top... Rome is maggggic

Roman Forum

Colloseum!

Inside... Wait Lizzie is performing here??

The tightest hallway in the world... Do you think Oprah walked hur??

Sistine Chapel.. SHHHH

St. Peters

The dome... magic

PAPA!!

When in Rome...

ra ra ahh ahh ahh ROMA ROMA ma

ROMA is AMAZING. I am obsessed with that city. I love that it is a big city, yet it has so much history. You've got the city atmosphere like Paris and the art/history that Florence has... it truly is Amaze. I want to go back there as much as possible because there is so much to see and it just has that vibe that I LOOOOVE... all they need to do is get a starbucks and you've got me sold.

Sooo the trip was nice and short... I def needed an extra night in Florence after Croatia and Barcelona two weekends in a row. We met at school at 8 am friday and took a 4 hour bus ride down to Roma. When we arrived at our hotel we had just enough time to drop our bags, change, and by metro tickets. Our first stop was group lunch at the HARD ROCK CAFE... it was just what we all needed. I think we all got burgers, fries, and all the RANCH you can eat... it was AMAZE. I am literally obsessed with ranch so its been something I def. miss from home. We all devouuuuured our burger or whatever else we ordered... sooo American of us, buts it def. what we all miss. The next trip was optional, but I'm pretty sure alll of us attended. Fr. Pham, our jesuit priest, lives in Rome during the week and gave us the Jes tour of Rome. We saw the Jesuit mothership Church, Gonzaga's tomb, the Jes Res with amaaaaze views of the Vatican at sunset, some other Jesuit Church, and Ignatious' bed room. We also hit up the Trevi fountain on the way. The tour was awesome to see, especially with our very own Jesuit leading the way. The next stop was a 3 hour night walking tour, after a 3 hour Jesuit walking tour... We saw the Trevi again, the Spanish Steps, every Piazza I swear in the city, ect. It was awesome, but we were soooo tired after it. A solid group of girls decided to catch the bus and head home since the metro was alot futher away. The bus was fulll of creeps so we were estatic to make it home. We all changed and then camped our on my bed to watch Kardash... we were in heaven... Our day was super complete... ranch dressing, trevi fountain, spanish steps, and Kimmie Kourt Khloe and Kris.

The next day was GO GO GO. We left at 745 AM to go to the Villa Borghese... The Museum was full of cool stuff... none of which i knew annnnything about... I def wished we had a guide for that trip. I did see the adam and eve painting in the opening of Desperate Housewives... I was stocked for that. My abroad trip is a constant search for anything and everything pop culture! After an hour in the museum we left to see the Colleseum before we had to meet at the Vatican. Six of us went with our student life guy Larry to see it, which was such a wise decision. Lar bear knew to go to the Roman Forum first to get tickets, instead of waiting in the HORRRIBLE line for the Col because you get entrance to both... So we saw both without waiting in an hour long line... and only paid 12 euro... our friends had to wait in line, then managed to get on a tour but for 18 euro... sooo if you ever go to Roma... follow Lar Bear's lead... the Roman Forum was awesome... totally old... but the Col was epic... so cool to see it.

The next stop was the Vatican Museum... oh my god... i love the Vatican... it is sooooo cool. The Museum is real cool, especially this one hallway which has an EPIIIIC ceiling... but the coolest part is def the Sistine Chapel. The guards are intense but I managed to snag some awesome pics... it is seriously amazing how it was done... totally mind blowing... next we went to St. Peters... that was probably the coolest thing i have seen to date... the dome is actually mind blowing...I felt like I was in such history... def top 3 thing I've seen abroad... probably number 1 even...

That night 40 of us went with Fr. Pham to an asian buffet (can you tell were a bit sick of italian food...) in like the ghetto... or actually we just drove through the ghetto... but to get there we had to take a bus... which was already packed before we got on... and then we shoved 40 extra people on... nooooone could move an inch... it was sooo intense... but we made it and it was amaze... it was a buffet and a grill where you pick your raw meat and veggies and they grill it up for you... all you can eat.... so worth it...

The next day was POPE time. We wanted to go see his blessing obvi. So like 8 of us got on a packed bus again to go see him. I was with 3 friends in a huddle basically getting violated by creepy old italian men... it was terrrrrrifying.. and sweaty gross... we were estatic to get off that. And we then got to see the Papa in all his glory which was such an amazing experience... he spoke like 20 languages.. it was amazing... We then just walked around that area, found a carousel... and then headed back to go home.

The bus ride home was even epic since we watched Toy Story 3... all of us were watching and enjoying this story of our childhood... we grew up with andy... its seriously the best. But now I'm back home in Flo for the weekend. Saw Harry Potter 7 Part 1 last night... oh my god sooo amazing... thats another story we literally grew up with... I can't believe its almost over... gahh. CIIIAO.

Music Guide: "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga

I'm in Barcelona Trick!

Death on wheels...

Just driving down the road... soo out of the movies

olympic stadium in all its glory

peace in a picture

i whip my hair back and forth... 

the walk home... fall at its finest

why are the parks in Spain soo pretty

oh hey escalators up hills... you rule.

the passage ways in Guell Park...

longest bench in the WORLD...

la sagrada familia... and its construction stufffff

man up fc barce

hurry down sun down

chilly...

those were toooo good...

getting crazzzzy in the icebar hehe

i love the icebar!

from ice to the beach... its good to be in barce

reunited and it feels soooooo good. 

PS. I FORGOT MY CAM IN FLO... SO THANKKKKS GREG AND SEAN FOR BEING PAPARAZZI ALL WEEKEND!

All Year Long We Wait For Sun... At The Beach We Come Undone

I'm back... for now! This past weekend I spent my time in sunny, amazing, beautiful Barcelona! It was absolutely gorgeous there... and it didn't help that it was freaking November 5ish and it was in the 70's... pure heaven. The trip was supppper amazing... but I def had trouble rallying for it. I have realized that it is really hard to pick up and leave every weekend. I am never in the same city for very long... it takes its toll on you. SOO long story short, I was kind of dreading this trip. I spent all of last weekend in Croatia, had two days at home, and had to leave again... I was NOT mentally prepared... but I forced myself to get a move on and it was SOO worth it. The actual trip to Barce is a trek! Seriously! We flew out of Bologna on Ryan Air so just getting there was a hassle. I took the fast train to the station and then the 4 of us hopped in a cab to go to the airport. We waited for our gate to open, sat in the airport for 2 hours, and finally boarded the plane to Girona. The flight was uneventful, but then we had an hour bus to Barce. We finally got to the hostel (nicest one to date... eek I really hate hostels!) and all settled by 10:30, perfect time to get dinner, walk around, and go to bed. Travel days really do suck!

The next day started out with a bang. We wanted to find an interesting way to see the city, and some of our friends recommended renting go carts, so obviously we were interested. My friend Greg and I were the only two to have our licenses, so therefore I had to drive. It was probably one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. We drove around the legittt streets of Barcelona in little yellow go carts. It had GPS and told us where to go... so we went. I drove all around the streets, seeing the Sagrada Familia, La Rambla, ect... all from my little yellow car. The GPS was pretty good, but sometimes it didn't quite let us know what to do in time. We got so off track and stuck in roundabouts... all while cabs are honking and vespas were breezing past from all directions. I could not get over to save my life... I thought I was going to die. I think I may have kissed the ground when I got out of that death mobile... but it was an adventurous way to see the city forrrr sure.

After the death tour we went to find the Olympic Staduim. It was up away from the city and it was just a beautiful part of town. It was so serene being up there. It was quiet, spacious, and peaceful. It didn't help that it was 70 degrees. We decided to walk back down the hill rather than spend more money on the subway. That turned out to be an awesome decision. We walked through this amazing, green park, right by this castle looking museum, down into the heart of the city. It was a nice little jaunt... we even sucked it up and walked back to our hostel.. we LOVE walking on GIF. We walked down La Rambla for dinner... and I got starbucks for the 2nd time that day... too amazing!

The next day was GO GO GO. I got up early (for some reason I could not sleep past 8 this weekend... who am I turning into??) and ready to go! After getting my fix of starbucks (#3 hehe) we decided to head to Guell Park because everyone said it had the worlds longest bench, which it did but it had SO much more! We took the subway to the foot of the hill, where we were met by escalators (thats right... Spain knows whats up... so much easier!) and got to the top of the hill where we entered the Park. Right away there is an awesome view of the city, and a nice little hill you can walk to where there is some crosses and an AWESOME view of the entire city. There was a nice little path as you wrapped around the Park, with these cave like passages.. it was amazing. The bench was there as well... it was all tiled and beautiful. The park is extra beautiful because it is the creation of Gaudi. His architecture is just cool.... like fo reals. We continued with the Gaudi trend by visiting the Sagrada Familia up close and personal. It was blocked off on the inside cause the POPE was there that weekend to bless it.. too bad we didn't get a glimpse of the PAPA in his pope mobile. That church is ridiculous. Gaudi once again is out of control... and its stillllll not finished.... who knows when that will happen.. but it sure is cool. The next stop of the day was the FC Barcelona complex. They weren't in town so we didnt get to go to a game, but it was an awesome complex. We went to the Mega store which was legit... even picked up a scarf... maybe I'll start liking soccer over here in Europe...(but I reallllly just wanna be watching my ZAGS play!) The last stop of the day was the Marina to watch the sunset. It was heaven... made we miss those lazy summer days in Magnolia down by the water.

That night was truly ridiculous and one of the most fun experiences ever. We went to the ICEBAR... on the beach... weird I know. We got a big puffy jacket and headed into the ice room. The drinks were GREAT in our ice cups... and it was just so fun being in there... we were a bit out of control... taking more pictures that ever... it was such a blast. We totally changed climates and walked out to spend the remaining hours of the night on the beach... getting asked if we want drugs (and turning them down!) by sketch ball spaniards. It was such a blast.

Barce was a bundle of fun and even though we did a ton! it was relaxing to be by the water and in the 70 degree heat when it was the beginning of November.... and I got starbucks 5(!) times... finally got my fix... i wanna go back! Ciaooo for now.

Music Guide: "All Summer" by Kid Cudi

I'm in Croatia and Bosnia trick!

Were on a BOAT!

Climbing up a MASK... smart decision.. but SUCH A VIEW

Hello Miami aka KARDASHIAN VILLE... oh wait I'm in Croatia

The tunnels of Diocletions Palace... where the markets are

RACH MOMENT #5000... we got our faybans on in the hostel... wait have you seen hostel?? or taken??

Medjugorie! The church

IVANNNNNNA!

Appriation Hill... we treked that in flats

Oh hey Bosnia..

Mary Statue

Time to Reflect...

The leaky statue...

Our obsession with Ivanna... too much. 

Breakfast on the Boardwalk... you know its NOVEMBER right...

LOVE... ps im super tall

At the top of the Hill... love it

Views for dayz. 

Where You Lead.. I Will Follow

I just got back from probably the best weekends I have spent since I have been here. I went to Croatia, with a quick day trip to Bosnia, and it was just epic. I think it was because of the BOMB group we went with. Most Gonzaga in Florence kids went to Barcelona for the weekend, but a solid group of about 25 of us went on this trip. It was a perfectly chill group, and it was so nice to get to know these BOMB people more. It seriously was just sooo fun.

The actual trip to Croatia is a trek! We left Flo at 3 pm on thursday, took a 4 hour bus ride to the coast, where we met our overnight cruise to Split! The boat was actually a blast. We just chilled in the bar for awhile, but had an awesome dance party on the top deck at midnight because it was my friends 21st birthday. We jammed to Beyonce, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, ect... basically we had a blast. It totally made us kinda sorta forget that the boat was a rockin. We passed out on the floor for like 2 hours and woke up just in time to get off the ship at 7 am. After we got off the ship we dropped off our stuff and headed out in search of breakfast. Split is seriously like the Miami of the Adriatic Sea... or thats what it felt like. We walked along the boardwalk surrounded by palm trees... SO BEAUTIFUL! It was a nice little retreat from real life... We walked through the market for days, which was fabulous! They had legit fake Ray Bans for days, logo and all. I picked up a couple of pairs. It was such a nice day we headed to the beach and swam in the Adriatic... yup I swam in the Adriatic Sea in pretty much November... my life is awesome. We all headed to a Croatian restraunt, all 24 of us GIF people had a fabulous meal together. After dinner was maybe one of the funniest experiences of my life... A bunch of us girls had an early morning the next day so we headed back... On the way we saw snickers icecream bars and at that point in time we needed it... The guy working in the store was a crazy old Croatian man... a creep... at one point he said "I like Girls!" hahah we were absolutely dying!

The next day was probably one of the greatest experiences I have ever had. A group of 14 of us girls decided to go to Medjugorie in Bosnia. This is one of the Mary Apiration sights... and it was such an amazing thing to see. We took a 3 hour bus through the Croatian and Bosnian country sides. Boy was that a rollercoaster of a ride... The rode winded throughout the hills and probably were not made for greyhound buses. Luckily I was able to sleep through most of it. We got to Medjugorie around 10... just in time to make the English mass at the church in town. It was so nice to hear a priest from the United States talk... somehow made me feel a lot more comfortable in church in BOSNIA. Church was very nice, but it was def. time to see the town afterwords. Luckily my friend Morgan's parents had been to Medjugorie and knew of a woman who could take us around. Ivanna was AMAZING. All of the 14 girls who went on the day trip are actually obsessed with her! She has lived in Medjugorie her entire life (except her 5 college years in the United States) and actually knows the people who Mary appeared to. She was soooo knowledgable and we like fell in love with her. She took us to appiration hill, which is where Mary first appeared. I though it would have a nice path or something, but they kept it just how it always was... a hill of jagged sharp rocks. It was a trek in flats, but so worth it. There is 5 points in which you stop, all marked by the 5 joyful mysteries. We prayed the rosary along the way together and it was amazing. I am not the most in tune with my religion... but this was an amazing experience. I felt so at peace and whole as we were climbling the hill. When you get to the top there is a nice statue and place to sit and reflect. We sat there for a solid 15 minutes in silence, overlooking the hills of Bosnia. Its insane to imagine how wrecked this country is, because you don't feel it there. All I felt was peace... it was totally powerful. The top wasn't without some humor. Some crazy lady came up to my friend and started to talk to her and want her to take pictures with her... haha. Ivanna was like DONT TALK TO THEM.. there is always the crazys wanting to take pictures.. Typical.

After the Hill we went into town to see a statue behind the church. It is a large bronze statue thats right knee has been consistently leaking water since they put it in. Ivanna explained that becuase of the climate there is no way that could be on purpose. In the winter it would freeze and in the summer it would evaporate... its truly unexplainable.... After that we headed to the most shmancy restraunt in town to dine with our new best friend Ivanna. We all were ravenous since we hadn't eaten all day and were estatic to find out the prices. We all got drinks, A soups, a meat course, a side, and part of Ivanna'sIvanna... a bunch of us want to go back second semester. The night ended in the most perfect way. After the second rollercoaster bus ride all of us were exhausted and wanted to just go back. We all climbed in bed and watched Clue together. It was a purfect Halloweeen flick... too bad it wasn't Hocus Pocus.

The next day was soo relaxing. We got up and ate breakfast along the Miami esque boardwalk. It was amazing and warm. Croatia is magical. We decided to climb to the top of the Hill overlooking all of Split, which was AMAZING! After stairs for days (I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be a GIF trip if we didn't climb 954321 stairs) we reached the top for some pretty spectacular views of Split! Croatia is beautiful, I have to say GOOOO if you ever get the chance. Its such a hidden gem. We spent the rest of the afternooon walking around the market for the 10th time, shopping for faybans and scarves, and then had a 3 hour dunch to kill time before the boat took off.

Halloween night on a boat was interesting. We all just kicked it in the bar, trying not to focus on the insane rocking the boat was doing... We planned to stay up a bit later than we did, but most of us were a bit out of it because of the boat... so I think we were in bed by 1. Just in time for our early morning arrival into Italy... gahh Croatia was epic. Seriously one of the best weekends. I loved the people I was with and loved the places I saw. GO GO GO if you can...

Music Guide: "Where You Lead" by Carole King