Jacob's Ladder

Hey hey hey!

I am in Germany! Freiburg (or the tiny tiny tiny portion of it which I have seen) is really pretty. A total difference from the bustling world that is Rome.

As for Italy, I felt amazingly comfortable there. George and I barely skimmed the surface, but that surface is beautiful and rich in history and very friendly. Time after time, we encountered people who were friendly, kind, incredibly helpful and generally good. It was a nice change from the polite but distant British. While it is nice to live in a country where people are never rude, a little passion and feeling was nice to encounter once again.

It is pointless to detail all the things we did in this forum, so contact me if you really want a blow-by-blow account. Instead, I will list a few of the things we did that made my heart skip a beat and make me smile thinking back and are already memories I cherish.

1) St. Peter's Basilica. I have never encountered something so truly magnificent. The fact that human beings can create something so ingenious (the dome) and beautiful (all of it) is really remarkable. As far as I'm concerned, one of the most inspiring and spiritually invigorating places I have ever seen.

2)The Roman Forum. Big. Giant. Old. Freaking cool.

3)George and I spent one night in Rome sitting on the rooftop terrace of our hotel eating fresh mozzarella, some fresh Italian sausage (pepperoni??), bread and a red Italian wine. Cliche? Yeah. Simply wonderful? Of course!

4) The kind old lady at the bus stop in Florence. She tried so hard to help us, although we don't speak a word of Italian and she doesn't speak a word of English, and through some smiles, pointing, and basic words and names, we were able to get directions from a cute lady. With a well maintained bike, as Jorge will tell you.

5)Exploring. Being a tourist is something we all like to think we aren't when we go to new places, we like to think we are just these cool hip young kids who are really getting a true cultural experience. But we aren't really, and I think accepting that made it possible for George and I to just enjoy what we did see and absorb what was going on around us. Small things, like buying a panini and wine from an old Italian man, figuring out a foreign bus system, and finding our way around a large, complicated old city are things that I'm glad to have done and will remember fondly.


Having a chance to do these things, and so so much more, with a good friend and great traveling companion was an amazing opportunity that I am very grateful for. It was a magical two weeks, and made me realize just how lucky I am to have friends like George (and all the friends I got updates on from him!) in my life. To all you in Chicago, it is two short months and a few days before I fly back, and I am excited to have adventures with you back in the States. We have so much of our own country left to explore and see, and I want to do it all with you.

As I'm now in Germany, it is back to trying to understand the German kids on Jacob's floor (so far so good, they are really nice and I like them!) and seeing a fairly average German town and college life. A week of relaxation will be great. Seeing Jacob from the bus window was rather surreal. Comforting as all get out, and possibly the best feeling I had all day.

To all you back in Chicago, I love and miss you dearly.

To all you scattered around the world, I am so happy that we are getting these opportunities and I hope things are going well for you. Please keep in touch and let me know.

To my fellow Sheffield kiddos, I can't wait to meet up in the kitchen, make some fries and pasta, share stories, cuddle in Jenny's bed, and laugh as we finally get together once again.

Sorry I'm so sappy today; it has been a long and emotional day with a lot of time for thought.


Love,

Meagan