Back Home, Back to Reality

Dear my beloved, avid and loyal readers,

These past 5 months have been nothing short of amazing. Going to Berlin was one of the best decisions I have made and I am so proud of all I got to experience. I got to live in a fantastic and unique city (arguably the best), meet some incredible people who became good friends and visit places whose histories make the US look like a toddler.
After two and half weeks back home, I am now in San Francisco. I'll be back working at my office job on USF's campus 4 days a week. I also got an internship at the Frey Norris Gallery (www.freynorris.com) in downtown SF which I'll be working for 2 days a week. It will be a busy summer before starting my senior year in college but I'll get to relive my days in Berlin. My task now is to convert this blog into a multi-volume scrapbook which will take much time and effort (and paper cuts and money).
Thank you, whoever you are, for experiencing this all with me. I have updated this blog for the last 2 weeks I spent in Europe with my parents as we traveled through Germany and Italy. They are titled by date and they go into the month of May on the tab on the side. Enjoy!
Auf Wiedersehen! Tschuess! Goodbye...

Jillian Mary

Day 14: Coming Home

Taking a taxi from our hotel, we left Rome early in the morning to make our flight. We flew from Rome to Paris where we had a 3-4 hour delay due to the air traffic from rerouting plane routes (stupid erupting volcano). Getting on the plane in Paris was a relief and I enjoyed the flight home watching movies I had missed while in Europe. Our flight was an hour longer as the pilots rerouted our flight to avoid any ash. We had a beautiful view of Greenland as we flew over.

Day 13: Last Day in Rome

Our last day in Rome was spent visiting the must-see sights of the city. Following a walking tour in the Rick Steve's Italy book, we visited the Pantheon, multiple Piazzas, the Spanish Steps and then visited the Borghese Gallery. We ended the night with a celebratory dinner of Mother's Day and Dad's birthday as well as the ending of our fantastic two weeks.

Day 12: Amalfi Coast and Positano

After Pompeii, our tour continued down the Amalfi Coast. In our 8 passenger van, our driver whizzed along the road that clung to the cliffs. The drive was beautiful, as we passed the blue ocean that was met by green cliffs that were spotted with ancient forts and houses. We stopped for lunch in Positano and had lunch along the beach. We took some beautiful pictures along the drive as well as in the city of Amalfi which ended our long yet beautiful day.

Day 12: Amalfi Coast Trip: Pompeii

This day started in POURING rain in Rome. However, as we drove south and closer to the coast, the clouds cleared up and it turned into a beautiful day. Our first stop of this day trip was to visit Pompeii. I had been in high school but like the Coliseum, I was more than excited to return. Pompeii was covered by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD. Now, after many excavations, the preserved city stands as a testament to time. Our guide led us through this organized, strategically laid out city.

Day 11: Vatican Tour and Trevi Fountain

This day included a 6 hour tour of the Vatican- its museums, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's. Our fantastic tour guide led us through each providing us with incredible history and trivia.
Later that night, we walked from our hotel to the Trevi Fountain to throw in some coins hoping for a return to Rome one day.

Day 10: First Day in Rome

After a quick morning train from Florence to Rome, we had a tour of the Coliseum, the Forum and the surrounding parts of that district of Rome. I had the privilege of going to Rome in high school but I was excited to visit the Coliseum again. It's fascinating to be inside the Coliseum and think about the years and years of history and how it is still standing.