wish I could rewind....

oh what a week! I had such a great time with Eric and Mary Ann! They left this morning around 4:30 and are probably arriving home right about now..... Thanks for visiting. I absolutely loved having you both here! It was wonderful to see and shop Florence again; tromp up the 441 stairs to the top of the duomo's campanile;
spy Pisa's white leaning tower against the black sky from around the corner;
hear Eric order McDonald's in Italian; and count 20 prostitutes on the way to McDonalds; enjoy 4 bottles of wine, grappa shots, aaand limoncello with Eric and Mary Ann;
take in several of Bernini and Michelangelo's most incredible sculputures like the David, Apollo & Daphne, Pluto and Proserpina, as well as Caravaggio's incredible work;

absolutely incredible. simply stunning and life like.

listen to Mary Ann nearly die of an anxiety attack as Eric drove back to Rome on the Italian autostrade;



listen to lots of snoring :); enjoy croissant after croissant after croissant;
take the completely wrong bus and be an hour late meeting Mary Ann in St. Peter's Square; see Eric's face as he saw the Roman Forum for the first time, drink even more vino; enjoy conversation and stories over great food with great people;
show Eric my studio and apartment and to finally introduce him to my room mates, eat several FANTASTIC meals like this one
going through St. Peter's and the Vatican Museums, including the Pieta and the Sistene Chapel;
watching Eric be a beggar for a couple minutes; taking 3 different trams getting home trying not to get caught riding illegally; first joking about leaning like the tower for our photo and then tripping on the rope and actually falling..... before, after the fall, still trying to recover;

looking out across Florence from Piazza Michelangelo;
and, finally, throwing my coin into Trevi so I can return to Rome one day.
The week was such a great way to end an incredible semester in Italy! 2.5 weeks to go... lots of projects and a bit more shopping.... then home to hot chocolate, family, friends, Christmas, cozy blankets, mexican food, etc etc etc! I can not wait!!