tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89010556328717802152024-03-13T13:14:02.570-07:00AvventuraLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504603218538142726noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8901055632871780215.post-12371302587306957282011-03-02T22:16:00.000-08:002011-03-02T22:16:10.505-08:00Paper Faces on Parade<div style="text-align: center;"><!--StartFragment--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This weekend I stepped onto boat that took me to a magical place. It was full of bright colors and twinkle lights, costumes and confetti. Venice is a fairy-tale land.</span><!--EndFragment--></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Especially at Carnevale.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuG-X_2MvnrClOLgrCq8AQn5_V5OfnkpWO_FHnVDydOpprnRCCpTrrNJMaIH7crS_lyn9Afv1S5WtCJ4zV4jZ707_YDvhsJb_NeosQxF77QdHBuQrJq-w0vjKirxA-mLQHP04uQ3orvv0/s1600/IMG_0564.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuG-X_2MvnrClOLgrCq8AQn5_V5OfnkpWO_FHnVDydOpprnRCCpTrrNJMaIH7crS_lyn9Afv1S5WtCJ4zV4jZ707_YDvhsJb_NeosQxF77QdHBuQrJq-w0vjKirxA-mLQHP04uQ3orvv0/s320/IMG_0564.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <!--StartFragment--> </span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">This was our first big trip we took! I mean, aside from traveling the couple of thousand miles across the world to Italy, Venice was our big step outside of dear Florence. We are serious travelers now.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG9f5EJlePnr_M6mn19y-ZrwSWkMogyPZ_qOd9ulXCCt0hyjlftultIBTG5jvVS2hpYZfW4FQVOAsHurTwvFb0JCpaf5TNjbsamdS62-KQUt_8YLeR8bfkpBNQKguURUfly0oCMOA6HqQ/s1600/DSC04373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG9f5EJlePnr_M6mn19y-ZrwSWkMogyPZ_qOd9ulXCCt0hyjlftultIBTG5jvVS2hpYZfW4FQVOAsHurTwvFb0JCpaf5TNjbsamdS62-KQUt_8YLeR8bfkpBNQKguURUfly0oCMOA6HqQ/s320/DSC04373.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><!--StartFragment--> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">Venice at Carnevale is a more mysterious, grown-up version of Disneyland. Although there weren’t any rides or Mickey Mouse ears, there were plenty of people,</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj06dKLiUwYHoCXE946vJjlE5VxRsjcKjOH5ik38CzA6ck-NUkqhTY8dZLicbg2WPeicZDeTJAYsoLACPDYqxRKRxWhKVnXzo_asQ2_JaygH-VUNJhCeIsIUdUQ0sfdsnwbdU01jVG5jTk/s1600/IMG_0567.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj06dKLiUwYHoCXE946vJjlE5VxRsjcKjOH5ik38CzA6ck-NUkqhTY8dZLicbg2WPeicZDeTJAYsoLACPDYqxRKRxWhKVnXzo_asQ2_JaygH-VUNJhCeIsIUdUQ0sfdsnwbdU01jVG5jTk/s320/IMG_0567.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">pretty princesses, </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHEtCqzlbtGtQia7PuddQxzGgvsxYD8kLMnh-QMf2iEa99VnxCkHYfGA-EZvy1QAkWIbAruEcqf20O9qylOl7Ug93LnsMJcFsJzZK58HxRRuyEdZFluKh9rB9M41QxxDBNnsA1IrgOkII/s1600/IMG_0615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHEtCqzlbtGtQia7PuddQxzGgvsxYD8kLMnh-QMf2iEa99VnxCkHYfGA-EZvy1QAkWIbAruEcqf20O9qylOl7Ug93LnsMJcFsJzZK58HxRRuyEdZFluKh9rB9M41QxxDBNnsA1IrgOkII/s400/IMG_0615.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><!--StartFragment--> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">and kids having the time of their lives.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBANTKCRu9rQFvRDFwqsWpGwWuinHUSUS0yPWvOLbcAYK7rgEY89KW7q9HuwZljDo8zZoHbsyNs-JiD-jmjmhHUSQR0mXBo38oyrKAiRwqVT7Uns1gsKgx-usbxTo0kJTSgBiuCBsaXs0/s1600/kids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBANTKCRu9rQFvRDFwqsWpGwWuinHUSUS0yPWvOLbcAYK7rgEY89KW7q9HuwZljDo8zZoHbsyNs-JiD-jmjmhHUSQR0mXBo38oyrKAiRwqVT7Uns1gsKgx-usbxTo0kJTSgBiuCBsaXs0/s400/kids.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><!--StartFragment--> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">I couldn’t believe that people were actually dressed up, and that it wasn’t a pep rally or a movie set. This was a real festival that has been in practice for hundreds of years.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ0gBAhvjhnaucSCJYy-LT-OmlqPEB1j8ZmphLZaEKSJyo_AHYnDFoQZw-twP1ZHAooMhWOMiPptDH1BhqT7x7AIHPMA6B3Qqbg4GgWkPR612qM4OUbCeloGxpJuaEszr4VGIMWh7utQ0/s1600/IMG_0578.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ0gBAhvjhnaucSCJYy-LT-OmlqPEB1j8ZmphLZaEKSJyo_AHYnDFoQZw-twP1ZHAooMhWOMiPptDH1BhqT7x7AIHPMA6B3Qqbg4GgWkPR612qM4OUbCeloGxpJuaEszr4VGIMWh7utQ0/s640/IMG_0578.JPG" width="523" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><!--StartFragment--> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">We, of course, had to join in the tradition and found masks. I felt super goofy and way cool at the same time with it on. There were some incredible masks and I never got tired of looking in all the shops.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP0UAsovKfUgODNJuPZKCgg9qdd4UFxX1gR6ZCzBsTBnB9d9qoaFN5POqFjbk1sRgl56PyqT3Q3fpTrYbE9Ly0Qrassfb1wL8zzw5WE_rTYtXnhuqqI-j9dvzSKGFtpKc17vlYEqIG-oA/s1600/masks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP0UAsovKfUgODNJuPZKCgg9qdd4UFxX1gR6ZCzBsTBnB9d9qoaFN5POqFjbk1sRgl56PyqT3Q3fpTrYbE9Ly0Qrassfb1wL8zzw5WE_rTYtXnhuqqI-j9dvzSKGFtpKc17vlYEqIG-oA/s320/masks.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The boys chose traditional Capitano Scaramouche (long nose) and Bauta masks.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimIlj4CSk1Gn_GZ_P_uMzj25iMKIalkNlGSNKSBxN3wRxBUpA62zp4TlO6z_xv6p-lKkLrQaMZ964eUpjzqDm02OBnrBiuxUfp3qedgkEYq5EzenMRr1PDycO0GvloqjC9Dagqv7VEKZs/s1600/IMG_0593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimIlj4CSk1Gn_GZ_P_uMzj25iMKIalkNlGSNKSBxN3wRxBUpA62zp4TlO6z_xv6p-lKkLrQaMZ964eUpjzqDm02OBnrBiuxUfp3qedgkEYq5EzenMRr1PDycO0GvloqjC9Dagqv7VEKZs/s640/IMG_0593.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> We wandered around Venice the whole day and late into the evening. Whether resting in the sun on ancient stone steps and watching people pass by, a kid tossing a handful of confetti in my hair, or dancing under the stars with a hundred masks glittering around me, my breath was taken away by the beauty of every moment.</div><!--StartFragment--> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vaEZ9VlOyNuAwn7cWfQNUGxr3j22ELxd1kDGTfdjRbupJRa06OP7S_9yBXhdAj3LkC-PsYxDAhlQeBjLtXnNZ0zCc_ZCNdHT1VliMCmeiFxsc51g7j4MOjvTgiPduQUhknq5qhsiJLM/s1600/IMG_0617.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vaEZ9VlOyNuAwn7cWfQNUGxr3j22ELxd1kDGTfdjRbupJRa06OP7S_9yBXhdAj3LkC-PsYxDAhlQeBjLtXnNZ0zCc_ZCNdHT1VliMCmeiFxsc51g7j4MOjvTgiPduQUhknq5qhsiJLM/s640/IMG_0617.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"> I think I found the most magical place on earth.</div><!--EndFragment--> <!--EndFragment--> <br />
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</div><!--EndFragment--> </span>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504603218538142726noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8901055632871780215.post-26992347600911299202011-02-27T09:54:00.000-08:002011-02-27T09:54:44.258-08:00Road, Hills, Sky<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 26px; line-height: 36px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande'; font-size: 26px; line-height: 36px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" id="table23" style="text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; width: 524px;" valign="top"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;">Beyond the East the sunrise,<br />
beyond the West the sea,<br />
And the East and West,<br />
the Wanderthirst<br />
that will not let me be.'<br />
<br />
Yonder the blue horizon lies,<br />
And there by night and day,<br />
The old ships come to port again,<br />
The young ones sail away.<br />
<br />
I know not where the white road bends<br />
Nor what the blue hills are,<br />
But I can have the sun for a friend<br />
And for my guide a star.<br />
<br />
And there's no end of wandering,<br />
When once the voice is heard;<br />
The river calls, the road calls,<br />
And oh! the call of a bird.<br />
<br />
And if you should ask me,<br />
I could not tell you why;<br />
But you can blame it on<br />
The white road, the blue hills, and the sky.<br />
- Gerald Gould, <i>Wanderthirst</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjik1TgEGSbryUtcUHF-_fJG81Sd314I33A1zbd_PQPXaOtD7PGloX_sm9B2OMbID7y4Jua_VctIBi_O4qd1UHAlp9ahOXGxY2NvzYHB5OPiDTLCmjWLgYyB9j_k7v-bMv-elPxwh-4_Jk/s1600/wander.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjik1TgEGSbryUtcUHF-_fJG81Sd314I33A1zbd_PQPXaOtD7PGloX_sm9B2OMbID7y4Jua_VctIBi_O4qd1UHAlp9ahOXGxY2NvzYHB5OPiDTLCmjWLgYyB9j_k7v-bMv-elPxwh-4_Jk/s640/wander.png" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(Me - Piazza Michelangelo, Pisa, Stephanie & Leah - Boboli Gardens)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504603218538142726noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8901055632871780215.post-23416408571905172812011-02-13T08:54:00.000-08:002011-02-13T08:54:22.613-08:00Oltrarno Mornings<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Right now it’s Sunday morning, 11:30 and I’m sitting in Cafe Marino, a way cute little place where the people who work are incredibly friendly and everything is amazing. I got my very first croissant at this place and right now I’m sipping some tea. I would normally be having a cappuccino, but I may or may not have already had one already. Today (at least this morning) is a Lauren morning. I’ve been a little sick the last couple of days, just fighting a cold, no big deal, but haven’t felt much like staying out late. So today so far I got up at 8:30, walked to a cafe near me and had a cappuccino, cheese and bread, and a nice little quiet and journal time. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before I left a friend told me to spend as little time in my house as possible. These words rang in my head as I scraped the last of my chocolate-y foam from my cup and decided to brave the drizzly rain and grey clouds and find some adventure. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I headed over to the Santo Spirito Cathedral. I forgot, but they always have a flea market in the courtyard, plaza area in front of the church. It’s seriously the coolest thing ever – better than any swap meet with even more random stuff. Cheese, paintings, furniture, jewelry, broken odds and beautiful ends.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A few finds:</span></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic5Z7ko8_EXewNayXEGo_nvWnwE-dq8LxaJqVCvv6w0Tsb7Y0963S0bfcrpt3j1Qj9BRx9A2e_FFbq5AL3O9A5jDuFnIaxnPlRInCjdY06SQbbA-6Ocqp2Mrbdv41aP0MnS7vRnLfR7XI/s1600/IMG_0293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic5Z7ko8_EXewNayXEGo_nvWnwE-dq8LxaJqVCvv6w0Tsb7Y0963S0bfcrpt3j1Qj9BRx9A2e_FFbq5AL3O9A5jDuFnIaxnPlRInCjdY06SQbbA-6Ocqp2Mrbdv41aP0MnS7vRnLfR7XI/s320/IMG_0293.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Flower Vans</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2MTBORkXPsP0x4iCqBR5_ktXWjLnuehlOuPoPIRKDVroD7XC4fV518yElB1LirpGQk1O4aapjZVtsORgUyEUew-NJ5oBo-b-RsweFGNP2bfGs5IdZ_Yc3ucBiPun2xf24SaSD6VviQ0w/s1600/IMG_0295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2MTBORkXPsP0x4iCqBR5_ktXWjLnuehlOuPoPIRKDVroD7XC4fV518yElB1LirpGQk1O4aapjZVtsORgUyEUew-NJ5oBo-b-RsweFGNP2bfGs5IdZ_Yc3ucBiPun2xf24SaSD6VviQ0w/s320/IMG_0295.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ultimate I-Spy</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSc4vMLX_1Z6cBfzS_dQmQh-qAdu2aZMpezOgUjLFlX_-5xakESE8YYdbbnL5BIqmQVjL_RP33aQzT-gxTjzBk2GucsWe1LcXafuube7MmO5ucXGLTebVQp1jgQ8NlVmUcVMwNk3w57Qs/s1600/IMG_0303.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSc4vMLX_1Z6cBfzS_dQmQh-qAdu2aZMpezOgUjLFlX_-5xakESE8YYdbbnL5BIqmQVjL_RP33aQzT-gxTjzBk2GucsWe1LcXafuube7MmO5ucXGLTebVQp1jgQ8NlVmUcVMwNk3w57Qs/s320/IMG_0303.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Un caffe</span></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The rain picked up and I was getting chilly, but nowhere near ready to call it quits. I went back to the apartment to grab another coat, and my camera and headed over to the grocery store to get some apples and veggies. I went back to the flea market to take pictures and finally found myself here with a pot of tea and plenty of time. Una mattina perfetta.</span></div><!--EndFragment-->Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504603218538142726noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8901055632871780215.post-4544646456166530892011-02-01T02:56:00.000-08:002011-02-01T02:56:37.231-08:00To Review...<div style="text-align: center;">Not having internet really puts a damper on the whole keeping up with the world thing ... Sorry for neglecting all of the emails, posts, and pictures I mean to keep up with!</div><div style="text-align: center;">Anyways, I still don't have a way to post pictures since the only internet is at the school computers unless I drag my laptop with me, but here are some of the goings-on of my first week in Florence:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">seeing the David. trying to cook. almost lighting the kitchen on fire (gas stoves that I light with a small cigarette lighter then stupidly place a paper bag next to is not a great idea...) eating our first meal. making dinner for friends. leah's purple toes. stephanie's wild hair. using only one appliance at a time. going to leah's teacher from high school's house and getting family time - dog and fireplace and dinner included! walking. walking. walking... at least 3 miles everyday. realizing that I only brought 10 shirts... four are tank tops. shopping. rain. sun. lots of layering. missing being warm. finding warmth in friends. starting class!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">All in all, it has been a week full of new experiences, and still getting star-struck by the beauty, history and pure majesty of where I am.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">More later, ciao for now!</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504603218538142726noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8901055632871780215.post-80782399638347815052011-01-27T01:31:00.000-08:002011-01-27T01:31:39.759-08:00I have arrived.<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">"Certainly, in Italy, nobody takes life for granted."</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">- Barbara Steele</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">After 15 hours on a plane, 4 hours standing outside an airport and while checking in, and one big journey, I have arrived in Florence. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYX_R3-S14Up7-7hQb8Oqj2FCzvAZh1KNkHz5aHLyE-uFtypL6at5whyphenhypheno97dDivhxF6tb8-22lfRvM7fOmewFLpCHpPquWjObmGSR9q5QNmyyRfHQ0eIHjqxZrlXHj1gs3AqWvYEYZ0TA/s1600/2267111966_1eb93ab6ae_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYX_R3-S14Up7-7hQb8Oqj2FCzvAZh1KNkHz5aHLyE-uFtypL6at5whyphenhypheno97dDivhxF6tb8-22lfRvM7fOmewFLpCHpPquWjObmGSR9q5QNmyyRfHQ0eIHjqxZrlXHj1gs3AqWvYEYZ0TA/s1600/2267111966_1eb93ab6ae_m.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">(not my picture, but this is the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Ponte alla Carraia </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">bridge I cross every day)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">I think that probably the most amazing part about being here is stumbling on treasures I learned about in art history classes. There is so much history here, it simply blows my mind. It'll take some getting used to walking around and passing by a masterpiece like it's no big deal.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Here is some of what I've (unintentionally) come across:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">On my way to finding orientation - the Piazza della Signori</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">The Fountain of Neptune</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilzaT5heK2df1CMPai_6UTYCzI-yC13mtIeGKU36p3CgsG3LwLpF54akeufrakAIyMw_b38UEGnWUVuS7Q02o5a4oCumw5HKZ14Ojwzm2lpwzyw39JSZng4KPN91M6I4fHb3l-KLbWX1A/s1600/FountainOfNeptuneAtThePiazzaDellaSignoria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilzaT5heK2df1CMPai_6UTYCzI-yC13mtIeGKU36p3CgsG3LwLpF54akeufrakAIyMw_b38UEGnWUVuS7Q02o5a4oCumw5HKZ14Ojwzm2lpwzyw39JSZng4KPN91M6I4fHb3l-KLbWX1A/s320/FountainOfNeptuneAtThePiazzaDellaSignoria.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartolomeo_Ammannati" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-repeat: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Bartolomeo Ammannati"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Bartolomeo Ammannati</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"> (1563–1565)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The figure of Neptune the Greek God of water has the face of the first Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo I de' Medici. The reason they choose to do this was to portray the ruling power of Florentine people over the sea.</span></span></i></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Perseus with the Head of Medusa</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZYFzwwHYZr68uoZvMdn3ofddLczo3EJ-ocgIEXL852WpFQsvzsHndUZR8JDqhWHkz4CJKyxmWyfojjnV4Dsep8BNFlWO9OnBzelvHmJe17RPq9G-zZ9uKOWE8zCreEPcyXUsbHhbecSk/s1600/308px-Persee-florence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZYFzwwHYZr68uoZvMdn3ofddLczo3EJ-ocgIEXL852WpFQsvzsHndUZR8JDqhWHkz4CJKyxmWyfojjnV4Dsep8BNFlWO9OnBzelvHmJe17RPq9G-zZ9uKOWE8zCreEPcyXUsbHhbecSk/s320/308px-Persee-florence.jpg" width="164" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Benvenuto Cellini <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c4c4c; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1545 to 1554)</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c4c4c;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">T</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">he statute was commissioned by Cosimo I dei Medici. </span></span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">it represents the new Grand Duke’s desire to break away from experiences of the earlier republic and send a message to the people, which are represented by Medusa. Serpents emerge from Medusa’s body, representing the people’s many past conflicts that had only worked to threatened and obstruct true democracy. Making the statue proved extremely difficult for Cellini, who truly put his talents to the test.</span></span></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 15px;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><i>Rape of the Sabine Woman</i></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwC8ppkfYfT9550VxDT5z9K-q-9LWpdlTkqrG1WgH6UzmQ29_jPdYpyGIUzmWJnti8UDYbpFY-xd68jmPllljSUL7viZ3zdXaZFMRtz6eAK-JVqFAsROsgIfz7KOW9yKcbcG0Bgd42bDQ/s1600/348px-Giambologna_raptodasabina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwC8ppkfYfT9550VxDT5z9K-q-9LWpdlTkqrG1WgH6UzmQ29_jPdYpyGIUzmWJnti8UDYbpFY-xd68jmPllljSUL7viZ3zdXaZFMRtz6eAK-JVqFAsROsgIfz7KOW9yKcbcG0Bgd42bDQ/s320/348px-Giambologna_raptodasabina.jpg" width="185" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;">Giambologna (1583)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><i>A technical masterpiece by Giambologna. The artist did not originally intend to sculpt the legendary episode from early Roman history with the rape of the Sabine women by Romulo's companions; his intention was to create just three interacting figures in movement: a mature man, a youth and a beautiful woman, taken by the younger man from the weaker, older one.</i></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">This morning on my run:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">The Palazzo Pitti</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Fvp9q_KYxuWWVt7piQi9D4RuRciKMjvtVc2FLsa9YFREZunttmcl0zf63ACUNoL3a5oMqynRR0jqOR_b0_2Di4Nsk9-hNZNmPv-7H3wY9jokg_K8fAqPkRwR0lx0gjHF5Dtbb2MIUJM/s1600/Palazzo+Pitti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Fvp9q_KYxuWWVt7piQi9D4RuRciKMjvtVc2FLsa9YFREZunttmcl0zf63ACUNoL3a5oMqynRR0jqOR_b0_2Di4Nsk9-hNZNmPv-7H3wY9jokg_K8fAqPkRwR0lx0gjHF5Dtbb2MIUJM/s320/Palazzo+Pitti.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 100; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">In 1458 the wealthy Florentine banker Luca Pitti, who sought to build a palace rivaling those of the ruling Medici family, commissioned the construction of the Palazzo Pitti in Oltrarno, then a rural area across the river Arno. The design of the palace is attributed to Filippo Brunelleschi, but since Brunelleschi died 12 years before the construction started, his assistant Luca Fancelli was most likely the architect. Construction continued until 1465. It was later bought by the Medici family.</span></i></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: 100;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 100;">A meeting spot:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 100;">Il Duomo (The Florence Cathedral)</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSYZygiwSQ4Ye6_mdq810QNUDat-if1nSP8qHC-lyI-76mIQip05t0QqBSGhFHUhC0liZokiI26upsq3Mrm_tD293gO4WuMVhsSJMj-4Jf7UCLu8cXJTjiJE-oI8PN_IZeFpLpOB_Iv94/s1600/2800188480083550222yVTCOU_ph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSYZygiwSQ4Ye6_mdq810QNUDat-if1nSP8qHC-lyI-76mIQip05t0QqBSGhFHUhC0liZokiI26upsq3Mrm_tD293gO4WuMVhsSJMj-4Jf7UCLu8cXJTjiJE-oI8PN_IZeFpLpOB_Iv94/s320/2800188480083550222yVTCOU_ph.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0WH410tnYY-RJRSdx2yStVNEsxVvUJ7NwMw6oiH9L5XdrNUuTcysxH2Eh5ETYw9ZQwxPK_rPFxAoB7C-RgkFoZ-hjuc2QqmQcrNKB40ioCm3TbDwuWlotbDNV3_xn1-d7Y8e_veeTlQ/s1600/EXP_13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0WH410tnYY-RJRSdx2yStVNEsxVvUJ7NwMw6oiH9L5XdrNUuTcysxH2Eh5ETYw9ZQwxPK_rPFxAoB7C-RgkFoZ-hjuc2QqmQcrNKB40ioCm3TbDwuWlotbDNV3_xn1-d7Y8e_veeTlQ/s320/EXP_13.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 100;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><i>In 1418 a competition was held to design a new dome for the cathedral. The two competitors were Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi. Brunelleschi won the competition with his distinctive octagonal design, but both were appointed architects. This arrangement did not work, and Brunelleschi soon took over sole responsibility.</i></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">So far, this has been a surreal experience, and just knowing that I get to live here for the next 4 months gives me chills (literally, it's pretty cold here!).</span></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">p.s. none of the pictures are mine, those will come later!!</span></span></span></div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504603218538142726noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8901055632871780215.post-72191138286018840722011-01-24T01:04:00.000-08:002011-01-24T01:04:04.165-08:00Step One: Pack<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #555555; font-size: 14pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness and fears."</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #555555; font-size: 14pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: small; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #555555;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Glenn Clark</span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;">I am finding "traveling light" is pretty hard. I mean, 50 pounds of suitcase seemed a lot bigger 51 pounds ago. How in the world am I supposed to fit 4 and a half months into one suitcase, a carry-on, and a backpack?</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;">Hopefully Air France is in a good mood tomorrow ... and all their scales break.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDcSQGRmjxrno6eH1GiyzqJDkIp9l7o_m8-ytdekYLNYkvA_TrOAfOLIBGKCAxbFQyG-S_aQF4BFUefGYmOabulK9tfo9Il6QiGBmmFUX2PP0Yc7NDmLio254xJ0aZRu8VlPbGuCmigCY/s1600/4409729542_bd18ed5677_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDcSQGRmjxrno6eH1GiyzqJDkIp9l7o_m8-ytdekYLNYkvA_TrOAfOLIBGKCAxbFQyG-S_aQF4BFUefGYmOabulK9tfo9Il6QiGBmmFUX2PP0Yc7NDmLio254xJ0aZRu8VlPbGuCmigCY/s1600/4409729542_bd18ed5677_m.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;">In not being able to take a whole lot, I'm learning to take what I really need. What do I truly need to be sustained?</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;">A coat. (It's really cold.)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;">An Italian-English phrase-book.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;">Some pictures to remind me that home follows me.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;">Journal.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;">An open spirit.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;">Although I am not allowed as many skirts, scarves, and sticks of charcoal as I'd like, I'm ready to travel light and fast.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;">I'm ready for my avventura, my adventure, to begin.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small; line-height: normal;">photo:<a href="http://flic.kr/p/7HF1XG"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">http://flic.kr/p/7HF1XG</span></a></span></span></div><!--EndFragment-->Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504603218538142726noreply@blogger.com2