I only have a couple more days in Florence, wow...I'm really going to miss this city.

We've been doing some last minute touring around the city - going to more museums and palaces and churches. It is tiring, but you have to see it while you're here I guess.
We went back to the Boboli gardens for the second time to paint. It was really good, better than my first time for sure. And I don't mean to say that in a way that you should expect I'm coming back home with painted masterpieces...because frankly they're mediocre if you were actually to rank them. And now that I look back at it I wished I had been sketching more before I came so I wouldn't have been so rusty when I came here - I'm almost back up to my regular standard. But, strangely, it hasn't even mattered to me what my paintings look like. Usually I get really frustrated (I have a couple times here but not many), and I've really been able to just focus on whats around me and absorb the atmosphere I guess. Like really, you soak in everything in different way when you're painting...more sticks with you I guess. But anyway...this younger girl was watching me paint and became kind of intrigued I guess. She walked up with her teacher and some classmates later so they could translate a conversion with me for her. And really, if that girl is really interested in art, and just by seeing our class paint there that day makes her really motivated - thats cool, thats good enough for me that I can be a stepping stone for something better I guess.
We went out for this HUGE dinner on Tuesday night I guess it would have been. It was on Sheridan - or included in our fees..I didn't really ask. But there was soooo much food. Guess who ate squid...ya thats me. After we went to the dancefloor they had in the front of the restuarant for some Spanish dancing...our teacher Kim was trying to teach us.
I talked to some friends of mine about God and why I'm a Christian and all that good stuff. They were pretty drunk of course...but it seems like the real questions and real responses to things like that don't come out until someone is drunk...but it was still really interesting, and I guess it was easier to see how these people are struggling when they seem like they aren't just because the wine made them a bit more vunerable.
My friend and I have really good conversations about life. She's a new age thinker, went to see Fleetwood Mac when she was 8 and does an amazing Cheech impression (as well as Tom Waits, Lois from Family Guy, and so many others). Anyway, she's very interesting...I hang on to every word she says (with discernment of course)...but I've learned more about compassion and humanity from her than I have from most Christians I know...she's really cool....she's one of those people you hope everyone can meet at least once because they're just that amazing.

Wow, a whole week since my last post.
I definitely am desensitized I think, even when I'm writing in my journal at night there isn't as much magic in what im saying. Every day when I'm walking past the Duomo here in Florence that pretty much kicks me in the pants and puts me back in my place - if at least only for a few hours.
This week we went to a lot of museums and places around Florence. We saw a lot of really famous artworks by Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello...pretty much all the ninja turtles and then some. It was so odd for me, to be standing in front of paintings like The Birth of Venus - these artworks that have always been in textbooks, and most likely in black and white photocopies, and to see them in person. They have this glow to them when you see them in person, it's hard to explain I guess. I saw the big time though, the self portrait of Leonardo Davinci...wow...It's like on an 8x10 piece of paper or something like that, but I just stared at it for a good 20 minutes. His lines, so few when you think about it, describe so much...amazing.
I've gone out alot this past week. There's a discoteque just down the road from us and it's a fun place - has kareoke and a lounge downstairs and a dancefloor upstairs...ooh and the whole bar is a fishtank. We also went to some outdoor concerts throughout the city...there's always something going on at night, you basically just have to follow your ears, or your nose depending on what you plan on doing.

11 days till i come home, I think I'm almost ready to go home - but I'm excited for spending out last couple days in Venice.

I went to Assisi this week. We basically had a whole day of travelling through St. Francis of Assisi's life. It was really interesting - he was a really amazing guy for sure. Basically he was from a really rich family and he just wasn't feeling like his life had any meaning and he experienced this conversion at this small beautiful chapel. Then he told his father he wouldn't be taking over the family business and his father locked him up in a mini prison in their house. His mother later let him escape and he ran away and started the whole Fransician Monk movement. He apparently had a stigmatic experience at this one monastary we went to ... but that's just a little to far fetched for me to total believe right now.
But anyway...monks amaze me, and kind of scare me at the same time. They're so devoted, and so unlike what I thought. I've seen monks talk on telephones, monks joking around...monks wearing baseball caps. We went into this one Sanctuary and a Franscian Monk was just going wild on the organ...he played ooh...half an hour, the most amazing organ playing I've ever heard. I don't particularly like the organ, but that's definitely the way it was meant to be played. He was a musical genius, and all this little monk buddies were all gathered around the organ watching him and turning the pages for him, it was really cool.

Umm, in list form some other things I did this week...

went to Pisa
went to Viareggio (for the beach...again)
had a painting class in the Boboli Gardens (beautiful...)

Alissa

hmm...what did I do since Tuesday? I loose track of time so easy here.
Things are beginning to feel normal - the normality being abnormal...seeing as this isn't my home. I'm getting myself around pretty well...learning the streets and where the grocery store is, where the markets are and the clothing stores...(eek).
We went on a bus tour of Tuscany this past week, the landscape is absolutely amazing. The rolling hills, vineyards, and villas lined with cyprus trees. We also visited some monastaries - which were kind of on the creepy side. I saw a monk talking on a phone which totally ruined any idea of a monk I had in my head. We also visited some small towns which was really nice. Just to see what Italian life is outside of the big cities - much more relaxed. Old men sitting on park benches together (so cute) and kids playing soccer absolutely anywhere they can.
I also went to the beach with a couple friends which was nice - very relaxing - alot of speedos and topless women though.
Today I went to a mass at a Catholic church...it was in Italian so ya... but anyway it felt very cult like to me...everyone did the exact same thing as everyone else and everything was so routine it freaked me out. I felt like I was intruding on some kind of secret ceremony. I miss church alot, which I knew would happen. There's another girl on the trip who is from Bethel so there's a bit of fellowship there but not much - I'll have to work on that. Right at this moment im pretty happy I brought all my Hillsong United cd's with me and the Donald Miller books I borrowed from Josh. (thanks Josh....if you're reading this...)
Ok so I only have one more minute left of the computer so goodbye for now...

unpacked finally...

Im in Florence! (sorry if this email is lacking punctuation...this keyboard is really messed up). We arrived on a rainy day, which always gives you a bad first impression - but the city soon redeemed itself. The flat im sharing with Tara Lynn and two other girls is absolutely gorgeous! Hardwood floors, chandeliers all over the place, tapestries and paintings and large mirrors. Definitely posesses old world charm. The windows are my favorite- theyre huge and looking out on the street with shutters and no screens so you can just hang out the windows and look out on the people. Our neighbourhood is really fancy - two seconds on the door and youre seeing the Louis Vitton store, Gucci store, Dolce and Gabanna and Fendi...wow...not that I could ever afford that stuff (and some of it is just plain odd) but ya just shows that we are in a very nice neighbourhood.
We went on a bootcamp style hike up to a lookout yesterday to paint. It looked out on the Duomo and everything..beautiful...almost worth walking up enough stairs to climb the CN tower like three times over.
We went grocery shopping yesterday, the food in the grocery stores is so much better in quality, a bit more expensive though. It felt so nice to just make our own food though instead of having to eat out all the time - if i dont have pasta for a little while I wont be complaining. Im definitely hooked on cappuchinos though so i get one every morning almost.
Thats it for now though....miss you all

Alissa

ok....

So I know my last post was like just 3 days ago or something - but so much happens in just a few hours here.

The Evening of May 3rd

We travelled down the uneven cobblestone streets, almost unrecognizable from the sunlight hours now that the people no longer infested the sidewalks. With swollen feet and tired spirits we enjoyed each other's company.

Via Annibaldi - turn left here.

One slight swing of our leg and our view ahead changed drastically. The walled Via framed the glowing Coliseum in the distance as we strolled toward our destination.

After descending steps and dodging cars and scooters we witnessed the true Rome experience. The Coliseum - in all it's might - abandoned by the tourists.

We rested our feet on a curb staring up at the sky. Our last day in Rome. Despite the hurried days and numerous tours - I'll miss it, maybe I'll miss it even more than the home I left just a week ago. Funny how you adapt to something so quickly.

This one night, one last excursion made up for all the lines, the blisters and near broken toes. The silence, the slow pace and this connection to years - no centuries past, redeemed all that.

That's when I promised myself I'm coming back - not for the churches or the art - but for those nights when no ones around anymore, no one except the odd couple disappearing around a corner. For the warm nights when you can sit in the midst of good company and admire the heart of Rome.

other things I've been up to:

• go to pompeii
• see mount vesuvius
• go to naples
• go to capri
• go up this wicked one person rickety chair lift in anacapri with the most amazing view I've ever seen...hmm lets write about that actually....

We went up this single person chair lift, in all it's rickety glory. We reached the top, looked over the railing - how could God's awesomeness not slap me in the face. These mountains pertruding from never ending seas, the silence, the stillness, the ability to get away from the distractions and let Him speak to you - have Him tell you he loves you and whisper it in your ears. He wants my heart - that's all his wants. Why is it so hard - how can it be so difficult for me to love Him back when he's so amazing. So graceful towards me, a total screwup.

So basically...this trip so far has held far more, and far stronger spiritual experiences that one would have thought. I've seen so many things that just open my eyes to how awesome God is - things you don't see in Canada.

I so got molested on the Met-Ro today. A guy had his hand on my ass for like 3 minutes and the whole time I thought it was my friend! I feel so dirty!!
Umm...wow, I know i've said this a million times - but it's so hard to write about this place. Yesterday we went to the Vatican, it was awesome. The Pope's got the best bachelor pad going. We got to go on this tour down into the tombs below the Vatican that most people don't even know about. Only 150 people get to go on this tour a day, I felt so blessed to be able to go on this tour. Basically it's this village underground - originally it was above ground but the Romans have this thing with just filling old cities with dirt and building right on top of them again - so anyway...this city was actually a burial ground. A literal houses of the dead. So we're getting a tour of this amazing excavation - and we come along a grave house of early converts of Christianity. This was when Christianity was illegal so they adorned there tomb with mosaics of a fishermen, a Sun and a shepherd instead of the usual Roman gods and myths. It was really cool to see that. Then...and this is the big part. I saw the burial place of the disciple Peter and the remnants of his bones not to mention the incredible stories our very animated tour guide had for us about the story of Peter where the Bible leaves off. Now, it's not like I needed a physical thing in front of me to believe - but it was sooo cool to see. Then in the Vatican there were amazing sculptures by Bernini...I've seen so much Bernini...
Ok this is going way to long for me...wow...so basically today we went back to the Vatican museum and saw a bunch of paintings but Raphael and the Sistine Chapel...we also went through a beautiful park and to th eBorghese Gallery to see more Bernini...i was face to face with Bernini's David...oh my..i still can't get over there
Ok you have no clue how much I can't tell you all, but I'm loving it here, I feel so at peace and inspired it's amazing. I miss you all.....and now I'm off to Capri for a weekend of fun in the sun!!!