Buona Pasqua!

Happy Easter to you all! I spent my morning at the Vatican and was blessed by the Pope, then went to actual mass in my neighborhood later that night. Here are some pictures!

First view

Papa Francesco!

Giving his address

Started out far away

The altar

Gorgeous spring day

Got closer!

Now my spring break really begins! I arrive in Paris Monday morning and on Thursday I'm headed to Barcelona! I'm so excited!

Have a wonderful Easter and enjoy the day!

Up Up and Firenze

"Hey, do you want to go to Florence this weekend?"

"Yeah, definitely!"

Two cheap train tickets and a hostel later, I found myself getting ready to go to Florence. My friend, Caitlin, had found some great deals so we took advantage of the Saturday and Sunday (March 23-24) before our midterms to take a quick trip to Florence. The greatest thing about this trip is that it was all planned within a week- that's the beauty about traveling throughout Italy.

We woke up early Saturday morning (6am!! Ahh!!!) to catch our 7:30am train.  Since the regional train is the cheapest train, the journey was about three hours. I took a nap on the train, of course, and next thing I knew we were in Florence!

The thing I noticed right off the bat about the city is how English it is- more so than Rome, which isn't what you'd expect. Perhaps the reason is because Florence is so much smaller than Rome so the American people are more concentrated rather than spread out through the city; or perhaps because the city is a popular destination for college students to study abroad.

Not much of a view, but balconies are always fun.

Caitlin and I checked into our hostel after leaving the train station. The hostel was just a short walk away from the station and was incredibly adorable. The staff was so nice and helpful. Our room also had a balcony!

Now I didn't know a lot about Florence (the Duomo! the David! Jersey Shore filmed season 4 there!), so I did a little research when I wasn't napping on the train of things to do and see. I had been a little nervous about having enough time to do everything in the little over 24 hours we'd be in the city. Caitlin and I agreed the three major things we wanted to do were climb the Duomo, see the David, and go to the famous bridge, Ponte Vecchio. Other than that, we'd wander the city and see what we could find.

Shortly after departing our hostel, I soon realized seeing everything wouldn't be a problem. Florence was so small! I guess it makes sense because Rome is gigantic, so I'm used to that. Honestly, once you knew where the Duomo was in Florence, you could orient yourself around the city easily.

The first thing we saw was the Santa Maria Novella. The architecture in this city was so incredible. After gawking at the beautiful building for a few minutes, Caitlin and I continued our quest to the duomo. As we rounded a corner we came upon the front of the Santa Maria del Fiore. The basilica is better known as the Duomo. I thought the Santa Maria Novella was incredible, but the architecture and details on the Duomo were absolutely astounding. I made the comment to Caitlin that I would be content pulling up a beach chair and just staring at the building.

Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore and Giotto's Campanile

After grabbing lunch (some delicious lasagna), Caitlin and I got in line to climb to the top of the dome. This was definitely the top thing I wanted to do, so the hour wait was totally worth it. It would have been shorter too, but of course the guy cut off the group right when I got to the front of the line. Just a few minutes more though, and we began the ascension! To get to the stop we had to climb 463 steps. No sweat for me, as I recalled climbing to the very top of St. Paul's Cathedral three years earlier during my senior trip to London.

So. Steep.

Let me tell you guys though, these stairs were still ridiculous. You start with just normal rectangular steps, going up in a square fashion. Then you move onto the stone spiral steps. The trick to getting up these small steps is turning your body in towards the center and kind of grapevining up the stairs. As we were getting closer to the top, we had to climb arched steps. This was basically like you were climbing to arch of the dome itself. The Benet Suicide stairs (may they rest in peace) had nothing on these bad boys.

 The frustrating part of these stairs is that from about halfway up to the top, the stairs going up were the stairs coming down. I was totally not expecting this since St. Paul's had a completely different system. So we would be climbing up some tight staircase and a family of four decides to come down although we're already halfway up the stairs. Umm... excuse me? Where have people's manners gone? Oh well, the ascent continued.

When we finally reached the top I was absolutely amazed by the view. If the season fall could be captured in a city, it would be Florence. Red and yellow were spread all across the city with the occasional peak of white from a basilica or bell tower. The mountains in the distance added a touch of green. I took a minute to soak it all in. Sometimes I still can't get over how lucky I am to be abroad and to see all these amazing places. With reflection time over, I whipped out my camera.

Panoramic #1

Panoramic #2

The 463 steps were totally worth it. This view was absolutely breathtaking. I could mention, as I'm sure you can see, that it wasn't really sunny, but honestly there's no way I can complain about this incredible experience.

Cheese :)

After the descent of the Duomo, Caitlin and I decided to check out the inside of the Basilica. I was very surprised at how simple and basic the interior was, considering the exterior was so decadent and grand.

Inside Santa Maria del Fiore

NBD, I just climbed you.

Our next stop was the Accademia Gallery to see Michelangelo's David. Another line to wait in and again we got cut off right when we got to the front. Finally we entered the museum and started in a room with some paintings. Cool stuff, but where's David? We walked down the hall and took a turn and I gasped.

Now for those of you who don't know, David is a Biblical figure. Probably his most well known story is that of "David and Goliath." Basically David was this little guy who faces Goliath, a giant, with nothing but a few stones. He kills the giant with a tiny stone where stronger men failed with a sword and armor. As I turned the corner and saw Michelangelo's statue, I was blown away. This time, David was the giant. The statue stands 17 feet tall, and I don't think that even includes the pedestal he stands on as well. The details in every aspect were amazing. I could have stared at this for hours. The fact that Michelangelo carved this out of stone is perplexing. Pictures aren't allowed of this original statue, but do you really think that's going to stop me? I'm a rebel.

The first view.

From the side.

We explored the rest of the museum, but the David was obviously the highlight. After leaving the museum, we headed back to the hostel to take a quick power nap and freshen up for dinner. On the way to dinner our route took us past the Ponte Vecchio so we took some cute night pictures.

It's the most photographed bridge in Florence!

The next day we had no real agenda, so we walked up and down the main roads and did a little shopping. I got some new shoes because the pair of boots I brought from home were destroyed by the Roman roads. Caitlin and I got lunch from a sandwich place. The funny thing about this place is that it is the #1 attraction site according to a travel app I have. Can you imagine?
"Hey, what did you do in Florence? Climb the Duomo? See the David? Go to Piazza Michelangelo?"
"Yeah, sure sure, whatever, but I got a sandwich at ALL'ANTICO VINAIO!!!!"
 I mean, it was a good sandwich...

Worth the #1 spot?

While I've heard from many people that Florence was their favorite city in Italy, I respectfully disagree. I'm a Roman girl. I much prefer the big city, and if you know me that shouldn't surprise you (*cough NYC cough*).  It was a great place to visit, and I would love to go back again one day.

Happy Friday! (3-22)

Here it is... the moment you've been waiting for... the most well known monument in Rome..

The Colosseum!!!!

It was finally nice enough out to take a cute picture in front of the Colosseum. I have yet to go inside but that is definitely on the list. :)

Have a wonderful day & Happy Spring! Don't worry, your weather will catch up to mine eventually ;)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Here's some bonus pictures from my trip to Ireland!

Have a safe & fun day!

"There are only two kinds of people in the world, The Irish and those who wish they were."

Happy Friday! (3-15)

The Ides of March are upon us!!!




Ahhh... what's a blog without a classic Mean Girls quote?

Here's a picture of me from a couple of weeks ago with a view of Piazza del Popolo behind me.

Happy Friday!

Papa Francesco

WOW. Last night was so incredible. Unless you are living in a cardboard box (which props to you for reading my blog if you are), you know that last night the conclave of cardinals finally elected a new pope. As someone living in Rome, this was an experience that I could not miss. I'm going to break down the four exciting hours of last night into three parts for you.

PRE-POPE
It was a normal day here in Rome for me. My roommate, Marree, and I were planning on going to the Vatican to check out the chimney after our classes at 5pm. I was home a bit earlier and turned to a live stream of the chimney online. Nothing. Sometimes they would pan to the crowd and all you could see was umbrellas.
Marree came home around 6:30pm because she stopped at the grocery store after her class. I asked her if she wanted to head down there. We were both a bit reluctant because the weather was just awful. She said she talked to some of the students in our program who were interning at the Vatican and even they didn't think we'd get white smoke tonight. Although I was a bit bummed, we resigned to waking up early and going to the Vatican first thing in the morning.

After talking a bit in the kitchen as Marree unpacked her groceries, I went back to my room to check my computer. It was acting really slow and as I was trying to refresh the page, I heard them. Bells. My stomach dropped. I looked at the clock on my computer, wondering if it was just the bells for the hour. The clock said 1:07pm (it's still in Chicago time), but none the less, :07!!!!!! Definitely not the hour. I screamed out from my room. "ARE THOSE BELLS?!?!?!" As my computer was acting too slow, I rushed to my other roommate, Quinn, and begged her to pull up the live feed on her computer. Within seconds, it was confirmed. WHITE SMOKE!! We have a new pope! I cried out, "LET'S GO!!!"

via http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/

Marree and I rushed to put on our shoes and coats. I left ahead of her to get to the metro as she grabbed a quick snack (she hadn't eaten). No worries, she power-walks like a cheetah and caught up with me by the time I got to the metro. There we ran into a group of guys from our program. We joined forces and hopped on the metro, full of excitement.
Typically to get from Garbatella to Ottaviano (the Vatican metro stop), it takes about 45 minutes. You have to take the B Line for five stops then transfer to the A Line at "Termini"-which is basically the Grand Central Station of Rome- and then take that line for 6 stops. When you get off the metro, you have to go 800 meters, which is about half a mile, to actually get to St. Peter's Square. We accomplished all of this in half an hour.

Steps 1 & 2

Step 3

When we switched at Termini, people were running everywhere to get to the other line. Our group dashed ahead and went towards the end of the platform where typically less people wait. People were cheering and chanting "Papa! Allelu! Papa! Allelu!" We were able to easily get on the train, but were packed in like sardines. We talked about our surprise at the simplicity of the metro stops, but the real challenge would be the 800m dash to the Square after the metro. That's where the madness would be.
Madness is an understatement. People automatically started running when the train doors opened. I immediately lost my group right out of the metro. Oh well, every man for themselves when it comes to the pope, right? Everyone was sprinting: the old, the young, men, women, nuns! Some people would stop, move off to the side, and take a picture of people running. I hate those people. I probably look ridiculous and they'll have my contorted face to laugh at forever and ever. When I finally got into the Square I realized the positive of losing my group is that it was much easier for me to dart in and out of people to get closer to the front. I finally found a good place to stop and patiently waited.

The Basilica all lit up

POPE
The Square was packed. The reports later said there had to be hundreds of thousands of people there. Flags from all over the world waved proudly. The rain had thankfully cleared up so people were putting their umbrellas away. I ended up standing in front of a group of Americans. I was about to ask them if they wouldn't mind taking my picture but one of the guys says, "What if I just peed right here?" The women in his group scoffed at him, but he continued. "No, really! I mean we've been here so long and I really have to go." Thinking about it, a woman spoke up. "I mean, I guess you could go, no one here would notice." The man spoke again, "I mean with all the people that are here, are you telling me not one would just pee?" The group gave him somewhat of an acknowledgement as though he had made a good point. I'd like to stop and say thank you to these people. Thank you for being that American group who are talking about urinating in one of the most sacred places in the world during one of its biggest moments in history. Thank you (and thank God you didn't pee).
Anyway... there was so much excitement throughout the Square when any little thing happened. The twitch of a curtain, the preparation of the balcony, the announcement of the name: "Francesco!!!"; a group of Italians looked way too ecstatic. I'm assuming one had the name Francesco. When the pope finally entered, he threw his hand out in a little wave. He looked as astounded as we all felt.

The cardinals gather around the windows before the curtain opens

PAPA!

via sky.it

I have to go back and reread what he said in his speech, but I was able to catch a few words here and there. The whole crowd prayed the "Our Father", "Hail Mary", and "Glory Be" together. Then the pope asked for a moment of silence.


Wow. Wow, it was phenomenal. Whether you were Catholic or not, everyone was respectful of this and the Square was dead silent. It was a silence I've never felt before. It was such a spiritual moment, I get chills thinking back on it.
When the people started clapping again, an energetic chant of "Papa Francesco" rang throughout the area. The pope looked out among his supporters and even from the far distance I was at, you could tell he was touched. I wish this new pope all the luck in the world and can't wait to see what he'll do in the remaining time I'm here and the years to come.

POST-POPE
When the pope had left the building, the masses started swarming out. I wanted to wait for it to clear out a bit, so I waited and dodged people trying to get past. I heard two girls speaking English and taking each others pictures in front of the Basilica so I went over and asked if one would take a picture of me. She did, but I noticed she was wearing an Illinois shirt. Turns out, the two girls were also juniors at U of I, but in a different program. Smallest of worlds! Since I had lost my original group, I decided to walk out with these girls because they would pass by the metro which I needed to take home.

I-N-I!

When I got to the edge of the Square though, my roommate called me and told me to meet with her on Via della Conciliazione, which is the street leading straight into the Vatican. I thanked the Illinois girls and departed, searching for my group. I may have walked a bit slow because I was astounded by all the news reporters and was trying to listen for an English speaking team. No luck. I made it to the end of the road without seeing people I knew. Now my phone has a problem where I can receive calls, but I can't make them myself. Yeah, I should probably get that fixed... However, I found another group of English speaking girls and asked if they had Italian phones. Thankfully they let me borrow one so I could quickly call my roommate and tell her to call my phone. As I waited for my roommate to then call my phone, one of the girls was like, "Want to see a picture of us with Anderson Cooper?!" Umm... yes. They took a selfie with Anderson Cooper- the silver fox. They said he was the one who even held the camera. I asked where he was as my friend called me. I told her I'd meet up with her in a little, if not, I'd just see her back at the apartment.
Following the street back towards the Square, I saw a group of people surrounding a certain newscaster. That's right- ANDERSON COOPER!!!! I was probably about two feet from him. He took some selfies with some other people when he was off air. I wasn't lucky enough to get that close to him, but he was so sweet about the whole thing.

THE SILVER FOX

 Right next to his camera crew was another network that I recognized. I saw a guy wearing an ABC 7 news hat. I asked a group of college kids what station it was. They confirmed my hopes- it was Chicago! The time was about 9:45pm and the news anchor, Alan Krashesky, said they would be filming live for the 4pm Chicago news. Of course I had to stay. I asked the college kids where they were from. They all said Chicago. I asked what school. Believe it or not, they were all Illini! Smallest of worlds AGAIN! When the broadcast began, I just tried to stand on my toes to get into the shot above Alan's shoulders. SMILE! LOOK EXCITED! I AM EXCITED!!!
When he went off air, he chose the front three people to answer questions live about the experience at 10:30pm, 4:30pm Chicago time. This time the camera had a better view of me. SO COOL!! I was unable to alert my parents about my live debut on camera, but for some odd reason, they were watching and saw me!
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/video?id=9026390

When he finished filming that segment, he turned to the group and asked, "Who haven't I talked to today?" ME! He asked me and two other girls the same three questions. I tried to answer elegantly and intelligently. I had my mom's voice in the back of my head: "Stop saying 'like'!" I freaked out on my way home, wondering if they would even use anything I said. The metro wasn't crowded at all, and I got home at about 11:30pm. The whole experience was just a little over 4 hours but every second will stay with me forever.
My roommate got home shortly after me and we each recapped our experiences with giddy smiles and laughter. We each received a barrage of messages from friends and family back at home. I told my family to look out for me on the news later that night.

When I woke up this morning, I found out that my soundbite made the 10pm Chicago news!!!!!! LITERALLY SO COOL!!!!!!!! Here's the segment! http://abclocal.go.com/wls/video?id=9026485
I love hearing more and more about random people contacting my family and telling them they saw me on the news.

5 minutes of fame

I experienced history in the making. I'm at a loss of words (though you might beg to differ... this is a long post, sorry.). It was truly incredible. I really have no idea why anyone in Rome would miss it. I'm for sure glad I didn't.

History.

It Runs in the Family... (Celebrity Post!)

Courtesy of my sister, Kristin:

"Left: Me in Dublin, 2011
Right: Allison in Dublin, 2013

At no point did I tell her to look for this store, and I'm sure she doesn't remember this picture from when I was abroad. Typical Fields - we see our name, we have to take a picture."

Classic Fields, am I right? 

I'm glad I'm the cheesier one in the two of our pictures...

As for the O'Loughlin side of the family, I'm sorry. I really did try to find something- ANYTHING!- with that name on it. I failed. Or should I say Dublin failed me? However, I did see this great little thing in the window of a cigar shop that reminded me of the patriarch. 

Remind anyone of a certain cartoon drawing?

 If you're not in my family, you probably won't understand this post, but that's alright. Enjoy the contribution from my sister.

Thanks for reading!

"Galway Girl", Guinness, and a whole lot of Green...

IRELAND!!!

Ok, sorry- had to be done. This is the only way I can clearly express how much I loved Ireland over the internet- with music, big fonts, and cool colors. It's like 6th grade all over again. The song (shout out to Haley for introducing it to me) has literally been on repeat on my iPod since I got back. It's a fun song, feel free to listen!


I arrived in Dublin late on Thursday, February 28th and left Sunday afternoon, March 3rd. Besides a travel mishap at the beginning of the trip (guess what guys, your passport is kind of important...) the weekend was basically perfect. I was able to reunite with some sorority sisters, I was in my "hometown" of sorts (Irish pride!), and it was so refreshing to hear English again.

Thursday night was pretty uneventful as I was just tired from my travels, but I was able to catch up with my fellow Illinois abroad friends Caitlyn (my gracious host, studying in Dublin) and Haley (who had arrived on Wednesday from Granada). After exchanging a few abroad stories of our own, we quickly got into conversation like we were sitting around in the formal of the Sigma Kappa house: witty banter about Facebook etiquette. It's a real thing guys. It was so nice because it felt like home. That night we watched P.S. I Love You to prepare for our tour on Saturday (more on that later...)

Friday was incredibly fun. Knowing the great time my friends back at U of I would be having that day, I was so lucky to be with my own group of Illinois kids.

Haley, Caitlyn, and I

I-L-L!

Saturday morning our group of girls, now joined by two more sorority sisters, Christine & Melanie, took a bus tour to see the Wicklow Mountains. The tour lasted from about 9am to 5:30pm and we saw so much. We started at the James Joyce tower on the coast. Although is was a bit cold, there were people going out into the water to swim and scuba dive. It was so cool! The view from the tower was incredible and the SigKaps got a picture throwing what we know. Hello Recruitment 2013!

Throw what you know <3

Our next stop was a cute little shop called "Avoca" with adorable clothes, books, home decor, and delicious food. I got a scone and some coffee in a to-go cup. You have NO IDEA how much I have missed to-go cups. Italy just doesn't do that.

Driving in and through the mountains was just incredible itself, whether or not we actually stopped. We were really lucky that day to have such gorgeous weather. At one stop, we got out a hiked a bit to a look out point to see the Guinness family estate. The view was absolutely breathtaking. Here's a great "Allison moment" as my family likes to say... You know how when you're looking at something so astounding and beautiful, you have trouble believing it's really right in front of you? So you say something similar to, "It's like a picture..." Well I was in disbelief of the amazing sight in front of my eyes and lean over to my friend Haley and said, "It's like a picture..." Funny thing though, we were on the bus and I was referring to the ACTUAL PICTURE I had just taken of the view. "Yes, Allison. It's like a picture because it is a picture." *Facepalm* Sorry I was just in awe of Ireland...

But really... how incredible is this?

I wasn't the only one to have a dumb moment at this particular sight though. Caitlyn slipped on the grass and literally scooted down a little hill, so that was funny. Several people documented it before offering to help her up, so that shows our priorities too. :)  Heehee, love ya Caitlyn.

One of the highlights for our group of giddy, 20 year old girls, was a movie filming location. Yeah, you guessed it... Braveheart! Haha, no, I'm kidding. Although we did see that. Some of the fight scenes in that movie were filmed in Ireland- not Scotland. Our tour guide said an Irish guy (I forgot his significance) persuaded Mel Gibson to film in the Wicklow Mountains by bribing him with free extras from the army. Cool stuff to know for the media studies major. Anyway, the girls were excited to see the bridge where Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler's characters meet for the first time in P.S. I Love You. Countless jokes about "Where's my Gerry? Where's Gerard Butler?" were made. We're so original.

Caitlyn & I in front of the bridge

A screenshot from the movie

For lunch we stopped at a classic Irish pub. I had a delicious beef & Guinness stew, a traditional plate. It was so good. Just seeing the picture makes me want to go back and order it again. Yum. After the hearty meal we traveled to our last stop at Glendalough. This beautiful valley had the most photographed round tower, as our tour guide told us, and a cemetery in the first part, and along a path a beautiful waterfall and gorgeous lake. A highlight from the cemetery was St. Kevin's cross. If you could wrap your arms around it, your wish came true. After a couple tries trying to find the best way to encircle my arms around the stone, I was finally able to touch my fingers together. That's two wishes made on this trip to Europe (first one was the coin at the Trevi Fountain). The lake was incredible as well. It was so still and peaceful, so naturally, I disturbed the tranquility and attempted to skip rocks. On my first try, I was able to make the rock jump twice. I was excited haha. After that, no so much...

So delicious.

The round tower

St. Kevin's Cross

Look ma! I skipped the rock!

The tour ended with the guide giving us a shot of Jameson Whiskey. My friend Christine, who just happened to be turning 21 that day, and I said "Sláinte!", the Irish way to say "Cheers!", and took the shot. The tour guide was so nice. I forgot to mention, I loved him from the very beginning of the trip. When he checked my ticket and saw my name he said, (and imagine this in an Irish brogue) "Ahh that's a great name. That's a movie star name." Ok, I'm sold. I'm moving to Ireland now. Perfect.

When we finally got back to the city, the group decided to wander up and down Grafton Street. This is a famous street in Dublin with a lot of people and a lot of great shops. The favorite shop I saw was...

FIELDS! YES!!! Something with my name on it!!! Irish heritage right there. So exciting.

By the time we got back to Caitlyn's house, Haley and I were resigned to going to an Irish pub, ordering a beer, talking to some locals, and, of course, hearing some great Irish music. Not too much to ask, right? But honestly, we had the perfect night. We met some super nice Irish guys and heard some great music. I mean, Call Me Maybe, isn't quite an Irish folk song, but when you play The Wild Rover right after and I get to impress the Irish with my knowledge of "No, nay, never... no nay never, no more!", I'll deal.

The girls out and about

Sunday, my last day in Ireland. Melanie, Christine, and I woke up early to go to the Guinness Storehouse. We took the tour and even learned how to pour the perfect Guinness. I got a diploma and everything. I was a little nervous to try Guinness, but I actually really enjoyed it. It helped to really appreciate it after learning the whole process that goes into brewing one. I was also determined to finish my pint- which I did. Success. Some highlights from the tour was the view from the Gravity Bar on the 7th floor and seeing Conan O'Brien's picture on the wall of fame.

Guinness is Good.

Expert bartender. Slash I look confused.

Starstruck.

Yum.

Overall, my time in Ireland was so fantastic. The people in the city were so incredibly friendly. I know this is definitely one place I will return. I felt such a swell of pride knowing I have Irish blood running in my veins. When I got back to Rome, I exposed my roomies to some Irish music. I hope they didn't get sick of it. I'll just say we're prepping for St. Patrick's Day next week. Honestly, I'm determined to go back. I guess I'll say to you Ireland, "And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand."


POT OF GOLD (Some extras)
- I had three occasions when the response I got after saying I was from Chicago was, "Oh, that's Oprah's city." Is Oprah big with the Irish or something??
-There was a German guy on our tour who had the SAME eyes as John Krasinski (aka Jim from "The Office"). Haley and I had a good time laughing at this.
-There's a restaurant in Dublin called "Eddie Rockets" which is basically the same as "Johnny Rockets" back in the States. I wonder which came first...
-Everyone is literally SO NICE. I had the best conversation with a cab driver to the airport. We talked about religion, politics, economics, traveling, and a lot of other stuff. He said cab drivers talk to you "like they've known you their whole lives." Boy, was that true.
-Shout-out to my Illinois friends who greatly entertained me with their antics on Friday. Gotta love Snapchat.