The end is here

Hello, from sunny South Carolina,

Yes, I am stateside once again, trying desperately to revert back to East Coast time and see as many family members and friends that I can before I head down to Charleston for the summer.

My trip... how could I possibly attempt to sum it up for you? I have seen beauty in a way I couldn't have dreamed up. The landscape. The hillside towns. The art. I've experienced love and compassion from complete strangers these last few months. The town of Cortona opened their hundreds of arms and took all of us students in. I am sure that I was loved by people who didn't even know my name ... they didn't have to know. They have enough compassion to spread around to even me. I've been satisfied, full of wine and pasta and wild boar and chocolate. I laughed with friends over a cup of coffee for hours, though I can't quite remember what was said. That wasn't important, but I built new friendships, strong friendships. I already miss them.

My train ride from Cortona to the airport in Rome was bittersweet. The scenery never ceases to amaze me. I can sit at the window and watch every mile go by, glued to the glass. But this last train ride wasn't quite the same. I was saying good-bye to Cortona and its people and Tuscany and Italy. Good-bye gelato and Piazza Signorelli. Good-bye sunrises over the lake and sunsets behind the mountain. Good-bye to the slow pace of Italian living, the warm embraces from neighbors. I arrived in Rome pretty sad, to say the least. I climbed into my hotel bed early, because I was leaving early the next morning to fly to London, then Chicago, then home to Charlotte. I arrived 21 hours after leaving my hotel room, exhausted, but so happy to be hugging my familiy once again. As loving as the Italian families were to me, there is no place like home. No hug like your dad's hug and no kiss like your momma's kiss. It's good to be home. I love Italy, and am sad to leave, but home is home.

The end is near

The title sounds a little more morbid than may be necessary, but it is true. The end of my whirlwind tour and study of Italy is approaching, and I have mixed emotions, as I am sure that you can imagine. My family and friends and American coffee and my own pillow and Charleston, they have my heart and I am so excited to return home to them. But I have so many new loves now, competing for priority, like pasta. And the view that is unbeatable, no matter where you are... in the train, on the hillside looking out, in the valley looking up, by the lake. And cappuccinos that take less than 30 seconds to make, although everything else here requires you to take your time. 2 hours spent over dinner, enjoying wine and several courses and laughing over misunderstandings, which happens often in translations. I know I will miss this things, as I have already started missing them! Last night at dinner, eating ricotta and fresh spinach pasta, I announced to the table how much I missed the food... the food that I was putting in my mouth!

I have been traveling a good deal, and resting a good deal. I think I could spend the rest of my days in Lake Como, but unforunately only spent 3. I hiked the trails around the mountains and took the ferry to the surrounding lakeside towns and strolled by the water. It was picture perfect. Ahh. I have returned to Cortona for a few days, to say goodbye to friends and drink one last coffee at my favorite cafe before I head to Rome. I have moved my ticket up, and so I will spend less than a week there before I leave to come back to South Carolina.

Unfortunately, I have misplaced my camera cord, so it may be awhile before I can upload more pictures. But, like usual, my camera couldn°t catch the magic of Venice and the beauty of the lake or the atmosphere in Milan. Oh well... I will just have to return to remember accurate the way these places look and feel. But for now, I am happy to begin packing up and heading home. I love you all!

Caseu

Whirlwind Tour of Northern Italy

Hello from Milan!

This is will be a whirlwind of a posting, as I only have 10 minutes on the internet. I'm currently in a super posh hotel in Milan, thanks to our friend Mel who somehow scored an amazing hotel in the middle of the city for cheap. We've been running through Venice and Milan like there's no tomorrow, and I'm off to the lake district (specificially Lake Como via Menaggio) this afternoon.

Venice, ahh Venice. I almost don't want to approach the subject until I have time to give it justice. So I'll wait. I'll just give you a taste by saying it is the most magically city I have ever been to. Milan too is so much more than I would have ever thought. It was two beautiful, I mean really beautiful parks and the walk between the two is, yes, completely filled with every brand in the entire world, but also amazing buildings with Baroque and Renaissance and Neoclassical and Medieval architecture. It is a strange collection and blending of every style, but each building is somehow connected and related to its neighboring building in a cohesive way. My neck hurts from staring at the rooftops filled with private gardens and the gargoyles at the top of the Duomo.

But now, I must run. I just wanted to give everyone a brief update and let you know that I'm doing fabulous! Keep me in your prayers and know I love you all. Ciao! - Casey

Winding Down

We're winding down here on top of this blustery mountain top, packing and cleaning and trying to remember where some of this stuff we're packing came from! After living so simply for so long, I feel like I'm packing up too much junk! But, I'm cramming what I can and leaving what doesn't fit. Luckily, the program allows students to leave extra suitcases here if they travel around after we finish in Venice.

This week in Cortona has had really beautiful weather. The main piazza has a huge set of steps that you can grab pizza or a sandwich and just spend the entire afternoon, watching the world go by. The Italians make no appointments or reservations, but find each other during the siesta hours in the street and do their business there. It's a completely different lifestyle in so many ways. The women and yes, men too, greet each other with a hug and kiss on each cheek, as though they haven't seen each other in ages. The truth is, they spent yesterday's siesta in the exact same spot, probably discussing (quite loudly) the exact same thing.

Last night was bittersweet as we held our Last Supper dinner together at the restaurant that we've eaten dinner all semester. It last for hours and hours, and they wine flowed with a neverending supply. We had appetizers and two courses of pasta, and then they brought out the biggest leg of pork you could ever image. It took up it's own table and definately deserved the standing ovation that it received. We made toast after toast, to the teachers, to the students and restuarant, the program director, the future of the program, our futures, new friendships and lasting relationships. It was a night of celebration and maybe a few tears, but it couldn't have been any better. The girls and I at my table told stories on each other all night, laughing at all our adventures and silly moments and sayings. I can't believe a short three monthes ago I didn't know this group of people. I've really learned a lot from them, and I'm so grateful for these people.

As for tomorrow, we head to Venice at 7:00 am, stopping for lunch and the afternoon in Bologna. I hear it is really beautiful, and I'm going to probably stop back in before I leave in June. One afternoon in a town just isn't enough in most cases. We had a brief orientation to the city of Venice, but there is so much more that I want to know before we go. The pictures they showed were absolutely gorgeous and it looks like a fairyland. So tonight we're having another nice, long dinner at my favorite restaurant in town, Nessun Dorma, and then hitting the hay. I'm about to have a whirlwind month and I need to be well rested.

I hope that I haven't bombarded you all with too much talking and plans. I'm really excited, and next time I write I'll have most interesting reports on Venice and its cuisine, which I hear is quite unusual and rather ugly. Lots of questionable dishes from the sea I believe. I'll send a picture or two.