Day 2: 05/18 We headed out to find breakfast. We ate at this little bakery, croissants filled with chocolate. Then we found this amazing church. Its beautiful. I brought the wrong lens so I could only get close up pictures. Then we found this market rows and rows it was so fun. Everyone we spoke to assumed I was real Italian so they started talking to me in Italian haha. Although I am part italian and I look so much like them they are short with brown eyes and brown hair haha. This is where I belong! Then we drove back to Rome! We went and saw the vatican and St. Peters Basilica. Its amazing to see how covered in gold that place is. Dallin told me a story while we were there. Here is a picture of Dallin by the statue of St. Peter. Everyone comes to rub his foot to morn the death of the last apostle. Dallin said when he went to church in rome last time the mission president spoke and said Dallin H Oaks visited the Vatic
an and the mission president said "Isn't it interesting that all these people come here to morn the last apostle but here they have a living apostle in their mist and don't even know it." Sad to see that. It was pretty incredible to see the detail though. Then we went to the Trevi Fountain and of course got gelato and pizza!! Then we went to the Spanish Steps it usually has flowers and looks a lot more beautiful.
Day 3: 05/19 Ok so today Dallin wasn't feeling so hot, we figured it was from the pizza he ate the night before(they don't refrigerate there meat so the pizza was laying out all day). So we just went to the Colosseum it was awesome The prisoners would be put in there to be tested if they killed whatever was put in there they would sometimes be let free. If it wasn't entertaining enough they would have to work harder or else they would be killed anyway. It was very interesting but at the same time very disturbing that people would like to watch this. The first pictures is where the crowd would sit of course now there are no seats cause its so old. The second is partly where the prisoner would be it's like a maze they really could not see what was coming. Sometimes they would fill it with water and put sharks in it. Then we came back to the hotel and fell asleep for the rest of the night we were so dead. And Dallin couldn't do much cause he was so sick.
Day 4: 05/20 We woke up and left on a train to go to Napoli, Sorrento and Amalfi Coast. It took us about 2 hours to get to Napoli. We got off and walked around for about an hour haha. We were probably in the ghetto part of town but it was disgusting and dirty and just ugly. Then we got back on the train and went to Sorrento. It was so beautiful and clean and had little streets of markets it is such a nice town. It's right on the ocean bellissima! So we stayed the night.
Day 5: 05/21 Today we woke up and caught the bus on the coast to the Amalfi Coast it was an amazing drive and so breath taking. I loved it then we got the stop and went the center of town it was so cute and little there were all these shops around. Then we got back on the bus and went to the train station caught the train to go down to Reggio. It said we were going to get down there at like 10 pm. The ticket guy came around to stamp our tickets and he told us we had to get off at some stop a couple hours away. Then we decided to ask some else and well Italians don't like to say "I don't know" crazy people. So this guy said you stay on and it will take you all the way down. Well we were getting closer and closer to the time we were suppose to be getting there and so decided to ask a guy off the station at a stop what we do and he said "you just missed your train 5 mins. ago". So we got off and the next train was
n't coming for 2 hours. So we decided to find something to eat but nothing was open so we luged our bags around up hills to find a place. Finally found alittle pizza place and turns out in won all kinds of awards. It was amazing so maybe it was all worth it to miss our train. :) So then we got on the next train and 2 hours later we came to the train station but for some reason we thought it was the next one so we didn't get off. Well just our luck we got off at the next station it was the tiny central station. It was 12 am by then and no hotels were around and no taxi's or buses. The trains were done for the night soooo we had to sleep at the cold train station and to make it worse it was raining!!!! There were bums and weird people walking around. Lets just say scary! Dallin stayed awake while I slept and then I stayed awake while he attempted to sleep. We always seem to have adventures together haha! I'm just glad he was there with me. So we survived until 6 am.
Day 6: 05/22 We finally got to the train station and took the 20 min. boat ride to messina then a bus to catania then to Ragusa. Then walked around for about 2 hours trying to find an internet place to check our email to get the address for the family we were staying with. We couldn't find one. Dallin went into a Mac store and checked his email really quick haha. I can't believe how excited they were to see us after 5 years. They are amazing and so humble. When they found out I was pregnant they were so so excited they couldn't stop talking about it. It's like our second family seriously. It was so amazing how giving they were even though they have nothing. Gorgio the dad was showing Dallin this soap he made out of olive oil it was so cool. We told him we liked it and he was like oh you want it here take it. haha no joke with everything. They even bought us this baby outfit from Im sure an exp
ensive place they cant afford. They are just amazing! I miss them so much and I loved them instantly. They took us to there other house it wasn't much of a house but it was the beautiful countryside. There was a tiny little hut for the kitchen then another hut with just a big room. They are so proud of this house they love it. We picked asparagus, and saw there beautiful hill of natural gardens. He made this amazing chicken. The chicken they have there comes with the feathers still on. Its definitely gross. This family is amazing I learned so much from them they are just so happy with nothing. I can't believe how much we have in America.
Day 7: 05/23 Today we went to church with the family. It was a great experience. Relief Society was interesting I didn't really understand anything. But when they sang the songs they really sing. You can tell they love to sing or that its just important to sing hymns I guess. It was pretty neat to hear them sing the song my great great grandfather wrote (Joseph Smiths First Prayer) in a different language it was amazing. Sunday school was in English for me cause there is a recently baptized family that speaks english. But Sacrament Meeting was my favorite. It was so neat to meet everyone Dallin knew and taught. The Bishop asked Dallin to talk for a little bit in Sacrament meeting it was so nice to hear what he was saying in english haha. You can tell those people truly love him. Then after church we ate a huge meal of course. Then drove to Siracusa its beautiful just look at the pictures.
Day 8: 05/24 Today we went with the 2 boys around the town and mall. Then we stopped by the dry cleaning place the family owns to see the mom and daughter they are so awesome. Then Gorgio the dad took us to this town called Ibla it was awesome. On a hill just like you could imagine Italy. Just beautiful this was where they got married. I love this family even though I could speak the language you could just feel there love. Dallin would interpret most of the time so it was nice but it was so funny to see Dallin laugh so much the Dad would crack jokes and they would laugh constantly here is some video hopefully I can upload it.khjk
Day 9: 05/25 Went shopping in Ragusa its beautiful. We found an amazing gelato place it was only 2 euro for a huge brioche (its a croissant filled with ice cream its amazing) and drove to Catania to fly back to Rome.
Day 10: 05/26 Slept all night in the airport cause we had to be there at 4 am anyway. Finally flew home!!!
