Verona

So this past weekend, some friends and I decided we would go to Verona for the weekend. If you don't know much about Verona, it is a city in northern Italy and also the setting for the play Romeo and Juliet and is the site of the "house of Juliet". We took a train on Friday and stayed two nights in a hotel just outside of the city. (A bus into the city only took about 10 minutes) There were six of us on that went on the trip to Verona. We took a train on Friday afternoon (the train takes about 2 hours) and then a bus to get to our hotel. We all stayed in one room and needless to say, it was a little crowded. (But a lot cheaper) Friday night we went to a restaurant (I ordered an amazing seafood spaghetti with a mountain of clams, mussels and shrimp) and then we took a long walk around the city at night even though it was probably 25 degrees. The city is filled with amazing architecture and it was really cool to see it all at night. The next day we woke up early enough to see as much as we could in the city. We walked around the entire day and saw basically everything there was to see. There were many churches and bridges. Everything was old and beautiful. The main attraction to see in Verona is "La casa di Giulietta" or the house of Juliet. This house is tucked away in a little section of the city and is a place that people all over the world come to see. The house is actually just a normal house that people have said is the house ofJuliet because it very much resembles the same layout as the house in the story. The walkway into the courtyard is covered by writing (people come and write their names and the names of their significant others on the walls). On one of the gates, also in the courtyard, people link locks with the names of themselves and their significant others to symbolize that they are going to be together forever. Their love is "locked forever". There is a staute in the courtyard of Juliet too and actually it is said that if you rub the right breast, you will have good luck. Kind of strange. Had to do it though. (Superstitious) The whole house is filled with items from the play Romeo and Juliet. The whole house is set to be just like the house from the play. There is even a balcony where people can take pictures. It was all a very romantic place. I loved it, being the romantic that I am. We also went to Julier's tomb, although it was a very big letdown. She wasn't even there! It was an empty tomb. (It might be because she wasn't a real person) Also, on Saturday we went to eat at a little restaurant and I had a delicious seafood risotto. (I love talking about food as you can tell) Saturday night we hung out in the hotel for a little bit and then we went to a club that was a little outside of the city. It was a really fun night. On Sunday we walked around a little more and went to see a castle, bridges and other architecture throughout the city. We ate lunch at the same place that we had dinner the first night and I had another great dish of gnocchi with meat sauce. Two of my friends and I left on the train and got home around 8 on Sunday night. The whole trip was a lot of fun.

Besides that, life around here has been going well. Class has been going well and yesterday we had a meeting about choosing our classes. (Classes start Feb 6) I pretty much already know what classes I am taking and I will let you all know what they are once they are locked in. Other that that, I have just been eating lots of pasta, pizza and panini (italian for sandwiches) and drinking cappuccini. It is the Italian way of life and I am embracing it like a champion. More info to come after I start picking classes.

Luke