The Reason ....

If you look at another post below you will see that I posted VATICAN pics and said that Pat was sleeping the whole day away back at the hostel, this is the reason why.....this was taken about 2AM of Pat trying to make it across Rome back to our Hostel! This is the night I had to talk to the cops because he was 'relieving' himself on the streets! LOL

Vatican Pics

While PAT slept the whole day, to recover from the night before, BJ and I went to the Vatican a few days ago, here are the pics :)

it is okay though, he has been to the Vatican!

Going to Market

Going to market now, to pick up some food for our kitchen and some basic supplies, toilet paper...etc.

Fall Class Registration went perfect for BJ and I, Pat...well, that is another story! But he is getting it worked out :)

First day of classes today went great! SMALL classes, we all really like them. Basically just a great intellectual discussion about topics, not the high stress 100 person class socratic method of the last year.
The reading is beyond dull though!!! Got through my reading for tomorrow and it took forever!!

We're on the lookout for the rumored .99 cent bottles of wine near the market....

The dinner last night paid for by the school was amazing!! The traditional italian feast, with all the courses.... a bread, meat and cheese course. Two pasta courses. A main course, and dessert! mmm
of course pitchers and pitchers of red wine.

I was dying because after the first three courses, I thought we were done, I piled the pasta course on...big time! Was hurting trying to eat our main course,, chicken and potatoes! Pat and I were both a little stuffed, BJ loved his main course :)

SIDE NOTE: Yesterday, Pat had HotDog pizza!! It is exactly what you think it is....talk about a new favorite hangover food :)

Yesterday we went to the museum and saw "The David", it is amazing! I had seen it so many times in pictures, etc...that I was ready to be disappointed but it is so massive and intimidating that you turn to go down the hallway, see it and gasp! That was awesome.

So..we are off to the market, I will add lots more later, including a story from Rome I forgot to share! It is a winning one :)

PICTURES!

We finally got the internet to work here at the apartment, unfortunately for now it is only on my computer, so we are using this as the little hub.

I wanted to post some pre-camera lost pictures....from my camera, will post pics from Pat's camera later!

THESE ARE THE FIRST FEW DAYS OF OUR TRIP

AT SEATAC























































































POSTING MORE LATER....we have to sign up for classes right now!

First night in Firenze!

PAT TO THE BLOG
- I miss you wifey, I like the Italy.

SEAN TO THE BLOG
- I miss you family (mom, dad, brie, riley) & friends! Beyond amazing here, I am so sad that you are not here. Thanks again to Annie Bernhard for all her suggestions...obviously thanks to Megan New too! Who is now in Chicago..and Annie is getting ready for the BAR! Scary! Love you girls, thanks again for all the suggestions!!

BJ TO THE BLOG
- Hey, whats up..I am alive, so far. Part of me wants to fail out of law school so I can party here forever! I love la vida italia!

GENERAL BLOGGING
- Tomorrow we meet with the school. We will see the DAVID and other works of art! Then the school is paying for our first sit down and fancy dinner in Florence! That will be fun. Then school starts Monday :( Lots of reading to do from here until Monday.
- Pictures going up shortly!
- All the girls are heading out to the clubs for the night, us boys are staying in to save some Euro! :)
- I hate that I have no camera :( But I am doing well with Pat's camera :)


okay...love you guys, keep checking in!

Absinta

No green fairy in Italy :(
A good burn though.....

we are hoping for in Amsterdam!

We are here and we are settled!

Minus some of the set backs...like, the fact that I bought the ticket for the train, grabbed what printed out and came out...got on the train, after two hours of puke inducing train riding, the train guy came by to ask for my ticket, said what I had was the receipt not the ticket....thank God the train came to a stop at that point because I would have bought a new one for another 30 euro and a 50 euro fine for not having it stamped.

BUT...these are the stresses and stories that make the trip interesting!

We are here, got our apartment, found our group of female friends who live below us in this huge apartment, so we are here now drinking some vino from the local market! Our apartment is awesome...nice to have a kitchen.
We did not eat anything all day, so this afternoon we got some food from a local market/store and I made everyone a delicious dinner.

We had pasta and meat sauce, veggies with olive oil and vinegar dressing....a hunk of parmesan cheese...bread and oil... it was awesome!! then nap time, shower time and now we are having fun with our fellow GU friends now...so I am off.

I am on Lindsey's computer, so when I get my internet hooked up I will post pictures! :)

next stop

Firenze

sucky.

Well, last night I lost my camera..... It really really has upset me and i am so bummed out today, it has ruined my day.

We were in a taxi on the way back to the hostel and we got out and I did the pocket checks....Wallet, YES ... Money, YES ... Camera, oh no!! it is on the seat! as I turn the Taxi drives away.
BJ sprints down the road after the taxi and it takes off into the distance.

We have the hostel call and call and call and call, but things are SOOOO laid back in this country that things like this do not play themselves out like in the states. So, they say to call back on Monday. we will see.
But, Pat and BJ both have cameras, so images will be taken. I just hate that I do not have mine, both because it was a nice present from my parents last christmas and also all the work I put into getting it all fixed up for the trip.

I talked to my Mom and while she agrees it sucks, she kept reminding me that it is just a camera and that things could be a lot worse....I need to let it slide though and not totally ruin my trip. I tend to let things like this fester....

Wow..lost luggage, lost camera.... been a great first few days!

and we are off....

Rome to Florence.....train in two hours....

update

.....had a great and unnecessarily personal discussion about religion and faith over a few pints!

Keep in mind, when reading our posts, to add NINE hours to the post time, and this is when we are posting...IE, right now it will post at almost 1145AM Pacific Time....when it is really 845PM here!

happy friday!!

your sons, friends, brothers, and whatever else you want to call us !!

WE ARE ALIVE!!!!

we are here, we are alive and we are loving it...

this keyboard is weird at the hostel, so i apologize for lack of caps

i will write more tomorrow when we get to florence, there is no wireless internet here, so i have to use theirs at the hostel and it is expensive...so i will give you a one sentence rundown of all the major events...this has been a truly MESSED UP, MEMORABLE, and amazing trip so far!!!

I will post pictures and give the story details tomorrow...but, here is the outline...

ON THE PLANE RIDES HERE:
- guy infront of use telling us to 'give him a fucking break because we have been talking for four hours straight'
- taxing for 35 minutes between landing in heathrow and pulling into the gate
- free grey goose vodka samples at the heathrow airport :)
- getting told no more boozie on the second flight because were in the exit row and they needed us ready incase of an accident, and us explaining that we would be way more effective with another gin and tonic!

ONCE WE ARE HERE
- THEY LOST MY F$%%$&ING luggage!!!!! not some of it, every bag I had....BJ and Pat were fine, but mine did not make the transfer to Rome from London.....
- First Rome dinner.....free dessert, free bottle of champagne, free appetizers
- saw, colloseum, ancient ruins, vatican, spanish steps, tomb after tomb after tomb
- Pat put us on the wrong train from the airport to Rome and we ended up in a ghetto with the only random local named fredrico who took us into a sketchy place, but got us on to a bus that took us near our hostel
- bj stayed in the second night, pat and i did a bar crawl that is put on by this english student group....amazing night....pat blacked out, fell head over ass on the street, was relieving himself on the street corner when the italian police drove by and i had to talk with them and explain what was happening, then later avoiding another police car while pat took a nose dive into the sidewalk right in front of them ... they are not fans of public drunkeness
- tonights dinner was only okay, pat ordered a peperoni pizza and did not realize that a double p meant meat the single p means vegtable peppers..
- the money situation is going ..um mmm, okay... note to dad, keep an eye on your email!!
- tonight, we are still deciding, but likely party time....when in rome...
- we got free samples at a liquor store!! needless to say, we did not need anything after some early morning grappa
- the wine is cheap and awesome, 7 euro for a liter!!
- food is even better...

I WILL fill in these gaps with a full long story in the next day or so.

if you look at your intinerary you will see that tomorrow we head to florence!!! train at 1130, even if we party it up we should still make it....i am not driving the thing.

side note: bj crashed out last night, staying in and reading fight club....pat crashed out today, sleeping in until 3pm....lets see if I can keep up the current pace.....I may just fall dead in cinque terre!!!

PLEASE, if anyone is still considering swinging out and seeing us, please do! I know a couple of my friends who have the free time and the means to do it.......there is NO FREAKING reason to not. You know who you are...
You know you want some linguine alfredo with some gelato and lemoncello!!!

we miss you all.... (you know who you are) :)

.us.

Clarification on BJ's post ;)

Thanks to the wonders of TIME STAMPING on digital cameras....

BJ's first beer was at 5:45PM and only 1 hour and 15 minutes later (during that time we ate bbq) at 7PM is when the game was put down....and Jill was drinking during that time too!

:) The Lesbian schooled you!

WE DEPART AT 6:45PM today.....land in LONDON at 11:45AM their time (6 hours ahead of us, so about 5:45AM PST)
We then head to Rome after a few hour lay over/sleep! Where we land in Rome at 5:45PM Italy time, which is 11:45AMPST. So we have about 17 hours (ish) of traveling!!

And we're off

My Turn

In my defense, first of all that was after about 3 hours of heavy drinking.

Secondly, I am moderately afraid of the bidet and that it will turn into an enema if we can't figure out the pressure settings.

I'm excited and sure I'm forgetting things. This would be an epic trip if it weren't for the four weeks of law school that is interspersed amongst our adventures. Should be a good time.

Aside from the Trip...

We are like 18 hours away from take off, but I had to add this for everyone's viewing pleasure, I like to call it the EPIC BATTLE!!

This is the Epic Battle of masculinity between a Heterosexual Male and a Homosexual Female! Lesbian v. Straight
Jill v. BJ!!

And what event determines this??? Why, FLIP CUP of course!
Two things that straight men and lesbians hold dear are tested
- Precise Finger Control
- Beer Chugging

How do you play you ask?
You line up a row of red cups with a certain amount of beer in them, you drink the beer, set the cup back down normal side up, then by using your fingers you FLICK the cup and try to FLIP it so it lands upside down. Then you move down to the next beer. Normally the game is done team versus team where when you do your cup and flip it, the person next to you goes...so it is like a relay race. (even though in this video, I thought they were only doing one cup, but I recover well) :)

SOOO...here we have it! Two of my best law school friends...on the one side, Lesbian & House Owner JILL DUGGAN in the other corner, Hetero & in Need of a Haircut BRIAN JOHNSON!!!!!

Who will proclaim the title of most masculine??????
The epic battle took place at my Belated Birthday BBQ at Jill's house!
Click below!




(PS, I know this is not trip related, but seriously...you will get enough trip posts) :)

A Response To Pat's Post!

As of this time tomorrow we will be 5 hours (over halfway done) with the first leg of our flight...Seattle to London!! Probably been drunk at least once, taken a nap and have had a delicious airline meal!!

I would like to respond to Pat's post right below mine, as I encourage everyone else to do so :)

RE: Bidet
-You are obsessed with this thing!!! I told my buddy Marcus today that I am going as one for Halloween this year, just dressing in white and spitting water at people. I am concerned you (pat) are going to be disappointed with it, actually I am a little more concerned you are going to LOVE it!! Sean to Brian "Umm, where is Pat?" Brian to Sean "He went to the bathroom an hour ago and is still bidet-ing" Sean yelling "DAMN YOU BIDET!!"

RE: Europe only making Techno
-From my experience as a dance teacher and constantly searching for music, Europe mainly produces techno...but also some little group called the Beatles...don't forget BBMac & The Spice Girls. :)

RE: Wine Dehydration
- No

RE: Waxing
- You are Obsessed! **See my bidet post you hairy man**

:)

I got my speedo today, thought I was all cool because it was a Nike one, so it is really nice, but I put it on when I got back and it was actually really tasteful! I should have knew that, considering it is a nice brand and made for professional swimmers....but everything is tucked, pulled up and covered. :) Too bad Italy!!

Arrivederci Stati Uniti

As I leave the good ol' U.S. of A., I just hope that everyone who knows me well knows that I plan to fully embrace "Euro-ness." Not only have I already purchased a few V-neck t-shirts, a European bathing suit (a.k.a. a speedo), and plan to purchase some ridiculous Euro shades when I get there but I also fully plan to rock my new found "Euro-ness" when I get back to the states for at least a little while. For instance, I will likely rock a speedo for one of the days during my friend's bachelor party in Vegas (I know you guys are excited).

I do have a couple of questions about Europe that don't need to be answered but might help you all become more intimate with where my mind is right now.

First, do Europeans make any music besides techno? I know that they actually do, but I can't picture it. I am imagining and hoping for a lot of techno music.

Second, does it hurt to get waxed? Ja says that its cheap over there and rocking a speedo, while looking like Austin Powers is well, looking like Austin Powers... I just hope that I don't bleed too much. "Kelly Clarkson!" --40 Yr Old Virgin

Third, why don't more people die of dehydration in Italy? I have heard a lot of talk about not serving water and generally not drinking water. How does that work? Is wine, without all the preservatives, really a legitimate substitute for water?

Fourth, am I really going to be able to compile 35 pages of scholarly writing in 4 weeks while I am in Italy? HAHAHA! Its actually more like 35 pages in 2 weeks but whatever. Thats like the difference between 101 F weather and 115 F weather... both hot as hell and you can't tell me that you can really tell the difference.

Fifth, is that bidet use article I posted accurate and will I use a bidet more than once? I suppose that if I really do decide to embrace "Euro-ness," not only do I have to but I also have to get one installed in my apartment when I return (I know you can't just renovate an apartment, duh).

I am REALLY excited. However, I will miss you all especially you Ness! Look for pictures and stories of our European adventure. It will be a blast for us and should be entertaining for you all.

Sandstorm running through my head...

Day before tomorrow!

So, on MY agenda for today...
- Go to the bank, get 2,000 Euro
- Get an electricity outlet converter from Radio Shack
- Get my sunglasses fixed at lens crafters
- Get my Speedo :)
- Have Asian food for the last time for six weeks!
- Go to Nordstrom Rack and see if I can get some sandals and/or shorts for relatively cheap!
- ummm, figure out why I have no room in my backpack and duffel bag, and get rid of the crap I don't need

BJ and PAT are heading west today!! Spending the night at pat's tonight, heading to my house tomorrow midday, where my Dad will take us to the airport and bid us farewell.

As my Dad put it last night, this will be the most memorable trip we have ever taken, either for good reasons or bad! I hope they are for good reasons :) I was talking with my Grandma about it and was showing her how anal I have been by making a detailed itinerary, printing out and keeping a log of all our confirmation emails for all our flights and hotels we have booked, mapping everything out to perfection.....but I was talking with her and said that it would be sort of nice if some things did not go as planned, because that is where the memories are :)

okay, my friend marcus is here and we're off to run errands.

Tomorrow.....

Enough said!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Mom

I know I speak for my travel-mates when I take a Euro Trip Blog moment to say ...

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY MOM, love you and thank you for everything you have done!!!!