Cooking class in Roma!

On Friday, December 14, a majority of the smick's and I took a cooking class in Trestevere in Roma. We were taught my Chef Andrea Consoli and his wife, Erica. Together, we created a five course feast! Our first course was Insalata di Farro (spelt salad), the second was Gnocchetti sardi con ragù alla bolognese (Homemade fresh pasta with slowly cooked bolognese style meat ragù), the third was Scaloppine di Vitellone con Funghi (beef scaloppine with mushrooms), the fourth was Roasted Potatoes with rosemary (patate al forno), and lastly, the fifth was delicious homemade Tiramisù. For a majority of the class, I made homemade pasta. I was so in my element. I cannot wait to make my family a homemade, traditional Roman dinner! Taking a cooking class in Roma was such a great experience for me as an Italian!

LOTS of homemade pasta!

First Course!

Second Course (My favorite!)

Third Course!

Fourth Course!

Fifth Course! YUM

St. Peter's Scavi Tour

On Thursday December 6, I was lucky enough to attend a tour of the archeological excavations below St. Peter's Basilica. This was probably one of the high lights of my trip and by far one of the coolest, most spiritual experiences I have ever had. Throughout my tour, I was able to see ancient tombs built near the Vatican necropolis. I was able to look into St. Peter's tomb, which consisted his jaw bone which ate the last supper with Christ. It was an amazing experience as a Catholic seeking to learn and live in her faith.

After completing the Scavi tour, my friends and I were able to walk through St. Peter's Basilica, and later climb up to the very top of the dome that looks out into la citta di Roma. It was so beautiful and so worth the 550 stairs I had to climb!

St. Peter's Basilica

 

St. Peter's Basilica from above

View of St. Peter's Square and Roma from the top of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica.

St. Peter's Square

 After our endeavors at St. Peter's, we walked across the street and had gelatto at Old Bridge, which is claimed to be some of the best gelatto in Roma. It was definitely delicious! Overall, I had an amazing day filled with so many great once-in-a-lifetime experiences! I am SO blessed!

Paris, France 12/7-12/9/2012

This past weekend, I was lucky enough to visit a place that I had always dreamed of seeing: Paris. I did all of the things on my bucket list, and immensely enjoyed every second of it.

 On our first night there after settling in, my friends and I went to see Moulin Rouge. This was quite the experience and overall a great show. The music was fun, the dancing was great, the nudity was unexpected....but hey, this is Europe, right:?!

 On our first full day there, we did everything the typical tourist does in Paris: Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, The Lourve, Arc de Triomphe, the Love Lock Bridge, etc. Not to mention, all of these trips included a photo shoot and multiple shopping breaks in between. Along with the beautiful sights, I was able to eat some delicious foods. This included  authentic french onion soup, crepes, beef bourguignon, crem brulee, Chipotle (not french but still amazing) and so much more. I have been so blessed to be given the opportunity to see all of these places that some people only get to see in pictures, and I will never take that for granted! Enjoy the pictures! Merci!

Crem Brulee

I make a pretty good French tourist if I do say so myself!

The Eiffel Tower<3

The Love Lock Bridge!

Me and the towers of Notre Dame

Notre Dame

The Lourve! Home of the Mona Lisa!

Arc de Triomphe!

Munich, Germany

Guten tag! As many of you know, the week of November 30 to December 2 I traveled to Munich Germany with my friends Hannah, Maddie, Cara, Kendra and Kathy. Out of all of our trips so far, this was was the most relaxing. It was nice to move at a slower, less touristy pace and just enjoy the change of scenery and culture!

We arrived on Friday, November 2 early in the morning! We were exhausted, but that didn't stop us from walking around all of the beautiful and authentic Christmas Markets, and of course, we had to find the nearest Starbucks! Along with these leisurely activities, we also ate some amazing German food! I tried Spaetzel, which is like German gnocchi with cheese and onion. It was to die for! I also had some amazing German beer! If there is one thing I love about traveling, it's trying all of the amazing food each different country has to offer!

Glockenspiel

Spaetzel

Christmas Markets!

German Love Cookies!

On Saturday, the girls and I woke up early and set out to Nordschwanstein to see the beautiful castle belonging to King Ludwig. Nordschwanstein was such a cute little town that sat right on Swan Lake. The girls and I walked up the mountain to see the castle, which was the inspiration of the castle in Sleeping Beauty. It was definitely a great experience!

 

Swan Lake!

Nordschwanstein Castle!

Nordschwanstein Castle!