HALF WAY!!!!!

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HI GUYS,
THIS IS ALYSON'S MOM. SHE IS IN A LOCATION WITH NO EMAIL FOR THE NEXT WEEK SO SHE CALLED ME AND ASKED ME TO UPDATE ALL OF YOU ON HER TRAVELS. SHE WILL CORRECT ANY MISTAKES I MAKE IN TRANSLATING HER PHONE CALLS, OFTEN THROUGH POOR CONNECTIONS. LET ME FIRST SAY, "I MISS ALYSON". LET ME ALSO SAY, I AM SO THRILLED THAT SHE HAS BEEN GIVEN THIS AWESOME OPPORTUNITY!!!
WEDNESDAY LAST WEEK, THE GROUP WENT TO THE VTICAN. IT WAS AMAZING. ALY WAS LOOKING AT SOME ART WORK WHEN SHE GOT SEPARATED FROM HER GROUP. SHE FOUND HERSELF ALONE, MILES AND MILES FROM HER HOTEL, AND OF COURSE SHE DOES NOT SPEAK ITALIAN. JOSH AND DAVE HAD EXPLAINED THE BUS SYSTEM A FEW DAYS BEFORE SO ALL SHE COULD DO WAS TO GET HERSELF BACK TO HER HOTEL. SHE BEGAN HER JOURNEY ON A BUS THAT SOON BECAME APPARENT WAS NOT GOING THE DIRECTION THAT SHE NEEDED TO GO!! SHE GOT OFF AND FOUND A TRANSPORT BUS AND GOT ON WHAT WOULD BECOME A LONG, TOUR OF ROME. IT EVENTUALLY ENDED UP IN THE AREA OF HER HOTEL SO SHE WAS RELIEVED TO BE "HOME". I'M SO PROUD OF HER FOR STAYING CALM AND FINDING HER WAY BACK😊
THURSDAY, THEY VISITED CLEMENTE, SANTA PRESSEDE, ST. MARIA MAGGIORE, LATERAN, SANCTA SANCTORUM, SAN CALSO ALLE QUATTRO FONTANE, AND SAN ANDREA AL QUIRINALE. IT WAS QUITE A BUSY DAY AND ALL AWESOME. SHE WILL HAVE TO EXPLAIN WHAT EACH OF THOSE PLACES ARE AND WHAT THEY SAW THERE.
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY WERE LOCAL DAYS OF SHOPPING, SHOPPING AND MORE SHOPPING. SHE ALSO TOURED AROUND TO SEE ANYTHING SHE HAD MISSED AS THEIR STAY IN ROME WOULD END ON SUNDAY.
9:00AM THEY BOARDED A CHARTER BUS AND HEADED TO SPURLONGA WHERE THEIR HOTEL WAS CLOSE TO THE BEACH AND THE GROTTO OF TIBERIUS. ALYSON SAID SHE SAW THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FLOWER GARDENS WITH FANTASTIC FOUNTAINS ALL THROUGHOUT THEM. SHE SAID THIS WAS THE MOST AMAZING SIGHT THAT SHE HAD SEEN SO FAR. THEY ARRIVED AT THEIR HOTEL, CHANGED INTO SWIMSUITS AND HEADED TO THE BEACH. THE BEACHES ARE NOT BEAUTIFUL WHITE SAND LIKE WE HAVE IN THE STATES BUT THEY WERE VERY NICE. THE GROUP BUILT SAND CASTLES, WENT FAR OUT INTO THE MEDITERRANEAN SURF AND JUST RELAXED. THAT NIGHT THEY HAD A "GIRLS" NIGHT. I'M NOT SURE OF THE NAME OF THE RESTAURANT BUT I DO KNOW THAT SHE HAD THE BEST, FRESHEST SEAFOOD THAT SHE HAD EVER EATEN. IT WAS A WONDERFUL DAY!
MONDAY, THEY BOARDED THE TRAVEL BUS AND SET OUT TO THE BAY OF NAPLES WHERE THEY WOULD STAY FOR THE NEXT FIVE DAYS. THIS IS WHERE THERE IS NO EMAIL SO SHE WILL WRITE NEXT WEEK AND CATCH US ALL UP.
THEY ARE STAYING AT VILLA VERGILIANA WHICH IS A LARGE BED AND BREAKFAST TYPE INN. THE OWNERS ARE WONDERFUL PEOPLE WHO ONLY SPEAK ITALIAN! THEY GROW ALL OF THEIR OWN FOOD AND IT IS THE MOST DELICIOUS FOOD SHE HAS EVERY EATEN. THEY ARE SERVED, BUFFET STYLE, BREAKFAST AND DINNER EVERY DAY. AT SEVEN IN THE EVENING, THEY RING A DINNER BELL TO SIGNAL THAT DINNER IS READY. SHE SAID THEY ARE LIKE PAVLOV'S DOGS AS THEY RACE TO THE DINIG ROOM. I ASKED IF THERE WAS A SHORTAGE OF FOOD SO THEY HURRIED TO EAT AND SHE REPLIED, "NO, THERE IS PLENTY OF FOOD. IT IS JUST SO WONDERFUL THAT WE ARE IN A HURRY TO GO SEE WHAT THEY HAVE PREPARED FOR US"! NOT ONLY ARE ALL THE VEGGIES, HERBS AND SPICES GROWN THERE, THERE ARE ALSO FRUIT TREES SO THEY HAVE FRESH HOMEGROWN FRUIT EVERY NIGHT.
THEY ARE ON TRAVEL BUSES DURING THE DAY AND BACK AT THE VILLA AT NIGHT. THEY ARE TOO FAR FROM THINGS TO DO AT NIGHT SO THEY HAVE A GIANT SLUMBER PARTY EACH NIGHT. THEY PLAY CARDS, WATCH MOVIES, WORK PUZZLES AND JUST HANG OUT WITH EACH OTHER. IT HAS BEEN A LOT OF FUN AND SHE IS GETTING TO KNOW HER FELLOW TRAVELORS BETTER!
BECAUSE THEY ARE ON THE TRAVEL BUS DURING THE DAY, SHE HAS BEEN ABLE TO READ. SHE FINISHED DAN BROWNS FOURTH BOOK!
WEDNESDAY THEY WENT TO THE HERCULANEUM. IT IS A TOWN THAT WAS COVERED COMPLETELY WITH MUD FROM A MOUNTAIN ERUPTION. THEY ARE EXCAVATING THE TOWN AND IT WAS FASCINATING TO SEE BEAUTIFUL MOSAICS AND PAINTINGS STILL HANGING ON THE WALLS. THEY ALSO WENT TO THE MUSEO NAZIONALE IN NAPLES. SHE SAID NAPLES IS NOT A CLEAN TOWN AND NOT A GOOD PLACE TO BE IN.
THURSDAY IS A DOWN DAY AND THEY REALLY ARE IN NEED OF IT - MORE ON THAT LATER!!
THEY ARE GOING TO SPEND THE DAY SWIMMING AT CAPO MISENO. SHE IS REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING TO GO TO THE BEACH AGAIN!
THEIR TRIP IS HALF WAY OVER AS OF WEDNESDAY. IT IS A GOOD THING AND A SAD THING. SHE IS LOVING SEEING EVERYTHING AND IS LEARNING SO MUCH AND IS THANKFUL FOR HER OPPORTUNITY. HOWEVER, SHE MISSES EVERYONE OF YOU AND IS MISSING HOME!
PLEASE KEEP ALYSON AND THE WHOLE GROUP IN YOU DAILY PRAYERS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THEIR TRIP. SHE IS THANKFUL FOR ALL OF YOU AND WILL TALK TO YOU SOON! MOMMA PAT

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