AN AMERICAN GIRL IN ITALY

My friend Elizabeth has been asking me to do a post on a trip I took last year to Italy. So here goes.

I went to Europe for the first time last year on a business trip. That meant an all expenses paid trip to Italy. I fully realize that never happens to people (well...not most people), so I enjoyed every single moment of it. I worked my tail off and was so exhausted I was falling asleep in random places, like on benches at St. Peters Basillica, but it was absolutely worth it. We were in Milan for a week and then drove down to Rome for a few days.

We were incredibly groggy after arriving in Milan, but we still wanted to get out a see a few things before meetings started the next day. So we had our car (yes, we had a driver...are you hating me yet?) take us to the Duomo.

This is the Duomo. Un.be.lievable!

And here's what I saw when I turned to my right.

Yep, that's Andrea Bocelli doing a soundcheck for a performance he was giving the next night. Like seriously!

Milan's amazing if you like to shop at fancy schmancy clothing stores. Personally, I can't bear the thought of parting with $500 of my hard earned money for a piece of clothing so I mostly window shopped. Look at how fancy this McDonald's is though. Am I the only person that's fascinated by things like this?

We also went to the opera at La Scala one night and saw Tosca (hating me yet?). I found these photos on Google, because I wasn't about to stuff a camera into my clutch. It was bad enough that I had my Blackberry with me. And I totally wish I'd taken a photo of myself all dolled up because I looked smokin'...and I never say that.

Here's a quick view of Florence. We stopped there for lunch on our way to Rome, but were literally only there for about an hour. It's mind blowingly beautiful.

And then Rome. I LOVED Rome. I'm fascinated by history anyway, but it blows your mind to be in a place that you've read about, seen movies about, and has a rich history going back thousands of years. Some people might think the Roman Forum is boring because it's basically a bunch of stone ruins. I was enthralled with the realization that Julius Caesar had walked in the exact spot I was walking. I saw Augustus Ceasar's house! And look at the frescos below. Amazing (I know I'm saying that a lot, but can you blame me?).

And the food! I didn't have a bad meal there. Even at the gas station. I was also surprised that the portions were relatively small compared with Italian food in America. You may have several courses in Italy, but they're all small and just the right amount. Here are some random photos of food, cafes, and me eating...and then more of me eating :).

And then I returned to real life. Oklahoma's kind of like Italy....not! Ciao!