back in charlbury

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

it is good to be back in what is familiar and english. however, italy was FANTASTIC! aside from some stumbling blocks and hostels that shunned us, friendly italians and unexpected expenses, it was definetly the trip of a lifetime. rebecca and i didn't even hate eachother at the end of it!

continuing from my last blog, we spent three days in glorious florence, a slower paced but beautifully atmosphered place that captured our hearts on the first day. rome was exciting and fast-paced, but in florence we took it easy. we walked the streets, climbed hills, ate gelato, viewed michelangelo's david, slept in our own loft in our hostel, had beer in a cafe, ate pasta and pizza near the river.... it was wonderful. we took a day trip to pisa, which is famous for its tower... and that's about it. it was kind of lame, but we couldn't stop laughing about it. back in rome, we visited places we had already seen and loved, and found new places to explore, and wandered through the roman forum, the place where, in its hayday, everything happened. the best part was finding the prison in which peter and paul were thrown into.... it was a strange feeling.

we met so many people and spent hours or afternoons travelling around rome with them. we met some guys on the spanish steps who told us about the history of what we were seeing and sang songs into the night as we ate gelato until the cows came home. they made us promise to come back to rome, so i threw a coin into the trevi to make sure.

there are many things that happened, and i wish i could relate them all... but i think most of them are only special for rebecca and me. in other words, to know how great rome and florence are... you should go.

our trip home included walk, bus, bus, plane, bus, bus, metro, bus, train and walk. it was 12 hours of this. we were exhausted. it was insane. but we made it home.

however, in london, we saw something which resulted in a conversation lasting until oxford, a trip that took us 5 hours and should have taken less than 2. one road was blocked off, resulting in the move from bus to metro, and we soon realized why. about a thousand muslims were marching to protest the death of a descendant of mohammed.... filling the street, beating their chests, flogging themselves with chains and chanting.... it was hard to watch and we all got a little emotional... especially seeing young children following the actions of their elders and beating themselves before they could understand why. it made us think about what this world is becoming, how apathetic christians can be, and what we are heading into in the future..


anyways, after this action packed week (including probably about 70 hours of intense walking...), our group is performing a play on friday, and have a week to memorize several lines, make props and sets and give a performance to a crowd of 50..

i need a vacation after my vacation.