Italy paraphrased...

My 11 day trip to Italy never ended in any blogging, sadly.  The main culprit was finding a strong, steady wi-fi signal.  This is something rare and hard to find in a hotel with tons of teenagers.  I have so many beautiful photos and stories to share.  First, the amount of art I saw, both ancient and modern, was overwhelmingly amazing.  Art is everywhere.  Italy breathes art as well as makes it a part of their culture right down to the food.  Second, our group was joined by two smaller EF tour groups.  These guys really made our trip even more fun.  It was nice to experience this trip with others who had become friends by the end of it.  Third, I can only hope the students we took with us got as much from this journey as I did.  I know they were tired of churches, walking, the hot sun, and people constantly bombarding them to buy, buy, buy!  However, just from the photos I have seen them post online I could tell they were definitely absorbing their surroundings.

This was our group before we left the Birmingham airport to start our trip!  

This was my first view of Italy's landscape.  The mountains were huge and we often traveled through tunnels to get through them. 

The Pantheon was one of the first sites we saw on our first day in Rome.  It was a rainy day, but this ruin was phenomenal.  It was remarkable how we were just walking down a random street (the design of the streets is a whole different thing I fell in love with in Italy) and boom, there is the Pantheon.  I had no idea it was nestled so closely in this Piazza. 

The dome is of course one of the most important in both archeological and art history.  Watching rain fall through this massive oculus was quite a surreal experience.  Here are a couple of photos taken from inside...

I took many panoramic shots throughout the trip.

Here is the tomb of the famous painter and architect, Raphael.

Our next stop was the Piazza Navona.  There was three beautiful Baroque fountains in this Piazza.  Each intricately carved out of marble and telling a different story.  The obelisk seen here is originally from Egypt.  

This fountain represented the four major rivers (the Danube, the Ganges, the Nile, and the Rio de la Plata) and was carved by Bernini. 

We were not allowed to take photos in Sant'Angese in Agone Church located in the Piazza.  It was designed by Borromini, who was hated by Bernini.  The twisted bodies of the people carved into the four rivers statue were showing disgust against Borromini's design. 

That was a lot to digest, right?!?!  That was just the FIRST day and I am not even done!  I will continue documenting the journey in sequence.

Roma!

First off, I am EXHAUSTED so this will be short.  Wifi is very spotty in Rome, so uploading photos is a bit of a prob at the moment.  However, let's talk about how things have gone so far, shall we?

We arrived on time this morning at 7:30 am here in Rome, as bright eyed and bushy tailed as we tired folks could be.  Sleeping on a 9 1/2 hour flight is a NIGHTMARE.  Please tell me if you have any suggestions for how to even semi-comfortably sleep (even with taking a melatonin!)  After we met up with our tour guide, we had no idea what we would be in for next. 4 1/2 hours LATER we are finally boarding our tour bus.  Yeah...  Look, I know there are many things I knew to be prepared for.  I knew to be patient and just go with the flow, especially for all our students, however there is a limit to how much a person can take of waiting... and waiting... and waiting... but it wasn't waiting to get in line to some awesome point of interest, it was waiting for our tour guide to finally take us somewhere else instead of literally just standing around outside of a place we've stopped for an hour or more. I digress, this post isn't about the negative we have experienced today (and my oh my have we had a journey already), it is about the wonderful feeling of travel.

As I sit in this tiny Roman hotel room at the Carlo Magno and listen to myriads of Italians walking around outside, shouting excitedly and passionately to each other in a language I will never understand, I am thankful for this opportunity.  I have wanted to travel abroad my entire life and I have finally had the chance. 

I cannot wait to share all the stories, photos, and memories we have made on this trip (and there will be plenty).  Please say a little prayer or keep us in your thoughts to continue having a positive, fun adventure!!!

Ciao!

Introductions...

Hey guys! This is my first entry for my new travel blog.  I have started this virtual diary to document and share my traveling experiences this summer. The first trip I am taking leaves in under 5 DAYS!  I have been out of commission for the past week, because of emergency oral surgery to have my wisdom teeth removed (yuck, right?)  I am chaperoning for the school I work for, Rudd Middle School.  We are staying 11 days and will be touring the fancy booted country from bottom to top.  I have never traveled out of the country, so I am very nervous, but so excited! I still cannot believe I get to go...


The next reason I began this blog was to document my time in Santa Fe, New Mexico this July.  I have been eyeing travel with Crizmac for a few years now.  Every time I opened an email from School Arts, I would see their ad in the back of the magazine and would daydream about professional development in the sunny pueblos of the desert.  This year I applied for a grant through Fund for Teachers, which is distributed in Alabama through Alabama Public Television.  I am beyond thrilled to venture across country to work hands on with folk artists from around the world at the International Folk Artists Market.  At the end of the workshop sessions, I will be traveling to Taos to stay in an earthship.  For those of you wondering what an Earthship is, you should definitely look it up!  I cannot wait! 


I plan to update this site as often as possible, with as many photos, videos, and information as I can.  Please feel free to share my blog with anyone you feel might be interested in reading! Please leave any comments or questions you may have on my entries!


Happy summer,

Casey Williamson