Bailey Sheridan

Cannoli Making in Cusisine Class

2011-12-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

Here is a piece I wrote for the Cuisine Blog. It's about making Cannoli's! Enjoy!

Buona Forchetta: Making Cannoli During Class by Bailey Sheridan

(Final Product!)

Life in Viterbo!

2011-12-09T05:48:00.000-08:00

Check out a great video USAC made of Viterbo, Italy!! Enjoy!

December 4th Viterbo!

2011-12-05T04:43:00.000-08:00

December 4th
I felt like I didn't have enough photos of the place I live, so today was dedicated to taking more pictures and exploring Viterbo! Enjoy! There will be more to come!

(Lauren and I)

(Viterbo!)

(Viterbo plank!)

(Viterbo!)

(Weird man coming out of the ground!)

(Foot plank!)

(Arm!)

(Buongiorno Principessa!)

November 24th Thanksgiving!

2011-12-05T04:06:00.000-08:00

November 24th: THANKSGIVING!!!!
Definitely the BEST Thanksgiving I have EVER had! And one I will remember forever!

It all started with Lauren and I deciding that we needed to celebrate Thanksgiving. We threw a message on the USAC facebook expecting a few people to respond. However, those few people turned into a few more, and those into even more. In the end we had over 30people in our apartment. We had Americans, Italians, and even some French and Australians!!

THANKSGIVING started at San Sisto, the local coffee shop/bar/USAC hangout. It was definitely a memorable morning. Ricardo's mother came into the store wearing a festive orange top and asked if she was dressed appropriately for the Holiday! With her she brought 5 homemade Pumpkin pies! They had decided to make Pumpkin Pie in honor of Thanksgiving for all of the American students. We spent the morning trying to translate Thanksgiving in Italian and eating pumpkin pie! No lie.. Ricardo's mother definitely made the best pumpkin pie I have ever had!

(San Sisto)

Next it was off to class which was weird. Nobody could pay attention because it felt so wrong to be stuck in class on a Holiday! But class wasn't to bad and when it was over we headed back to the house to check on the Turkey!

The previous night we went to the local butcher to get turkey for everyone. When we ordered 6kg of turkey breast (15pounds!) the 1st butcher said "Nooo" and looked super confused. We tried to explain in Italian, but he was not having it and instead gave us 6 slices of turkey. So, we went to another butcher! This time we had an Italian order for us, but even he was confused! He had to repeat the order multiple times and all the people in the store stared! However, in the end we got 2 HUGE turkey breasts, 15 pounds total!

That night we marinated it in a bucket with a bunch of different seasonings! After 12 hours of marinating we threw it in the oven to cook... Only problem.. it didn't fit! Haha! After running to different apartments and looking at peoples ovens we decided that it would be easiest if we just cooked it in two parts... It ended up turning out great :)

(Marinating 15pounds of turkey in a bucket for 12hrs!)

(Thanksgiving decorations!)

(Thanksgiving decorations!)

(Final product!)

Everyone who came to the party brought a dish of their own. Most people brought something that they usually make at Thanksgiving with their family. We had mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, veggie plates, and yams!

(Final product!)

(Yams!)

(People!)

(Food!)

(People!)

During the party we had pens and paper and asked everyone to write what they are thankful for and put it in the "Thankful Bag" After dinner we passed around the "Thankful Bag" and everyone read a note. We had everything in there from being thankful for family, friends, USAC, to cheap wine and good times! This was definitely the best part of Thanksgiving.

(What I'm Thankful for!)

(USAC VITERBO 2011)

The party didn't end until 1am, and was definitely a success! I am so glad I got to spend Thanksgiving with my USAC family :)

Since Thanksgiving ended up being a success we decided that we will be throwing a Ugly Sweater/White Elephant Christmas Party! Stay tuned!

October 29th - November 6th Family Time and 21st BIRTHDAY in Italy!

2011-11-11T06:41:00.002-08:00

October 29th
Today I woke up early and hopped on the train to go get my mom and sister!! It was about a 2.5hour train ride to get to the airport. Once at the airport I made my way to passenger pickup just in time to meet them as they walked out! Once I got them we headed to a shuttle service that took us right to the hotel. We checked in, unpacked, and then went to find a little restaurant. We found this great little place and sat down for lunch!

(Shuttle from the airport!)

(View from our hotel!)

(First legal glass of wine with my mom and sister!)

(Cheers!)

After lunch we walked around Rome and did a little shopping before headed back to the hotel. When we got back to the hotel we all went to bed early so we could start fresh in the morning!

October 30th
Today we woke up early to meet Barry Walton, videographer for The High Documentary. He picked us up at our hotel and took us to his house so he could get some last minute footage of my mom talking about the race. After that we met up with his wife, Stefania, and their friend Lars, before heading out to get some food by Piazza Navona!

(Taylor's 1st REAL pizza!)

(Piazza Navona)

(Our first Gelato!)

After our delicious meal and gelato we headed over to the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps. Apparently it was a Holiday in Rome so everything was SUPER packed. But, we made the best of it and saw the sights anyway! It was also awesome seeing some of the places with people who are from Rome because I got to learn more fun facts!

(Pantheon)

(Pantheon)

(Pantheon)

(Pantheon)

(Pantheon)

(Trevi Fountain!)

(Spanish Steps)

(Spanish Steps)

(Cocktails and bread and POTATOES!)

October 31st
Today we went to the Colosseum and walked around. It was over a two hour line to get in so we just walked around the outside! It was still fun, and we got a lot of amazing pictures. At about 12:30pm I left my mom and sister to shop while I went back to the airport to pick up my Auntie Kak!

(Colosseum!)

(Colosseum!)

(Colosseum!)

(Door)

(Gate)

(Mom trying to break in!)

(Where do these steps go?)

(Vines!)

(Taking a break!)

(Mini Colosseum!)

(Fountain!)

(Streets of Rome!)

Once I got my Aunt Kak we headed back to the hotel to drop her things off and meet up with my Mom and sis. Then we went in search of some food! We found this little restaurant and the guy seemed to open it just for us. After we ate we headed over to the Trevi Fountain to see it at night! There were still a lot of people, but we got down to the front to throw our coins in! It was absolutely beautiful to see the fountain at night! I enjoyed it much more compared to during the day.

(Dinner!)

(Cappuccino)

(Trevi Fountain at night!)

(Trevi Fountain at night!)

(Trevi Fountain at night!)

After the Trevi Fountain we headed back to the hotel to drop my Mom and Auntie off. Then me and Tay went to the only place we knew was celebrating Halloween.. Finnegans Irish Pub! They totally went all out for Halloween with the cobwebs and body parts hanging from the walls. We met up with Lars and enjoyed an Irish Cider-Beer as we watching all the people with crazy costumes.

(Halloween at the Pub!)

November 1st
Today we woke up early and headed to the Colosseum for a tour before going to Viterbo! We arrived early before there was a line and got a tour at the Colosseum which was very interesting. The lady spoke English with a STRONG Italian accent through a broken speaker. I'm usually good at understanding accents, but I totally gave up about half-way through!

(The Colosseum!)

(The Colosseum!)

(The Colosseum!)

(The Colosseum!)

(The Colosseum!)

After the Colosseum we hopped on the Metro, grabbed our stuff and hopped on the train to Viterbo! Once in Viterbo we went to my apartment to take a break before doing a little shopping and then going to La Spageteria, my favorite restaurant in Viterbo, for dinner!

(Metro!)

After the Colosseum tour we grabbed our stuff and headed to meet Lauren at the Train Station! She had called me telling me that the train was not going to the station that I planned. Instead it was going to another station that she was waiting at. So we hopped on the Metro and met her at the station. We made it just in time too! After a short 1 hour and 40 min we were in Viterbo! We unpacked and went shopping!

(Viterbo!)

(Viterbo!)

After we went shopping and explored Viterbo a little we met up with Lauren and some friends from the USAC program, Mary Kay, and Carmen and went to dinner at my favorite place in Viterbo.. La Spaghetteria!

(La Spaghetteria!)

After dinner we headed back to my apartment and got ready for bed! Thank god we were lucky enough to get the apartment with 3 couches!

November 2nd
Today we woke up early and went to grab a cappuccino at my favorite little cafe. Then we did a little shopping and headed out on a tour of Viterbo. We went down to the medieval area of Viterbo and checked out some historic churches along the way! As usual we got a ton of photos!

(Viterbo!)

(Viterbo!)

(Viterbo!)

(Viterbo!)

(Viterbo!)

(Viterbo!)

(Viterbo!)

After our tour around Viterbo we headed back to the house and Lauren and I started cooking dinner! 5 hours later it was ready! We invited out language partners over and had a classic Italian American dinner!

We started with bread and FRESH olive oil, two different salamis and two different cheeses. Then we had pasta with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Then we had homemade bolognese sauce followed by ricotta and honey followed by yellow cake and chocolate frosting Birthday cake!!! Don't forget the 3 bottles of wine too! It was a pretty amazing dinner if I do say so myself! After dinner we headed to Blitz for a drink!

(Blitz!)

November 3rd
Today we woke up early, packed our stuff and headed to Florence! It was a 4hour train ride, but it went by fast. Once we got there we found our hotel in less than 15min, unpacked, and headed out to see the town! First we went to the Academia to see The David. He is beautiful. We saw some other statues in there, but nothing even comes close to David. After the Academia we headed to the Duomo! Once there my mom, Taylor, and I decided to climb it!

(The Duomo in Florence!)

(The Duomo in Florence!)

(The Duomo in Florence!)

(The Duomo in Florence!)

(The Duomo in Florence!)

(Climbing the Duomo in Florence!)

(Climbing the Duomo in Florence!)

(The top of the Duomo!)

(The top of the Duomo!)

(The top of the Duomo!)

After we climbed the Duomo we walked around the shopping market and then went to dinner! We went to bed early to get ready for a big day tomorrow... MY 21st BIRTHDAY!!! :)

November 4th!! MY BIRTHDAY!!!
Today we woke up early and went to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower! It was so much fun. We walked through the town which I have never seen before. We took all our amazing pictures with the tower and had a great time. After taking pictures we headed to a little cafe and had the BEST mimosas I have ever had! They were made with FRESH squeezed oranges!

(Cappuccino before Pisa!)

(On route to Pisa!)

(On route to Pisa!)

(Pisa!)

(Pisa!)

(Pisa kick.. Take 1)

(Pisa kick.. Take 2)

(Pisa kick.. Take 3 SUCCESS)

(Pisa kick.. Take 4 FAIL)

(Pisa!)

(Pisa!)

(Pisa!)

(Pisa!)

(Pisa!)

(Pisa!)

(Pisa Trash Can!)

(Pisa!)

(Mimosas!)

After Pisa we headed back to Florence and went shopping! We probably shopped for like 3 hours through the markets! Once we were all happy with our purchases we headed back to the hotel to get ready for 21st BIRTHDAY NIGHT!!! We started with dinner and ate... BURRITOS!!!! That's right.. BURRITOS in Florence!

(Mexican restaurant!)

After some delicious BURRITOS we headed to the one place I have always wanted to celebrate my Birthday... An IRISH PUB! We found a little pub near out hotel in Florence called the Dublin Pub. I asked the bartender to card me, but he said I obviously wasn't 14 so there was not need... I had him card me anyway! Once he found out it was my Birthday he pulled down the Jagger for a Birthday shot. We had a great time at the bar and I got my 1st ever Guinness on tap.. and it was delicious!

(Who asks to get carded? ME!)

(Chin-Chin!)

(21!)

It was definitely the best Birthday I have ever had :) Once we finished our drinks we headed back to the hotel to get some sleep before heading back to Rome!

November 5th
We woke up early today and got on the early train back to Rome. Once we got to Rome we dropped our stuff off and headed to the Vatican. The Vatican was SUPER busy, but we managed to see the St. Peters Square and took some pictures.

(St. Peters Square)

After the Vatican we headed back to our hotel and took a break. For dinner we met up with Admiral Giuseppe and Guia Cucchi. They are long time friends of my Aunt Kak and Uncle Mike. Giuseppe picked us up at the hotel and took us to their favorite little restaurant in Rome. It was an amazing place and the food was DELICIOUS! Giuseppe and Guia are amazing people and it was great to talk to them. They even gave me a list of MUST SEE places in Italy before I leave!

(Dinner with the Cucchi's)

After our amazing dinner, we got back home we all said our goodbyes and went to bed.

November 6th
Everyone woke up early and headed back home. My Aunt had to leave the hotel at 4am, my mom and sis left at 6:30am and I got to sleep in before leaving at about 9am!!

(Train!)

It was an amazing trip with my family and something I will remember forever! We made some great memories and I had the best Birthday ever!

October 23rd Assisi and Perugia

2011-11-11T06:41:00.001-08:00

October 23rd
Today I woke up early to join the USAC group to Assisi and the chocolate festival in Perugia! First we toured the town of Assisi. It was a pretty small but beautiful town. After touring the town we headed to Perugia which I was totally excited for!

Assisi was pretty much just an amazing city. There was not much to do there, but it was absolutely beautiful! It was a town full of flower pots and little unique shops!

(Church in Assisi)

(Assisi)

(PAX (Peace))

(Assisi)

(Assisi)

(Flower pots!)

(Assisi)

(Assisi)

(Assisi)

(Assisi)

(Assisi)

After Assisi we headed to Perugia for the Chocolate Festival!!! My favorite part about Perugia was the underground. The underground is basically the town of Perugia during the middle ages.

During the Renaissance they wanted to rebuild the city and instead of demolishing everything they just covered the town and built on top! The underground is like nothing I have seen before. It seriously looks just like a Medieval town, but instead of seeing the sky above you, you see bricks! It was definitely one of my favorite towns! After touring the city and the underground we went and got CHOCOLATE WASTED!!!

(Crowds for chocolate!)

(Oh yeah we had a Chocolate Kebab!)

(Choco Late!)

(Yummm Nutella!)

(Cup o' Nutella!)

(Chocolate Churros!)

(Chocolate Bear!)

I was in a group of 4 and together we consumed 1 chocolate/hazelnut block weighing 1kg, 1 chocolate kebab, 2 chocolate bananas, 1 cup o' hot nutella, and 1 plate of churros covered in chocolate!!! After getting CHOCOLATE WASTED!!! and having a severe headache and stomach ache we got back together with the group who was equally sick and headed back to Viterbo!

October 22nd Olive Picking and Etruscan Ruins!

2011-11-11T06:38:00.001-08:00

October 22nd
Today I woke up early to go olive picking my cooking teachers house. Christina, my cooking teacher lives in the countryside of Viterbo. It is absolutely beautiful out there and olive picking was quite the experience. When we drove up to her house I was shocked at how beautiful it was. It was a small little house out in the country with an amazing garden and tons of olive trees! It felt like something out of the movie Under the Tuscan Sun.

(House!)

(Porch!)

(Front yard!)

(Driveway!)

(Olive trees!)

After I took of pictures of her yard and we got everything ready we started picking olives! I definitely underestimated how much work goes into olive picking! After a few hours of picking trees clean we headed back to the house for lunch.

(Olive picking!)

(Lauren picking olives!)

(Olive picking!)

(Lauren olive picking!)

(Olive picking!)

(Olive picking tools!)

(Sorting olives!)

The deal we made to pick olives was that we got a free meal in return! Haha, and since it was our cooking teacher, it was quite a meal! We had tomato soup with an assortment of cheeses, breads and jams! All the fruits and veggies came directly from her garden and tasted amazing! After a delicious meal we went back out to pick some more olives!

(Lunch in the countryside!)

(Strawberry anyone?)

After we finished another row of trees we were all exhausted. We finished collecting the olives and then took a break. Christina asked if we wanted to go see the Etruscan ruins by her house. We all said yes, and Christina and her husband took us to the Etruscan ruin site. It was really amazing, and much different from the ones I saw at the acropolis. I enjoyed hiking in the country side exploring the Etruscan tombs as well as seeing fields upon fields of vegetables and fruits!

(Collecting the last of the olives!)

(Necropoli di Castel D'Asso)

(Etruscan ruins!)

(Etruscan ruins!)

(Entrance to tomb)

(View from ruins!)

(View from ruins!)

(Look over there!)

(Castle in the distance)

After we saw the Etruscan ruins we headed back to the car. There was only one car because Christinas husband headed back early. So half of us went back, the other half started walking and waited for the car to return. I decided walking though the country side would be amazing so I started walking. We didn't walk to far, but we got to see some amazing fields and scenery. The second car came back for us and we headed back to the house.

(Vegetables!)

(Vegetables!)

(Vegetables!)

(Car driving away...)

(Flower)

(Scenery from walk!)

(Walking!)

Christina decided that since we picked so many olives she would treat us to dinner too! Dinner was ABSOLUTELY amazing! We had chicken, POTATOES, veggies, POTATOES, salami, cheese, delicious wine and POTATOES!! For desert we had tiramisu and raspberry crumble. Everything was absolutely incredible. After an amazing day picking olives, seeing Etruscan ruins and eating fabulous food we headed back to Viterbo!

October 18th How to make real gelato and homemade pasta!

2011-11-11T05:29:00.001-08:00

October 18th
Today I got to see first hand how Gelato is made. We went to a local gelateria where the owner showed us how he made his gelato. It's basically cream and sugar and air all mixed together with the freshest ingredients. Fun fact: The machine used to make the gelato only costs about 30,000 EUROS!!!! AND there are two of them used in the process! So after watching the owner pour all the ingredients into the very expensive machine and waiting about 1omin the gelato was ready to eat. Gelato that has just been made is by far the most amazing thing ever! It is VERY different from gelato that has been sitting out. It is very creamy, fluffy, light and absolutely delicious!

After watching gelato being made I went to cooking class. Tonight's menu consisted of hand made pasta! We made two different kinds of ravioli. First we made an egg noodle pasta with a pumpkin filling, and then we made a green spinach pasta with ricotta filling. We started cooking at 5:30pm and didn't finish eating until past 10pm! Rolling the dough and then cutting and filling it with the fillings took the longest. For desert we made tiramisu which was AMAZING!

(Rolling the dough!) (Photo by Lauren)

(Lauren rolling the dough!) (Photo by Lauren)

(Casey's turn!) (Photo by Lauren)

(Andrew's turn!) (Photo by Lauren)

(Lauren and I making the ravioli) (Photo by Lauren)

No lie, I probably will not roll my own noodles again because it seriously took so long. HOWEVER, as for the tiramisu, I will definitely have to try that again when I get home. The recipe wasn't complicated, and I think I might be able to do it again... So we will see!

October 17 City Hall Visit

2011-11-11T05:28:00.001-08:00

October 17th
Today I woke up early to go to City Hall with the USAC students to meet the mayor of Viterbo and be officially welcomed to the city. It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience. We got to tour City Hall and see all the medieval rooms where they used to have official meetings. The mayor welcomed us and told us that we were a great marketing tool for the city and that they wanted to have more students like us. He also said that he loved USAC's program dedicated to helping teach Italian students English. He said when we go back to the States he wanted us to spread the word about Viterbo!

It was pretty cool to sit in the room where all important and official business was held. After he welcomed and thanked us for coming to Viterbo, Lauren gave him a little gift from UNR. The picture below of her was put in the Viterbo paper as well as on the UNR website! Go Lauren!

(Lauren with the mayor)

(USAC at city hall!)

October 7-10th Venice!!

2011-11-11T03:14:00.000-08:00

October 7th
After leaving Siena we headed to the train station to catch our train to Venice. We took a fast train to Venice which ended up taking about two hours. Once we arrived in Venice, we started bought a few maps and went searching for our hostel. Now I had hear about Venice being a confusing city, but that was definitely an understatement!

After walking for what seemed like an hour and being totally and completely lost, Lauren pulled out her Ipad and we made it to the hostel! However, it was actually only the check in desk. So after we checked in we had to make our way to our REAL hostel. It was only about a 15min walk and quite easy with Laurens Ipad!

(Directions in Venice!)

When we arrived at the address, it was just a door like any other, it was down a little side ally and we were not sure if it was ours, but our key worked! When we got to our room we met a Chinese girl who was backpacking by herself. She was very nice and quiet. I was kinda nervous about my fist hostel, but after I locked all my things in a locker, I felt much safer. It ended up being a great little hostel in an amazing location. It was clean and the 5 of us got to stay together in one room.

After we got all settled in we rested up so we could go explore Venice in the morning!

October 8th
Today I got up early and went and walked around before everyone else woke up. It was cold out and there were very few people, but it was nice to just walk around by myself and my thoughts. I found a little cafe and got a cappuccino and a croissant then went and walked through a fruit market and towards the water. I found a little canal and just sat there and watched the locals driving their little boats starting their day. After having some time to myself I headed back towards the hostel and met up with the rest of the group for breakfast and coffee.

The group divided after breakfast. Half went to explore the churches and museums and half to explore the streets! I had no desire to see the main attractions in Venice. I had been told by multiple people that the best thing to do in Venice was to throw away the map and get lost and see where the canals take you. So that's exactly what I did. Lauren, Casey, and I took turns picking a direction and just following it. It felt like a HUGE maze. Sometimes the streets ended at a canal, sometimes they split, and sometimes they just stopped!

We were lost on the streets of Venice for over 3hours, and it was the best 3 hours of my life. We eventually made it to St. Marks Square. It was totally over crowded and we were probably there for less than 10min before we headed back to the quite, winding, and turning streets! Getting lost was definitely the best advise I was ever given. We had no time schedule and no plans. It found some of the most amazing places that I have no idea how to get to or where they were! It was definitely my favorite part of Venice!

(Canals of Venice!)

(Venice)

(Planking in Venice!)

(Venice)

(Canals of Venice)

(So many colors!)

(This was a great idea!)

(End of the street!)

(Alley way!)

(Hobbit door!)

(Riot police.. there was a protest while we were there!)

(On a bridge!)

(Dropped my phone while I planked.. PLANKING FAIL!!)

(Re-do!)

(Canals of Venice)

Later that evening we met up with the rest of the group and went searching for the prefect gondola ride through the canals. It was a little expensive, but something I have ALWAYS wanted to do, and ended up being totally worth it. We got to see part of the Grand Canal, but we mainly stayed on the smaller canals. It was absolutely amazing to see parts of the canals that had no side walks or anything. They only way to get there was by boat! The gondola ride was another great highlight of Venice!

(Gondola ride)

(Our gondola guy)

(Gondola ride)

(Gondola ride)

(Gondola ride)

(GONDOLA PLANK!!)

(Our gondola guy)

After the gondola ride we decided to treat ourselves to a nice dinner on the canal. It ended up being the most expensive bowl of soup I have ever had. It bowl was only about a quarter filled with soup. It was a total bust, but to make up for it we ate all their bread sticks and had bread stick fights. I know.. I little immature, BUT hey we were famished! The ambiance of the restaurant was great, but I think I will stick to sandwiches from now on.

After dinner we headed back to the hostel to rest up before another day in Venice!

October 9
Today I got up super early to go explore some more by myself. I grabbed a cappuccino and a croissant and headed to a little dock on the Grand Canal. I sat there and watched to early morning boaters as I waited for the rest of the group to get ready to go! We had talked to a woman the previous day who told us we had to go to the islands of Murano and Burano... so that's exactly what we did! We bought a ticket for the water bus and headed out to the islands. They were absolutely beautiful! The atmosphere was very different from that of Venice. There were a lot less tourists and and it was hard to get lost because the islands were so small!

Murano is known as the glass blowing island. It was absolutely beautiful and full of shops that tons of hand made blown glass. They also had glass blowing demonstrations, but were unfortunately closed on Sunday. However that didn't stop us from shopping all around the island and seeing some amazing artwork!

(Early morning Venice)

(Sitting on a dock)

(Murano!)

(Murano!)

(Murano!)

(Tower in Murano!)

(Murano!)

(Murano plank!)

(On route to Burano!)

After Murano we headed to Burano. Burano is an even smaller island, but is SO colorful! Every house is a different bright color. It was absolutely beautiful and didn't feel like Italy at all! This was my favorite island. While we were walking around we met an Australian girl who was backing for 6months by herself. She was very interesting and totally enjoying herself. I don't know if I could travel by myself for 6months, but she seemed to be having a great time. After socializing and taking tons of pictures we jumped on the water bus back to the main land!

(Colors of Burano!)

(Burano!)

(Colors of Burano!)

(Burano plank!)

(Colors of Burano!)

(Colors of Burano!)

When we got back to the main land we decided to do a tour of the Grand Canal on the water bus. It was really amazing to see the main canal, but I preferred the smaller canals. It was getting dark when we took our tour so we got to see the lights from all the hotels and restaurants on the water. It was the prefect ending to our trip to Venice.

(Water bus at night!)

After the water bus trip down the Grand Canal we headed to the train station. We took an overnight train back to Viterbo which was pretty cool. We all got our own little beds! After a few hours of sleep we woke up to prepare for our change of trains...

October 10th
However, turns out our train was 40min late which caused us to miss our connection. We had to wait for the next train, which in turn caused us to miss our second connection. This resulted in us having to wait an hour and a half at some shady train station.

(Train beds!)

(Train beds!)

(Freezing at the train stop)

(Freezing at the train stop)

When it was finally time to go wait on the freezing cold platform for our train home I asked a woman to make sure it was the right platform and we had a short little conversation. When we got to the platform there was an announcement in Italian, which we paid no attention to. However, after the announcement the lady we were talking to ran out of the train station and started yelling at us to get off a platform!

She said they were sending a bus instead of a train and that we had to go wait at the bus stop! We were all severely confused. We ran over to the bus stop and waited. Not completely believing this lady we stood between the train and bus stop getting ready to run back to the train. The lady came over to us, seeing our indecision and said that the bus was definitely coming before she jumped on her train.

Well, I'm sorry I doubted you Mysterious Woman From the Train Station because you were right. The bus pulled up and the driver said "Viterbo?!" We all hoped on and finally headed home only arriving 3 hours late!

(Bus ride!)

Despite being 3 hours late getting home to Viterbo I had a great trip and learned a lot about the train system! Venice was a beautiful city and I can't wait to see what's next!

Field Study Part 2: Florence and Sienna

2011-10-15T06:28:00.000-07:00

October 5th:
Today was dedicated to exploring Firenze (Florence). We started at the Uffizi Museum. The Uffizi is a huge museum that displays the Midici family’s art collection. After about 25seconds all the art blended together. It could be all the museums and churches we go to, but I would be happy if I never went to another museum or church ever! Haha! The one thing I did enjoy in the Uffizi was the paining Venus by Sandro Botticelli. I had seen the painting everywhere and always thought it was beautiful. For me, it was the highlight of the Uffizi. After the museum we made our way to the Ponte Vecchio, the famous bridge in Firenze.

(Top of the Uffizi Museum)

(Statue near the Uffizi)

(Statue near the Uffizi)

(Ponte Vecchio)

(Ponte Vecchio)

(Ponte Vecchio)

The Ponte Vecchio was pretty cool, but VERY crowded! We took our pictures and continued on our adventure. We decided to try and find the botanical gardens! Our walk took us up and down hills and all over Firenze. When we finally found the gardens we had to pay 8EU to enter... so we turned around and went to explore some more!

Later that day we decided to get a group together and climb to the top of the Duomo. The hike to the top was pretty difficult, but the 436 stairs were totally worth the view at the top!

(Climbing the stairs)

(View from one of the windows climbing the Duomo)

(Top of the Duomo!)

(Top of the Duomo!) (Photo by Stefano)

(Top of the Duomo! Me, Stefano, Lauren)

(Headed back down the Duomo) (Photo by Stefano)

After the climbed the Duomo we decided to reward ourselves with.... THE HARD ROCK CAFE!!! Where naturally I got.. NACHOS!!! It was a fun night.

October 6th:
Today we woke up early to go to the Academia Museum to see the David by Michelangelo. Now I know there is a Michelangelo in Las Vegas, BUT it definitely does no justice to the real thing! It was so exact and perfect in every way! It was also much bigger than I originally thought. It was truly a masterpiece! After the David we the Santa Croce Church. On our way we stopped at an amzing gelato spot. Stefano (the USAC cordinatior in Viterbo) swears its the best gelato in all of Firenze. After trying it I would have to agree.. might even go far enough to say the best in Italy!

The Santa Croce church was.. well another church. HOWEVER the tombs of both Michelangelo and Galileo are here. Fun fact: Michelangelo died the same year that Galileo was born. In the church they are buried across from each other to symbolize the continuation of a genius. Other than the the church looked the same as every one before it! After we toured the church we had the rest of the day to explore and shop. Since it was our last night in Firenze we didn't have trouble deciding what was for dinner... MEXICAN FOOD!!! That's right people.. I went to Florence, Italy for 3 nights and had Mexican food every night and I am PROUD of it! :)

October 7th:
Today we got up early, packed our things and headed to Sienna before breaking from the group and going Venice!

Sienna was a really cool town. First thing we did was check out a famous church! Like all the rest it was interesting. The one cool thing about this church was the floors, which are only uncovered for 2 months out of the year. Lucky, those months are September and October so we got to see the amazing marble floors that depict pictures of religious events. I will say it was pretty cool.

(Cathedral)

(Floor)

(Ceiling)

After the church we went to the Piazzo del Campo, where the famous Palio races are held every year. This was by far my favorite part. The horse race is between ten of the seventeen districts of Siena. The ten lucky districts are chosen by a lottery every year. This race is a HUGE big deal in Siena. Apparently there are a lot of behind the scenes bribery and other shady deals. There are also NO RULES during the race, and all cops and government officials leave the city walls during the race.. so basically anything can happen! However when the races are over celebrations last for 2 months and the winning horse is praised more than the jockey!

(Pouring rain!)

(Piazzo del Campo)

Naturally I had to plank the Piazzo del Campo. However, this time a guy saw me and came up and asked (in English) if I did yoga.. He was amazing I could jump high enough to get on top the the column! Then he asked if I could do it again, so I did and he and his wife took a ton of pictures posing with me planking! Haha it was pretty awesome!

(Pre-plank!)

(Planking!)

After the tour we had free time which we spent taking pictures, exploring, and checking out the Piazza del Campo. At 2pm a few of us headed back to the bus to get our stuff and get to the train station for our weekend in VENICE!

(Off to Venice!!)

Field Study Part 1: Cortona, Lucca, Pisa, and Florence

2011-10-14T03:10:00.000-07:00

October 3rd:

Today was the beginning of our field study. We woke up bright and early and headed to our favorite breakfast place. By breakfast I mean a chocolate croissant and a cappuccino! After breakfast we headed to the bus that was waiting for us and off we were!

Our first stop was San Francesco’s Monastery in Cortona. It was a beautiful little sanctuary on the side of the mountain. We toured the monastery and checked out the little medieval rooms they used to live in.. I could barely fit in the room let alone in the wooden plank of a bed! After the monastery we went and checked out the rest of Cortona. In Cortona we had some free time to walk around and explore. We got some pizza followed by delicious gelato and shopped around.

(View from Monastery)

(Monastery)

(Planking in Cortona)

(View of Cortona)

(Medieval stone walkway in Cortona)

After Cortona we headed to Firenze (Florence) where our base camp would be for the rest of the trip! Firenze was beautiful! I loved it! Most of all I loved that they had... the most amazing.. severely missed.. food... that I love more than anything.. MEXICAN FOOD!!!!!

Once we got all situated at the hotel we went out and explored. We walked through the street vendors and followed direction towards MEXICAN FOOD! The food was delicious and just what I needed! After we ate we explored Firenze and checked out the Duomo (which seemed totally out of place!) before we headed to bed.

(First view of Firenze!)

(Firenze)

(Duomo in Firenze!)

October 4th:
Today we went to Lucca and Pisa! Lucca was absolutely beautiful. It was a medieval city surrounded by a castle wall. We had a tour around the town and learned a lot about the history. What I found most amazing was the medieval Colosseum that was built in the middle of the city. It is mainly gone now, but you can see remnants of it. Inside the Colosseum reminded me a lot of Piazza Navona in Rome. After we toured the city we had free time so we decided to do a bike ride around the castle walls. It was by far my favorite part of the trip! It was a beautiful day and the scenery was gorgeous! I loved every minute of it!

(Medieval Colosseum walls)

(Medieval Colosseum)

(Bike ride around the castle wall in Lucca)

(Lunch break on the castle wall!)

(Look ma no hands!!)

(Skilled photography)

(Biking on the wall)

(Biking on the wall)

(Whooo!)

(Lucca plank!)

After the bike ride we met back up with the group and headed to Pisa! I was very excited to see the leaning tower after seeing it in pictures since I was a kid. Those photos did the Leaning Tower no justice. It was absolutely amazing in person! We toured the baptistery and cathedral. The cathedral looked like every other cathedral. HOWEVER, the baptistery was pretty interesting.

While we were in there a woman came in and stood in the middle of the room. The guards hushed everyone in the building and when all was quiet the woman began to sing. All she said was "Ahhhh...." in different octaves. Not in a like "AHHH there is an axe murdered behind me" more like a "Ahhhhh thats relaxing.." The "Ahhhs" echoed off the walls and the noise was incredible. It was a symphony of one person. Although I do now justice of describing how it actually sounded, it was definitely something I will never forget! After touring the buildings we were free to take out cliche pictures of the Leaning Tower!!!

(Leaning tower of Pisa!)

(Leaning Tower Pisa)

(Cliche picture BUT I had to do it)

(And this)

(And this)

(Throwing the tower away)

(A little to the left.. up.. down.. hand flat.. now to the right) (Photo by Lauren)

(Lauren and me)

(Oh yeah!)

(Out of context)

After Pisa we headed back to Firenze. We contemplated dinner for about 2 seconds before deciding to go to the same Mexican restaurant! This is what happens when you go 4 months with no Mexican food...

MEXICAN NIGHT!!! Complete with Mango Margaritas!

September 24th Marmore Falls and Spoleto

2011-10-02T15:51:00.000-07:00

September 24
Today was another group trip to Maramore Falls and Spoleto. Maramore Falls is the largest man-made waterfall in all of Europe. It was created by the ancient Romans! There is not much I can say about Maramore Falls except "WOW!" It was definitely the most beautiful place I have ever been to. Totally exceeded my expectations.

(Top of the falls)

(Me at the top)

(Planking at the top!)

(Hiking along the falls)

(Rainbow!)

(Planking the falls!)

(Marmore Falls)

(Marmore Falls)

(Marmore Falls)

(Marmore Falls)

(Marmore Falls)

After the falls we headed to the town of Spoleto. This was the more educational part of the field trip. Although it was all interesting and informative, my favorite part is when we had a 2 hour break to explore. We ended up finding a hiking trail and went on a little hike. We ended up finding a medieval bridge and aquifer going from the castle across the valley to another mountain! It was absolutely breathtaking. We walked across it to the other side and the view was incredible!

(Spoleto)

(Planking in Spoleto)

(Medieval bridge in Spoleto)

(Medieval bridge in Spoleto)

(Medieval bridge in Spoleto)

(Medieval bridge in Spoleto)

We returned to the group after that, but I couldn't focus on anything else. We saw another Duomo which was interesting enough, but our little hike was the best part!

(The Duomo)

(Planking the Duomo)

(Planking the Duomo)

(Medieval store fronts still used today)

(Medieval amphitheater)

After walked around the town and checking out the Duomo we headed back to Viterbo. It was another long day, but the waterfall and the bridge definitely made it worth it! :) Can't wait to see what's next!

September 23rd Civita di Bagnoregio and Orvieto

2011-09-27T04:06:00.000-07:00

September 23rd
Today I joined the Italian cities class again to go to Civita di Bagnoregio (the dying city) and Orvieto! I was REALLY looking forward to this trip. I had heard so much about the dying city. It no longer is residence to anyone due to its unsteady foundation and is held together with plates to keep the mountain in place.

(Civita di Bagnoregio)

(Civita di Bagnoregio)

(Entering the castle walls)

(Through the castle walls)

(Planking at Civita di Bagnoregio)

(Cute town!)

(View from the top)

After walking through Civita di Bagnoregio and learning about city that used to be there we headed to Orvieto. In Ortievo we saw the Duomo and toured the underground. The Duomo was definitely not what I was expecting. It was a total Medieval church in the middle of this little hill top town. It definitely looked out of the ordinary! The underground is also very interesting. There are thousands of underground tunnels at Orvieto. They were used as a hideout during war as well as a place to breed pigeons!

(Planking on the way to Orvieto)

(Cable car we had to take to get to the city!)

(Headed to Orvieto!)

(The Duomo)

(Planking at the Duomo)

(The underground!)

(The underground)

(View of the hillside)

(Planking in Orvieto)

After touring the underground we headed back down the cable car to the bottom of the city and headed home! It was a LONG day, but I got to see some amazing sights! The dying city was definitely my favorite part and I did not get to spend nearly enough time there.. I will absolutely be going back!

September 16th Tarquinia

2011-09-26T04:42:00.000-07:00

September 16th
Today I joined the group trip to Tarquinia. The trip was mainly for the Italian Cities class to learn more about Etruscan ruins. However I tagged along for a free guided tour by the professor. There was quite a lot of information to digest.. like how to identify a medieval building, how to identify changes to medieval structures and castle walls.. etc.. Very interesting!

(City sign)

(Front gate)

(Where a church used to be)

(Where a church used to be)

After we toured the city we went to an Etruscan Museum to see the ruins. I am not one for museums, BUT I found this one pretty interesting. Their were tombs and pottery and unbelievable sights from the museum, which once used to be the home of the rulers of Tarquinia.

(Etruscan Museum)

After the museum we headed to the necropolis to see the tombs! When we arrived it looked like a bunch of mini-houses spread across the hilltop. The tombs were very well preserved and we got to walk around the sites and go down into the tombs. It was definitely something I never thought I would get to see in person!

(View of the necropolis!)

(The necropolis!)

(Me at the edge of the necropolis.. beautiful view!)

(Inside the tomb!)

After the necropolis we headed back to Viterbo! It was definitely a day of learning and sight seeing! Have any questions about Etruscan ruins? I have answers! :)

September 10th Bracciano

2011-09-25T01:31:00.000-07:00

September 10th
Today we decided to go to Bracciano and check out the amazing castle there and then head to the beach! We also got to use the train system for the first train. After a little confusion we figured out the correct train to get on and we were off to Bracciano!

(Lauren and I waiting for our train!) (Photo by Lauren)

We got a guided tour in Italian (so we couldn't really understand anything) BUT we still got to go into some incredible rooms and tour around. The top of the castle was definitely the best part! The view was AMAZING!!

Side note: This is where Tom Cruise and Katie Holms got married!

(View from the top!)

(Castle tower!)

(Courtyard)

(View of the top!) (Photo by Mary Kay)

(Planking!)

(Me at the top)

After the castle we went to the beach! The beach was definitely something I would call a "beach" Most of the places around the shoreline you had to pay to enter the water. However, we found the little FREE beach site and made some space. The water was warm and the sand was hot! It served its purpose!

(Nutella and banana sandwiches!) (Photo by Lauren)

(Our little spot of beach) (Photo by Lauren)

(The water was AMAZING!) (Photo by Lauren)

After we swam around we headed back to Viterbo. We managed to get lost on the bus system AGAIN had to jump off before we got caught not validating.. opps!! Overall, GREAT trip!!

September 9th Tuscania

2011-09-11T06:20:00.000-07:00

September 9th
Today we decided to take a day trip to Tuscania which is a 40 minute bus ride from Viterbo. The town was in the middle of nowhere and absolutely beautiful. It reminds me of a smaller version of Viterbo complete with medieval castles and small little cobblestone roads.

We toured around they city and checked out the historic sites. We stopped by the restaurant recommended to us by various people, but it was closed.. Just means we have to go back again!

(Tuscania)

(Planking in Tuscania)

(View from peephole in castle lookout tower)

(Old historic church on top of the hill)

(Tuscania)

(Cork door)

(Tuscania view from restaurant)

After an awesome day touring the city we headed back to Viterbo. Tomorrow we plan to go to Bracchiano. There is an amazing castle there.. where Tom Cruise got married! Haha as well as a beach we plan on visiting! Can't wait!

September 5th - 8th Life in Viterbo

2011-09-11T05:58:00.000-07:00

September 5th

After a long orientation to the USAC program I had my first Italian language class! It was pretty much the hardest thing ever.. Today was just the intro to the class and were introduced to our professors. They did NOT speak a word of English to us. Any question someone asked.. the answer was in Italian. It was awesome because I could actually understand some of what they were saying, BUT on the other hand it was overwhelming after an hour of charades guessing at some of the answers. Overall, I am very much looking forward to learning some Italian!

After class we went and checked out some more of Viterbo.

(Crazy statue in the park!)

(The foot and me)

September 6th

Today was the last day of orientation! Yay! I got everything I done that I needed in order to live here the next few months. Today I learned that my days are going to be very open. I have language most mornings and then I am pretty much free the rest of the day. I have decided to sign up for an internship teaching little kids English and/or helping college students with English conversation. Hopefully that will help to fill my days!

Today was also the second day of Italian class. We had a much smaller class size today (I would say around 15 students) We worked on how to greet people and how to introduce ourselves. Our professor mainly speaks Italian but helps us out in English when we need clarification. I REALLY enjoy this class.. mainly because I feel like I learn so much every day!

September 7th - 8th

I have been working on my Italian and improving every day! It's really awesome to finally be able to start having some short conversations in Italian. Even though my Italian is still very limited the people here are so friendly and very patient. They help you out and correct you when you are wrong. I am trying to speak Italian everywhere I go.. or at least as much as I can!

After hearing about this AMAZING pizza place we got a group together and decided to try it out! The place was called Il Monastaro and all I knew was that the pizzas were HUGE! Huge was an understatement.. Each pizza was brought out on two plates and they were delicious!

(Our group)

(Pizzas!)

(Salami and asparagus)

After that we went on a little walk around town and hung out at a little bar near our apartment. We got some little Foo-Foo drinks (Mine was called a Pink Jamaican) and sat outside on the couches. We then planned two day trips for the weekend to come!

(City Center)

(Fountain)

(FooFoo drinks!)

...On a side not I have a severely swollen foot from bug bites. I don't know what but me, but after seeing my foot swell and not being about to see my ankles I called the director of the program to make a doctors appointment. This is the second time my feet have swelled because of bug bites since I have been here. The first time wasn't so bad, but this time is MUCH worse! Wish me luck!

August 31st - September 4th Viterbo, Italy!!

2011-09-04T01:30:00.000-07:00

August 31^st
We arrived! Stayed the night in an uncomfortably hotel counting down the minutes until we got to move it. We went on a few walks through the city, hoping are apartment was going to be awesome. After touring the city we were treated to an amazing pizza dinner. My favorite was the zucchini pizza! After that it was off to bed. Tomorrow is the big day!

(Pizza dinner!) (Photo by Lauren)

September 1st

Today we were assigned apartments and roommates. I ended up getting both theapartment and roommates that I requested! I am living with Lauren and Travis ina little unique 3 bed apartment on Villa De Morocco.

Once assigned apartments we found out the owner was waitingoutside to meet us and take us to our new home. She was a very nice lady whospoke very little English. We attempted a conversation in Italian and actuallymanaged to do pretty well. (Thank you pocket Italian book!) We found out thatshe is the owner of the BEST medieval restaurant in town. She invited us tocome to dinner in October when the renovations are complete!

As we drove through the city walls I couldn’t help butfeeling that we had gone back in time. The castle walls, the giant towers, thechurches, and the cobblestone roads made it seem as if we had gone back 1,000years!

(Viterbo!)

We finally stopped in this little alley, grabbed out stuffand headed up this little staircase. Once at the top we opened the door to themost amazing little apartment ever! We have 3 couches that turn into beds, cutelittle bedrooms, colorful bathrooms, and an amazing kitchen. Our place has sucha homey feel to it. Not more than 20 minutes after we arrived did we startmoving furniture and making it our own! (Pictures to come!)

(Breaking in the living room!) (Photo by Lauren)

September 2^nd - 4^th

We spent the next few days touring the city and gettingfamiliar with everything! We now know where the college is, where the nearestmarkets are, and where all the fountains/landmarks are, and most importantlywhere the best gelato is! We also found out favorite internet cafe Blitz..

(Blitz)

We also threw a little pot-luck to break in the new apartment. Everyone was required to bring something to share. People brought everything from spaghetti to brochetta to salami and of course a variety of wine! After our little pot luck we headed over to the best gelato in town and it was delicious! It ended up being a great night and we got to know a lot of really cool people!

(Pot luck!) (Photo by Lauren)

This weekend is also the weekend of the Santa Rosa Festival.It is a HUGE deal in Viterbo in which they celebrate their patron saint. Themain attraction is when 100 men carry an 11,000 pound statue all through thestreets. It is an incredible honor to be selected to carry the statue and evensons/brothers/nephews (some as young as 4 years old) get to participate in asimilar parade. A few days earlier the younger generation march around the townwith a much lighter statue! The whole weekend has been one big parade. Oneevening they even walked around with Santa Rosa’s actual heart. It’s hard tocapture the whole experience without really being able to understand it all… Ihope to learn more about it in the coming weeks!

(Santa Rosa Festival) (Photo by Lauren)

(The parade!)

(Santa Rosa Festival) (Photo by Lauren)

(A REAL cannoli) (Photo by Lauren)

(Lauren and I waiting for it to start.. we waited in the crowd for 5 hours) (Photo by Lauren)

(People getting ready!)

(Santa Rosa Statue!)

(Santa Rosa Statue!)

(The Santa Rosa Statue) (Photo by Lauren)

Anyway, I LOVE it here! The city is beautiful and the peopleare amazing. Although almost nobody speaks English I am still managing to getaround. My Italian is getting much better! Even though I only know a few phrases,I learn more everyday!

August 30th Vittorio Emanuele II, Foro Ramano, and packing..

2011-08-30T07:38:00.000-07:00

August 30th

Today was a pretty relaxed day. The only items on our list was to see the Roman Forum, which is next to the Colosseum and to pack for Viterbo. After we got ready and had breakfast we saw our favorite front desk lady, Monia. We told her that we would be leaving tomorrow so she arranged for a taxi to pick us up, a wake up call at 6am, and a packed breakfast we could take with us because we would be leaving so early. Then she divided our hotel bill so we wouldn't have to deal with it in the morning. She is seriously the best..

Then we hoped on our usual bus and headed towards the Colosseum. We stopped at Vittorio Emanuele II.. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.. and took some pictures.

(Vittorio Emanuele II.. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier..)

(Vittorio Emanuele II.. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier..)

(Vittorio Emanuele II.. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier..)

From there we went and walked around the Foro Ramano, or Roman Forum next to the Colosseum. The Forum was pretty amazing. There were so many ruins! I couldn't help but try and picture what it looked like when it was in it's prime.. I'm sure it was incredible!

(Roman Forum)

(Roman Forum)

(Roman Forum)

(Roman Forum)

(Roman Forum)

(Roman Forum)

(Roman Forum)

(Near the Forum)

(Across the street from the Forum)

(Anyone know anything about this statue?)

After touring around the Roman Forum we headed back towards the Trevi Fountains for lunch. I found this little place that was serving ham and mozzarella calzones! It was delicious, and by FAR my cheapest meal.

(Delicious!)

After that we headed to our usual sandwich shop and picked up sandwiches for dinner. When we got back to the hotel we wrote Monia a nice "Thank You" card on the back of a Colosseum postcard and gave her a nice tip as well as a Las Vegas gambling chip (I have been passing these out to people I meet who are very helpful, or have let me stay at their place, etc. I figured it was a nice way to say "Thank you so much, here is something from where I am from!") Anyway, we gave our "Thank You" to Monia and she was so shocked she didn't know what to do. We took a picture and then said our goodbyes as she will not be there in the morning.

(Us and Monia)

After that we headed back to the room and started packing! Viterbo in the morning! :)

August 29th Piazza di Spagna, G

2011-08-29T11:57:00.000-07:00

August 29th
Today we laid out a game plan to finally make it to the Piazza di Spagna. We decided if we had a schedule consisting of two items, the Spanish Steps and getting gelato at Giolitti's, it would give us enough time to get lost and still make in back to the hotel. We started by getting step by step directions to the Spanish Steps. Once we got the directions we took off. Within 30 minutes we were there. Turns out its really easy to get there once you know where your going!

After all the trouble of getting there we were expecting some HUGE staircase that rose about the city. However, that was not the case. From the top you could see the tops of other buildings, but that was about it. Still, we were excited to have finally made it!

(Piazza di Spagna)

(Piazza di Spagna)

(Fountain)

(Planking)

(Horse drawn carriage)

After the Spanish Steps we decided it was too early to get gelato so instead we went to check out the Piazza Navona! WE didn't know much about the Piazza Navona except the owner of the hotel had recommended us seeing it. When we got there we were totally blown away. This is EXACTLY what I pictured Italy to be like. We decided to sit down at a little restaurant here and share a pizza before heading off in search of gelato.

(Piazza Navona)

(Piazza Navona)

(Planking at the Piazza Navona)

(Piazza Navona)

(Fountain)

(Piazza Navona)

(Piazza Navona) (Photo thanks to Lauren)

(Salami Pizza) (Photo thanks to Lauren)

After spending time at the Piazza Navona and having lunch we decided to go hunt down Giolitti's. We walked through the winding streets and asking a bunch of police officers for directions before we found the place!

(On the right track)

We had to pay for the gelato first and get a ticket before heading back and picking out the flavors. When the guy grabbed you ticket you had better be ready with your order, cause they were no nonsense! I had White Chocolate and the Opera (not exactly sure what it was but it tasted like hazzelnut-ish with pistachio nuts on top) I could be wrong, but regardless it was ABOLUTELY delicious! Hands down the BEST gelato I have ever had in my life.. EVER!!!

(We found it)

(The gelato counter) (Photo thanks to Lauren)

(Me and my gelato)

After enjoying the GREATEST gelato ever we headed back towards the bus stop. On our way we stopped and grabbed a sandwich to have for dinner later. Then we headed back to the hotel. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

August 28th Epic Fail Day

2011-08-29T11:17:00.001-07:00

August 28th
Today was quite an epic fail, but also an adventure. We got off to a good start deciding that we were going to go to the Giardino Zoologico. It is the oldest zoo in Italy, built in 1911. The zoo wasn't that far from the hotel so we decided to walk. After minor difficulties we managed to find it.

(Giardino Zoologico)

We got our tickets and toured around the zoo checking everything out. Nothing too exciting happened here, but it was really shady and a nice way to escape the heat. They had the typical zoo animals in a typical setting. Most animals seemed asleep except the monkeys and the bears. The bears seemed like the only smart ones jumping in the water to cool off! Although the zoo wasn't too amazing, it was a nice way to start the day.

(Giraffes)

(Monkeys)

(For my Dad!)

After the zoo we decided we wanted to go to the other side of the HUGE park we were in to see the Piazza di Spagna (The Spanish Steps) We had heard a lot of great things about the it, so we figured we might as well check them out ourselves.

We headed towards the bottom of the park according to the map. However, it wasn't long before we had no idea where we were. So, we asked some bus drivers for directions and they replied in Italian. We caught the numbers 3 and 73, assuming those were the buses we had to take. Then we hoped on bus 3 waiting to see 73 at every stop.

However, when the bus stopped in the Roman ghetto over an hour later we assumed we missed something. We walked around the to see what number the other buses were. We didn't recognize anything and decided it wasn't a good area so we just got back on our bus and waited 20 minutes before our driver started it back up again. When we drove by the Colosseum we hoped off, knowing how to get back from here. It was now 3pm and we were starving and had accomplished nothing. We decided to forget the Spanish Steps and get some food.. some real American food.. To the Hard Rock Cafe we went!

(Hard Rock Cafe Rome) (Photo thanks to Lauren)

We managed to get to the Hard Rock with no problems, having passed it every day on our usual bus. We walked in and were greeted with menus in English and 2 pages dedicated to Cheeseburgers! We ordered nachos to start and 3 cheeseburgers. Everything was delicious.. We only finished half our burgers, which meant we had dinner for later!

(DELICIOUS Cheeseburger!)

After dinner we headed back to the bus stop and right as we got there our bus passed us without noticing our hands waving in the air. So, we played "I Spy" for the next 30 minutes while we waited for the next one. We accomplished little today.. The zoo and dinner.. Never making it to the Spanish Steps! We vowed tomorrow would be dedicated to finding the Piazza di Spagna!

August 27th Drama with the Law.. and the Colosseum

2011-08-29T09:46:00.000-07:00

August 27th
Today was definitely interesting. We decided that we were going to go the Colosseum. After figuring out which buses we needed to get take, we headed off. Apparently when we were first told to use our bus ticket we should have listened. When we pulled up to Termini Station two men in the bus uniforms got on and started asking for tickets. We had our tickets so we gave them to the guy. He looked at them and I instantly knew there was a problem. He called his friend over who spoke English. The other guy came over and said there was a problem because the tickets were not validated.

We played nice and dumb and said that we were sorry and had no idea we had to validate them. He then walked us through the steps and told us what to do next time, BUT there was going to be a penalty. We were like ok, thinking it would be like 5EU or something. He said the penalty fine is 100EU EACH!! Oh shit.. Then he asked to see our passports.. Double shit.. He said because we didn't know he would reduce it to 50EU each. Then after asking what we were here for, which we replied school, he said he would further reduce it to one payment of 50EU because we were students. We paid the fine and got off the bus.

Thinking we may have been scammed we looked it up and it was legitimate. Tons of people had been caught and had to pay. After the whole bus fiasco we decided to still go to the Colosseum. It was definitely worth it and my favorite part of the trip so far. Just seeing one of the greatest works of art in the World was amazing. I love every minute of it. As we walked through it there was definitely some interesting vibes. They say 500,000 people and over a million animals died in the Colosseum . You can't help but wonder what it was like in those days.

(Outside Colosseum)

(Lover level)

(Upper level)

(Walls)

(The outside walls)

(Upper structure)

(Planking)

(Super planking)

After the Colosseum we walked around some other historic sights, but started to run out of time so we decided to come back another day when we wouldn't be rushed to see everything.

(Arco de Constantino)

(Oldest road in Rome and Arco de Tito in the back)

(Still need to explore!)

(Still need to explore!)

We headed back by the Trevi Fountain to find a little restaurant to eat. The place we found was super cute. Anna and I decided to get the ravioli to split because we didn't want to spend too much. However, when it came out it only had 3 pieces each. It was the best ravioli of my life.. EVER. Shortly after that we went and picked up sandwiches to take back with us for dinner.

August 26th Vatican City and the Sistine Chapel

2011-08-29T08:13:00.000-07:00

August 26th
Today we went to Vatican City and the Sistine Chapel. We spent all night and a good portion of the morning going through all our clothes trying to pick the perfect outfit for the heat, yet covering our knees and shoulders. I went with flip-flops, jeans, and a tank-top (with a cardigan to pull over) It's definitely not the most "appropriate" thing to wear, but I didn't agree with the code in the first place, so this was me rebelling.

After some navigating on the buses we found our way. The Vatican was HUGE. The medieval wall that surrounded it was pretty amazing. When we first got to Piazza St. Pietro we waiting an hour in the sun in line to enter the Basilica. The heat was unbelievable and the line to get in consisted of a barricade and a bunch of sweaty people pushing to get to the front. It was like a hard rock concert for church-goers. Once we got inside it was pretty amazing. The artwork for one thing was incredible. All the paintings and sculptures were so intricate and beautiful. They also had alters, and prayer rooms.. the place was HUGE!

(The Basilica)

(Inside the Basilica) (Photo thanks to Lauren)

(Inside the Basilica) (Photo thanks to Lauren)

(Inside the Basilica) (Photo thanks to Lauren)

After touring the inside we headed back out to look for St. Peters Square where the Pope comes out to greet everyone from his balcony. We searched for like an hour if not two.. As it turns out Piazza St. Pietro and St. Peter's Square are totally the same thing.. We were definitely standing in it.. In our defense it is NOT square!

(Piazza St. Pietro or St. Peter's Square)

(I just had to plank..)

(Me with the guards asking for directions)

After we found St. Peter's Square we decided to go to the Musei Vaticani and see the Sistine Chapel. We had to follow the wall around the Vatican to get to the museum. Again, the huge medieval wall seem so out of place here! Across the street there were little cafe's and shops that just didn't seem to fit in.

(Musei Vaticani)

(The wall)

Once we got to the museum some lady outside told us that if you spent 10 seconds looking at every painting in the museum it would take you 12 years to see everything. I seriously believe her after walking through the museum. After like 30 minutes everything starting looking the same.. no lie!

(Inside the Museum) (Photo thanks to Lauren)

After walking through the museum for like 2 hours we finally got to the Sistine Chapel. It was pretty cool to see something I have heard so much about. However, I was expecting a little more. To me, it seemed to blend together with the last few hours of paintings. The large crowd didn't help either. The history of it was still amazing to see. Lauren managed to snap a few photos before the guy told us to put our cameras away.

(The Sistine Chapel) (Photo thanks to Lauren)

After the tour of Vatican City we headed back to grab something for dinner, and after 5 weeks of no beef there was only one place to go... McDonald's!

(McDonald's in Rome) (Photo thanks to Lauren)

(I'm lovin' it..) (Photo thanks to Lauren)

After we grabbed our food we headed back to the hotel and devoured it. Then it was off to bed, and get ready for new adventure tomorrow!

August 25th Pantheon & Fontana di Trevi

2011-08-29T06:56:00.000-07:00

August 25th
Today was a pretty successful day! After some confusion as to where we needed to go to get a ticket for the bus. We went to a news stand (the guy spoke Italian) and after some pointing and charades we found out he didn't have tickets. So, we went to the bus stop to ask this lady where she got her ticket (she spoke Italian too) and pointed to the news stand. Thinking that maybe the guy misunderstood us we went back to the news stand and asked this time in Italian.. He replied, "I DO NOT SELL TICKETS!!" Rude right?? So.. we went back to the hotel and the guy at the front desk found 3 tickets for us! Once we got on the bus some other Italian lady said they didn't use them.. So we just held onto them thinking the bus was free (Turns out it wasn't.. Be sure to tune into the the drama on the 27th)

After the whole ticket drama we made it onto the bus! We felt pretty good about ourselves.. and about 10min into the drive the bus broke down. We met an old Italian man on the bus who spoke English and helped us find another bus that would take us to where we wanted to go. While we waited (20min) he talked to us about Roman history and how all English words can be derived from Roman ones. He was very serious and I tried not to laugh. Finally a new bus came for us and we made it to Piazza San Silvestro. From there we used our little map from the hotel and set out to find the Pantheon!

(Streets in Rome)

(A mountain coming out the side of the buildings)

(Taking a picture with some street performers)

(Water from street)

After walking for what seemed like an hour trying to follow the little streets, we literally just happened to run into it! It felt totally out of place. This historic monument in the middle of a little square surrounded by towering apartment complexes. However, there it was! After taking some pictures on the outside we went and toured the inside. It was all very amazing.

(Pantheon)

(Inside the Pantheon)

(Inside the Pantheon)

(Planking at the Pantheon)

After the Pantheon we decided to go find a place for lunch. We ended up finding this little restaurant down one of the alleys surrounding the Pantheon. The guy out front spoke English and they were having a 10EU special on bruschetta, pasta, and a drink (cheap in Rome!) It was a cute little place and their food was amazing!

(Waiting for lunch)

After lunch we decided to try and find this gelato place the hotel had recommended. We had a circle on the map, but no name. After searching for an hour or so for this place with no luck we headed back towards the Pantheon and had gelato there. I had some kind of chocolate gelato and it was pretty good!

(Tasty gelato)

Last on our list was the Fontana di Trevi. We wandered back through the tiny streets and found the fountain pretty quick. Most of the monuments are pretty close together. The fountain was VERY crowded but also pretty amazing. It also seemed a little out of place. It was in a little square surrounded by large towering buildings! However, regardless of placement of these monuments, it was awesome to finally see them!

(Fontana di Trevi)

(Fontana di Trevi)

(Planking at the Fontana de Trevi)

After all our sight-seeing today we made it back to our original bus and headed back to the hotel. We walked down the street to the market and picked up salami, cheese, bread, and chips for dinner and lunch the next day! It turned out to be a very salty sandwich for some reason, but still good!

Rome, Italy: August 21-24

2011-08-29T05:58:00.000-07:00

August 21 - 22
I don't know if I was exhausted from India or traveling but the next 2 days were dedicated to eating and sleeping. Seriously all I did was sleep, eat, nap, eat, then go back to sleep. I did manage a little walk around my hotel which was nice. Rome is VERY hot and humid this time of year. I also managed to order my first Margarita Pizza and have them deliver it to the hotel! It was quite delicious!

August 23
Today my friend Lauren came to town. She is part of the USAC Viterbo Program so we decided to stay together while in Rome. While I was waiting for her to arrive I spent a few hours downstairs practicing Italian with the people at the front desk. They were very eager to help me say certain phrases and corrected me if I was saying it wrong (which turned out to be like every phrase)

Lauren got here about mid-afternoon. After she arrived we tried to order a pizza but had to wait until 6:30 (that's when they open) Our day consisted of hanging out and eating a "Pepperoni" pizza. Only problem is a pepperoni pizza is much different here.. Our pizza came with peppers on it.. It was still delicious, so no complaints!

August 24
Today our other friend Anna joined us. The hotel was very accommodating. We moved from my small room to a 3-person, 3 bed room with a balcony for no extra charge! Since the rate was so cheap we even decided to stay at the hotel vs. finding a hostel somewhere in Rome.

(The tiny elevator at the hotel.. we BARELY fit)

(View from the balcony)

(View from the balcony)

(Planking on the balcony.. Don't freak family, there was a ledge below me)

After we all got settled in our new room we went to a little restaurant around the corner. The food was amazing. I ordered pasta with red sauce using my little Italian book! There portions were much smaller but VERY filling!

(Past with Red Sauce)

For dinner we walked downstairs and I showed the guy a picture of a pepperoni pizza and asked if we could get one of these and a Margarita Pizza.. He replied, "Oooh you want a Devil Pizza!" (the appropriate name for a pepperoni pizza!) They were both delicious..

(Margarita Pizza and Devil Pizza)

We went to bed early because the next day we had a bunch of sight-seeing planned!

India: August 14th - 20th

2011-08-28T09:49:00.000-07:00

August 14th
After the race we got back to the hotel and passed out. We slept in the next morning and then met up with John for breakfast. After breakfast we had a lazy day doing the last of our shopping, packing, and sleeping. Later that night we had an awards ceremony for all the Finishers that was really fun! There was food, drinks, and a whole lot of singing! It was the perfect ending to our journey. We even got to say goodbye to Jigme, our driver and enjoyed traditional Lahakh music.

(Isagenix Dream Team Post-Race Reunion)

August 15th
We woke up bright and early today and were told we missed our plane.. To be told 10min later that they were wrong and we could have slept in. Instead of sleeping we met up with John for breakfast. We went to our usual cafe and had our usual delicious breakfast. It was the last time we would be coming back to this place. After that we packed up and left Leh for New Delhi. It was kinda hard to say goodbye to the little city. Everyone always smiling and happy and the "Jullay!!" everywhere you went. However, our time was up and we had to move on. Back to Delhi we went.

When we arrived we went straight to Rajat's house. We were greeted by the whole family and had a traditional meal made by his wife. It was VERY delicious! My Mom and Ray left later that day while me and John stayed the night. Later that evening John and I ordered a Domino's Pizza and it was delicious.. just like in the States!

(Domino's Pizza)

August 16th
Today John and I had a personal tour of the city thanks to Rajat himself. First we went to the India Gate, the national monument of India. It is a memorial that commemorates 90,000 soldiers of the British Indian Army.

(India Gate)

(Me at the India Gate)

(John)

Next we went to check out the Red Fort, which was a 17th century fort in Old Delhi. It was a pretty amazing place with a TON of armed guards. So naturally, John and I decided it was the perfect place to plank!

(Red Fort)

(Planking at Red Fort)

(More planking at Red Fort)

Lastly, we saw the Lotus Temple. Also know as the Bahá'í House of Worship. The design of the temple alone is absolutely amazing.

(The Lotus Temple)

(Me)

(John)

After all out sight-seeing Rajat took us to a restaurant we would enjoy.. Pizza Hut! It was actually a really nice restaurant. Much better than the ones in the US! Later that evening John left to go back to the states. I was now alone in India for another 3 amazing days! Rajat and his family were so kind and helpful. They fed me, took me places, and made everything enjoyable. I owe them to an amazing last few days in New Delhi!

August 17th Today I was picked up by Amar, a friend of Rajat's who was also in Leh with us for a short time. He gave me an amazing tour of Old Delhi. Our first stop was at a Mosque near Old Delhi Market. I had to cover-up and wear a robe over my clothes or they would not let me in. Once inside they seemed to have no problems with me and we were able to walk around.

(Me outside the Mosque)

(Mosque)

(Me in my robe)

(Mosque)

(View from the top)

(Eagle sitting on the edge)

After touring the Mosque we went and toured the crowded market streets of Old Delhi. The amount of people in one small space was insane. The traffic jams were crazy and there was no such thing as lanes or right of way.

(Market in Old Delhi)

(Monkeys on wire)

(Me trying some dish)

(Me and Mr. Delhi)

After navigating through the streets of Old Delhi we made it to Karrins, a famous Indian restaurant. I must say the food there was pretty good. I had a chicken dish, another different chicken dish, and a mutton dish (which kind of freaked me out a little bit) However, it was nice to try a real traditional Indian cuisine.

(Karim's)

After that we made it back through the crowded streets and took a rickshaw back to Rajat's house. It was quite the adventure navigating through Old Delhi and seeing everything. It was also definitely a culture shock, but totally worth it.

August 18th
Last day in India. Today was mostly dedicated to packing and getting everything ready for part 2 of my travels.. Italy!! When Rajat's wife came home she took me to the market down the street. There she showed me all the vendors and where she usually went shopping. She first took me to buy traditional shoes worn by Indian women, next we went to buy traditional clothing. After that we took a break to have more traditional food.. Which was VERY good.. not too spicy and not to plain! Lastly, we went to have Mehndi tattoos. It was a whole day of shopping crammed into a few hours. I had a blast shopping though all the stores and getting my traditional Mehndi tattoo!

(Bottom)

(Top)

August 19th
Today I woke up early and headed off to Italy! After some arguments and additional checked baggage at the airport I finally got on the plane! The flight I though was 3 hours turned out to be 6 hours. When I landed in Helsinki, Finland I only had 1 hour and 30min to get to my next flight. I ran through the airport expecting to just go to another gate, however, this was not the case..

I had to re-check my carry on luggage, which wouldn't have been a problem if the line wasn't 30min long. After that I ran to go to my gate but was stopped when I discovered I had to go through customs to check my passport. I asked the guy if there was anyway to go through the line because my flight was boarding in 15min. He said no, but if I missed my flight they would re-book me. When I finally got through customs, it had taken me an hour and my flight was leaving in 5min. I ran through the airport and found my gate. The guy grabbed my ticket and RIGHT before he stamped it you could hear the doors to the plane close.. He looked at me and said sorry!

So.. I made my way to Finnair and they re-booked me on the next flight.. Which didn't end up leaving until the next day. I was getting ready to spend the night in the airport when the lady said she had a hotel room booked for me and a free dinner and breakfast. She gave me the bus information and everything. Everyone was REALLY helpful in this whole ordeal. As I was getting on the free bus I noticed a lot of other passengers from my flight joining me.. turns out they missed their flight too.

I stayed at Hotel Cumulus, in a nice, clean little room. Everyone was super nice and helpful at the hotel. For dinner I had salmon and salad and it was DELICIOUS! After that I was so exhausted from traveling I went to my room and passed out!

(Hotel Cumulus)

August 20th The next morning I woke up at 4am and left for the airport.. I was NOT missing my flight again! After finding my gate, and having a nutritious breakfast I was off to Italy! The flight was short and the airplane food was pretty good.

(Finnish cinnamon roll... yumm)

Once I landed I got my bags and headed out to get my first taxi by myself. This wasn't too hard and soon I found myself in a shared taxi with two other couples. Max our driver was great. He gave us a little history on all the monuments we drove by. The other passengers were really nice too. They were both in Rome for cruises. One lady spoke excellent Italian and was telling me all the places that were a MUST see! After an hour or so we finally arrived at Best Western Hotel Rivoli! Its a nice little place with clean rooms and HOT showers!

(Hotel Rivoli)

(My room)

Once I got to my room I took my first HOT shower in I don't know how long! And it was AMAZING! Then I proceeded to pass out while watching Scooby Do in Italian.

India: August 7th-13th

2011-08-27T09:23:00.000-07:00

August 7th - 8th
Last training day at Khardung-La before the race. Today when we got to the top we did our usual walk down a mile and come back up. We stopped by the little shrine on the way down and rang the bells, asking Mother Khardung-La for safe passage. Once back up at the top we took our ISAGENIX DREAM TEAM photos! After that my Mom and John decided they wanted to do some running! I took the taxi back down about 4miles or so and waiting to see their shining faces telling me that was farther than they thought! I agreed.. I was waiting to go to breakfast.. which is exactly what we did when we made it down the mountain!

(Me)

(My Mom)

(John)

(Product B)

(Isagenix Dream Team)

The rest of the day and the next day we spent getting everything packed and ready. We went over my Moms nutrition plan and had everything organized (Organization didn't last long during the race!) We also spent our evenings doing the rest of our shopping knowing we wouldn't feel like it after the race.

August 9th
Today after some delay we headed out to Khardung Village. We would be camping here the next two days before the race. We were the first taxi out of the gate with our favorite taxi guy I named Mr. Smiles.. mainly because all he did was smile.

After some waiting for the other crews and the buses we finally made it to Khardung Village. However, there was no campsite to be found. Apparently our original campsite had been flooded, so they were in the process of trying to find a new one. As we waited.. and waited.. and waited.. Ray decided to go find us lodging himself and he did! We stayed in this little four person room on the roof of a small house in the village. Lisa Tamati and her crew joined us, staying in the room next to us. It was a pretty cool set-up we had the two rooms and a roof-top to spread out and enjoy.

(Our room)

(The view from the roof)

Now for a second lets talk about the toilet situation.. or lack of.. There was a little out-house type building behind the house. It was pretty much a small room with a hole in the ceiling for light and a hole in the ground for.. well.. you get it.. ANYWAY, you had to be careful of this place. Not only is it home to some terrible, horrible, smelly stuff.. BUT it is also home to the.. the.. the Poop Monster. Now, he knows when your most vulnerable and there is no telling when he will strike.. That was probably the single most terrifying part of this trip.. I'm sure John Vigil will agree with me when I say, "Beware of the Poop Monster!!"

(The Poop Monsters Residence)

August 10th
Today was another day of packing supplies and relaxing. Later that evening we headed out to see the camp we chose not to stay at. It was a nice set-up. Everyone had their own tents and there was a main food tent and another for eating. The dinner we had was pretty good. We stayed clear from anything bright yellow or smelled of spices! However, they toned it down for us and we ate it up. As we were about to leave we could see a storm rolling in. John and I hoped in the car and were waiting for my Mom. However, right when she jumped in the car the storm hit..

We looked out the window to see the campsite blowing away. People tents were uprooted, the food tent practically collapsed, banners and personal items were flying everywhere. (And it would be the ONE time I decided not to bring my camera or video recorder!) We jumped out of the car and ran to help. We grabbed boulders and helped put them on the tents to hold everything down. We helped to grab some of the things that flew astray and helped hold peoples tents in place. When the wind died down we got back in the car and made our way back to our little room on the roof!

August 11th - 13th THE RACE!!
After a restless night we were up early, packed the car, and headed to the race start. The runners had about 5min to get weighed at medical and then toe the line. The banner was hung between two cars on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. Once all the runners were at the banner they counted down and at 6am sharp they were off! We had an Indian interpreter Jigme and an Indian driver Lamchun with John and I in the van. These guys were great. Not only did they take turns driving for 60 hours, BUT they also volunteered to pace at different points during the race!

(The start line)

(Beginning of the race)

My mom took off and instantly got in her groove running back towards Khardung Village. She continued sailing through the town and started climbing Khardung-La. John and I, having crewed for Badwater talked about how easy this race was to crew for. When we drove ahead we would get out, walk around, find a cool rock to plank on, and then prepare something for her to eat or get a water bottle ready for her. Every thing was relaxed and easy paced. HOWEVER, once we got over Khardung-La everything changed!!

(Oh yeah.. we planked!)

(And more planking!)

After passing North Pullo my Moms stomach started feeling a little funky. There was a lot of traffic on the road and the car exhaust was definitely not helping. But, she took her time and continued to push up the mountain. Jigme and Lamchun getting tired with the stop and go of the car asked if they could walk with her on and off. This was great because 1, it saved John and I for pacing through the night, and 2, our drivers got to get out and stretch.

As we neared the top there was a landslide and the car had to wait to pass. John was out pacing and continued pacing her while I waited for them to clear a path in the road. Once the road cleared we went to check on them. They told us to go ahead and meet them at the top. At the top we had a little confrontation with Medical Team. They had wanted to drive down without checking on my Mom. After some intense arguments, and Jigme jumping in to stand up for my Mom the problems were resolved and the Medical Team decided to stay at the top and wait for my Mom. Jigme saved the day!

As I waited for my Mom and John I went into the little cafe and had some Magi (Kinda like the Indian version of Top Ramen) while I cooked my Mom's soup. Then they got to the top she ate her soup, Medical checked her out, tried to get her to take some medication that she didn't need and we had no intention of giving it to her, and then she was ready for the downhill! I joined her and together we ran down the mountain. She was feeling better going downhill but was still having some stomach issues. Running downhill was amazing, the mountains were beautiful and my Mom and I were having a blast taking about how far we have made it since we first landed in India. After 4 or so miles I hoped back in the car and we continued to crew her down the mountain.

We made it South Pullo right under the cut off time. My Mom had more soup and BLUE Gatorade. This is where the stomach problems started to kick in. She pushed on through the night, but it was slow going just trying to keep her stomach happy. At 9:00pm John ran to town with Jigme and Lamchun to get food while I paced my mom. We walked in the pitch black with out headlamps and talked about different things. It was pretty incredible to look up at the sky and see millions of little stars looking back at you (we don't see that in Vegas!) When John finally got back to us we needed to stop and take a break. We sat in the car for 30min while we tried to settle her stomach. We decided we needed to take a real break so we staked out and took a 2hour break at the cottage in Leh to settle my Moms stomach. After the break we headed back out and my Mom started going again.

Once she got her stomach under control she picked up the pace. At one point on the downhill she ran into a wild pack of dogs and had to walk past them. After that she was so freaked she had John jump out and run with her. We were on a roll again. As we went through Karu and up to Upshi we made up a lot of time.

(John and I almost got shot for this picture.. on the military base!)

I got out to pace as it was beginning to get dark. We were making good time when we came to a house surrounded by a pack of wild dogs.. oh shit.. They started growling and we slowed our pace. My Mom went over and grabbed a few pebbles.. Like that's going to do anything.. I picked up two big boulders, one in each hand. If I'm getting attacked by a freaking dog I'm taking it out with me. As we got closer the barking stared and they came towards us. We quickly got behind a wall and walked around the side of a small house. On the other side we were almost in the clear when one of the dogs made a short sprint towards us.. My mom threw her little rocks and the dog seemed to stop for a second.. We quickly picked up the pace and walked behind another wall and out of their territory. When we jumped back on the road they were in the street watching us, but made no more. I held onto the rocks until we met up with John..

As we neared Rumptse John got out to pace. I drove ahead to get some drinks and food ready. As I was waiting for my Mom and John to arrive I discovered a strobe-light setting on my headlamp.. YES!! When I saw them approaching I jumped out of the car, held the headlamp out so it was a strobe light on my body and started doing the robot. It was freaking awesome! I saw my mom and John both cracking up as they walked up. After that me and John took turns doing the robot cheering my mom on!

After that I drove ahead to get some dinner and maybe rest for a bit. However, when we got to the Aid Station they were completely booked and were making us tents outside in the freezing cold. I asked why we didn't have a room and found out that Samantha and her team and Lisa and her team had to stake out due to a snow storm. They said that we could not go up the mountain. I ignored this for the time being and asked about the food. They said it would be ready in the next hour. After waiting around for 30min I realized something was wrong because my Mom and John should be here by now. I grabbed Jigme and we drove to go find them. Turned out that they had walked past the camp and then walked BACK to town because they thought they passed it.

Once we all made it to camp we got some food in us and decided to figure out this whole snow storm thing. The race officials had made an agreement with the runners that they would let the snow pass and not return to the mountain until 4am. However, the 60 hour cut-off remained. Since we were already late (The cutoff was 10pm and we arrived 11:30ish) staying was NOT an option. We needed all the time we had so we had to get moving up the mountain.

While we were eating some race officials came up and asked if they could speak with Molly outside. My Mom said that was fine and walked out. John and I looked at each other and I knew he had the same feeling.. That they might try to bully her. In a matter of seconds we were at her side. There whole concern was the safety of the road conditions and the snow. They said that 10k up the road the snow conditions got worse. They also tried to instill the 4am agreement on us, but my Mom was quick to jump on that one saying she made NO Deal about staying until 4am. Then there some debate as to weather her finish would be official or unofficial. After an hour waiting at Rumptse for answers we had what we needed, hopped in the car and left.

When someone tells my Mom "You can't" it fuels her like no other. She was peeved at the whole Rumptse thing and it powered her to take off up Tanglang-La. Not only was it cold at this point but it started to rain. This didn't stop her though, she was motivated to finish this race. At the 10km where the race officials said we probably had to turn around because of the snow, there was no snow.. We continued up the mountain!

We pushed on through the night. Step by step, hour after hour. At 4am we knew the other runner would be coming back up the mountain to where they had staked out. Sure enough at 4:30 we saw them coming. We had caught back up to the pack and it felt good. As we neared the top of the mountain sleep deprivation set in. John and I were taking turns pacing while my mom kept moving. It had stared snowing again and it was COLD! As we neared the top my mom wanted to hold my hand. We held hands as we kept moving. She mumbled some things and started giggling at one point.. High altitude and sleep deprivation is sometimes fun to watch! :)

Since it was snowing and most of the mountain was covered in fog you couldn't see the switchbacks in front of you which was nice. However, with 1 mile to go the fog cleared and you could see the final switchback. My Mom was NOT happy. She didn't believe it. So I told her to just follow my feet as we headed up. She followed my feet and then I think got sick of my feet because next thing I know she is in front of me hammering up to the top of Tanglang-La! We stopped for a few minutes to get some pictures and then she was off running down the mountain! Jigme got us all some tea and we headed off after her.

(Top of Tanglang-La!)

(My Mom and John)

John joined my Mom in running down the mountain and they kept up a great pace. We saw the other racers as they passed us on their way back to Leh after having finished. They were all supportive and cheered us on! My Mom seemed to find her groove and her stomach stayed mostly happy the whole way down!

At about 4 miles from the finish I jumped out to pace again. It was freezing cold, but we were going to make it. After another mile we decided John needed to walk it in with us so he jumped out and we sent Jigme and Lamchun down the road. We held hands as we walked on towards the finish. We talked about how far we had come and laughed at everything that had happened in the last 60 hours.. The planking, the robot dancing, the Poop Monster, my Mom saw a werewolf, John saw a sign and thought it was a port-a-potty, the wave we did even if it was only John and I, the dogs chases, AND the complaining that the course was off because the 3 miles felt like 15 miles!!

(John doing the Robot!)

(On route to the Finish!)

After what seemed like 3 hours to walk the the last 3 miles we finally saw the finish line. We pulled out our little American flags, held hands and ran it in. My Mom had finished the World's longest and hardest race. 58 hours 56 minutes, 222km/138 miles, TWO - 17,500ft mountains! When others doubted we proved them wrong and pushed on. The Isagenix Dream Team had made it! Overall, it was an amazing experience that I will never forget.

(The Isagenix Dream Team!)

My Mom showed me what determination and perseverance can accomplish and I am so proud of her. She is such an inspiration. I don't think there is anyone out there who I would have rather crewed with than John Vigil. We had a blast out there. When times were tough, John stepped it up and did what needed to be done! He was a one man power house! Not only that but we had a great time planking everywhere together! Hahaha!

This whole journey was a life changing experience that I will truly cherish for the rest of my life :)

India: July 29th - August 6th

2011-08-22T04:50:00.000-07:00

Guess who is behind on their blog.. ME! Well I finally made it to Italy after my incredible journey through India! Here is my semi-in-depth update of my travels.. Enjoy!

July 29^th- July 30^th

Definitely the longest flight of my life. I convinced myself if I slept then it wouldn't be so long.. so I slept and when I woke up we were still flying over the United States! Overall I think we watched about 4 movies and ate about 15 PayDay bars! But I survived and we finally arrived in New Delhi, India!

Had to go through customs at the airport for the 1^st time. It was nerve racking seeing the military walking around with machine guns at the ready. I tried to smile at them and be friendly.. some smiled back.. some looked like they were getting ready to shoot.

After we made it though the airport we enjoyed a nice, life threatening, drive through New Delhi.. It was pretty much like cars jousting on the freeway! The lines on the road were more designs than guidelines. At one point in the drive there were no lines at all and the only thing I could see was oncoming traffic!

When we finally got to the hotel we were immediately greeted and escorted to our rooms. Everyone in the hotel was polite. They would stop whatever they were doing to accommodate you.

(Luggage!)

July 31^st

Today we woke up bright and early at 5am. We were guests at a race put on by race director Rajat. Over a hundred people gathered to “Run with the Elite” There was a 4k, 8k, and 15k. I opted for the 8k with John. It was hot and humid.. and by hot and humid I mean HOLY HEATWAVE AND HUMIDITY!! So we took our time and made some friends along the way. Mainly a dog we named Henry and later changed to Henrietta for obvious reasons.

(Tons of people)

After the run I was overheated and drank some Gluterade. This didn’t sit well and I spent the next 30min throwing my every loving guts up. After the run we sat down to eat at a local India restaurant. After the Gluterade incident it was definitely not the place for me.. I couldn’t keep anything down.

August 1st

Today we landed in Leh, India! Upon arrival the local people immediately greeted us. They played their drums and sang as we walked out of the airport. It was by far the best airport experiences of my life! After that we were escorted to our hotel where we then enjoyed a home cooked meal that was delicious! After that we walked to the hotel room, and our bags were delivered shortly after. It was an interesting night to saw the least. The beds were made of rock and the pillows were pretty non-existent.

(Our room)

(View from our room)

August 2^nd

Decided to tour the city with my Mom. The locals were incredibly nice. They greeted you everywhere and were always happy. The shopping was amazing and even the food was great! We spent the day shopping, eating, trying to find her Lama friend, and exploring the city. After a long day we went back to our hotel and napped.. followed by dinner.. followed by more sleeping.

August 3^rd

First ascent to Khardung-La! Today we drove up to Khardung-La at 17,500ft. It was a little over an hour drive, but very interesting. Mainly because on one hand you are passing these beautiful trucks coming in from China.. and on the other hand you have a cliff with a 1,000 drop to your death. So the drive was nerve racking but totally worth it. The top of the mountain was covered in thousands of prayer flags. They had a little shrine on top and a viewing area. They also had a little gift shop as well as a little tea and noodle place.

Once at the top you could definitely feel the altitude. It was a little hard to breath and I felt like my body was moving in slow motion. We hung out at the top for an hour taking pictures, drinking tea, and shopping. Then it was back down we went. Nobody had any altitude problems, but we all felt a little tired when we got back. So we ate, and went to bed!

(Top of Khardung-La)

(Feet)

August 4^th

Today was the Stok Kangri Hike from Hell. It was listed as an easy hike in our "mandatory" altitude acclimatizing program. HOWEVER, this was not an easy hike. Actually I was classify it as rather difficult. However, my mom and I just decided to do our own thing and hike around, take our time, and take tons of pictures! We decided we didn't want to stay out hiking all day so we turned around early and headed back.

(Getting ready to hike)

(Favorite photo of my Mom)

(Second favorite)

August 5^th

Today was life changing. We started off by going to Khardung-La for the second time. This time instead of just hanging out at 17,500ft we walked down the mountain about half a mile and then walked back up. My mom and I took our time taking pictures and stopping to take in deep breaths. On our way back up the clouds rolled in and started snowing on us.. and burrr did it get cold fast! We made it back to the top and got off the mountain before any really nasty weather set in.

Later in the evening we decided to go to Shanti Stupa. It was 557 steps above the city of Leh (John counted!) The Stupa is pretty much a temple or shrine that encloses prayers that are offered to Buddah and the Gods. It was a beautiful sight from the city, but even more amazing when you were standing right next to it.

(Shanti Stupa)

(Following Buddah)

After hanging out for a bit we went back down towards the temple. We stopped inside to see if we could get a blessing from the monk. My mom asked if we could get a blessing and he didn’t understand what we meant. My mom repeated that she wanted a blessing for her and the crew for save travel over the mountain. This time he understood and replied, “You don’t need a blessing. You are already blessed by the sun, and the moon, and the earth.” He went on to talk about how life is 50% choices and 50% destiny. They hardest thing to do is accept destiny. If something goes wrong or if something bad happens its because that is your destiny and you have to accept this. He said it could be from past life kharma. He went on to talk about things and about life and just listening to him was calming and a blessing in itself.

After he was done teaching us about blessings and our destiny he said he wanted to show us something. He led us into a small room and locked the door behind us. Then he asked us to sit down and walked over to his bed and brought out a beautiful guitar. He said he wanted to play us some Spanish Music. I will not do him justice when I explain what happened best, but here it goes: His hands flew across the string and he played the most beautiful music I have ever heard it my life. It literally brought tears to my eyes. When he was done playing I felt at peace.

We walked back down the 557 slowly, pausing every now and then to talk about what we were feeling or what the monk had said. It was all very peaceful and brought the 3 of us together and a way I can't quite explain. Once we got back we went to our room and went to bed.. but not after re-thinking everything that had happened over and over making sure it really happened.

August 6^th

Today we woke up at 4am to go back to the Shanti Stupa for their morning chanting. It was such an experience. We walked into the room and everyone was chanting in deep voices while one man was playing the big bass drums. To me it sounded like something you would hear from an army gearing up for battle. However, there was no army, just a few people and their synchronized voices with the drums. The sound they made was beautiful and powerful. In front of us sat a Blue Buddha which means meditation. After sometime the monk walked in and joined the chanting. I wish I knew what they were saying, or how to participate because it was so powerful.

After the chanting we spent the rest of the day getting ready for the race. We planned out my moms nutrition, what we needed to buy, the race plan, everything! Food bag- check! Gear bag- check! Shopping- check!

Vineman 70.3- July 18, 2010

2010-07-25T11:32:00.000-07:00

(This is where it all started)

Vineman 70.3 was both an awesome but challenging Half Ironman. I definitely underestimated how tough it was going to be. But hey? It wouldn't be fun if it was easy right?! Overall I had a great weekend and a great race!

I started training for this race by myself in college at UNR. By training I mean that I did a few runs, and well.. thats about it! So when I got back home I joined the Average Joes Gang! We were coached by the finest Chuck Abbott, and Kevin Yamashita. These guys got me training almost everyday... which was only 5 weeks! (For those of you who know me, this will come as no shock to you!) Anyway, the gang consisted of Terri, Genesis, Sue, and Loc. We trained together almost everyday, it now feels like we are family.

(The Average Joes Gang)

We carpooled to Vineman in 2 cars on Friday, the 16th. After one car breaking down, getting a replacement, and countless other misadventures we finally made it! We rented this beautiful house located on a vineyard in Sanoma, Ca. It was absolutely gorgeous! Coaches Chuck and Kevin cooked for us every day and tucked us in every night! They are the greatest coaches anyone could ask for! They helped us get ready and prepare for what was to come...

(Chuck and Kevin preparing dinner!)

Here are some of the photos of the house we stayed in. It was absolutely amazing there! I hope to go back and stay there again sometime!

(The house/backyard)

(Vineyards)

(Bridge over creek in the backyard)

Saturday morning we woke up and went on a easy run though the vineyards and around the property. The place was so big we didn't have to go out to the street! Then we went and took a trip to the Russian River to get a quick feel for the water. The temp was prefect and the river was beautiful.

(Our last training run)

(Our last training run)

(Our last open water swim)

(Sue braided all our hair!)

Once we finished our training we went and drove the bike course and run course. This definitely calmed me down, because I was really nervous about the hills. Once we drove the course though, I felt anxious to get out there and ready for whatever Vineman was going to throw at me...

Race Day

(Setting up transition)

Swim
(Photo of the Russian River on race morning)

(Awesome swim photo thanks to Tracy!)

The swim was absolutely amazing! I had a PR with a time of 38min! Since it was in the Russian River there were parts where my hands touched the bottom. It was really weird and I had to adjust my stroke. There were times when I scooped up handfuls of dirt! There were also times when I would be swimming in the shallow waters and look up to see people just walking! It was crazy, they were just walking along as I swam past them. The whole swim was just comical so I ended up laughing and having a good time with it.

Bike
(Finishing the bike)

The bike went pretty well. For the first 35-40ish miles this ride was awesome! There were rolling hills and I felt great. It was definitely the fastest I have ever gone, AND I rode in aero almost the whole way! However, right before I came to the huge hill I started to get cramps. It was awful and I was dying. I couldnt ride in aero anymore because my crotch felt like someone was stabbing me! I rode of the last of the course both cursing and praying to God! ...as a side note the scenery was beautiful!

Run
(Starting the run)

After cramping on the bike I knew I was in for a long run. However, after 3 hard miles I found my groove and started to get going. The course was just rolling hills, but some of which were also monsters and I walked those. It was hotter than hell out there and I dumped 2 cups of water on me every mile and also stuck ice down my bra just to stay cool! At about mile 6 I started to tire.. this is when I realized that I had forgotten my salt sticks!!!!!!!! It was freaking terrible! People were bringing hoses on the course just to try and cool us down! They had a mister system set up at mile 6 and I just stood under it. Mile 8-11 I pretty much walked..

Then I saw the sign for mile 12 I knew I had to run it in. It was freaking BRUTAL! I had originally wanted to finish the run under 3hrs. But half way through I thought that was not going to happen (turns out I finished 3:01 grrr!!!) But I made it in and ran the WHOLE last mile! I have never been so excited to see the finish line! I finished with a time of 7:18:43! It was slower than I wanted (I wanted under 7) but that heat and those hills- bleh! Not to mention 5 weeks of training! :)

(Finisher photo!)

After the race I went to get the race food cause I was feeling sick and the guy was like "Oh umm we just ran out of burgers" and all they had was bananas- eww! So the proudest moment of my day was when I puked my ever loving guts up!!!!! I can now say I raced so hard I threw my guts up!!!!! It was very exciting. After eating a burger at a restaurant not long after I felt great again!

Overall, this was a great race that I got experience with some great friends! I could not have done it without you guys! Thanks you to Chuck and Kevin for helping me train for this race (in only 5 weeks!), and to the AJ Gang- Terri, Genesis, Sue, Loc, and to Tracy for being roadie and taking all the pictures! Also a special thanks to Debbie and Dana for helping us to make it to the race!

Also congrats to all the finishers! Terri, Genesis, Sue Loc, Cynthia, Jim, Donna, Jeremy and Chris! Everyone did great!

(The Average Joes)

Where the Hell is Matt?

2010-02-28T01:49:00.000-08:00

I recently watched a youtube video called "Where the Hell is Matt." It was a great video about a guy who wanted to see the world and so he did. He made a video of himself dancing in all the countries he visited. Stride Gun saw his first video and wanted him to make another one all expenses paid. In 2006, Matt took another 6 month trip through 39 countries on all 7 continents. The video was totally inspirational and made me want to travel more than anything! Here is the video so you can fully understand what I'm talking about:

The first video he made was just as good. I really enjoyed the clip of him dancing with the kids in Rwanda. Here it is just so you can see:

After watching it again I decided that traveling the world is something that I have to do. I don't know when or where yet, just that I have a tingling in my bones and a voice in my head telling me to get out there and see the world. I have always wanted to travel, Matt Harding just put a unique twist on his travels and made me want to go for it even more. Thank you Matt Harding..

-bailey

Mt Rose 2009

2010-02-05T12:16:00.000-08:00

A couple of months ago I went on a hike to the top of Mt Rose. This was both an absolutely beautiful hike and a very challenging one. I dragged my roommate Ashlyn along with me, little did she know the elevation gain or that it was 10miles round trip! However, in the end we had a great time! Here are some photos of the trip!

Which way?

The trail

Scenic Route

Loving life!

Despite two falls she keeps on going!

Top of Mt Rose

A waterfall on the trail!

Cold and windy up here- Making our way to the very top!

Me and Ashlyn at the top!

Taking a break inside the stone wall of protection from the wind!

The view from the top!

-bailey

Big Kahuna 70.3 2009

2010-02-04T23:38:00.000-08:00

Getting ready!

Before the cancelled swim

Due to the canceled swim we started the race in waves from the beach to transition zone where we mounted our bikes. The course was mainly flat, with a few uphills. It was a beautiful, foggy day along HWY 1. The fog was still over the ocean, and it rolled inland as we rode. I remember not being able to see the tops of some of the hills! (not necessarily a bad thing!) For the first 20miles I felt great!

Getting into position on the bike!

However at the turn around point- about mile 28, I had some issues. I started to get severe cramping in my quads. I had no idea where it came from- low seat? not enough salt? When I got to the turn around I was really suffering. That's when I heard someone yell "Go Bailey!" I was sure it was family or friends, however when I looked around I saw no one. I felt as if it was the Gods telling me to harden up and quit whining about the pain. I listened, and finished the bike course.

Once in transition I threw off my bike gear and put on my running shoes! The cramping in my legs had intensified, so I was reduced a run/walk for most of the Half Marathon. I increased my salt intake, thinking that may have been the cause.. It helped a little but not much. There were a lot of people around me for most of the run. They seemed to be struggling as much as me... All I could think about was finishing, and that the Big Kahuna Gods were cheering me on. I decided that there was no point in thinking about how much I hurt. So instead I concentrated on how beautiful it was. I thought about what I was doing, and how amazing it is that hardly 1% of the population will ever do I Half Marathon! I decided to think about all the good, that the day had brought, and it was these good thoughts that carried me to the end! I finished with a time of 6:42:37, sprinting the last quarter mile, which was on sand!

Loving the run!

After I finished I found out that I had one 1st place in my age group! I got a sweet Tiki God Totem along with my awesome turtle finisher medal. I would totally do this race again. Even though the swim was a bust, overall I had a great day! It is a great feeling to know that you just went out and gave everything you had. If you dont push your limits, how will you ever know how far you can go? This race taught me that even though you may be in pain- there is always a bright side to look upon.. :)

First place- Women 19 and under!

My Tiki God/Medal

-bailey

Badwater Ultramarathon 2009

2010-01-21T20:44:00.001-08:00

Ok so I know I have been slacking a little on writing updates about my life and races! From now on Im going to try and update at least once a month- we will see how that goes! :) Anyway, to bring you up to date Im going to give a quick overview of my 2009 race schedule!

In July I was Crew Chief for my mom in her first attempt at Badwater Ultramarathon. Badwater is a 135mile non stop run from Badwater, Death Valley, the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere to Mt. Whitney at nearly 8,300’. The race goes over three mountain ranges and has 13000' of vertical ascent.

This was an absolutely amazing experience. It was incredible to see how far you could push the human body, and what it could accomplish. My mom is a very strong woman, and it was extraordinary to see what she went through to complete the race. She is truly an inspiration to me and everyone else. My mom crossed the finish line after 131 miles (shortened due to a fire) and 45:09 hours of running. She pushed her body and got to that belt buckle.. which is what its all about right?! :)

I was honored to be my moms Crew Chief. This was an extremely important job and it meant so much that my mom chose me to have it. We also had an amazing crew consisting of Jimmy Gabany, Georganna Quarles, Brendan Brosnahan, and John Vigil. The crew worked harder than any crew out there. We had a great time and a lot of laughs. They worked incredibly hard and everything to get my mom to the finish line all while wearing a smile..well most of the time :)

Anyway, I had an amazing time at Badwater. There were laughs, tears, pain, more laughs, and so on! It was just an incredible journey and I was so glad that I got to experience it. Below are some of the photos taken of the race- enjoy!

Ps. We had a videographer on the crew with us! Justin Yurkanin documented this incredible journey! check it out at: http://www.jyurkanin.com/video/badwater. It is an amazing video and really shows what both the crew and runner go through during Badwater!

The crew before the race!

Crew Chief!

Badwater Basin

Race Morning

Jimmy pacing my mom in the HEAT!

100 Mile Mark!

Crossing the 100 Mile Mark!

Crossing the finish line!

We made it!

Group Hug!

My mom, her coach Lisa Smith-Batchen, and me!

Official Badwater Finisher!

The Crew!

-bailey