Italy

Martin, JJ and I spend only a couple of days in Italy. My favorite city was Rome. There is so much history that it makes the city seem eery. Walking down the streets, I almost expected ancient Romans in robes and sandals to walk out from the winding alleyways. The Collosium was larger than life and the pizza was some of the best I've ever eaten! We went to Vatican City after the Collosium and walked around outside for awhile. We heard that some of the marble from the Collosium was taken and put into the Vatican. Vatican City was such an embellished place. So much presentation and so much tradition. The next day we went to Venice (the city with gondolas and singing men) and got ourselves lost in the empty streets (it was Sunday and mostly everything was closed). There are so many alleys and side streets that it is impossible to know where exactly you are (I definately had that problem)! Each evening after walking around in the steamy, hot weather, we drove to a tiny village and found a place to park the car for the night--under an olive tree, or near a church. The three of us slept in the car for three nights in Italy and showered at gas stations. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be! Martin's car is a station wagon and the seats fold down...we tried to fit all three people back there the first night, but one person ended up having to sleep in the driver's seat after that! :) After our days in Italy, we traveled back to Switzerland and hung out for a few days. JJ's roommate Jesse joined us for a couple of days and we went to Luzern and Zurich. We swam at the lake, made fondue, explored castle ruins and enjoyed each others' company. JJ and Jesse got on a train yesterday and Martin and I came to Munich. I am leaving tomorrow from Munich for Prague. I will be volunteering at the International Baptist Theological Seminary and will work in exchange for food and lodging. I am excited for my first solo road trip in Europe!

Here in Europe

Last Friday night, Martin and I picked up JJ in Florence, Italy. It was funny because on the way down from Switzerland (just after we crossed the Italian border), we started hearing a funny sound... Actually, it wasn't funny, it was just extremely loud (Martin's car is a diesel)! It was so loud that it reminded me of some of the tractors from back home! We stopped and looked under the car only to see that the muffler had broken into two pieces. We decided to keep going so we could pick up JJ (he had no phone or any way to contact us) and then we would try to find a garage in the morning. Well, JJ, being the innovative farmer that he is, took a look and decided he could fix it. The guys cut the end off a promotional metal coke bottle and found some wire on the street and rigged up a pretty good solution! It was hilarious for me to watch! JJ has fixed my car several times in the past years, but I was pretty impressed that he was able to use a simple coke bottle and some wire off the streets of Italy for this job!