Spring Break Adventures!

Hello everyone!! Firstly, let me apologize for my prolonged absence…I was away for two weeks on spring break (which you’ll be hearing all about in this post, hence the title!) and, once I got back, was swamped with papers, tests, and school work (I’m not kidding…3 papers due last week, 2 this week, 3 the following week…yikes!) and, obviously, school work comes first! But I thought I’d take a break to write to you all before I get too far behind (aka I am so sick of doing school work that I’m procrastinating and figured I should do something productive!)

The Outside of the Colosseum

So…lets rewind to the beginning of this month, when I began my spring break and headed on a school trip to Rome! For as long as I can remember, Rome has been the one place in this world that I had to see.  Maybe it was because Lizzie McGuire went there and had a good time, or because I took Latin in high school, or just because I love Italian food, but I have always wanted to go and knew that, while in Europe, I’d have to make a trip there.  Luckily, my school offered a 6 day trip there, which I immediately signed up for! I am so glad I did a school trip…Rome has so much to offer, and, although it was exhausting (our professor, Thyge, pronounced Tu-ah, had us up and out by 7:30 and kept us walking until 5:00, when we all passed out on our beds, woke up for dinner and gelato, then passed out again) I saw so many amazing things.

Saint Peter's Square from the top of St. Peter's Basilica

My favorite thing, by far, was the Vatican.  We spent an entire day there, and I still wish I had more time.  In the morning, we took a guided tour of the Vatican Museums, which are filled with some of the most incredible, amazing artwork I have ever seen.  The Sistine Chapel was breathtaking…its hard to believe that one man did it all!!! After touring the museum and a delicious lunch at a nearby restaurant, we headed into Saint Peter’s Square, which was massive (much bigger than it looked in Angels & Demons) and were set loose for the afternoon.

Baldachin by Bernini in St. Peter's

A couple of us decided to climb to the top of the Saint Peter’s Basilica, which was an interesting experience, considering its 400 steps, half of them consisting of steep stair cases with slanting walls or spiral staircases two feet wide, but was totally worth it…the view from the top was spectacular! After taking a break and catching our breath, we headed back down and into Saint Peter’s, which was the biggest and most beautiful church I have ever seen, filled with incredible sculptures and details. Words can not even begin to describe it!

Of course, while in Rome, we did all the traditional touristy things, like the Trevi Fountain, the Forum (where the Senate was), the Spanish Steps, the Mouth of Truth (aka the carved face in the wall which Audrey Hepburn stuck her hand into in Roman Holiday), the Pantheon, Circus Maximus (where they had chariot races) and, of course, the Colosseum.

Inside the Colosseum

The Colosseum was so cool…its amazing how much of it still stands today, and how big the structure is! It was neat just to walk around and see the ruins, and to just imagine what it must have looked like back in ancient Rome.  We also did some non-touristy things, like a day trip to Ostia, which was the sea port of ancient Rome. Today, its an archaeological site, and is pretty well preserved, consisting of the ruins of shops, homes, temple, and even public baths and toilets.  It was fun to walk around outside in the fresh air and to explore the area!

Making a wish at the Trevi Fountain...hopefully, my wish will come true, and I'll get to come back some day!!

Overall, I had a fantastic time in Rome. I made some new friends, was blessed with nice weather (in the 70s every day!) and ate some of the delicious food in the entire world (pizza and pasta every day, plus gelato for dessert!) One of my favorite places was called Della Palma, which was a gelato place that served over 100 flavors!! They had normal ones, and then some unique ones, like rice…my personal favorites were Nutella and Mint Stracciatella!

I was sad to leave Rome (mainly because of the delicious food and nice weather) but was so excited, because the next day I was off to England to see my family! It was so nice to see my mom, Jeffrey, and my mom’s cousin Martin waiting for me at the airport! Being in England was almost like being home, because not only did I get to see my family (my dad flew over a few days later) but I got to see some of my extended family, who I don’t get to see very often, got to stay in a house, and everyone spoke English! It sounds funny, but it was so nice to walk off the plane and be able to read signs and billboards and to be able to understand exactly what everyone was saying around me!

James Bond exhibit at Beaulieu

While it was so nice to see family, we also got to do some sightseeing.  We went to Highclere Castle one day, which is where they film Downton Abbey, and Beaulieu, an old estate with a car museum.  But my favorite thing, probably one of the highlights of my trip abroad, was going to Leavesden Studios.

“What’s that?” you ask? Well, it’s where they filmed all eight Harry Potter movies and anyone who has ever met me knows that I am entirely and completely obsessed with Harry Potter.  Therefore, getting to see the studios where they were filmed was incredible.

"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts..."

While its still a working studio, two of the soundstages have been turned into an exhibit, filled with props, sets, and costumes from the movies, from things as small as the Golden Snitch, Hermione’s Time-Turner, and various magazines and books to things as big as the Potion’s Classroom set, Number 4 Privet Drive, and the Knight Bus.  But the best part was the grand finale which was a scale model of Hogwarts Castle, which was still huge, and incredibly detailed.

Buckingham Palace...sadly, we couldn't attain an audience with the Queen, and Will and Kate were too busy!

The next day, my family, along with my mom’s cousing Debbie and Lynn, took the train up to London for the day, where we met up with Lynn’s son Scott.  We went to the Victoria & Albert Museum, then headed off to Harrod’s (where my mom, Jeffrey, and I enjoyed some delicious and expensive ice cream) Buckingham Palace, and Covent Garden.  We finished off the day with a yummy dinner at Planet Hollywood, where I was finally able to have the food I’ve been missing since I left home…a cheeseburger with french fries and a soda!! Afterwards, we headed back to the train station, which included passing the countdown to the London Olympics and enjoying a lovely walk across the Thames at night. I realized how much I like the city of London, and how, even though I’ve been there quite a few times, I’m nowhere close to having seen it all!

Goodnight London!

The rest of our trip went by relatively fast, and consisted of a lot of relaxing and shopping (which is fine with me!), plus packing up our suitcases.  Before I knew it, it was time to say goodbye, and to head back to Copenhagen. It was so hard leaving my family again, but I know that these next few weeks will fly by and I’d be seeing them before I knew it!