IL PAPA a Piazza di Spagna

Please click on the second photo--twice--to zoom in to see Pope Benedict better.

CHRISTMAS IN ROMA

Although the tree in St. Peter's Square does not get lit nor does the Nativity in the Square get unveiled until Christmas, Christmastime in Rome is magical.

I still enjoyed seeing the tree in St. Peter's get decorated, another tree in Piazza Venezia, shopping streets lit with Christmas lights and storefronts very much decorated, too.

Piazza Navona had a Christmas Market where Nativities, ornaments, and big sugar coated donuts with Nutella were being sold.

On the Immaculate Conception, I waited at Piazza di Spagna from 9 am until 4 pm for the Pope to Arrive.

I was 6 feet away from Pope Benedict. It was surreal!!

I also was 2 feet from the mayor of Rome and a top political leader of the region of Lazio (which is the region Rome is in)

I had a gelato crawl my last night in Rome and hope my prayers for this exam week to go well, as I balanced it with trying to make the most of my time left in the Eternal City and with packing, will be answered.

I have fallen in love with Roma.
I have evolved because of my time here, and I believe it is part of God's plan for me to return there soon. I believe things will reveal themselves.

How good life had been this November...

St. Peter's Square

Vatican Ristorante

STREETS of NAPOLI

Dining in Trastevere in Roma


Napoli Pasta--House specialty


Easter Grain Pie---Pastiera Napolitana


Rigatoni alla Carbonara at Roman Restaurant


One of the winding narrow streets in Rome that we roamed


Italians have a passion for food.

Hence, while Mia Mamma was here, we embraced this.

Going out for nice meals every night, often with gelato accompaniment afterward, I never went hungry.

(I love that in Italy, you can eat so much, but, because you walk so much, there are no ill effects from it)

My mom was very patient as I was discovering restaurants for us....which, on occasion, meant long walks back to the apartment on winding narrow Roman streets that all look the same, or the time when I accidentally abandoned her at Termini (by stepping onto a bus, confirming directions in Italian, then it pulling off without mom....which forced me to scream to the bus driver "Mia Mamma Aspetta!" (my mother is waiting)...Then he opened the door and she ran up and into this night bus...

I was concerned for her..........but, she was laughing so hard, it was sooo funny to her. We did a lot of laughing together, especially in the rain with our luggage. She absolutely loved Italy.

My November Negligence....

Medici (Biboli) Gardens

Ravello Seafood

Amalfi

Ruins in Rome



Us on top of St. Peter's Basilica


Ever since my mom had arrived in November, I negligently did not keep up the post during the time....I'm sorry.

There is so much that happened, that my posts cannot give all the wonderful times we had justice.

Today, my class went to Basilica San Paolo, where my mom and I had visited together. When mom and I took the Vatican Tour of St. Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums we had a lovely Sister from Manchester England as our tour guide. She had suggested we visit Basilica San Paolo and Tre Fontane which were both so beautiful! Mom was quite the climber as we went to the top of the Duomo in Florence and also up to the Dome of St. Peter's Basilica, and on top of the Balcony of St. Mark's in Venice, with the gorgeous views of Doge's Palace, the water, and St. Mark's Square. We will never forget our beautiful days together. She kept saying she was having the time of her life!!!!

While I spent days in class, my mom traveled on the Roman Metropolitana (underground) all by herself! . She was always exploring and so excited to share her adventures when we met later in the apartment. She had regular contact with the Swiss Guards and Vatican post office during her daily ritual of visiting the Vatican, and weekly ritual of seeing Pope Benedict XVI live himself.

Weekends were busy and exciting. Mom took me to Venice, where we enjoyed cuttlefish (with the black ink from the fish, which makes one who has just eaten it impossible to photograph) and Florence (where I, for the first time, got to experience the awe of the David in the Accademia and the Boboli Gardens.)

Furthermore, we saw the Amalfi Coast in its glory. On our way to gorgeous Ravello, we saw Sorrento, Positano, and Amalfi (where I almost accidentally got on a bus with senior citizens who were on their way to the island of Ischia....whoops.)

Napoli was so much fun. It had such energy and the men at the bakery gravitated toward mom and were trying to converse with her. Communication was achieved when they handed her, with Italian pride, a beautiful slice of the Italian wheat pie (Pastiera Napolitana).


Everyday, we had beautiful adventures!

London: Buckingham Palace

Enjoying sugar-coated peanuts on the Tower Bridge of London..Overlooking the River Thames

LONDON: HARRODS----the World's Most Famous Department Store

LONDON: Big Ben

Big Ben with a bit of the House of Parliament showing

Thanksgiving Prep....

We gave thanks for being able to salvage this pumpkin cheesecake.....forget aesthetics, it tasted good.

Six friends gathered to enjoy turkey (or aka chicken), stuffing, green beans, asparagus, cornbread, mashed potatoes and gravy

Followed up, of course, with dessert....pumpkin cheesecake and sugar cookies...

Nothing can compare to being with family.....but we did come together as our own sort of family....a lovely time with good friends

On Dome of St. Peter's Basilica

If you zoom in, you can see the piazza behind me. Down the street to the right, you can see my internship there.

VENEZIA....Homeland of my personal favorite Baroque composer VIVALDI

Best Penne A La Vodka in Roma

Praestorici Ristorante

Mia mamma has left me....

Now that my mom has left me, I have no excuse for tardiness in my blog displays...other than school work, Thanksgiving prep (in a country where the notion of Thanksgiving turkey is unheard of), and London this weekend

The past few weeks were a wonderful whirlwind....My mom and I covered every inch of Rome...at least the parts that matter (I should not say such things)...as well as Venice and Florence...and even Napoli and Ravello (on the way to which we saw Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi, then Ravello. Each place had its own charm. Despite these excursions' amazing-ness, we still stay in love with Roma!!

Yes, we survived Napoli. We are stronger for it. It builds character. The Chiaia zone was gorgeous. I discovered their best gelateria. There were fireworks and it was like a party at night (music playing...Last night a DJ saved my life, I will survive, You are too good to be true...etc).

So many details....to come

(This Picture is on top of the Duomo in Florence
...After running around (or sailing around) Venezia, we ran around Florence, not leaving anything out. So in our tired states, we took it easy the following morning by climbing up the, at least, 400 stairs of the Duomo in a matter of minutes....What slackers...)

Mi dispiace....

Ciao.

I am ashamed that I have not updated the blog since Belgium.

Mia mamma is visiting and she has kept me very busy. In other words, it is not my fault (because of being busy with school work and so on), but rather hers, that I have not put up anything.

I promise that I will update soon...definitely after she departs...

Grazie per tua patienza,
Deb

PS. Everything I wrote above is a lie....I majorly exaggerated to see her reaction....which, I might add was very entertaining

ROYAL BELGIAN PALACE...

I am in front of the Royal Belgian Palace.

This is where the King of Belgium lives (He does not really possess much political power...His role is more ceremonial)

Eating THAI.....Rather, EVERYTHING, in Brussels.....

FRIDAY NIGHT: Authentic Belgian Moulles (Mussels) and Frites

SATURDAY: THAI

SUNDAY: JAPANESE

(Plus lots and lots of waffles....with ice cream, syrup, nutella, etc.

...and frites (with curry ketchup, mayo, etc....

....ice cream (soft serve, Haagen Daaz (soooo good! ! I had to plead on Sunday night for this that I was leaving the country!!.....In this picture both I and my ice cream are ashamed.....)

......and chocolate (Do not even get me started on that tangent.....All soo good....but had one gauffre (waffle) too many......

BRUSSELS....BELGIUM......Yes! I spent my Halloween in the LAND OF CHOCOLATE!!

Pierre Marcolini.....considered best chocolatier in Brussels....

Isn't it interesting that Marcolini sounds like an Italian name....Just an observation...

IN FRONT OF EUROPEAN UNION HEADQUARTERS...

Little did I know that the day I arrive in Brussels, Belgium that that exact same day Nicholas Sarkozy would be in Brussels at the EU as well

Belgian GAUFFRE (aka Waffle!!)...

.....This is the authentic Liege waffle type.....topped off with some Prailine Ice Cream