Episode Transcript
Oh my gosh, I see you. Hey, D. Our graduate. Oh, look at us. You didn't get graduated. I did get graduated. And you went to Italy. Like we've had a big couple of weeks of heart. So what the heck? Right. There's so. Okay. Okay. Let's go chronologically. Which means we have a lot of things. So tell us all about it. So it poured down rain. So. Which we was found for us. Because we graduated in the United Methodist Church that's on Emory's campus, Glenn Memorial. It's a beautiful church. Just a gorgeous space. And. And. Thank goodness. Because Big Emory was supposed to graduate on the quad. And as we were leaving our graduation to go the reception, they were taking up all the thousands of chairs that they had already put out on the quad. So it was, you know, I'm glad that ours was smaller. And that we got to do that. But it was really just a great deal. And that we got to do that. But it was really just, you know, I had mental campus this semester. So it was good to be back on campus and kind of put a bow on the whole thing. So. I just really had a great day. I had my friend Becky was there. My friend Christine was there. Who's the one I stay with when I go up to Atlanta. And my friend Will was there. And they were my little cheering section. And it was perfect. I tried to talk in true Katie fashion. I tried to talk them out of coming at the last minute because it was pouring down rain. I was like, y'all, I'm not worth all this. And it was like, shut up. Just shut up. Because it was also it not a clock in the morning. So it was very early. But I wore my regalia and I'm not to, you know, they didn't certify us till Friday. Which I didn't think I wasn't going to graduate. But, you know, there's this voice in the back of your head that's like hold on. I'm supposed to do this tomorrow. What if something happens? What if I missed a class and they didn't catch it? And so, right, it's like that. It's like 30 hours. Yes. Like I've missed my final or something. And I knew my GPA was fine. That wasn't the problem. I just thought they've audited and I've missed something I should have taken. And anyway, so everything was fine. But they didn't certify us till Friday morning. So we got there Saturday just like, okay, I guess we're really doing this, but our things were blank. So you opened up the folder and there's nothing in it. So they're mailing it to us. So my diploma is not here. Yeah, one of my, one of mine was like that. I can't remember which one, but yeah. Yeah, like nothing like, you know, doing some little last minute stuff. Yeah, yeah. But it was nice. And then after the service, we walked back down to this candler building and had a nice catered brunch. And then I came home and then I preached the next day. You know, another's day weekend. So for all of all, but I think the thing that I'm going to take away from the actual service was our dean kind of went over. A lot of the doctoral work and a lot of the, some people chose to do master's thesis, these these. I did not do that because why, you know, if you don't have to. And I was told by my professors and my, my advisor, you know, if you're not going for a PhD and need that and your portfolio, then wait till you get your doctorate. If you want to and then do it, don't do the extra work. But going over what a lot of my colleagues were studying and wrote about was just inspiring. I mean, we, we worry a lot these days about the state of education and the state of our world and thinkers and. I'm here to tell you where we're going to be all right. We may not be the loudest person in the world, but there are people in this world who are thinking about and studying and doing great things. So it made me feel good. Excellent. Yeah. Excellent. So I'm officially reverend Katie Griffiths, comma, M. And I'm going to be a little bit more active. Yay. Amazing. And thank all of y'all in Mandy, especially for all the encouragement and the care all these low all these years. Because it has been quite the journey. So I'm just thrilled that it's complete and that I was able to do that. So. Yay. We're we're real proud of you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And then I probably came home and got sick. I think my body just said, nope. We're done. I lost my way. I was. I know. I did. I thought about you because I lost my voice completely. I was stuffed up. My ears were starting to stop up and I was like, I'm not getting sign of surgery. I'm not doing it. I do it. I'm not. I'm not doing it. I'm not doing it. I'm not doing it. I'm not doing it. I'm not doing it. I'm not doing it. I'm not doing it. I'm not doing it. I'm not doing it. So, um, uh, fortunately, the Monday, um, after all that. I, uh, had a doctor's appointment anyway. And so she loaded me up with all the things. And so, um, I finished my Z pack and I'm much better. But, um, So that, that is how I started my time off of school. Appartment. Hospital and to the city. I've learned a lot of things from all walks of life through awhile and moved from life to new South pole. I started my phone quickie games and I Kartana. Home to learn some good health Jessie. But now I can start now to come back and see my health. I, uh, you know, though, despite your nice and she doesn't even seem unusual. It was a combined celebration. It was a post-pained honeymoon for Julie and Lewis, and a post-pained graduation trip for Will, and a ride-on time 50th birthday trip for me. So the four of us went to Rome for three days and then Florence for four days, and then Port of the Nira, slash Chiquitera for four days. I love it. So everything was planned. Everything was planned by Julie's childhood best friend, Candace, who now has a travel agency. And like, I've known Candace my whole life. I know Candace. Candace is as bougie as they come. Candace travels like for a weekend to Nashville with a gigantic suitcase. And you know, she's one of those sugar by a box fan. If you know, if she's just like she travels with her lighted makeup mirror, like it is she's the most high maintenance human being you'll ever meet in your whole life. So naturally her travel agency is going to like do it up. Yes. So I mean, it was a terrible. Our rooms were beautiful. Will and I were roommates. And you know, Julie Lewis were roommates. So we had separate rooms. When we got to. I can't remember if it's Louis or checking in in Rome or in Florence, but Julie said something about. I mean, I mean, if you could she kept wanting a room to be close together and then she was like, I mean, if you could put us all in one room. And simultaneously will Lewis and all at the same time went, no. So she's always blamed to Lewis and the fact that when we travel together, like we all share room, but now I have my suspicions that it's actually her. It's her. But thankfully, yeah, will and I had her in room. And I told him about halfway through. I'm like, you know, there are only two people in this world, but I could like travel with and she room for two weeks without wanting to strangle on. And it's in your mom. And like, that's it. Full stop. So. I'm not sure he really feels the same way, but you know, he's showing an adaptable. So yeah, so we flew into. We had sort of they were keen to sit plan. And then we had a lot of people who were like certain tours for us that were pre booked, stayed sort of our, our, the architecture was there. But then I had gone in and made reservations places. Unfortunately, I didn't really get. Because that's like when I go on a trip, I. Book the, you know, feed. And I have researched it and I'm ready to go and book a day with my surgery. I was sort of delayed and getting. Need deep into everything. And so I had missed like the 30 day. Reservation point and say for a lot of places, I could get one. Resurations and not dinner reservations. Okay. But so that sort of did the very first place we went, we landed and we landed it like. Camera profile. I landed it like eight maybe in the morning. Okay. And there was, you know, we were all looking for a place that was around. Like, I'm sure it's just like, I'm hoping that it would be a place to be. So. That's probably not that lovely. That lovely feeling of landing after flying all night. It's great. Everybody's in a wonderful mood. Just said the best mades. Right. Right. Right. And really emotionally. A clip to deal with any sort of travel frustration. and then find the guy holding the sign with Lewis's name on it. And we managed, we did fine. We only mildly wanted to kill each other. So we get to the hotel, of course the rooms aren't ready because it's 10 o'clock in the morning, but we all kinda just went and changed clothes a little bit and left our bags and then like headed out. And we had lunch reservations at 12.30. So we just walked around a little while, happened into this beautiful church, which is what you do in Rome. Yes. With this amazing art, just, I mean, literally, you can't walk a block without happening upon something like that. It's just incredible. And I don't think I realized that Lewis went to Catholic school and so our little Catholic school boy was such a resource for us. He could tell us all these people, because we're good methods. We're good methods. We don't have the same looks for the Bible. We don't. We didn't throw. We don't know the same. No, nobody ever gave us for a little. Now my dad's mother would offer to pay us, I can't look like $5 if we could name all the books for the Bible or something, but like we were like, no, thanks. That's not worth it. So anyway, right? So yeah, so Lewis is great to like tell us. And you know, Lewis love, if you know Lewis, you know that Lewis loves nothing more than sharing his knowledge with you. It's usually about the most esoteric thing that nobody cares about. So listen, it was great for him to have this outlet. It was the same thing that we were actually interested in. Right, right. So it works out great. So anyway, so we went for our first lunch and the follow a woman on Instagram who I've followed for a while, Elizabeth. Minichelli I think is her last name. Okay. She has a company where she actually does food tours in Italy. She works, her daughters work with her now too. And so like they play in your whole trip, which I would love to go do one of those. But this was so, yeah, I started stalking her page. I have followed her for a long time but once I knew we were going to Italy, she lives in Rome. I of course started stalking her page. And so this was like one of the places that was her sort of favorite neighborhood restaurant. And we got a reservation at 1230. So here's another thing I've learned. There's no such thing as Italian food. I think we talked about this. Yeah. And talk about the Olympic. Yes. Everything is regional. And so in Rome, there are four pauses at your specific. Spaghetti, or not that, that matter what pasta, but it's carbonara. Kaccia Pepe. Okay, let me say about how to say this because I worked really hard on it. All in there, chana. I think that's right. And then the fourth one, I think is Greci. And we didn't ever have that one. But so the first two. All the merit, all America, there may be another syllable in there. All America, China, listen, Italian's hard when you get to be 50. Yeah. It is also pork guacinale again. Italian's hard. It's spelled G-U-I-C. I don't know. It's something. A-E-L-E is the end of it. What's the bacon? Yes. I don't know how to say that. It's basically bacon. See a tag in bacon. Same thing is in the carbonara. It's the same one, but it has to be made. One chale. One chale. What that is? Yes, that's it. That's it. Ganchale. Do you talk me that while you were gone? He's got a beer. He's out. Yes. So many people were saying to me clips of that while we were there. Yes. So I got the carbonara. Will and Louis got the alamar, ah-ha, that one. The merit, a-Mera-Chana. And then Julie got like a rabbioli or a tortellini or something. And it was so good. And then we forgotten the other thing you're supposed to get in the springtime and Rome are the artichokes. So I saw an artichoke go back and I was like, oh wait, we need one of those. And so we got an artichoke and then they brought olives to the table and a bread basket. And then Will really wanted to try to drink, learn how to drink red wine. Good for Will. And so that's all right. So he ordered a glass of red wine, ordered a glass of white wine. And you know, their house one's like $7. Thanks for playing. So that's how we started and we just sort of rolled like that the rest of the time. We were, Candice had set us up at like 3 o'clock to go on a golf cart tour of Rome. And so literally I was like, I hope they don't. Hey, I hope they don't hate golf carts as much as people at home hate golf carts. Cause I hear I was sitting on the back of a golf cart. But it was great. Like we hit all the high points. Our God asked us, he was so like, make it cause we had a private God of course. And so he's like asking us, he's trying to tailor it to our interest. And but once again, like just go and pop it in, like three or four different churches with Michelangelo Carvaggio, like just incredible stuff that he's just free. He just pop in and look at it. How you doing? Of course, we were also about to fall asleep on our feet, but we were trying to say away, make it very safe. We ended up in the Travis Travary neighborhood, which is sort of on the other side of the river from where we were staying, but it's sort of like the hip neighborhood. He suggested a pizza place to us. And then we sat out and had pizza and an aperoff, spritz, and we'll try a different red wine. Like it's just, that's just sort of how we rolled from the dawn every day was sort of amazing. Went to the Vatican the next day, had like a three hour tour of the Vatican, which, how many, it's like, and I was listening to a book, the guy who wrote all the light we cannot see. Oh, I love that book. He lived in Rome, right? So he lived in Rome for a year and wrote a memoir about it. And so I was listening to that before we left and actually finished it on the plane. And one of the things he said about Rome is that it's basically like, he was talking about how hard it is to keep clean. And he said it's basically like a city, if the metropolitan museum of art was an entire city. Wow. Yeah. And that is a perfect description of Rome. It's everywhere. There's art everywhere. Everywhere, everywhere. And the other thing that we learned on all these tours that we did is that, there was always the competition between the church and the state and the way they would try to show their superiority was by building something, adding on to something that already existed, but building something else beautiful on top of that. So they didn't ever want to tear anything down. Right, right, right. They just wanted to make what was there better and show how they were better. So what a way to build a city. Wow. Yeah. So it was just, it really was amazing. And then when we were at the Vatican, we were there, I think on either Wednesday or Thursday. And so we had sort of hit the in between. Yes. Well, they had been it. The Pope had been announced on everything before we left. But he had not had his first public mass. Okay. That was happening that weekend. So it was all set up for that to happen. So it was interesting to see that. You know, we were like right there where he was going to be standing. Did that all? Have they like started selling Chicago's to all pizza at the Vatican yet? Wait. Are we selling white socks jerseys? We did not happen upon any of that. The best not to say it wasn't there. Because that's a large, large complex. I do wonder just to sprinkle in a little baseball. I've seen a mockup of one of the city jerseys where the Pope. I wonder if the white socks are really going to do that. I think it would be amazing. And I hope they will be. It would be funny, but they did just get their second city connects. So they just got a new set of city connections. What they what they did do with those is they made them appear to be the Chicago Bulls jersey. Okay. Okay. Which looks that if you're coming off a season where you set the record for the most losses. If MLB history, you might as well like lean into another sport. You might as well. I love it. I love it. I love it. Yeah. Well, that's really cool. I love that you were there after we had just watched the whole thing. And I think everybody in the world watched the two Popes and Conclave. So I love that you got to see it in person. Is the is the did you go in the sustain? Yeah, we got to go in the sustain. It didn't look like the set that they built for all that. It sure did. But I was what I watched Conclave on the flight. Will was watching Gladiator and I was watching Conclave flying. And I kept thinking going, look, look, look. Yeah, I got it. I got it. Oh, yeah. I would have if you all are going, if you all are going and doing a highly recommend the private tour route just because it's so much. It's so overwhelming. We we breeze through in the Vatican. We literally just breeze through an entire matease exhibit. In in in in St. Paul's like just did stop look at anything. And I was like, wait, is that a taste? What is happening? And she explained that he was really good friends with one of the nuns that, you know, were on that were there. And so he paid like and donated. I don't know. Anyway, like there's a Jack and it Matisse exhibit in St. Paul's. Wow. Yeah. So it just is it's so much. And if you there are certain tickets, you can buy that let you skip the line. Let me tell you want to skip all these lines. They are so long. Yes. So yeah, we're going to do it a highly recommend that that you do that. And then the other really probably one of our favorite places we went was the, the paint the on, which I kept calling the Parthenon. Eventually it became a joke that I continue to call it the Parthenon. But the paint the on it was really interesting because it's, you know, so much smaller. Yeah. But the whole the hole in the top of the ceiling is open. Um, it's just sort of a right. So just sort of adds a whole other dimension to the architecture and, you know, the whole. I love that. So it was very, very, she, the other thing I don't know that I've realized, necessarily Katie about the Catholics and their relics and their two. Is that you can see the body. No. That's the dead body right there. That yes. So those tombs have a glass panel and you can see. Stop. One of the pokes like you can totally see his feet. Stop it. Why? That's just what they did. Okay. All right. Look to each of them. Here's right. Here's the other thing. It's the G believe year. And I don't know exactly what that means, but it's a big thing for the Catholic church. Sure. So a lot of large groups are coming to Rome. That's like they're taking a pilgrimage to to Rome. There was a week. Even my friends who have been to Rome several times, we're looking at my videos going, I cannot believe how much space you have. We don't understand how lucky you are that you are not a sardine and a can. But even still like kind of towards the end of our time at the Vatican, a large Polish group of probably boomers and green t-shirts. They all had on their green t-shirts. They came out and then you all of a sudden you get caught amongst the sea of green t-shirt Polish people. That was interesting. But listen, they were having an experience up in there. They were feeling it. I'm like, okay, they were led by the spirit. The Pope's feet were, you know, the dead Pope's skeleton feet. They can do them. Listen, they felt it. They felt it. They did. All right. All right. Yeah. So that was Rome. And then we left Rome and headed to Florence, the Heistbeet Train, which I highly recommend. The only problem we had there was like navigating, scanning your ticket and the gate opening. Like we'll got through. And then the rest of us couldn't, it wouldn't work. It wouldn't scan our ticket. There's a guy saying that I'm like, can you help us? All he could say was one at a time. We're like, we're doing one at a time. Yeah. Yeah. We saw her. Finally, somebody figured out that there was a line on the floor. And that everybody had to be behind this line on the floor in order for it to reach the ticket. But, you know, that took 10 minutes for us to figure out. There we go. That was our only stress there. Otherwise, the train has to be trained takes like an hour and a half to get from Rome to Florence. Super easy. Yeah. And then had a car made us at the train station, take us to our very fancy hotel right in the center of Florence. I think our room was ready this time. So we didn't have to do that song and dance. And then so then Florence. The other thing I learned about Italy, Katie is they did not, they were not a unified country. But, you know, they were very, very, very happy. And so, like, much later than we think. They were these regions, which is part of why there's no such thing as Italian food. Interesting. It's all regional. And all of that still sort of exists. It's really funny. So like states, but stronger. Yeah. Yeah. And then I felt, there is a type of song that was traversed. And much more coordinatedly. And it felt like that's also come on what I think about the shipping. Yeah, and she contacted us that the last thing we know was the first thing we heard when we realized technically it was Black transport along the way. That was Florence's the home of the Medici's. And they were at war with like everybody in all of Italy. But the good thing is like at the very end of the family line, like the very last, I can't remember her name now, it was a woman of course. They had like three first names. When she, you know, she was the last Medici, she didn't get me very cheap and have children. And she was going to be the last Medici. She gave everything, all of their art, all of their palaces, all of their homes, the whole line of art. She gave it all to the city of Florence with the caveat that all of the art had to stay in Florence. I love that. And so that's why you know, all our tour guides everywhere were like, that's the reason I have a job is because. And I'm a real Louisa, whatever her name was, made that decision however many hundreds of years ago. That's the other thing. You look at something in there, you're like, how old is that? And they're like, well, it's, you know, 3000 DC. And it's just like, whoa, I can't. How? How? How is it still standing? How? So our tour guide of the forum and the Coliseum, we made the mistake. If you ever tour the forum and the Coliseum, first of all, I would recommend you get a morning tour if you can. If you cannot, do not make the mistake we made, which was walk 10,000 steps before you even get to the forum, because you go walk another 10,000 steps inside the forum. Yeah. And also that was our tour guide who spoke the worst English, like we could only stand and understand like maybe one of every five words he spoke. And he knew his English was weakened. So he had like certain phrases that he had memorized and he would just sort of repeat those over and over again to every question you asked. It was a circle. And he also had that thing where his spit would gather in the corner of his mouth. And so it's a whole lot easier to understand him if you were looking at his mouth, but you couldn't look at his mouth because he had a fit in the corner like you could. What it was bad. That was the day that Julie, Julie, not do this thing. Sometimes where we start laughing. And we can't stop. And the more we laugh, the longer it goes, like it's so bad and it's so obnoxious. And we're like, yes, but we're like ugly crying laughing and it's loud and it is so obnoxious. One time we were doing it in a hotel room in a regatta and Lewis got out of the bed and got dressed and left the hotel room. I'm sure we'll do those 5,000. That's how bad it is. So we almost tipped over into that because here's what happened. We were tired and we were hot and we couldn't understand our God and we were headed into the coliseum. And there was a little girl eating an ice cream cone and she was sticking the whole ice cream cone in her mouth. And I might have said, well, that little girl's deep threat in that ice cream cone. And my sister might have lost it. What do you think of me, do you think? I'm all dead. Everybody's not working. So bad. Who's wrong with me? But how is her behavior not correcting that behavior? We don't do that. Everybody was tired. I want to know. We were all tired and hot. Eat your ice cream. Anyway, so that was that was very intrigued the difference in the regions. But again, Florence is still Florence is smaller than Rome. So it's almost like the art is even more prolific. Yeah. Yeah, the main square has all these sculptures just out in the square. And then there's these incredible fountains and then you get a different square. And it's like it's just it's wild as well. It's like an angle. I was going to say an amp. Yeah. If you get on these covered alleyways, they're these as big as the wall behind me. They're they're giant old paintings by old masters. And they're covered alleyways. But like, what? How is this an an. Right. Right. Right. Out. All there for all to enjoy. Which is amazing. But yeah, so the food is the food you're supposed to eat in Florence or steaks. Yes. And then it's a lot of like more sort of rustic. Like, Rebeledis soup. Yeah. Like, I'm so bred. They have a they have a particular pasta, peachy pasta, which is just made with flour and watered no eggs because they didn't even have eggs like that sort of thing. Okay. So with the first night we did a big state dinner, which was amazing. And then we did the other thing that was needed about Florence is we car came and got us and took us to see in a. Okay. That town is fascinating because it is sort of like it sort of has the Kentucky Derby equivalent. But it is like, I don't even know. It's like no holds barred. They run out the races run around like the town center. It's not an actual. Poor extract. I just they put some dirt out. They put mattresses up against the first wall. It's not because the horses will run into it. It is like gangster that they'll throw a race on purpose because every horse represents a neighborhood. Contrada. And let me tell you the contrada. Do she talk about all of this? I love that. It is wild. It is wild. But I like try to understand. I'm like, what are they fighting about? Why did they fight? Why did they still hate each other? Why are they still mortal enemies? It is like. And they can't really tell you. It just is. It just is. It has been for three thousand years. They all have their own little flag. And they all have their own little animal like these. The. The goose and the elephant hate each other. They're mortal enemies. Yeah, like it just is fascinating. And then our guide at the very end like shows us a video of one of the races and listen. It's just. It's wild. It's wild. So, too, she looked more at the dinners that they put on. And it's a big become kind of a kind of a charity event thing where they raise money. But like the doctors in the town are out cooking for two thousand. Like each group has thousands of people. It's crazy. I love it. And you can't see that. And you can't like like our guide was talking about how. It was only starting in the seventies that they would allow somebody not born in the neighborhood. Somebody not born in the neighborhood. To be baptized in the neighborhood church. And that was just because that was when home births. We're going out and hospital births were coming in. And so people weren't going to the hospital to have their babies. Because they didn't want their babies born in the wrong. Stop it. Cortana. Stop it. It's. It's wild. It takes Auburn Alabama rivalry. It takes. Florida. And like says, hold my beer. It is. And all of us watch this. It's a sea. I can't remember her name now, but see in. Um, there's the. Like the patron saint of see in a is a woman. Catherine, maybe. Who was born there. And they credit her shoot that was nothing. What girl they got her phone. They got her thumb. Don't display. And they bring it out. No. For the race every year in the. Rebs out. Rebs a horse's nezes with the thumb. They don't. Yes, they do. The thumb is right there, Katie in the glass case. Stop it. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. Um, she. She was a. She was a. She was a wild one. She. I'd like to. How did they not put her in the insane asylum? How did they decide instead that she had been touched by God? But they did. Right. Same. Same. I love that. I love all of that. It was fascinating. I was wondering if we would have to go back to the dinner for sure. Yeah. Yeah. And then. Then we rented a car and drove from Florence to. Port of a nonry, which is where we were saying for the next little bit. We stopped in Pisa, and I will say that. that Pisa is like the one place where we all kind of had like a breakdown and really it was just Louis who had a breakdown but that was okay. And because we were not listening to him about what I was saying was he out of fun facts. He we were not listening to him. We came to directions and he just didn't understand why we would listen to him. It's like, dude, it's fun. Um, is he met y'all? Right. So, uh, but anyway, I was the driver and we were driving in Audi. Uh, we, me and the mouse in my pocket were driving in Audi. Love it. Um, and I guess I have this experience oftentimes when I rent cars because you know, I drive a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. Yeah. These new, signaled cars with all their alerts. Yep. This particular one would be every time you went over the speed limit. Oh, that's annoying. Every time and not just like you went over the speed limit one time while you were driving. I mean, you slow down and then you go over the speed limit again and it beeps again. I can't even tell you how annoying it was. And then when we were in Pisa, Italians can't park worth a damn. And this is a bigger car than I'm used to driving anyway. And trying to find parking in Pisa had already been a challenge. And anyway, we finally find a parking place. But when we're backing out, I'm having to do like a 15 point turn to back out. And, uh, there was a tow package on the back of the Audi. And so at some point, I'd knock the house. Like, how the hell does it hit that hard? Well, it was the tow package. And it made some sensor go off. So everybody's convinced that it's the tire and we're going to have a flat tire. I'm like, no, that's not what it is. It's fine. Anyway, it was it was like one of the fancy computer things. And it was fine. We never had a flat tire. But like, so listen, we made a deportive and it was gorgeous. And north, I've never heard of that. It's so chiquitera is the more common commonly known. And there are five villages, their own little, the, the querian city. And yes, they are north. There's five hours north of the frame and about two hours north on the sea. And so the problem being, the only way to, you don't want to drive like, there's definitely nowhere to part in chiquitera. Like, used to be up until like 20 years ago, the only way to get a rail, not 20 years ago, longer than that. But initially, the only way to get between that little towns was to hike. And so they, they do have like a hiking trail that connects them all. Yeah. But then they eventually built trains. And so there's a train that runs from all the little little villages, but that train did not come to Port of an area, which is where we were staying. And so the way for us to get to chiquitera was to take the ferry from Port of the United. And it goes to all the little five villages, but the problem being, the ferry was closed because of the weather. So then it's like, oh, okay, well, I guess we'll stay in Port of an area, which was fine. Yeah. And it'd be in fact. I said that I might have three lemon chillies, sprints as it went accidentally. And then did some shopping. Accidentally. Oopsy. Oh, let's see that's, but and then the next day we had a guided tour of chiquitera like all day, but that day the trains were on strike. So they would say they were on and then they would cancel. It was like and real adventure, but we made it. We made it. What a train eventually came and then we took the ferry. And so that was beautiful. Going to each little, there was some recent Disney movie that was written by a guy who grew up in Vernazza. Okay. And I came up in the movie, but it's, there's some Disney movie that if you know of the Disney movie, this based on the Italian coast, it was one of the five villages of chiquitera. Vernazza. Yeah. So we went there. We had lunch here. And so that is all pesto and faccaccio. Okay. And mussels and intubis. And then they have a little their own little specially pasta called trophy, which is just a little short noodle. Okay. And I have a lot of olive oil vineyards and vineyard vineyards. So that will continue to quest. So we did it. And he switched because most of their wine is white wine. So he did sort of switch to white wine. Okay. But at that point, he had he had had a few of his favorite red wines too. So he was really wine, wine connoisseur. I love that. I love that for him. Yeah. Yeah. And we did a sunset tour the last night, which was great. It was beautiful. And then y'all said then, Candice, it said, I think y'all are going to want to go back to Rome a day before your flight because you fly out at like nine o'clock on Monday. So I think y'all are going to want to spend the night in Rome. And we're like, yes, sure. So she said, I'll get y'all a hotel close to the airport. Okay. Great. Now typically, when you get a hotel close to the airport, you're like, you know, at a hotel six. Yep. We tell y'all about the hotel that Candice booked for us close to the airport. It's a spa hotel. Oh. And it's it's sort of like if you took the cloister, you've ever been lucky enough to get the cloister. And they have they have a pool, they have the hot tub, they have like a wall, they have a sauna, you know, they have all the things. This place was that times about five. Whoa. Whoo. So it was like they had all these little, it felt like a little square. So like Florence, we had all these different little squares everywhere. And in every square, there were like two 12 person hot tubs and two six person hot tubs and then a labyrinth. And then in the next square, there were two 12 person hot tubs, two six person hot tubs and a sauna. And then in the next square, it was all of that. And then it was just a room with all these jagging like swings. It was bizarre than the floor catches you to swing to swing. It was so bizarre. And it was packed out with all kinds of romantic, little couples and us. Several like bachelor, yeah, several like bachelor at parties. And it will was like, we are in a cult. This is a cult. Everybody is dressed in that this he was so uncomfortable y'all. It was the circle. He's like, this is what's this? What are we? They tell us we have to wear these robes. I'm like, you can't walk around in your ringer? No, they said you have to have this robe. Oh, because I went pay me attention at check-in. He's like, no, they said you have to wear the robe. So everybody walk around in their robes. He's like, oh, and he's like, you better buy hay or they're going to sacrifice it. So we get we get to the happy hour and they had salamis that look sort of like thumbs. And he's like, well, you know what this is? These are the people who miss the hay. They didn't wear the robe. They made them into sausage. Yeah. It was so funny. It was bizarre. It really was bizarre. But you know, I think if you were going on your honeymoon to Italy, like you might say there the first two nights and just sort of unwind a little bit. But then I thought, I don't know because it was so crowded. I don't even know that I would recommend that. Yeah. Anyway, it's the Emily Fleaheim. I love that. Here we are. Yay. So yeah, it was a good it was a good itinerary. Like a first visit to Italy. Yeah, that was a good itinerary. It was a good overbeam. It seems like you hit several of the places. Right. Without trying to do too much. You know, like we didn't do Dennis. We didn't do Naples. We didn't do like Clomo, you know, like we purposely sort of step to one side. So yeah, but it was good. It was awesome. Good good. I love that. I love that. Well, you kind of told us about your fall. I did have one question about food. I hope maybe you'll answer because I saw you did a couple of classes and things. There was a Pesto maybe class. Yes. Well, so what from your trip food was do you think you'll start doing at home? Like what did you what did you bring back with you like skill or hey, I've never thought about that flavor combination or I really love this. I can recreate it here. What did you bring back with you that way? Yeah. So we did two taking classes. We did one in Florence and one in Port of an area. In Florence, we did it was a pasta making it pasta in gelato making class and so we made the pasta and then they made so we like made the pasta day and then it has to rest for 30 minutes. So we made it and then they took it off to rest while it was resting they made just a fresh tomato and basil sauce right which I make all the time. Yeah. Of course, everybody in my family was like oh wow have you ever done that? I will say one thing like said in that class one thing I learned in that class was other than making pasta because I've never made pasta before but they were talking about how the middle part of garlic like when you slice a clove of garlic the very middle sort of section they said is undigestible. So they always pull out that very middle section of the garlic clove and toss it. Had never heard that. I don't know how true it is. Okay. That's what they had said. Well, if the Italian said about the early end, it's the right. Right. So they made the tomato and basil sauce and then they made a pesto and then they made the base for the gelato and then they brought the pasta day back out and we rolled it out and made a tagletelli and ravioli and I will definitely be making homemade pasta. I already bought the double-sira flower. So they use double-sira flower and eggs and like that sort of it. Maybe a little water or camera if there's water and they're not and you just mix it out together and then you need it and then you let it rest for 30 minutes to an hour and then you bring it out and you roll it out and like I can do that. You can really do that. So I'll definitely be doing that. And then the pesto, it was funny when we told the people in Florence that we were doing a pesto making class in Port of an area they were very excited because they're like oh that's the good pesto that's the really yeah and so that I don't know that I will do it with a mortar and pestle just because why it takes a lot of arm strength and you can do it in the food processor. But he the recipe he used I will say both of them used less garlic than I have ever seen in a recipe that I've made before. Like a lot less garlic. Like the recipe we made was it was for two people, he said it made enough pesto for two people and I would say it was probably a cup of basil probably and he used a fourth of a clavagarlick. So yeah is that because the herbs are so much better and the olive oil like the other ingredients you want to highlight? Maybe the olive oil but I don't see how the basil would be. Yeah. Yeah any fresher than what we grow and pick right out of our own pot. Right. I mean the olive oil yeah I did I did by a little case of olive oil. I'm going to add some olive oil to bring it to so I'll be using that. But yeah so I think I will definitely make like I said I've already bought the flower to make the homemade pasta. The other thing when we were making the taglottelli he said what you do when you make it is we've seen those like nests of you know taglottelli or popper d'elli or whatever. Um he said you roll it out make your nest and then freeze it like whatever portion you want to freeze it in go ahead and make a nest of that size and then freeze it and then that way when you want it you can you know without having to make homemade pasta you just pull it out and there you go you get your homemade pasta. Yeah. I guess. Okay I'll be doing that for sure. Awesome. I love that. Yeah. But yeah everything the food was just yeah it was all just very simple great ingredients. Yeah delicious. Over everything. Um I tend to do that in the winter because things aren't as fresh but like in the summer. I think I'm better about just being simple like an ear of corn. If it's good silver queen corn that's what I'm going to do and I don't need it to be you know all the things. So um yeah. Of that that it's very ingredient based there to yeah I like it. Yeah. Sure. We're going to have to do some research then on what they eat in Milan for when we have our February dinner. That's all right. Because there's no such thing as Italian food Katie. No I will not be making a carbonara because that's not from that region. That's from Rome. There we go. That's from Rome. And I know that. Thank you. That's right. That's right. The things you learn. The things you learn. So there are a couple I have taken those and I got your travel tips and I love these things like bypasses to skip the one. But you do have a couple of favorites in here that you found. Um that um I wanted you to highlight for us as your travel favorites. Yeah. So the last time I went to Europe was 20 years ago when I was doing study abroad and I went for two minutes. Um and I had entirely too much luggage. And then when my friend Sherry came to spend the had 10 days in between a study three weeks and doubling in three weeks in Prague and I had 10 days in between and Sherry came over and we went to Barcelona and Pervance in those 10 days and she had brought her gigantic Hartman roller suitcase and navigating train stations in Europe with a gigantic suitcase is a mistake. So um I told my sister before we left she and I both have the cow pack duffel which we love. But it's not easy carry. Right. It's not said that we hope that duffel and that's not easy to carry. And so I thought well let's I think I want to get a backpack and two I just clicked on it. Great. This was a different trip than the one I took when I was you know 25th. Um but we did we did still have a moment where we had to walk the rental car place in Florence was about three blocks from the train station which is where the garage is that has the cars. So we had to walk with all our luggage about three blocks and I was real glad at that point that I had. Yeah. It's just my little roller suitcase and then this backpack. This backpack holds as much as your carry on roller suitcase. Let me tell you. Really? Um it holds it. Yeah. Yes. It will still fit under the it'll fit under the seat in front of you. I was glad to find out. But it is it will hold a lot. So just I recommend that. It was good. I liked it. It came in handy. My other thing that I got these before we went to Chicago for spring bright last year and they're sorrel sneakers. And so there's sort of a good bridge between a fashion sneaker and a sneaker sneaker. And they're like you know they're big. Their profile is big like a sneaker sneaker but they look more like a fashion sneaker. Yeah. And they are waterproof. So those aren't the exact ones I have but they're like similar. Okay. Um and they were my they were my MVP for sure. Um the other she I took I was trying to find I couldn't find it. We found it at Nordstrom Nordstrom rack. It was a little tree torn sneaker. Um the tree torn about the size of a data song. Right. My two. Um but it was sort of like the the same size as a Samba. Um but it was a tree torn. It was also very comfortable. Um all of those along with my Bamba socks. I love it. I love a Bamba. I yeah that's it when you get out your definitely like don't try to take key cheese. Just don't like take your sneakers and be good with it. Because otherwise you're gonna die. You're gonna die. Yeah I'm old enough not to care anymore about purchase cheese. Yeah. On a European trip. I can't remember people laughing at me when I went 30 years ago. Yeah. 20 years ago. Whenever it was because I wore my tennis shoes with my dress even then. Yeah. I don't care if y'all gonna laugh at me all you want to bring it on. Yeah. I love it. I love it. Well that's amazing. If you don't follow her on Instagram what are you even doing? But I feel like I got to kind of go along with you. You did a lot of great stuff and brought us some good content and some pretty pictures and some funny videos. Um and so I was really thankful that you did that. So um it's good to have you back stateside the maim. Thanks. Thanks maim just in time for some baseball to heat up. The bandy boys. What are the number one seed in the college base. Right. All world right. All Bernice hosting a regional. Look at us. All Bern's like ranked third I think. For us I believe I could be wrong that could be wrong. Could be wrong. And then um Ronald and Kunia jr first at bat off the DL. It's pitch. First pitch baby. It's a home run. I was like. Not please tell me. Mandy is watching this. I wasn't watching it but I did see it. Precincter after um not that it has helped her raise the win at all but hey. Hey. The cups are looking good. Yeah that's all that's the only thing we can say right now. The cups are looking good. I love it. In vain. In vain to get hot at just the right time. Yeah. Yeah. It should be a good couple of weeks of baseball. Yep. So we're good. You're just you know catching up on sleep and work and all the things. As much as I can without internet access. Well there's that. Cause listen that's what you need when you get back from being gone for two weeks is no internet access. Yay. Yeah. Yeah. Um but listen you've got a big week ahead may I'm. I do I do on many levels so the first thing is camps have started so we are not allowed out here on the campground. We're we're we have feelings about it both ways. Honey and I love having this place to ourselves but right now it's overrun with people so we have some thoughts. Um so that's fun. Um honey's also allergic to something so there's a lot of scratching going on. Um but I have to go drop her off tomorrow at the vet to have a little um fee uh fiesta vacation. Well I got to make in because I'm being commissioned on Monday and I'm very excited. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Kind of a culmination of my year was graduation and now um with the Methodist Church I will be commissioned on Monday night at 7 30. I don't you know it's late. I'm going to be up really late during the annual conference and I'm preparing my spirit for it. But it'll be good it'll be good to see all my people it'll be good. 7 30 is really like. Well that means it won't be ever till 8 30 and that's passed my bedtime officially so. Here's a reception anyway so it'll be good it'll be good it'll be good but um I'm really excited I'm gonna wear my red shirt in it'll be really precious and um the ones of us who are being commissioned are gonna read scripture and my scripture did know if you knew this was in the Bible is about nats and it's very ironic that living below the netline now I get to read scripture about nats so there we go it'll be good. Listen someone born and raised right someone born and raised below the netline I'm not at all I'm not at all surprised that nats are mentioned in the Bible. Yep. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yep as AF 51 so that's what we're doing um but I'm very excited it'll be a sweet sweet. Okay um and I'm just thrilled so um I'll be glad to have this in the review mirror so I can start working toward ordination. Good we're thrilled for you my friend thank you thank you I'm sure there'll be a red shoe picture out there somewhere um and I appreciate of course all the love and support that I have gotten so um yeah well friends it's been two weeks but we enjoy yeah right yes we have missed you we love you we're um I have gotten to see some of our people um I went to garden club party and saw our listener friend Heather and she was like I don't know if I want made it to be gone for two weeks but she's also going to Italy so I know all of this will be very helpful for her. Oh good yep yes yes can you have any questions Heather? There we go there we go all right well y'all have a wonderful week and we will be back next week and I'll tell y'all about the red shoes bye y'all
