Today we met in Omaha and flew to Chicago. Here we had a guided sightseeing of the city. I have never been to Chicago before. The buildings were very pretty. They also had the largest Starbucks. We got to see the Chicago Bean and tour some beautiful buildings. We then boarded our 9 hour flight to Rome. This was the longest flight I have ever been on as I have only flown once before. I also got the middle seat. Surprisingly the food was not that bad.

Our first day we landed in Rome. This was the first time we met Tiziano (Tizi, Tizo) our tour guide and Carmino (Mino) are bus driver. The traffic in Rome is crazy. Street signs and lights are all suggestions and Mino has gotten so close to some vehicles and other objects it’s insane he didn’t hit anything. Our trust in him built quickly. We got to see the Spanish Steps and then the Trevi Fountain. The whole time I was in Rome I thought of The Lizzie McGuire Movie. “Hey now, hey now”. I ate at my first Italian restaurant and had my first Margarita pizza of many. You have to pay for everything like water and the bathrooms. However there is no tax so that is nice. Rome also had water fountains. They countinuoisly run and the water is naturally filtered through the ground. Many people did not like Rome because of how touristy it is but I loved all the history and availability. The streets and architecture was beautiful. I got to see only the outside of the Pantheon which I was pretty sad about as I have been wanting to see the inside most of my life. We found a building that appeared to have many replicas of other famous buildings. There are many street vendors and people who will try to give your roses or bracelets for “free” but as soon as you take it they will ask for money. They are very persistent and have gotten some of the other people on the trip. We also had lots of free time to explore the city. We had supper together and I really liked the Tarmasu which is a desert. Most restaurants have free Wi-Fi but it doesn’t work very well.

We had free time in the morning. We went into a really cool leather shop. On our walk we saw cool buildings and fountains. For lunch we had a cooking class. I struggled to roll the noodles but it was fun to to make them. The food was good although the pasta was questionable. Then we went to the Coliseum and Roman Forum. I really enjoyed all the history and architecture. Later that night most of us went to a bar and had fun together.

Today we went to the Vatican. I took a lot of pictures. I really enjoyed all of the art and buildings. I’m not catholic myself but I love history. It was amazing just how much art they had accumulated. I got a bracelet and had it blessed while we were there. Later we boarded an overnight ferry in Naples. It was not what I expected. The ship was huge. It was the first time I had ever been on anything like it. The rooms reminded me of a camper. The views were beautiful and worth the anxiety the water gave me. The food was not great at all. It was fun walking around the boat and hanging out with everyone.

Today we arrived in Palermo off of the overnight ferry. I had a shot of espresso for the first time. We had a guide sightseeing of the town and learned about the mafia. We also got to the the Morreale. This was my favorite church. I thought it was more beautiful than the Vatican. We then had lunch with Moses’s friend who is from Palermo. We went to a restaurant that made fun of American food. I had horse meat for the first time. It taste close enough to beef that I will probably never have it again. We then went to a local farmers market that did not have tourists. We then traveled to Taormina. For supper I had muscles with basil pasta. This was my favorite meal although I could eat margarita pizza almost every day. Which I have.

We had a sightseeing of Taormina. This was the prettiest place. I loved the water and mountains and scenery. I enjoyed the theater and the gardens were beautiful. I bought a work of art of Mt. Edna from a local artist. We went to the beach later and skipped rocks and played hacky sack. It was a very chill and relaxing day. At supper we tried three bottles of champagne. Later we played a game with everyone and the adults joined in.

In Syracuse. Saw archeological park. Enjoyed the geological sites like the S shaped cave, Christian tombs, theater and amipheater. I like looking at things from thousands of years ago. I also thought the Greek temple turned into the church was interesting. At the end of the night we sang karaoke and had a good time. I got drunk off of one drink because they were so strong.

Road the ferry to pizzo and had lunch. Had really good desert. Traveled to Salerno where we had supper together. On the bus for most of the day. We had supper together where Riley thought a man using the restroom was a server.

We left Salerno and headed back to Rome. First stop Catacombs. I enjoyed the natural air conditioning from underground. Lunch at Spanish Steps. I went to the friars crypt. It was very morbid. The friars bones were used to create decoration. I enjoyed it but it definitely is not for everyone. Then we went for wine tasting. I also tasted pistachio cream. It’s like Nutella and the pistachio taste is very subtle. I bought a mascato and some truffle dip. By the time we got back to the hotel I was ready for bed.

We left Rome and are headed to Sienna. It was nice and not terribly touristy. We saw the beautiful Duomo. Now headed to Florance. We walked around the town before heading to a cooking class. We cooked a meal similar to spaghetti. We made everything from scratch and our noodles were very thick. We also had garlic bread, bruschetta, slice of ham with breading and lemon juice, and then homemade taramisu. I went to bed right away

Last day in Italy. We had our last guided sightseeing. We walked on the “old bridge”. The famous one with all the high end jewelers. A couple people rubbed a statue of a boars snout and then slide change down his mouth into a fountain. We got to a replica of the statue of David and the famous Duomo. We went to a leather shop and learned how it’s made and how to recognize real and faux leather. I got my dad a trifold wallet with his initials in gold. For lunch I had a famous Florence steak. We did some more shopping. Later we had our last supper together.

Left at 3:45 for airport. Arrived in Paris. I got Starbucks and the food was not great. I got my niece a snowglob with the Eifle Tower inside. I tried macaroons for the first time. I took a nap before the long flight. The 9 hr flight felt faster the second time around. Chicago took forever but the flight home was a quick nap. I was happy to be back home and see my family.