Week 1: Famous Last Words--Romeo & Juliet

"Eyes, look your last!  Arms, take your last embrace!  and, lips, O you The doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss A dateless bargain to engrossing death!"

And with those passionate but somber words, I will embark on a tale of Verona, a tale of travel and adventure--and countless maps, haha.  This past weekend, I went with a group of people here at OUA and traveled to Verona, which does not center solely around Romeo and Juliet, shocking as that may be.  While I did leave a letter at the Juliet wall and rub the Juliet statue for luck (feeling like a pervert the entire time, lol), it turned out that Verona is, all in all, a marvelous city with plenty of places to visit and much to see.

(Archway in Verona; personal photograph, Jan. 19 2015)

My favorite part of Verona was either the castles--both the intact and gorgeous Castelvecchio situated along the river and the ruins of multiple castles on a hilltop overlooking the city with the small but intact Castel San Pietro as the crowning jewel--or the huge Roman amphitheatre, the vast majority of which still stands.

(Crypts of the Lords of Verona; personal photograph, Jan. 19 2015.  Roman amphitheatre in Verona; personal photograph, Jan. 18 2015.)

Wandering through city streets we came across multiple ancient Roman arches, various sarchophagi/crypts of the Lords of Verona and other significant persons, and scattered Roman ruins running underneath the streets.  Churches abound, many striped red and white with warm colors and bright frescoes decorating the ornate interiors, with vaulting and stained glass windows opening up the space in a magnificent and glorious display.  All in all, a fantastic trip!!  (Especially seeing as I managed to navigate various train stations and stops along the way without any untoward happenings, haha.)

(Church San Zeno; personal photograph, Jan. 19 2015.)

Now to bow down to the reality that is coursework!  Ciao!

"Go, get thee hence, for I will not away.  What's here? a cup, closed in my true love's hand? . . . I will kiss thy lips;  Haply some poison yet doth hang on them, To make die with a restorative."