the real story

the real story...
Jon has left the scribing all up to me so .. "away we go"..there is so much to catch up on and I apologize in advance for my . dot . dot . dots because i like run on sentences, i also apologize for spelling errors as this computer does not have word and the shift button for capitalizing letters is located in the wrong spot...basically all gramatical errors should be overlooked and are probably jons fault for some reason or another, ha :)

venice - comprised of excellent weather and excellent sights. the unveiling of a clock tower in the most important piazza in the city, which hadnt seen the sunlight since its restoration began 8 years ago, was the highlight of the trip...fireworks, acrobat shows 70 feet in the air on the campinile and crowds of venicians concluded our last night in the city of canals.

florence - this city left us slightly sick with coughs and sniffles thanks to the dreary and cold weather. luckily even runny noses could not dampen the sights! our hands could not keep up with the multitude of facades, church domes, and piazza diagrams... i also had difficulty holding my sketchbook as i dropped it within the dead silence of two very important chapels.. hopefully it was just a conincidence that the group was asked to leave shortly following both incidents..i was asked to get velcro for my sketchbook.

rome - although not in florence anymore, jon is still reading on brunellesci s dome. yeserday, our third day in rome, we spent a lazy sunday reading in the sun on the stoop of palazzo farnese, taking a nap along the tiber, and perused a hole in the wall second hand bookstore for 2 hours..we didnt buy anything but made a new friend in isabelle the scratchy dog who roams the store.

arrival -our arrival in rome brought the luxury of apartments..i am staying with shawna although our apartment does not compare to the ikea showroom in which jon and his comrades call home. with apartments we have enjoyed the economy of group dinners and the smells and spices of italian cooking..although jon tries to sneak in spanish tortillas every so often..(i dont mind because they are delish)..

the second night we had dinner for 13! last night jon, carl, lisa and i had a double date dinner where we made asparagus and pasta with two bottles of wine... their apartment now smells of asparagus pee!

on saturday morning jon and i ventured out early to Campo di Fiori nearby..it is a market in the mornings and a fun place to hang out at night... we bought fresh baked bread, and oranges but everything looked amazing! they also have fish, meats, flowers, and spice mixes.. later that day we ventured way across town to an exhibit by one of jons current favorite architects, Carlos Scarpa..then we stumbled upon the Prarie Home Companion movie (a radio broadcast found on NPR on saturday mornings) ..usually i beg jon to turn it off but i was a good sport and went along and was happily surprised at a funny movie ...mostly i was just glad to be able to rest my legs for 2 hours!

we must have walked everywhere in Rome on friday. Professor kelly took us on his "death march" through almost the entire Rick Steves Italy book! unfortunately the afternoon began with a downpour which did not help to pause professor kelly nor my runny nose! as if that werent enough jon and i decided we should get out of the crowded apartments and take a romantic walk through the city at night.. obviously we are crazy and ooouutrrageous! the only sights that we had not yet seen were the Campodollio, (spelled wrong but jon and i cant think of the right spelling at this moment...probably because we are hungry for gelato..hehe)..where was i, ...we also hadnt seen the colosseum, and the forum..so we went for a 2 hour walk and saw the rest of rome! who says you cant see all of rome in one day!??

luckily we have plenty of assignments, sketches, and tours to pass the time. Today we soaked in some good sun while sketching Piazza Navona and the Piazza Rotunda and visited an art store to get some supplies for our other class which started today. Our course that began in florence covers analytical drawings while the course we started today covers (as our professor says) "Pretty Refrigerator drawings".... he does note that not all drawings may be fridge worthy ... we will keep practicing.

okay, jon has finally finished his drawing and we are off to the internet cafe to send off some emails and post on the blog. we are thinking pasta or maybe pasta for dinner - possibly some olive oil too! ciao until later!