"The wisdom's in the trees, not the glass windows"

Ciao!

One of the most difficult things to do in Rome is to go for a run. I was so spoiled back in East Lansing and in EGR, and I didn't even realize it. I've had to rearrange my schedule and go early in the morning to avoid the busy traffic and the gross Italian men. My Italian professor recently told me that Italian women never wear shorts while running or working out. As a matter of fact, it's rare to see an Italian woman running around the city. Which leads me to Mistake #1: Running outside in my Detroit Tiger's t-shirt and hot pink running shorts. But, in the end, my mistake was rewarding. I ran all the way up to the top of a hill by my apartment, and once at the top, I could see the most amazing view of Roma. It's one of my new favorite things to do and it makes running all the more worthwhile.

In other news, I have been in Rome for almost a month! Time is going by so fast. I have narrowed down the list of places I want to see and put up a calendar of all the things I have to do in the next 3 1/2 months. I have pretty much come to the conclusion that school is getting in the way of me exploring Europe ... but I guess that was to be expected.

This past weekend I was blessed enough to travel to Venice! It was amazing. As soon as I got off the train, Venice took my breath away. The atmosphere was so relaxed, there were no cars or vespas, and you could feel that time was moving much slower. I went with two friends and we stayed at an amazing hostel. I'm not sure if any in the future will be able to compare. The hostel was ran by Gustavo, a Florence native, who is now one of my favorite hippie friends. Gustavo had studied cooking in Florence, and he graciously cooked for us on Saturday night. The food was amazing! For the rest of the weekend, my friends and I explored Venice and tried not to get lost. We went to the Basilica di San Marco, shopped, went on a gondola ride (!!), and went to the Guggenheim Art Museum.

1. Cool fact:

Gondolas are actually passed down by generation and you have to be Venetian to be a gondolier.

2. The Guggenheim exhibit was amazing.

I could have spent the whole day just looking at one painting in order to decipher everything I saw. The intensity of the paintings in the museum was outrageous, and the range of emotions in the paintings left me without words numerous times.

My favorite part of Venice though was the Beatles Memorabilia shop we stumbled upon. It's official - my Mecca is in Venice. The shop was filled with Beatles memorabilia, vinyls, and everything classic rock. The owner of the shop was playing acoustic guitar when we came in, and I immediately felt at home. If you can believe it, the store had a copy of Don McLean's "American Pie". I have been searching for that vinyl for two years, and could not believe I found it in Venice. Now all I have to do is to make sure it gets home safely...

"There have been joys too great to be described in words, and there have been griefs upon which I have not dared to dwell; and with his in mind I say: climb if you will, but remember that courage and strength are naught without prudence, and that a momentary negligence may destroy the happiness of a lifetime. Do nothing in haste; look well to each step; and from the beginning think what may be at the end."

-Edward Whymper

You are loved and prayed for,

Kaitlin