Travel With Me: Rome, Italy (Day Five)
Travel With Me: Rome, Italy (Day Five)

The full title of this magnificent cathedral is “Major Papal, Patriarchal and Roman Archbasilica Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and Saints John the Baptist and the Evangelist in Lateran, Mother and Head of All Churches in Rome and in the World.” It is the oldest and highest ranking of the four major papal basilicas and houses the cathedra (or seat) of the Roman bishop. As the Cathedral of the Pope as Bishop of Rome, it actually ranks superior to all other churches of the Roman Catholic Church, including St. Peter's Basilica.

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TravelHannah Schultztravel with me, rome, italy, san giovanni in laterano, archbasilica of st. john lateran, st. peter's basilica, pope, michelangelo, pieta, Pietà, keats-shelley house, museum, percy bysshe shelley, john keats, death, tuberculosis, poets, villa borghese, park, poetryComment
Travel With Me: Rome, Italy (Day Three)
Travel With Me: Rome, Italy (Day Three)

Our third day in Rome once again had a very, very early start: we needed to be across town to catch our tour bus to Pompeii at 7 a.m. This day trip, through Walks of Italy, was the second part of my Christmas present from my mom, and it was a highlight of the entire trip.

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TravelHannah Schultztravel with me, rome, italy, day three, day trip, pompeii, amalfi coast, seafood, baba, brandy, dessert, limoncello, walks of italy, mt vesuvius, circus maximus, colosseum, new year, new year's eve, fireworksComment
Travel With Me: Rome, Italy (Day Two)
Travel With Me: Rome, Italy (Day Two)

Our second day in Rome, Ryan and I woke up early yet again to catch the metro over to Vatican City. The last Sunday of the month, the Vatican Museums are free, and being the thrifty people we are, we were willing to brave the crowds to avoid the 17 euros each for a ticket. However, we did not anticipate how crowded it would be. When we arrived an hour before the museum doors opened, the line stretched ridiculously long, disappearing around the corner of the Vatican wall. Nevertheless, we persisted, standing in line for over an hour, and I’d say it was worth it—the line moved relatively quickly, and once we were inside, the crowds weren’t unbearable.

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TravelHannah Schultzrome, italy, vatican, museums, leonardo da vinci, sistine chapel, castel sant'angelo, river tiber, piazza navona, hadrian, roman, emperor, neptune, fountain, pantheon, pope, papal, basilica santa maria del popolo, piazza del popolo, sunsetComment
Travel With Me: Rome, Italy (Day One)
Travel With Me: Rome, Italy (Day One)

Our first day started bright and early at 8:30 a.m. for the Roma Antica Tour through Context Travel (this tour was a Christmas gift from my mom, and it was one of my favorite parts of the trip!). Our guide, Valeria, was an archaeologist who had studied at UC Berkeley and Oxford, and I learned more about Roman history than I could ever hope to retain. We began the tour by skipping the (incredibly long) line to the Colosseum, as Valeria explained that the holes in the walls we often saw in ancient Roman buildings were spots for metal clamps, as most of these ancient structures were overlaid with marble.

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TravelHannah Schultzrome, italy, travel with me, International travel, united, flight, blue roma, san giovanni, colosseum, colosseo, context travel, tour, palatine hill, romulus, remus, ancient, forum, trevi fountain, spanish stepsComment
St. Paul's European Christmas Market: A Festive Break from the Winter Blues
St. Paul's European Christmas Market: A Festive Break from the Winter Blues

The European Christmas Market is held on the roof of the Union Depot in St. Paul, and its festivities are based on open-air Christkindlmarkts that spring up in Germany, Austria, and other countries during the Advent season. According to the Market’s stated goals, they wish “to bring light to the dark of winter and add to the goodwill of the Christmas spirit.” When your winter lasts six months, it is a unique and heartwarming experience to be outside in the chilly air, enjoying food and handcrafted mittens and ornaments, rather than counting down the seconds until you can be inside again.

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TravelHannah Schultzst paul, minnesota, twin cities, european, christmas, market, union depot, german food, crepes, french, germany, german, schnitzel, pommes frites, currywurstComment
Thoughts on: [Presenting at my First Writer's Conference]
Thoughts on: [Presenting at my First Writer's Conference]

This weekend, I had the pleasure to attend (and present at) the John R. Milton Writer’s Conference at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion. The reading went well, and I really enjoyed USD’s beautiful campus!

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Education, Thoughts on: [Things]Hannah Schultzuniversity of south dakota, vermillion, john r milton, writer's conference, writer, author, panel, presentation, reading, USD, Minnesota State University, creative writing, short story, culture, literature, researchComment
Bray Park & Madison Lake: Hiking Minnesota's Lakes
Bray Park & Madison Lake: Hiking Minnesota's Lakes

On a beautiful last day of summer weather a few weeks ago, Kayla and I decided we wanted to take full advantage of one of Minnesota’s best features: its lakes. After the somewhat lackluster experience sitting beside Spring Lake in Mankato, I did some Googling and found that there was a park with hiking and a lakeside beach less than a half hour away in Madison Lake, MN. So we packed our bags and headed out to Bray Park.

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HikingHannah Schultzhiking, hike, bray park, madison lake, minnesota, mankato, bridge, swinging bridge, ropeComment
A Study in Empathy: The Reality of a Late-Night Car Accident from a Woman's Perspective
A Study in Empathy: The Reality of a Late-Night Car Accident from a Woman's Perspective

After my accident, I should have been focusing on checking myself for injuries, getting important documents out of my car, and dealing with the panic attack. Instead, I could only worry that I would become the next statistic that night, the next woman in the wrong place at the wrong time, the rationalization for all my fears.

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LifeHannah Schultzcar, accident, empathy, brett kavanaugh, woman, female, perspective, alone, panic attack, men, police officer, sexual assault, fear, cultureComment
Minnehaha Falls & Lake Bde Maka Ska: Nature Retreats in Minneapolis
Minnehaha Falls & Lake Bde Maka Ska: Nature Retreats in Minneapolis

Though you might not picture Minneapolis, MN, with its metro population topping 3.6 million, to be a haven for nature-lovers, that’s one of the best aspects of Minnesota: the state embraces and celebrates its natural beauty.

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Travel, HikingHannah Schultzminneapolis, minnesota, twin cities, minnehaha falls, minnehaha park, nature, retreat, uptown, lake bde maka ska, lake calhoun, Magers & Quinn, bookstore, bookshop, waterfall, song of hiawatha, longfellow, Mississippi riverComment
Forest & Prairie: A Tranquil Walk Through Linnaeus Arboretum
Forest & Prairie: A Tranquil Walk Through Linnaeus Arboretum

Located in St. Peter, about a twenty minute drive from Mankato, MN, is Gustavus Adolphus College, home to the Linnaeus Arboretum. This botanical wonderland was founded in 1973 by a botany professor at the college, Charles Mason, and his wife, Harriet Mason. The area is unique in that it incorporates all three of the major ecosystems in Minnesota: tall grass prairie, deciduous woods, and coniferous forest, allowing you to observe a wide variety of flora and fauna. With 130 acres, the arboretum gives plenty of room for you to wander, bring a picnic, or read on a bench surrounded by cascading blooms.

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Nature, HikingHannah Schultzdeciduous forest, woods, coniferous, linnaeus, arboretum, st. peter, st peter, minnesota, gustavus aldophus college, rabbit, tallgrass prairie, wetland, preserve, pine, sugar maple, oak, meditation, orchard, borgeson cabin, rose, formal gardenComment