And finally...

The much anticipated picture of Pope Benedict XVI in Krakow, Poland.

St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.

Tiber River in Rome.

And even more...

Victor Emmanuel Monument in Rome.

The Colosseum in Rome.

The Pantheon in Rome.

The Trevi Fountain in Rome.

The Roman Forum.

And more...

Lemons in Positano, Italy.

Positano on the Amalfi Coast in Italy.

The beach in Positano, Italy.

Natural Viagra in Amalfi, Italy.

View out bus window on drive along Amalfi Coast in Italy.

And some more...

The Belvedere in Vienna.

View of Karlovy Vary from the mountains.

The Rose Garden in Vienna.

The Vienna Opera House.

Karlovy Vary.

More pics

The 18th century mansion "hotel" where Rachel and I stayed our last two nights in Prague. It's a part of the International Baptist Theological Seminary now. I needed to find some religion by the end of the trip. Dr. Wise's friend directs the seminary and the hotel.

St. Vitus' Cathedral in Prague.

Jewish Cemetery in Prague.

Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad), the famous hot springs town in the Czech Republic.

Window at St. Vitus' Cathedral in Prague.

Okay, the jet lag is beginning to hit, and I'm about to fall asleep. I'm not gonig to be able to finish posting these pictures or uploading them to Shutterfly. I'll work on it some more tomorrow and post when they are all uploaded.

Finally...pictures!

Okay, we've got some catching-up to do with some pictures. I've uploaded about 300 to http://www.whitmcb.shutterfly.com, but here are a few pictures of things I've mentioned in my last few posts. Here we go...

The view from the window of our classroom.

New Town Hall in Prague (the tower is where the Defenestration of 1419 occurred).

Grand Hotel Europa in Prague. You probably recognize if from a few movies.

Prague Castle and St. Vitus' Cathedral.

St. Vitus' Cathedral in Prague.

Coming home!

I had a GREAT time in Italy! It was a good way to end this trip, and as ready as I am to get back to Texas, I was still sad to leave Italy. I got to spend some time with some really fun people, and it was very much appreciated after the past five weeks here in Prague. Sorrento was fantastic, just like I remember. I enjoyed actually spending time on the Amalfi Coast in Positano and Amalfi rather than just taking the scary drive around the cliffs (which is also beautiful). I also went out to Capri and Anacapri, which was a new experience. It, too, was gorgeous. The southern Italians are so friendly and happy. Prague is a beautiful city, but I enjoy the culture and people of Italy and Western Europe much more.

I then spent four days in Rome, which was great. Rome is one of my favorite cities, and it was nice to have enough time to see it at a leisurely pace and to just enjoy being in the city.

It was seven straight days without my "roommate" and a few other study-abroaders from whom I needed a break, and I enjoyed it very much. That one great week made the five hellish weeks worth it. I got back to Prague last night and am staying in a hotel on the grounds of the International Baptist Theological Seminary with another girl from the program. It's out in the woods in an 18th century mansion. I'm in the city today to do some last minute shopping, use the internet, and pick up my luggage from my professor's house this evening, then I'll go repack tonight and catch a flight to Paris then Houston tomorrow morning!!!!!!!!!!! I'll be back in LBK at about 1 pm on Wednesday. I can't believe it. I remember having this feeling when I was in Grenoble (and even in NYC). It's so close, but it still doesn't feel real. Of course, Grenoble turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life...I now miss it greatly, and my Grenoble study-abroaders were much cooler people than the Prague study-abroaders. But these five weeks have been so stressful and maddening that I can't wait to be home.

I should close this Prague journal by saying that I greatly enjoyed my classes, my professor, seeing Prague, Krakow, the Pope, Vienna, and Italy. Those things have all been fun and have made this experience worth putting up with the bad times. And because I took two classes, I now have a two-month long break of which I will enjoy every minute.

OHHHHH. I have tons of great pictures of Vienna, Prague, Karlovy Vary, Southern Italy, and Rome to share with all of you. I will put them on Shutterfly on Wednesday. Check back here because I will post when they are up. Thanks for being patient and allowing me to avoid certain people by not borrowing their laptops to transfer my pictures.

See you all in Texas!