Krakow
April 8-11
Sorry for the delay in posts, expect multiple entries within the next few days. Lots of catching up to do!! pictures tomorrow. It's been a crazy few weeks.
Friday and Sunday we spent seeing Krakow. Krakow is a small city, and easy to navigate. Friday we walked around the parks and the city looking at all the architecture and taking in the city. We went for a traditional Polish dinner which was good. There were twelve of us in Krakow, and we were able to sit at a round table which was nice. The restaurant itself was quite interesting...it was medieval, but it did the trick.
Sunday was really fun. We saw everything in the city, did some shopping, and even took a horse and carriage ride around the city. I'll just show you some pictures to see the city.
Saturday we went to Auschwitz.
Auschwitz is about 1.5 hrs away from Krakow, but the bus was easy to find. It says it's free, but you cannot enter without a guide, so we signed up for our tour. The tour started at Auschwitz I. First we watched a movie, that was really difficult. Then we met our English guide.
Our guide was really great throughout the whole experience. He wasn't overly dramatic in an insulting way, but for someone who gives the tours daily, he was still very solemn about everything. We spent about two hours in Auschwitz I. They turned many of the barracks into museum type places. One of the barracks was full of shoes. millions of shoes piled high. It was overwhelming to know that each shoe belonged to someone who was treated so cruelly for no reason at all. The next room was harder though because it was full of little shoes and clothing for babies and toddlers. Walking around, looking at the pictures, the clothing and the shoes, it's hard not to imagine the people's faces that you care about in the faces on the wall.
Even after, what could sometimes be two weeks, of a jammed ride in the train, the people truly believed they were being relocated. They had no idea what was going on. The words on the gates read "Work will set you free". There are no words to describe any of what I saw.
Joseph Mengele was an awful man who did experiments on all the twins that entered Auschwitz. There was a whole room dedicated to show the atrocious events.
The prisoners of the Camps called jobs that were "the job to have" Canada jobs, because of the freedom in Canada and easy life. Now, these jobs weren't necessarily easy, but your chances of survival were better. In Auschwitz I the Canada job was sorting through all of the luggage in hopes of finding extra food, and being out of the weather.
The last place in Auschwitz I that we visited was the death chambers. We actually stood inside of them, and the ovens were still there. It's hard to think of a way to talk about Auschwitz because it was so horrific.
Then we took a bus to Auschwitz II-Birkenau. Birkenau is 30 times the size of Auschwitz I, and it was designed primarily as a death camp. There were 4 gas chambers. Although, here there isn't much left of the gas chambers, because they tried to destroy them once they realized they had lost the war.
There were some barracks that were the same as the ones in Auschwitz I, but the majority were wooden ones. They were basically the design of a German horse stable that would house 52 horses. There were never less than 450 people in one of these barracks during the war.
One of the barracks was the bathroom one. Basically it was just a line of a bunch of holes. They were allowed to go to the bathroom twice a day...once when they woke up, and once before bed. That means they had to work for twelve hours straight, and were not even allowed to think about going to the restroom. The "Canada job" in Birkenau was to shovel out the toilets. Now, this may seem like one of the worst jobs that one could possibly end up with, but it was considered a "Canada Job" for a few reasons. One, it was inside the wooden barracks, that meant that there was some protection from the weather. Two, the smell was terrible and the fear of catching a disease from the rotting bowel movements (that's the best word I could fit into that sentence) kept the Nazis away, which meant no beatings for those working in the bathrooms.
Many people who had a "Canada job" had a better chance of surviving longer. The guide said it was all about when you entered the camp. Those who entered in the spring or summer had a better chance of surviving because if they survived the weather outside with the not so great work jobs, then come winter, they would be the ones working the "Canada jobs", whereas if you were sent to the Concentration Camps in the winter or fall, you were most likely given an outside job, and with the weather and work conditions combined, most people did not make it past the season.
When people got off the train in Birkenau they still believed, after a crowded death inducing train ride, that they were being relocated. A man stood at the platform and told them where to go, if they even looked like they couldn't work they were sent straight to the gas chambers. All children, mothers of small children, elderly people, and anyone incapable of work didn't have a chance of surviving.
Things about Auschwitz I didn't know that made me sick.
1. All the Nazis that were working at the death camps were there on a voluntary basis. Yes, many Nazis in the war were forced to fight, but there was not one Nazi in the concentration camps that wasn't there voluntarily. They truly believed Jews were not human.
2. I guess I never realized how much money the Nazis made off of the concentration camps. They sold nearly all of the Jews' belongings, including the hair that they cut off. They sold the hair to manufactures.. After the war, they found literally tons of human hair. It is on display in one of the barrack turned museums.
1.5.11
21.4.11
SCORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This would be the week between Innsbruck and Krakow.
The Weeks are flying by way to fast for my liking. Way too fast. I don't want to think about it. So I won't.
This week in Rome was wonderful! Monday's on sight was intense. We went to ten different Churches, all beautiful and so different. We went to multiple Jesuit Churches; I didn't know what an influence the Jesuits had in Rome.
Tuesday was wonderful because I caught up on sleep. I am sick (but not letting that slow me down) and the extra couple hours I had were so nice! Tutoring with Laura is going really well. I think we're improving, and she'll be ready for her big test in May. She has so much trouble with the fill in the blank part of the tests, and there is no word bank, so really it's just a combination of knowing everything.
Wednesday's Art in Rome class was interesting, but we went to churches. Which I normally love, but we went to 4 churches. And ALL four were ones I went to on Monday for Theology of Pilgrimage. Although I learned different things about them, it would have been nice to go to a new place. The four I returned to were
1. Santa Maria degli Angeli e Martedi.
This church used to be the Baths of Diocletian. Nero hired 40,000 Christians to build the baths, and after it was completed he killed most of them. The Church was built here in honor of the martyers who died during the building of the project.
Also at one point there was a Michaelangelo sculpture, but it is now in the Borghese Garden Galleries. But there is a very interesting astronomy aspect, which I think I wrote about way back when I went to the church for the first time.
2. Santa Maria Vittoria is a church where the Cornaro Chapel is. The Cornaro Chapel was designed by Bernini and his famous Ecstasy of St. Teresa is the main sculpture. It's very beautiful.
3. San Carlos and 4. San Andrea. I really like both of these churches for different reasons. They are more oval shaped than the traditional cross shape, and the domes and ceilings are beautiful.
As always, my Wednesdays end with calcio. Blackout won the game 6-1. And I scored my first goal!!! For the first half there were only 6 of us who showed up. (We play 5 on the field and the goalie). Later on two more team members showed up, but I ended up playing the whole game. I'm only bragging about my goal, because I am so bad at soccer. It will probably never happen again, so I'm basking in my glory.
Thursday
Well I'm still sick today, which is sort of a bummer, but my paper was done early, felt like I was in good shape for my test, and am packed for Krakow tomorrow. I just got back from La Bella e Bestia (Beauty and the Beast, an Italian Musical) with my Lauren. Pictures were, obviously, not allowed, but that didn't stop me from copying and pasting the ones they have on their website for your enjoyment!!
Random Facts
1. Beauty and the Beast is easy to follow, no matter what the language is.
2. There were way more adult jokes in the Italian version than in the American version.
3. Belle is still my favorite Disney Princess.
The Weeks are flying by way to fast for my liking. Way too fast. I don't want to think about it. So I won't.
This week in Rome was wonderful! Monday's on sight was intense. We went to ten different Churches, all beautiful and so different. We went to multiple Jesuit Churches; I didn't know what an influence the Jesuits had in Rome.
Tuesday was wonderful because I caught up on sleep. I am sick (but not letting that slow me down) and the extra couple hours I had were so nice! Tutoring with Laura is going really well. I think we're improving, and she'll be ready for her big test in May. She has so much trouble with the fill in the blank part of the tests, and there is no word bank, so really it's just a combination of knowing everything.
Wednesday's Art in Rome class was interesting, but we went to churches. Which I normally love, but we went to 4 churches. And ALL four were ones I went to on Monday for Theology of Pilgrimage. Although I learned different things about them, it would have been nice to go to a new place. The four I returned to were
1. Santa Maria degli Angeli e Martedi.
This church used to be the Baths of Diocletian. Nero hired 40,000 Christians to build the baths, and after it was completed he killed most of them. The Church was built here in honor of the martyers who died during the building of the project.
Also at one point there was a Michaelangelo sculpture, but it is now in the Borghese Garden Galleries. But there is a very interesting astronomy aspect, which I think I wrote about way back when I went to the church for the first time.
2. Santa Maria Vittoria is a church where the Cornaro Chapel is. The Cornaro Chapel was designed by Bernini and his famous Ecstasy of St. Teresa is the main sculpture. It's very beautiful.
3. San Carlos and 4. San Andrea. I really like both of these churches for different reasons. They are more oval shaped than the traditional cross shape, and the domes and ceilings are beautiful.
As always, my Wednesdays end with calcio. Blackout won the game 6-1. And I scored my first goal!!! For the first half there were only 6 of us who showed up. (We play 5 on the field and the goalie). Later on two more team members showed up, but I ended up playing the whole game. I'm only bragging about my goal, because I am so bad at soccer. It will probably never happen again, so I'm basking in my glory.
Thursday
Well I'm still sick today, which is sort of a bummer, but my paper was done early, felt like I was in good shape for my test, and am packed for Krakow tomorrow. I just got back from La Bella e Bestia (Beauty and the Beast, an Italian Musical) with my Lauren. Pictures were, obviously, not allowed, but that didn't stop me from copying and pasting the ones they have on their website for your enjoyment!!
Random Facts
1. Beauty and the Beast is easy to follow, no matter what the language is.
2. There were way more adult jokes in the Italian version than in the American version.
3. Belle is still my favorite Disney Princess.
Snow Covered Hills
April 3, 2011Innsbruck, Austria
sorry for the delay in posts, but life got a bit hectic.
We arrived to Innbruck rather late, so we didn't see too much, but in the morning I woke up to mountains that were even closer to me than the ones in Bolzano. It was absolutely gorgeous. I don't even know how to describe it. I've never seen mountains this beautiful or this close.
Innsbruck was mostly a site seeing day, because we didn't have too much time. I'm really bummed I didn't research better, because apparently anyone can bobsled down the Olympic bobsled sledding hill thing. Although, I think it might just be sledding, because I can't imagine them letting inexperienced people bobsled, especially after what happened to a professional in the last winter Olympics.
The first monument I saw exiting the train station was the Triumphforte: Innsbruck's arch of triumph. The Arch was created to commemorate the marriage of Maria Ludovica and Emperor Leopold II. The other side commemorates the death of Emperor Leopold the I, who died during the wedding celebrations.
After that we made our way to Old Town. I really liked the architecture of Old Town and the colors.
In Old Town we saw the Golden Roof which was built in the 15th century. It was built so Emperor
Maximilian I could sit on a balcony and watch the sports in the square below him. The Golden Roof is one of the top attractions on everything that I read before going to Innsbruck, but in my opinion it was one of the least exciting.
I also went to the Jesuit church which was beautiful inside. On the ceiling there are paintings representing four continents. This can also be seen in St. Ignatius in Rome, so maybe it's a Jesuit thing. I'll have to look into it more. The architecture was of the Baroque style. I found the inside to be much prettier than the exterior.
We went up to the cupola of a tower to see what was proclaimed as the best view of Innsbruck. Here I felt so close to the mountains it was amazing. I could see over all the rooftops and just take in the city.
I saw many other sites such as the Imperial Palace, a few more churches, etc, but I really loved just wandering the streets and enjoying the view of the mountains.
I quickly found my favorite part of Innsbruck when we stopped at the river. I loved how the colorful houses looked against the mountains and behind the river.
Before heading back we saw a parade in the main square. It was cool to see traditional Austrian attire. We tried asking around to see what the parade was for, but we found no answers.
The journey back was long. We had to take a train to Brenner (the border), then catch a train to Bolzano, then back to Rome. It was about half the price to do it that way, but I ended back in Rome at 6am Monday morning: enough time for a (much needed) shower before getting to my first class.
1. For the whole day I had the song Danke Schoen stuck in my head.The only problem with that, besides annoying me to death all day, was the only line I know is Danke Schoen, darling, Danke Schoen. Imagine that playing nonstop whenever you heard someone say Danke.
2. The culture was so peaceful and the city easy to navigate.
3. People actually still wear the drindl and the Lederhosen.
sorry for the delay in posts, but life got a bit hectic.
We arrived to Innbruck rather late, so we didn't see too much, but in the morning I woke up to mountains that were even closer to me than the ones in Bolzano. It was absolutely gorgeous. I don't even know how to describe it. I've never seen mountains this beautiful or this close.
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| A shot of the mountains. |
Innsbruck was mostly a site seeing day, because we didn't have too much time. I'm really bummed I didn't research better, because apparently anyone can bobsled down the Olympic bobsled sledding hill thing. Although, I think it might just be sledding, because I can't imagine them letting inexperienced people bobsled, especially after what happened to a professional in the last winter Olympics.
The first monument I saw exiting the train station was the Triumphforte: Innsbruck's arch of triumph. The Arch was created to commemorate the marriage of Maria Ludovica and Emperor Leopold II. The other side commemorates the death of Emperor Leopold the I, who died during the wedding celebrations.
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| Triumphforte |
After that we made our way to Old Town. I really liked the architecture of Old Town and the colors.
 |
| My attempt at an artsy picture. But at least it shows the pretty houses with the mountains. |
Maximilian I could sit on a balcony and watch the sports in the square below him. The Golden Roof is one of the top attractions on everything that I read before going to Innsbruck, but in my opinion it was one of the least exciting.
I also went to the Jesuit church which was beautiful inside. On the ceiling there are paintings representing four continents. This can also be seen in St. Ignatius in Rome, so maybe it's a Jesuit thing. I'll have to look into it more. The architecture was of the Baroque style. I found the inside to be much prettier than the exterior.
We went up to the cupola of a tower to see what was proclaimed as the best view of Innsbruck. Here I felt so close to the mountains it was amazing. I could see over all the rooftops and just take in the city.
 |
| From the Cupola overlooking Innsbruck. I felt super close to the mountains. |
I saw many other sites such as the Imperial Palace, a few more churches, etc, but I really loved just wandering the streets and enjoying the view of the mountains.
 |
| Random Street in Innsbruck. |
I quickly found my favorite part of Innsbruck when we stopped at the river. I loved how the colorful houses looked against the mountains and behind the river.
 |
| I really liked the mountains behind the houses behind the river, but it was hard to take a picture of. I have about 54 on my camera in the attempt. |
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| Not looking my best in my layers, but it proves I was actually there I suppose. |
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| We saw a random parade. |
The journey back was long. We had to take a train to Brenner (the border), then catch a train to Bolzano, then back to Rome. It was about half the price to do it that way, but I ended back in Rome at 6am Monday morning: enough time for a (much needed) shower before getting to my first class.
1. For the whole day I had the song Danke Schoen stuck in my head.The only problem with that, besides annoying me to death all day, was the only line I know is Danke Schoen, darling, Danke Schoen. Imagine that playing nonstop whenever you heard someone say Danke.
2. The culture was so peaceful and the city easy to navigate.
3. People actually still wear the drindl and the Lederhosen.
5.4.11
The One With the Roller blades
Bolzano Bozen
Saturday April 2, 2011
So this weekend was much more planned out than it may seem, but a series of Roman Transportation Misfortunes led to quite a change in plans. Thursday during my food and wine class...which by the way, now that the wine tasting is over, has become somewhat less, shall we say, thrilling. Especially since we were presenting a group project on futuristic foods. Don't ask. It's not appetizing at all. Anyway, our teacher briefly mentioned a 24 hour national transportation strike. Now, these are very common in Italy, especially Rome. Usually though, they are regional, so national presented quite the problem. Of course, our train to Bolzano was canceled. Bummer. So Friday rolls around, and we were planning on taking the 10:30 pm train that night. That way we'd get in around 8am Sat morning and have the whole day. (Friday ended up being a good day though, see previous post if you are really that interested). Back to the story. So we are anxiously awaiting our train. Then it comes up on the board that it was canceled. The bus strike was suppose to end at 9pm on Friday night, but our train was originating in Naples, thus leaving before 9pm. We (Kaitlyn, Andy, and I) waited anyway. Maybe it was optimistic side coming out (don't act so surprised), but I just had a feeling we'd regret leaving. Plus, we didn't have a way home since the metros and buses still were not running. Good News. Train was only delayed 2 hours and 15 minutes. Well we finally got on it.
Now for some history on Bolzano-Bozen. Bolzano was originally part of Austria, however after world war II it was anexed into Italy. (Bozen is the German name.) All the signs in Bolzano are in Italian and German, nothing in English. In Rome there's a pretty good chance that someone will speak a few words of English, but in Bolzano you're lucky if they know Italian. The culture is very Austrian centered, although Italian culture has made it's way in.
When we arrived, not too much was open, as it was still early. We walked around to see the outsides of things and see when everything would start opening. Our first stop was the victory monument after World War I.
Then we wandered into a beautiful park. It went for miles, and there's no other way to describe it except that I wish there were parks like this everywhere! It even had ping pong tables. But the best part was the trampoline. Who wouldn't want to jump on the trampoline with the mountains in the background? Well it was one of the highlights of my day. Kaitlyn took pictures, while Andy and I jumped to our hearts content...for seven minutes when the buzzer guy buzzed our time away. Good thing I had tights and shorts on, hopefully the children weren't too scarred.
We went to a market and saw lovely fresh food, and then near the park there was a flea market. It was really cool to look around and hear all the people speaking a mixture of German and Italian. I also enjoyed seeing what they were selling.
Near the park there was a castle, but we couldn't go in.
We went to the Duomo. It wasn't the typical look of a church I'm use to seeing in Rome. It is a mixture of Austrian, German, and Italian design. My guess is partly Italian because even when it was part of Austria, the location of the city was bordering Italy. Inside was gorgeous as well, but much simpler and plainer than Roman Churches.
Next I had a date with a guy who, age wise, is a bit older than me. But the heart does what the heart wants....
My Date With the Neanderthal
So we headed to the Archeology Museum that housed Otzi, the 5300 year old Ice Man from the copper age. A German couple were hiking in the alps (between the border of Austria and Italy) when they stumbled across a dead guy. Naturally they assumed he died recently, as he was still intact and no animals had eaten him yet. They were kind enough to report him, and when he was discovered, his true identity came out. Well not right away, because it took many different professionals to finally discover his true age. Since this all happened rather recently, within the last 15-20 years, I'm sure you remember this, but nonetheless I find it fascinating.
The part that I found really cool was all of the artifacts they found with him. His bear fur hat, fully intact because it was found in ice underneath him, his clothes (leg warmers, shoes, everything), weapons, even a berry that functioned as a vitamin. There was even a first aid kit! It was so amazing, and to display it all they had to keep it in refrigerated areas at the same temperature it was found at.
Upon further investigation, and through looking at the x-rays, it seems that Otzi didn't just die in the mountains, but was murdered. This makes it the world's first crime scene investigation! He was about 45 years old and in decent health. Minus his osteoarthritis, his weak right knee, and the high level of stress right before he died. I don't know about you or Otzi, but if I was being murdered, I'm sure my stress levels would rise quite a bit. They also were able to find out more about the copper age through all of the artifacts and through his intestines...they were able to see what his last meal was 5300 years ago!
Now for the crazy part. There are actually people that have reached a new point of psychologically messed up. I thought the bone church lady was off her rocker, well just wait until you read about some of these freaks. There are several people that have tried to contact Otzi, you know those people that claim they converse with the dead. Anyhow, they decided he didn't respond because he was reincarnated. Maybe their abilities just aren't what they thought, but the reincarnation hypothesis led to even more crazy people claiming they were otzi reincarnated! Seriously! The museum had on display multiply letters and articles about people that are sure the were Otzi in another life! Now if that isn't unnerving enough for you, read the next sentence because it gets even creepier. A woman (actually after this woman did, then multiple woman were asking for the same thing) offered to have the neanderthal's babies. No joke. This is 100percent not a lie, and factual information. They wouldn't release the original woman's name, because she was connected to the research of Otzi, but seriously what a total nutcase. After much contemplation, they decided it would be morally wrong to force this man to have a child. How about the poor kid that would come of that? If it would even be a child, it'd probably come out looking like a bear. Hi, kid, you were born, but you're really just a science project and your father died over 5000 years ago. Somebody alert the psych wards, cause that lady should be carefully looked after.
Now I bet you regret ever thinking you were crazy for talking to yourself, because that is nowhere near as cracked up as this stuff.
Anyway, Otzi was really cool, even if I'm not a fan of dead people. There were cameras so I wasn't able to take pictures, but I found this one online. I hope I'm not going against some copyright thing, but I didn't take it....I didn't think the museum people coming after me would be worth it.
Soprabolzano
After my date with Otzi, we were going to take a cable car up the mountain, but it wasn't working, so we took a train instead. The first town we reached was Soprabolzano. We were only here briefly before going up to the next town of Klobenstein.
Klobenstein reminded me of Door County. It was absolutely beautiful. On the train ride up we went through woods that could have been our backyard in Gill's Rock, except on mountains. The town was quient and quaint, and it had a gorgeous view. We went to a pub for a pint, and they only spoke German. Luckily Andy took German in high school, and was able to spit some sentences out for us.
Random Facts
1. When speaking English we say the language is German, when speaking German the language is Deutch, when speaking Italian the language is Tedesco. Now, all other languages you can see the similarities (english, inglese. italian, italiano. spanish, espanol) But the varieties in German don't make any sense.
2. Even though we were at a very high altitude, it was still almost unbearably hot.
3. And here it is, for any of you who continued reading/were wondering what the roller blades title was all about. At the flea market I impulsively spent three euro on a pair of roller blades. Then dragged them around for the rest of the weekend. FYI roller blades are heavy to carry all weekend. But, as much as I love running, I'm used to having multiple different ways of working out, and here I don't have that so it'll be a welcome change of pace. Also, they were three euro, you can't beat that. One slight problem...I haven't rollerbladed since maybe third grade...
Saturday April 2, 2011
So this weekend was much more planned out than it may seem, but a series of Roman Transportation Misfortunes led to quite a change in plans. Thursday during my food and wine class...which by the way, now that the wine tasting is over, has become somewhat less, shall we say, thrilling. Especially since we were presenting a group project on futuristic foods. Don't ask. It's not appetizing at all. Anyway, our teacher briefly mentioned a 24 hour national transportation strike. Now, these are very common in Italy, especially Rome. Usually though, they are regional, so national presented quite the problem. Of course, our train to Bolzano was canceled. Bummer. So Friday rolls around, and we were planning on taking the 10:30 pm train that night. That way we'd get in around 8am Sat morning and have the whole day. (Friday ended up being a good day though, see previous post if you are really that interested). Back to the story. So we are anxiously awaiting our train. Then it comes up on the board that it was canceled. The bus strike was suppose to end at 9pm on Friday night, but our train was originating in Naples, thus leaving before 9pm. We (Kaitlyn, Andy, and I) waited anyway. Maybe it was optimistic side coming out (don't act so surprised), but I just had a feeling we'd regret leaving. Plus, we didn't have a way home since the metros and buses still were not running. Good News. Train was only delayed 2 hours and 15 minutes. Well we finally got on it.
Now for some history on Bolzano-Bozen. Bolzano was originally part of Austria, however after world war II it was anexed into Italy. (Bozen is the German name.) All the signs in Bolzano are in Italian and German, nothing in English. In Rome there's a pretty good chance that someone will speak a few words of English, but in Bolzano you're lucky if they know Italian. The culture is very Austrian centered, although Italian culture has made it's way in.
When we arrived, not too much was open, as it was still early. We walked around to see the outsides of things and see when everything would start opening. Our first stop was the victory monument after World War I.
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| The victory monument was under some construction, but neat nonetheless. |
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| Ping Pong Table in the park |
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| Market |
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| They actually still wear all the traditional outfits! |
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| Castle Marestch |
We went to the Duomo. It wasn't the typical look of a church I'm use to seeing in Rome. It is a mixture of Austrian, German, and Italian design. My guess is partly Italian because even when it was part of Austria, the location of the city was bordering Italy. Inside was gorgeous as well, but much simpler and plainer than Roman Churches.
 |
| Outside of the Duomo |
Next I had a date with a guy who, age wise, is a bit older than me. But the heart does what the heart wants....
My Date With the Neanderthal
So we headed to the Archeology Museum that housed Otzi, the 5300 year old Ice Man from the copper age. A German couple were hiking in the alps (between the border of Austria and Italy) when they stumbled across a dead guy. Naturally they assumed he died recently, as he was still intact and no animals had eaten him yet. They were kind enough to report him, and when he was discovered, his true identity came out. Well not right away, because it took many different professionals to finally discover his true age. Since this all happened rather recently, within the last 15-20 years, I'm sure you remember this, but nonetheless I find it fascinating.
The part that I found really cool was all of the artifacts they found with him. His bear fur hat, fully intact because it was found in ice underneath him, his clothes (leg warmers, shoes, everything), weapons, even a berry that functioned as a vitamin. There was even a first aid kit! It was so amazing, and to display it all they had to keep it in refrigerated areas at the same temperature it was found at.
Upon further investigation, and through looking at the x-rays, it seems that Otzi didn't just die in the mountains, but was murdered. This makes it the world's first crime scene investigation! He was about 45 years old and in decent health. Minus his osteoarthritis, his weak right knee, and the high level of stress right before he died. I don't know about you or Otzi, but if I was being murdered, I'm sure my stress levels would rise quite a bit. They also were able to find out more about the copper age through all of the artifacts and through his intestines...they were able to see what his last meal was 5300 years ago!
Now for the crazy part. There are actually people that have reached a new point of psychologically messed up. I thought the bone church lady was off her rocker, well just wait until you read about some of these freaks. There are several people that have tried to contact Otzi, you know those people that claim they converse with the dead. Anyhow, they decided he didn't respond because he was reincarnated. Maybe their abilities just aren't what they thought, but the reincarnation hypothesis led to even more crazy people claiming they were otzi reincarnated! Seriously! The museum had on display multiply letters and articles about people that are sure the were Otzi in another life! Now if that isn't unnerving enough for you, read the next sentence because it gets even creepier. A woman (actually after this woman did, then multiple woman were asking for the same thing) offered to have the neanderthal's babies. No joke. This is 100percent not a lie, and factual information. They wouldn't release the original woman's name, because she was connected to the research of Otzi, but seriously what a total nutcase. After much contemplation, they decided it would be morally wrong to force this man to have a child. How about the poor kid that would come of that? If it would even be a child, it'd probably come out looking like a bear. Hi, kid, you were born, but you're really just a science project and your father died over 5000 years ago. Somebody alert the psych wards, cause that lady should be carefully looked after.
Now I bet you regret ever thinking you were crazy for talking to yourself, because that is nowhere near as cracked up as this stuff.
Anyway, Otzi was really cool, even if I'm not a fan of dead people. There were cameras so I wasn't able to take pictures, but I found this one online. I hope I'm not going against some copyright thing, but I didn't take it....I didn't think the museum people coming after me would be worth it.
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| This is Otzi. He's 5300 years old. Everyone says age difference doesn't matter right? |
After my date with Otzi, we were going to take a cable car up the mountain, but it wasn't working, so we took a train instead. The first town we reached was Soprabolzano. We were only here briefly before going up to the next town of Klobenstein.
 |
| Train to Soprabolzano. |
 |
| View of the Dolomites |
 |
| Another gorgeous view. |
 |
| We started in Klobenstein, but we walked to Lenmoos...it wasn't far, and we didn't even realize we walked to another town! |
Random Facts
1. When speaking English we say the language is German, when speaking German the language is Deutch, when speaking Italian the language is Tedesco. Now, all other languages you can see the similarities (english, inglese. italian, italiano. spanish, espanol) But the varieties in German don't make any sense.
2. Even though we were at a very high altitude, it was still almost unbearably hot.
3. And here it is, for any of you who continued reading/were wondering what the roller blades title was all about. At the flea market I impulsively spent three euro on a pair of roller blades. Then dragged them around for the rest of the weekend. FYI roller blades are heavy to carry all weekend. But, as much as I love running, I'm used to having multiple different ways of working out, and here I don't have that so it'll be a welcome change of pace. Also, they were three euro, you can't beat that. One slight problem...I haven't rollerbladed since maybe third grade...
Tivoli
Tivoli
March 26, 2011
Tivoli is a city north east of Rome in the Lazio Region. I don't know too much about the city, except that it is gorgeous. I hope you don't think I'm slacking with learning about it, but just wait til you learn the reason I was there, and you'll understand. I went to Tivoli to learn how to cook.
On the way to the cooking class, however, the bus stopped at Hadrian's villa. Hadrian's villa, besides being beautiful, was the Emperor's retreat from Rome. Apparently he wasn't very fond of the Palatine Hill and liked little vacation now and then. There were over thirty buildings, and it measures about 250 square acres...although my conversion of that landage could be completely off. In my opinion, the ruins are in pretty great shape for being nearly 2000 years old.
The pool was amazing. It looks like it was built yesterday...if people still build pools looking like that.
It was really a nice time exploring the villa, but I was anxious to get to my cooking class! When we got there, the outside of the restaurant looked small. When you went in, however, the place was huge! And old. Very very old. The family that runs the restaurant started it when it was just a little room; the grandpa decided to expand a bit, and when he knocked down the wall he came across rooms that were ancient. Like thousands of years ancient. Now they're part of the restaurant which is pretty neat if you ask me.
I learned how to make fettuccine, gnocchi, and bow ties along with three different sauces. It was a lot of fun making everything, and if you're lucky enough maybe when I get home I'll impress you with my new talents, which I must say are pretty good, because after the cooking we got to eat it!
Then we went to Villa d'Este. It is a gorgeous villa with many waterfalls and fountains! I'll just put some pics up for you to look at. I walked around with a few friends for an hour or two, and then we headed back to JFRC
.
They were very pretty...
March 26, 2011
Tivoli is a city north east of Rome in the Lazio Region. I don't know too much about the city, except that it is gorgeous. I hope you don't think I'm slacking with learning about it, but just wait til you learn the reason I was there, and you'll understand. I went to Tivoli to learn how to cook.
On the way to the cooking class, however, the bus stopped at Hadrian's villa. Hadrian's villa, besides being beautiful, was the Emperor's retreat from Rome. Apparently he wasn't very fond of the Palatine Hill and liked little vacation now and then. There were over thirty buildings, and it measures about 250 square acres...although my conversion of that landage could be completely off. In my opinion, the ruins are in pretty great shape for being nearly 2000 years old.
 |
| Villa Hadrian |
 |
| More Villa Hadrian |
 |
| Pool View Number One |
 |
| Pool View Number Two |
It was really a nice time exploring the villa, but I was anxious to get to my cooking class! When we got there, the outside of the restaurant looked small. When you went in, however, the place was huge! And old. Very very old. The family that runs the restaurant started it when it was just a little room; the grandpa decided to expand a bit, and when he knocked down the wall he came across rooms that were ancient. Like thousands of years ancient. Now they're part of the restaurant which is pretty neat if you ask me.
 |
| The ancient restaurant. |
Then we went to Villa d'Este. It is a gorgeous villa with many waterfalls and fountains! I'll just put some pics up for you to look at. I walked around with a few friends for an hour or two, and then we headed back to JFRC
 |
| The place had a gazillion and twelve fountains (along with a gorgeous view) |
 |
| A cool boat fountain. |
They were very pretty...
 | ||
| Some of the fountains in Villa d'Este |
28.3.11
Ciao, Inverno
Goodbye, Winter
Yes, I am giving you all full permission to be completely jealous of the 70 degree weather I am having here. I heard you got more snow.
Monday morning my Theology class was on sight. The first church we met at, according to Rick Steves, is referred to as "The Bone Church". The actual church is above where the bones are kept, but the crypt is very creepy. I did not enjoy this at all. Whoever decided it would be a good idea to dismember all the bones from each other (even the vertebrae were piece by piece) was seriously stage twelve mentally unstable. Naturally, the people that work there have to be also. I'm sorry this section might not be coherent, but I'm having trouble describing the workings of a psychotic artist's brain (if you can call it a brain). The woman who was telling us no pictures, no talking, no whatever, warned us that we need to be respectful because there were thousands of people sleeping. Sleeping? seriously, you have the audacity to put bones into designs, yes, lamps were hung by femur bones, floral arrangements included ribs, finger bones, pelvic parts, small child hanging down from the ceiling encircled by a nifty little design of the vertebrae, and you are going to say they are sleeping? It was a weird experience. I didn't like it all. I won't go back. I felt too close to the dead people's body parts. Catholic? How about satanic?
The next few churches were beautiful. I was running late in the morning and forgot my camera, but I'm going to try and go back to take pictures. Not of the bone church, of the other normal, beautiful, non creepy churches that we went to.
Tuesday was more wine tasting. This time the wine was Tuscan, it was good; again I liked the cheaper one better, it tasted more natural. This was because of the way it was aged, though, not because it was cheaper. I feel like I could write a book on wine and wine tasting now. I know many of you (mainly my aunts) love wine, and I can't wait to tell you all about the process and how the grapes are made, and how you can learn so much from the label alone. I'm thinking of changing my major from speech pathology to wine studies...another few years in Italy? I don't think I'd mind that. Taste wine as a profession? I don't think I'd mind that either.
Wednesday for my on site Art in Rome class we first went to San Clemente. It is a three story church that has been excavated. Obviously, the lower in level you go, the older the church is. The church is named after San Clement (big surprise) who was the third in line of the papal succession. (about 91-101 AD). [I am using writing this blog as studying for my Art in Rome test on Wednesday, so be prepared for a lot of information] Some early Christian historians identify him as the Clement mentioned by St. Paul in his Letter to the Phillipians.
The lowest level can be dated back to the first century AD. The lowest level was most likely not always a church, but at some point in time was possibly occupied by a Christian community because of the layout being is basilica form. The second level dates back to the fourth century, however it suffered severe damage. The present church, built in the eleventh century is absolutely gorgeous. There is a type of mosaic, called a cosmati, in one of the adjacent chapels. The Dome is beautiful and tells the story of Christ on the Cross. Below the arms of the cross are Mary and St. John. Doves surround the Dome. There are twelve, and although doves have numerous significances in the catholic church, here they represented the twelve apostles.
The final stop for the day was at San Pietro in Vincoli (St. Peter's in Chains). There are two important things in this church:
1. The tomb of Julius II...the tomb isn't so much important as the Moses sculpture that is underneath it. The sculpture was crafted by Michaelangelo.
2. Supposedly the two chains that St. Peter was bound with miraculously bound together, an are now in a shrine there. It was really cool to see.
Thursday was more wine. Actually, it was our last wine tasting class. This time we had wines from Piedemont. It's on the border with France, so they were quite different. (Although still made the traditional Italian way). They were both high in cost, but I liked the one that didn't smell like flowers. Most of you probably know that when getting a strong wiff of flowers I immediately think of wakes, which makes me think of dead people, which is my great fear, thus resulting in hyperventilating (just kidding, it's not that much of a phobia), but I liked the one that smelled like wood. It reminded me of Door County.....which by the way...come visit me up there this summer, because I will once again be a waitress at JJ's.
Fr. Al took 18 of us to a pizza place in Trastevere for dinner. It was absolutely delicious. I had grilled peppers on mine, and it was fantastic. We had wine with dinner and lemoncello for dessert. We were separated into three tables due to space. I ended up sitting with 4 guys I didn't know very well, and it was nice to meet new people. We stayed downtown for awhile after which was fun.
And now Friday, oh Friday, I love not having classes. It was a gorgeous day so my friend, Mary Beth, and I went downtown to see somethings we hadn't. We went to Bocca della Vertita (Mouth of Truth). It has a very interesting history as it was built on the site where Romulus and Remus were said to have founded Rome. Legend has it you stick you hand in the mouth and it will bite you if you're a liar. Hands are still on! [forgot my camera Friday too, so I'll steal those pics as soon as possible]. If you've ever seen Roman Holiday (Vacanza Romana) with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, there is a scene with them sticking their hands in it. Fun fact, I suppose.
Next we went to the Knights of Malta Piazza. In the piazza there are so many members of the carabineri holding their machine guns, looking young, probably about my age, and smiling. It's funny that they are so much friendlier than the police, because all they need to do is point that thing at you, and BAMMM you're a goner, but maybe that's why they're happy....they have all the power in every situation. Unless they get upset with each other. Anyway, you're probably wondering why I went to this particular place, well it wasn't for the machine guns. I like my head, thank you very much. Except I have noticed I have a larger head for my body structure than normal, but anyway there is this beautiful view of St. Peter's. To see the view you look through a key hole. I'm not exaggerating at all here, it's just a key hole, but you have a picture perfect view. Except you can't really take a picture through a keyhole. It was really amazing. Especially with the sun out and the skies blue!
Thoughts and Information that you might not find useful at all. Or Perhaps, you'll find it life changing. (My guess it's the first)
1. The landings of the Spanish Steps represent the Holy Trinity. [I thought that was pretty neat]
2. I was talking with the Dean here (he's a very interesting man...super super tall, hilarious, mid 40s, Dutch...(If ya ain't dutch, you ain't much!!), the man was knighted (although he hasn't told us why), and he speaks about four billion languages. Anyway, I was talking to him about my difficulty speaking Italian. How I can carry on a conversation with a stranger on the street, but Maria Palladino terrifies me, and my mind always goes blank. His advice: "Laura, I think that you need to have a glass or two of wine before you ever enter her class, because it will get your thoughts flowing better". Now, this is nice advice, but I was surprised to hear it from the dean; anyway, something needs to get the thoughts flowing better, but I have Italian in the middle of the day, so that may not be the best option. He said that's how he learned the language.
3. You get to see my pretty face live in 8.5 weeks. Please don't wish that to go too fast. You can always talk to me on skype, but video is not really an option.
Yes, I am giving you all full permission to be completely jealous of the 70 degree weather I am having here. I heard you got more snow.
Monday morning my Theology class was on sight. The first church we met at, according to Rick Steves, is referred to as "The Bone Church". The actual church is above where the bones are kept, but the crypt is very creepy. I did not enjoy this at all. Whoever decided it would be a good idea to dismember all the bones from each other (even the vertebrae were piece by piece) was seriously stage twelve mentally unstable. Naturally, the people that work there have to be also. I'm sorry this section might not be coherent, but I'm having trouble describing the workings of a psychotic artist's brain (if you can call it a brain). The woman who was telling us no pictures, no talking, no whatever, warned us that we need to be respectful because there were thousands of people sleeping. Sleeping? seriously, you have the audacity to put bones into designs, yes, lamps were hung by femur bones, floral arrangements included ribs, finger bones, pelvic parts, small child hanging down from the ceiling encircled by a nifty little design of the vertebrae, and you are going to say they are sleeping? It was a weird experience. I didn't like it all. I won't go back. I felt too close to the dead people's body parts. Catholic? How about satanic?
The next few churches were beautiful. I was running late in the morning and forgot my camera, but I'm going to try and go back to take pictures. Not of the bone church, of the other normal, beautiful, non creepy churches that we went to.
Tuesday was more wine tasting. This time the wine was Tuscan, it was good; again I liked the cheaper one better, it tasted more natural. This was because of the way it was aged, though, not because it was cheaper. I feel like I could write a book on wine and wine tasting now. I know many of you (mainly my aunts) love wine, and I can't wait to tell you all about the process and how the grapes are made, and how you can learn so much from the label alone. I'm thinking of changing my major from speech pathology to wine studies...another few years in Italy? I don't think I'd mind that. Taste wine as a profession? I don't think I'd mind that either.
Wednesday for my on site Art in Rome class we first went to San Clemente. It is a three story church that has been excavated. Obviously, the lower in level you go, the older the church is. The church is named after San Clement (big surprise) who was the third in line of the papal succession. (about 91-101 AD). [I am using writing this blog as studying for my Art in Rome test on Wednesday, so be prepared for a lot of information] Some early Christian historians identify him as the Clement mentioned by St. Paul in his Letter to the Phillipians.
The lowest level can be dated back to the first century AD. The lowest level was most likely not always a church, but at some point in time was possibly occupied by a Christian community because of the layout being is basilica form. The second level dates back to the fourth century, however it suffered severe damage. The present church, built in the eleventh century is absolutely gorgeous. There is a type of mosaic, called a cosmati, in one of the adjacent chapels. The Dome is beautiful and tells the story of Christ on the Cross. Below the arms of the cross are Mary and St. John. Doves surround the Dome. There are twelve, and although doves have numerous significances in the catholic church, here they represented the twelve apostles.
The final stop for the day was at San Pietro in Vincoli (St. Peter's in Chains). There are two important things in this church:
1. The tomb of Julius II...the tomb isn't so much important as the Moses sculpture that is underneath it. The sculpture was crafted by Michaelangelo.
2. Supposedly the two chains that St. Peter was bound with miraculously bound together, an are now in a shrine there. It was really cool to see.
Thursday was more wine. Actually, it was our last wine tasting class. This time we had wines from Piedemont. It's on the border with France, so they were quite different. (Although still made the traditional Italian way). They were both high in cost, but I liked the one that didn't smell like flowers. Most of you probably know that when getting a strong wiff of flowers I immediately think of wakes, which makes me think of dead people, which is my great fear, thus resulting in hyperventilating (just kidding, it's not that much of a phobia), but I liked the one that smelled like wood. It reminded me of Door County.....which by the way...come visit me up there this summer, because I will once again be a waitress at JJ's.
Fr. Al took 18 of us to a pizza place in Trastevere for dinner. It was absolutely delicious. I had grilled peppers on mine, and it was fantastic. We had wine with dinner and lemoncello for dessert. We were separated into three tables due to space. I ended up sitting with 4 guys I didn't know very well, and it was nice to meet new people. We stayed downtown for awhile after which was fun.
And now Friday, oh Friday, I love not having classes. It was a gorgeous day so my friend, Mary Beth, and I went downtown to see somethings we hadn't. We went to Bocca della Vertita (Mouth of Truth). It has a very interesting history as it was built on the site where Romulus and Remus were said to have founded Rome. Legend has it you stick you hand in the mouth and it will bite you if you're a liar. Hands are still on! [forgot my camera Friday too, so I'll steal those pics as soon as possible]. If you've ever seen Roman Holiday (Vacanza Romana) with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, there is a scene with them sticking their hands in it. Fun fact, I suppose.
Next we went to the Knights of Malta Piazza. In the piazza there are so many members of the carabineri holding their machine guns, looking young, probably about my age, and smiling. It's funny that they are so much friendlier than the police, because all they need to do is point that thing at you, and BAMMM you're a goner, but maybe that's why they're happy....they have all the power in every situation. Unless they get upset with each other. Anyway, you're probably wondering why I went to this particular place, well it wasn't for the machine guns. I like my head, thank you very much. Except I have noticed I have a larger head for my body structure than normal, but anyway there is this beautiful view of St. Peter's. To see the view you look through a key hole. I'm not exaggerating at all here, it's just a key hole, but you have a picture perfect view. Except you can't really take a picture through a keyhole. It was really amazing. Especially with the sun out and the skies blue!
Thoughts and Information that you might not find useful at all. Or Perhaps, you'll find it life changing. (My guess it's the first)
1. The landings of the Spanish Steps represent the Holy Trinity. [I thought that was pretty neat]
2. I was talking with the Dean here (he's a very interesting man...super super tall, hilarious, mid 40s, Dutch...(If ya ain't dutch, you ain't much!!), the man was knighted (although he hasn't told us why), and he speaks about four billion languages. Anyway, I was talking to him about my difficulty speaking Italian. How I can carry on a conversation with a stranger on the street, but Maria Palladino terrifies me, and my mind always goes blank. His advice: "Laura, I think that you need to have a glass or two of wine before you ever enter her class, because it will get your thoughts flowing better". Now, this is nice advice, but I was surprised to hear it from the dean; anyway, something needs to get the thoughts flowing better, but I have Italian in the middle of the day, so that may not be the best option. He said that's how he learned the language.
3. You get to see my pretty face live in 8.5 weeks. Please don't wish that to go too fast. You can always talk to me on skype, but video is not really an option.
WWII in Italy
The second weekend of school we were given the opportunity to sign up for study trips. Some were to other countries, while others in different Italian cities. I chose to sign up for one in Rome. Two JFRC alumni come back every semester to take a group of 25 students through a weekend of WWII spots in and near Rome.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Anzio
Nettuno
Rome
Saturday we started out at the German and the American cemeteries in Nettuno, right outside Rome. The were very different. The German cemetery had only crosses. Over 27,000 German soldiers were buried there, but there were three names to a cross, and then another 3 on the back. The unidentified graves were labeled "A German Soldier". The American cemetery was beautiful. There were white crosses, and for the Jewish soldiers there were Stars of David. The unidentified graves read "Here rests, in honored glory, a comrade in arms, known but to God". I thought this was absolutely beautiful, and a more personal way of remembering those unknown soldiers.
The American cemetery had a memorial monument, a very moving chapel with all of the soldiers' names in the cemetery, and a museum.
In the American cemetery there are 5 known Loyola Alums. It is hard for me to describe how this (and the rest of the weekend) experience felt because I wouldn't say that it could be called fun or cool,but it was very educational and very eye opening and a good experience. The whole weekend really got me thinking, especially when you see how young so many of the soldiers were. Most were around the age I am now. I know this isn't a new realization or anything, but when I think of WWII I always think of my grandpas and my Uncle who fought for our country. I know that they were around my age during this time, but I guess I never really put myself in the picture. I can't imagine having all my cousins or friends fighting right now. It also made me realize that the generations of WWII had to grow up so quickly and mature at such a young age, and it makes the rest of the difference between my generation seems so much clearer.
It didn't feel right to take pictures of many things I saw. For example, the cemeteries. I know many people did, and maybe I'll steal some of theirs, but for now, there will be no pictures on this post. It just seemed a bit disrespectful to me at the time.
The site for the cemetery has pictures, so you can access them through this site:
http://nuke.montecassinotour.com/THEWARCEMETERIESATANZIONETTUNO/tabid/80/Default.aspx
After the cemetery we went to an amazing museum. I didn't have my camera, but I made my friends take pictures, so I'll have those up in the next few days. The museum captured the battle of Monte Cassino. The museum was a series of life sized dioramas. It felt so real, it had all the real equipment and uniforms, the dummies looked like actual humans, the scenery was like you were on the beach, or in the mountains, or wherever that certain battle that was being described was being fought. The sound affects were even frightening.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Sunday was very interesting and extremely sad. The day was meant to reflect a 24 hour period in Rome where a group of students, headed by students, Carla Capponi and Rosario Bentivegna, led an attempt at resistance to the German soldiers in Rome. Every day, at the same time and same place, German soldiers marched (three abreast) up and down the same route, passing Il Duce's house. Bentivegna dressed up like a sanitation worker, and wheeled the bomb onto the route; he had 45 seconds to run. Carla met him giving him a robe to put over the sanitation outfit. They killed somewhere around 35 of the Germans. Hitler of course was not happy with this, and ordered the Germans in Rome to kill ten Romans for ever German killed. They took many of the people from prison (who were not in prison for good reason, over 65 were in prison for being Jewish). After we walked the street, Via Rasella, (where the holes in the buildings are still present from the shattering bomb) we went to Fosse Ardeatine. Fosse Ardeatine is the cave in which they killed the ten Italians for every German. The Germans decided that each soldier would kill 5 of the Italians. It was also ordered that they do it drunk, since many of the Germans were not wanting to take part, but if they didn't, they too would be in the cave. In the end only one of the Germans did not take part because he fainted at the site of the Italians inside the cave. They German soldiers also had it planned how to kill the Italians with one shot so that it wouldn't be "messy", but because they were so drunk, it didn't go as planned, and it caused the Italians to suffer greatly in the caves. There was one family that had 6 members killed, ranging from the age of 14-somewhere in his 60s. When they were pulling these men (and boys) out of the prison and bringing them to the caves, they obviously did not tell them what was going to happen. In the family I had just mentioned, there was one boy that was left out, the 17 year old. Having been locked up, and thinking the rest of his family was going to work outside, he told the German soldiers that they forgot his name, and so they chose him too. All of the Italians that were killed in the caves, are also buried there. It is quite different from the cemeteries I saw the day before. There are rows of graves, with the name, picture, age of the man. It was really a very difficult morning. Families of the people were standing near the graves, putting flowers on them, and witnessing such acts emphasized the tragedies that the whole world endured.
After we went to the caves, we made our way to the Gestapo Headquarters, which is now the Liberation Museum in Rome. It's located very close to San Giovanni (which I talked about in an earlier post). Here we were able to go into holding cells; the walls were covered with documents from the war. Arrest papers that you could clearly read "Motivo (reason): Ebrew (Hebrew)." Some were written in German also. The handwritten list of the Italians that were killed in Fosse Ardeatine was on another wall. Newspapers wallpapered the walls, and looking at the headlines was shocking. Inside the isolation cells, the prisoners would scratch how many days they had been there, or write notes, or even simple sentences that had so much meaning to them.
The two men who led the trip treated us to an amazing lunch after, and I sat with some girls I didn't know very well, so it was really nice to meet new people...and eat a good Italian meal.
Random Facts
1. This is really just a summary of everything I learned; there was so much, too much to write about, but it's something I'd like to tell you about in person.
2. I especially found some of the stories about the heroic nurses fascinating. You don't hear about their fights very often, and listening to those stories was inspiring.
3. The men who led our trip sent us a guide to WWII in Rome, so I'm attaching it just in case I wasn't clear about something, or I don't know, it's pretty interesting, so if you're looking for something to read.
http://www.nprg.com/Portals/2/nprg_com%20Files/ForTheCommunity/RomeGuideThirdEditionFinal.pdf
http://nuke.montecassinotour.com/THEWARCEMETERIESATANZIONETTUNO/tabid/80/Default.aspx
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Anzio
Nettuno
Rome
Saturday we started out at the German and the American cemeteries in Nettuno, right outside Rome. The were very different. The German cemetery had only crosses. Over 27,000 German soldiers were buried there, but there were three names to a cross, and then another 3 on the back. The unidentified graves were labeled "A German Soldier". The American cemetery was beautiful. There were white crosses, and for the Jewish soldiers there were Stars of David. The unidentified graves read "Here rests, in honored glory, a comrade in arms, known but to God". I thought this was absolutely beautiful, and a more personal way of remembering those unknown soldiers.
The American cemetery had a memorial monument, a very moving chapel with all of the soldiers' names in the cemetery, and a museum.
In the American cemetery there are 5 known Loyola Alums. It is hard for me to describe how this (and the rest of the weekend) experience felt because I wouldn't say that it could be called fun or cool,but it was very educational and very eye opening and a good experience. The whole weekend really got me thinking, especially when you see how young so many of the soldiers were. Most were around the age I am now. I know this isn't a new realization or anything, but when I think of WWII I always think of my grandpas and my Uncle who fought for our country. I know that they were around my age during this time, but I guess I never really put myself in the picture. I can't imagine having all my cousins or friends fighting right now. It also made me realize that the generations of WWII had to grow up so quickly and mature at such a young age, and it makes the rest of the difference between my generation seems so much clearer.
It didn't feel right to take pictures of many things I saw. For example, the cemeteries. I know many people did, and maybe I'll steal some of theirs, but for now, there will be no pictures on this post. It just seemed a bit disrespectful to me at the time.
The site for the cemetery has pictures, so you can access them through this site:
http://nuke.montecassinotour.com/THEWARCEMETERIESATANZIONETTUNO/tabid/80/Default.aspx
After the cemetery we went to an amazing museum. I didn't have my camera, but I made my friends take pictures, so I'll have those up in the next few days. The museum captured the battle of Monte Cassino. The museum was a series of life sized dioramas. It felt so real, it had all the real equipment and uniforms, the dummies looked like actual humans, the scenery was like you were on the beach, or in the mountains, or wherever that certain battle that was being described was being fought. The sound affects were even frightening.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Sunday was very interesting and extremely sad. The day was meant to reflect a 24 hour period in Rome where a group of students, headed by students, Carla Capponi and Rosario Bentivegna, led an attempt at resistance to the German soldiers in Rome. Every day, at the same time and same place, German soldiers marched (three abreast) up and down the same route, passing Il Duce's house. Bentivegna dressed up like a sanitation worker, and wheeled the bomb onto the route; he had 45 seconds to run. Carla met him giving him a robe to put over the sanitation outfit. They killed somewhere around 35 of the Germans. Hitler of course was not happy with this, and ordered the Germans in Rome to kill ten Romans for ever German killed. They took many of the people from prison (who were not in prison for good reason, over 65 were in prison for being Jewish). After we walked the street, Via Rasella, (where the holes in the buildings are still present from the shattering bomb) we went to Fosse Ardeatine. Fosse Ardeatine is the cave in which they killed the ten Italians for every German. The Germans decided that each soldier would kill 5 of the Italians. It was also ordered that they do it drunk, since many of the Germans were not wanting to take part, but if they didn't, they too would be in the cave. In the end only one of the Germans did not take part because he fainted at the site of the Italians inside the cave. They German soldiers also had it planned how to kill the Italians with one shot so that it wouldn't be "messy", but because they were so drunk, it didn't go as planned, and it caused the Italians to suffer greatly in the caves. There was one family that had 6 members killed, ranging from the age of 14-somewhere in his 60s. When they were pulling these men (and boys) out of the prison and bringing them to the caves, they obviously did not tell them what was going to happen. In the family I had just mentioned, there was one boy that was left out, the 17 year old. Having been locked up, and thinking the rest of his family was going to work outside, he told the German soldiers that they forgot his name, and so they chose him too. All of the Italians that were killed in the caves, are also buried there. It is quite different from the cemeteries I saw the day before. There are rows of graves, with the name, picture, age of the man. It was really a very difficult morning. Families of the people were standing near the graves, putting flowers on them, and witnessing such acts emphasized the tragedies that the whole world endured.
After we went to the caves, we made our way to the Gestapo Headquarters, which is now the Liberation Museum in Rome. It's located very close to San Giovanni (which I talked about in an earlier post). Here we were able to go into holding cells; the walls were covered with documents from the war. Arrest papers that you could clearly read "Motivo (reason): Ebrew (Hebrew)." Some were written in German also. The handwritten list of the Italians that were killed in Fosse Ardeatine was on another wall. Newspapers wallpapered the walls, and looking at the headlines was shocking. Inside the isolation cells, the prisoners would scratch how many days they had been there, or write notes, or even simple sentences that had so much meaning to them.
The two men who led the trip treated us to an amazing lunch after, and I sat with some girls I didn't know very well, so it was really nice to meet new people...and eat a good Italian meal.
Random Facts
1. This is really just a summary of everything I learned; there was so much, too much to write about, but it's something I'd like to tell you about in person.
2. I especially found some of the stories about the heroic nurses fascinating. You don't hear about their fights very often, and listening to those stories was inspiring.
3. The men who led our trip sent us a guide to WWII in Rome, so I'm attaching it just in case I wasn't clear about something, or I don't know, it's pretty interesting, so if you're looking for something to read.
http://www.nprg.com/Portals/2/nprg_com%20Files/ForTheCommunity/RomeGuideThirdEditionFinal.pdf
http://nuke.montecassinotour.com/THEWARCEMETERIESATANZIONETTUNO/tabid/80/Default.aspx
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