New blog home

It has been really easy to share pics from my trip thus far on my tumblr, but it is not as easy for people to comment or ask questions, so I'm moving my blog here. Also, you can subscribe to email updates at the bottom of the page which I find quite helpful. I'm going to tell you a little of what we've been up to this past week in Bologna. I won't get too deep into details because there is just too much to talk about, but going forward I'll try to include more observations and details.

I sent my sister into the wild blue yonder this morning, back home to San Diego. Now the real journey begins. The first two weeks of this trip has mostly been tourist-oriented. The first week in Paris was absolutely amazing and I really didn't think I would love Paris as much as I did. We were able to take a Bible tour at the Louvre with a pioneer sister who is from Canada, and now living in Paris. We were not able to make it to an English meeting in Paris because they were having a zone visit, and it was not going to be translated into English. That was a bummer, but I'm glad we at least got to meet the sister at the museum.

This first week in Bologna has been really fun, exciting, and exhausting. Since Jez was only here for one week, we did mostly touristy things. We went to Venice, Rome, and Prato - which is about 10 minutes by train from Florence. 

In Venice (Tuesday) , we were only there for a few hours because we got a late start that day, and had to be back in Bologna early in the evening so we could make it to the meeting that night. Venice was really pretty, but also full of tourists. I would like to go back and explore it more one day. We did make it to the meeting that night, which was a much needed refreshment, not only spiritually, but for our ears & brain lol. It was nice to hear English and turn off the translation department in our brains. We met a lot of the friends, and everyone was very welcoming. The singing was beautiful - very loud and wonderful! 

Thursday, we had planned to go to Florence for the morning and afternoon, and then meet our friends from the States, Paul & Claire, in Prato, where they live. Again, we got a bit of a late start, and when we got to the train station, all of the trains to Florence were sold out until later in the evening. It was a bank holiday, so that might have been why so many more people were travelling. We found a commuter train to Prato, but it put our arrival right when we were to meet up with P&C. So, unfortunately, we missed out on going to Florence that day. We met up with P&C and went out in service with them and learned about the ministry and congregation there. We talked to a woman named Sarah, and Claire placed a brochure with her. After walking around the city center, and stopping for a macchiato in between ;), we went back to their house where Claire made a very delicious dinner of meatballs, pasta, zucchini, and salad. It was the first hearty meal we had since we arrived in Italy. It was really encouraging to talk to Paul & Claire, and they encouraged us to be zealous and keep seeking opportunities to share the good news about God's kingdom with others. 

Friday & Saturday, Jez and I went to Rome. It was on and off raining while we were there, but it wasn't too bad. Friday we saw the Colosseum, ancient Roman ruins, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, the arch of Constantine, the arch of Titus, and other famous landmarks and buildings. We walked a LOT in Rome and it was tiring. Our hotel had a rooftop patio, so for dinner, we picked up some pizza (sold by weight, we chose a few different flavors) and some beer, and headed up to the patio to eat overlooking the lit-up skyline. 

 Saturday, we decided to soak up some local color and headed to an area in Rome called Trastavere, near the Tiber River, which cuts through the city. We had seen so many major sights the day before so a leisurely stroll through cobblestone streets was just what we needed. We made our way back towards the train station across the city and stopped at the Spanish Steps, another famous landmark. There were beautiful bright flowers cascading down the steps and a fountain at the base. 

Sunday, we had the meeting. We planned to go out in service after the meeting, but Jez's feet were really banged up from Rome - she had twisted her foot back in Paris, and the swelling still had not gone down. Walking around the city and on the wobbly cobblestone (which does quite hurt your feet and ankles after a while when there is no "grout" between stones due to erosion) had done a number on both our feet, so instead of walking some more, we headed back to the apartment to rest until the evening. Mossimo, the coordinator of the congregation, had invited us to meet up with the friends for gelato later that night. 

We met up with the group of brothers and sisters and headed for the gelati (gelati being the plural of gelato). Both Jez and I got chocolate and salted caramel, which were heavenly! We went to a nearby little park (really just some trees and benches) and ate and hung out. There was a sister and here daughter who were visiting from Australia, and they were both adorable and really fun to talk to. Everyone was having a great time and the conversations were animated and lively. After a while, the group broke up and some people went home. We hadn't eaten dinner yet (it was about 930 pm now) and were going to just get (more lol) pizza on the way home, but a group was going to go eat so we joined. We ate at a wonderful trattoria (or ristorante...I don't recall and I still haven't figured out the exact difference lol). Jez got a pizza with bacon, asparagus, and an egg on top (which sounds weird and gross but was AHMAZING!) and i got black tortellini in a cream sauce with truffle oil. What makes the tortellini black you might wonder? Well, the answer is squid ink. That's right. It was also delicious and not like anything I've tasted before, which was fun. The squid ink gives the pasta a slightly marine flavor to it, but it is not overwhelmingly fishy at all. It was really great. We didn't leave the restaurant until about 1230 am! We walked back towards our apartment and got to bed about 1am. Party animals ;)

That brings us to today. Jez is on her way home :( and now I'm by myself. Now the real interesting, personal part of this journey for me begins. My goals are to go out in the ministry as much as I can and spend more time on personal study so I can draw closer to Jehovah and become a stronger, more zealous Christian. 

Now that I'll have more time on my hands, I hope to add more posts. I'm not as eloquent a writer as my dear sister Jez, but I'll try ;)

Ciao,

Nadia