VIENNA, AUSTRIA

VIENNA is such a beautiful place. I was not sure on what to expect before arriving there so I was pleasantly surprised to see such beautiful architecture, among other things. Vienna has a very calm lifestyle attached to it. Just by walking around the city, you may find yourself in one of the many wine gardens or parks. There are benches everywhere! They truly encourage people to just sit and relax. Vienna also has such cute restaurants and cafes. I truly enjoyed my time in this great city. It was a great last weekend trip before I head on back to the States! With Love....

ROME: Colosseum, Palentine, Roman Forum, etc.

These areas are some of the most ancient parts of Rome. The Colosseum was built in 60 A.D. The Palatine had people living on its hills as early as 1000 B.C. Many Emperors and members of government had castles and homes there as well. The Roman Forum was a centralized area in Rome where much of the civilization developed. Later, it became a place where many governmental issues took place - similar to that of a city hall. Such historical sites!
Colosseum





Roman Forum

ROME: Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, etc.

The Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain were so beautiful! I loved both of these sites. They both were so crowded. History has said that if you throw a coin into Trevi Fountain you will have good luck for one year! I hope its true!

TREVI FOUNTAIN





SPANISH STEPS




Misc.


GOTTA LOVE VINO!

ROME: Vatican on Easter Sunday & Vatican Museum

YES IT IS TRUE. I, Lauren Sapp, attended Mass....in Rome....On Easter Sunday.....at the Vatican....with The Pope. I truly had a once in a lifetime experience! The Mass was absolutely beautiful! We actually just planned on getting there early and hoping for the best. But when we discovered that we got there early enough to get seats, we were so excited! The Mass lasted about 3 hours and we stayed for the whole thing. It started pouring rain for about 2 hours of the Mass...and we still stayed strong. The whole ceremony was awesome. I didn't understand any of it because it was in Latin/Italian. But just to be in that place and on that day is something I'll remember forever! "Viva Papa!" - This is what all the Italians were shouting throughout the Mass. :)





CAN YOU SEE ME??? ;)


VATICAN MUSEUM: We went to the Vatican Museum on our last morning in Rome. The museum is so huge! We had to sort of rush through it so we wouldn't miss our flight and we were still in it for over 2 hours. The art and sculptures that the museum housed were out of this world. Every ceiling, every wall was covered with beautiful paintings. The Sistine Chapel, which is The Pope's personal chapel and the place where a new Pope is appointed when one dies (You know the whole white smoke thing?), was gorgeous! Well we weren't allowed to take pictures in the chapel but I snuck a few. Overall, the Vatican is just an awesome place that I would gladly visit again!







INSIDE THE SISTINE CHAPEL

SPAIN: Barcelona

Barcelona was AWESOME!! It had the perfect combination of a metropolitan city, with beautiful old architecture and a beach! The weather was perfect when we were there. We got to see the cathedral (Sagrada Familia) and other buildings that Gaudi (famous Spanish architect) designed. We also saw a lot of art by Picasso, which I loved! Did you know Picasso was born in Barcelona and is Spanish? I sure didn't before this trip.... We also visited Park Guell (a park Gaudi designed). Another highlight of the trip was went we went to a Monk Montessori. It was atop this mountain and we had to take a cable car to reach it. The views were breathtaking. I didn't get how monks built the church hundreds of years ago when there was no easy way to get up that hill. After the group went back to Germany, I stayed a few days after in Barcelona with my dad. We enjoyed another flamenco show and had great spanish food like tapas and sangria! We also visited Monjuic Park, which is home to great sights and where the '92 olympics were held. Overall, Barcelona was breathtaking! I loved it so much!