I woke up with a really sore throat this morning. I hope I'm not getting sick, but there seems to be something going around. Our art history class had a trip to the Accademia of Venice at 10 this morning, so I got something to eat and then went to meet everyone in the lobby. It was a short walk to the museum and the works inside were fantastic. I didn't really want to go at first, but I am glad that I did. After the museum Ali, Ashley, Alexa and I did some sho...

This morning we had yet another tour, this time of the Cathedral and the Palazzo Ducale, or Ducal Palace. Everything in the Cathedral was mosaic and covered in gold, the floor, the walls, and the ceiling. It was spectacular! I can't imagine how long it would have taken to complete. The Ducal Palace was the location of the Venetian three branches of government and the huge rooms are covered in beautiful frescoes and carvings. The tour also leads visitors across...

This morning we took a side trip to Pisa. There we took some pictures with the leaning tower and got something to eat. It is a very touristy area, but taking the stereotypical propping up the tower picture was a lot of fun. After about an hour, we got back on the bus to go to Padova, where we visited the church of St. Antonio, the patron saint of lost things. Next to his tomb are all sorts of pictures and offerings from people hoping to find family members, pe...

This morning we took another tour of the city. We saw the Duomo (Santa Maria del Fiore), Piazza della Signoria and Santa Croce. Santa Maria del Fiore is one of the coolest looking buildings I have ever seen. It is made with many different types of stone, each one a different color, and even when you are standing right in front of it, it almost has the appearance of being a painting rather than a building. Right across from the Duomo was the Florence baptistery...

This morning we had to be to breakfast by 6:15 and we checked out of the hotel and were on the bus by 6:45. Our first stop was Assisi, the birthplace of St. Francis. We visited the church and walked through the garden and then took the bus to the Basilica, where we had our tour. In the lower building we were able to walk into the crypt to see the tomb of St. Francis, where many people pray and leave offerings, and then we walked up to the church where we saw s...