Last Day

Today marks the end of our trip. I will be sad to leave the city of Rome, but at the same time, I am so ready to get home. One of the things I really miss that I would not have thought of is Taco Bell.
But I miss my cat the most. I doubt he is even going to remember me…tear.

Swine Flu

Laurel and shot video on Friday for a package we are working on regarding the h1n1 virus. A school had to shut down because of it. Theoretically we should have contacted the school and made arrangements before we went to shoot the footage. Luckily everything worked out and it happened to be the last day of school. I don’t think it could have went more smoothly. We got to see all kinds of students running aroud…the seniors were all outside waiting for the under-classmen so they could bambard them with water, eggs, and flour. Great day, great story. Yay!

The Pope!

Today we got to have an audience with the Pope. It was quite possibly one of the most spiritually satisfying experiences of my life.
I was so overcome with emotion that my tear ducts had a mind of their own. There was a group of people in front of me that was cheering and singing, in Italian I am assuming, I did not understand a word, but it made me want to clap right along with them.
The Sisteen Chapel was amazing, not quite as amazing as seeing the Pope, but amazing none the less!!!!
Apparently you are not SUPPOSED to take pictures, but that didn’t stop anyone. There were flashes going off all around me…what the crap?

CNN Rome

The CNN office in Rome is tiny. They only have 3 workers, and one of those is a non-paid intern. The thing I found the most surprising is that they get paid in U.S. dollars. Ok, yeah, I know CNN is and American company…but it would make sense to me that they pay their workers in the currency of which they live. What with the Euro topping the dollar increasingly, I feel sorry for the employees losing money. I know I would not like having to exchange my paycheck only get less money.

I miss my car!!!

Ok, so I used to complain about my car all the time. The windows don’t work, nor does the heat or air half the time. But after having to rely on the public transit for going just about anywhere, I don’t think I will complain about my rinky dink car anymore. Sure, you can almost always get where you need to go in Europe, but I definatley miss being in charge of choosing where and when I go somewhere!!!

Back to Capri

So Laurel and I traveled back to the island of Capri for the sole purpose of doing a package over this band we met while there last week. At first it seemed as though it might have been a wasted trip..but it turned out great. We got really good shots and the interviews were good as well.
We leave and make the ferry to Napoli just in time, and after we got off, made the bus with impeccable timing as well. We get to the train station and buy the ticket for Roma. We proceed to what we though was our correct bin, get there and it was so not it. After back tracking and asking around, discover where we needed to be. We then RUN with our gear and make it just in time…to see the train depart.
We aimlessly walk around and ask the ticket agent, and he said we could use the same ticket on the next available train, at 4AM. (this was at 9:30PM)
I have learned a lot, including Naples, Italy is my least favorite city in the world. We just got to our hotel, and now it is time for some serious R.E.M. to happen.

Banks

Ok, so I don’t know if it’s this particular bank I went to, or if it is all banks in Europe/Italy, but I feel like they are much more secure. You had to press a button to get in and out. I think that if America follows the trend, and banks were more like this, than we would not have to worry about bank robberies and such. It seems far more security oriented. Except for the fact that the security camera was focused only on the securitly guard. I do not know what exactly this would accomplish, other than that if you do not see him there, something is wrong.

Rome

I am in love with the Italian culture. Rome is so beautiful, especially at night. The lights shine on all the old atchitecture, it really is an inforgetable experience.
One thing I am very shocked about is the amount of American music that is being played. I would prefer to hear Italian music being played. It would increase the ambiance infinitely.

Mt. Vesuvius

Climbing Mt. Vesuvius…enough said. It was breath taking…literally. I made it all the way up, although my legs were so mad at me because the day before I had walked 5 miles uphill.
So after we climbed Vesuvius, we explored the remains of Pompei, also breath taking. The tragic demise of Pompei is almost impossible to comprehend…a whole city and its population gone in day.
After Pompei, we headed back to the port to catch our ferry back to the island, we were 10 minutes too late to buy the ticket. The Ferry leaves at 8, but they stop selling tickets at 7…go figure. JLT to the rescue, we had to catch a ride on two small boats. It turned out to be the best thing that could have happened. The five person boat ride across the Mediterranean was the most enchanting journey of my life.

Capri!!!!!!!!!!!

AnaCapri…enough said. If you don’t know where or what the island of Capri is, you are seriously missing out. We (broadcasting class) arrived last night, and after SEVERAL hours of traveling, we ate and proceeded straight to bed. There was a miscommunication about the room arrangement, so me and three other guys are sharing a SMALL room together. Originally I was very unhappy with this arrangement, but after spending 24 hours together, il titolo.
Because the room was so cramped, Laurel and I pulled my bed outside and I got to sleep on the terrace. It was and is absolutely wonderful…thank you mixup. I get to witness the most perfect sunset EVER, and waking up is not horrendous.

Lee=50,000 Euro; Sunset=10,000 Euro; Lee+Sunset=Priceless...and yes, I did put a price on myself