Jewish Ghetto

Day 11: Monday
Week two of class already! Today we discussed Shakespeare’s Coriolanus, and I hatched the perfect Machiavellian idea for my paper due on Friday. I’ll save that for later. After class we went up to the Accent center desk where I found a brochure about the cat sanctuary at Argentina, aka all the cats that wander on the ruins are spayed or neutered and vaccinated, and you can pet them. Dylan and I are going to spend hours playing with the kitties! Then we tried to find this place to eat they recommended for us, but we couldn’t find it, but we ended up wandering through some really cool places. First, we found the market in Campo de’Fiori that had amazing-looking fruit, so I can’t wait to get back and eat some. They also had penis-shaped pasta! Then we wandered through the Jewish Ghetto, and it was not only a beautiful little area, but there was cute Jewish stuff and cute Jewish boys everywhere! We got to wander through three times because we were lost. I loved it! Finally we gave up on trying to find that restaurant decided to eat at a random place we found. I had ravioli with ricotta and spinach. Then we came back home for nap/siesta. We did that for many, many hours, until finally at 9pm we were hungry, so we made dinner, then we went down to the boys’ room to plan our Naples trip this weekend. We picked our train times, found a hostel, figured out how to get to Pompeii, and decided on what we want to see in Naples. We’re leaving early Saturday morning and coming back Sunday night. We just have to make it through the rest of the week…and this paper, which I am off to start planning.

The Pope

Day 10: Sunday
Today was a day for the bucket list! I woke up at 7:30am to go to Vatican City, despite the fact that I only went to bed at 4am. Kari and I made our way down to the boys’ room and met up with Joe and Brandon where we proceeded to the tram. We met up with Brandon’s parents at the end of the line and got on the 64 bus. After we got off, we rounded the corner, and there was St. Peter’s basilica! The line to get in was HUGE since it’s free on the last Sunday of the month. It moved pretty quickly though, so it wasn’t too bad, and it gave me plenty of opportunities to take pictures of the “square” (which is actually an oval). 

St. Peter's Square and Basilica

Finally we made it through the metal detectors and into the largest church in the world. The beauty of the inside is impossible to capture in words or pictures, and there is no way to even soak it all in standing inside staring up and all around for hours. There is intricate detail in every corner, and it makes me wonder the significance of every single one. We walked around for a while, but the guards kept ushering us away from places and telling us not to take pictures. They were all so attractive! We realized that mass was starting in a couple minutes, and since Joe and Kari wanted to, we decided to go. I thought it would be an interesting cultural experience from a secular observation point of view, and it was. We got to sit right next to the Papal Alter under St. Peter’s basilica. Almost the entire service was in Latin and sung, and I had no idea what was going on until Communion, and before that it was up and down, up and down. They gave us programs, but they don’t really help when you don’t speak Latin, so Brandon and I just sat and enjoyed the general splendor of the church. There was even a statue that resembled angels playing basketball. I found myself wondering at some point how they change the lightbulbs in the ceiling. We also learned that the canopy over the Papal Alter designed by Bernini was made from bronze stripped from the Pantheon.




 

Inside the Vatican



After the service we decided to ditch the plans to go up the dome since it was already getting late and we wanted to make it to the market still. When we got outside the “square” was full and no one was moving. It was so crowded and everyone was pushing in every direction. Well all this was for good reason, because a couple minutes later Pope Benedict XVI himself appeared at a tiny window very far off to offer blessings. I took some pictures, but he was so far away that all you can really see is white stuff through a window. After we pushed our way through the crowd for probably 15 minutes, we finally made it out and could breathe. Then we found some Swiss Guards, so we stopped to take a picture, and one was pretty cute!



With the Swiss Guards


Then we made our way to the bus stop to head back to the market. It was the most crowded and craziest bus ride I’ve ever been on. Italians are literally nuts. All the drivers were going wherever they felt like, and pedestrians were doing the same, then getting mad at the cars and buses in their way. I have never heard so many horns honking at one time in my life. People tried to get on the bus when it was clearly over capacity, and yet the bus driver still stopped and opened the doors! One guy literally pushed the doors open and then pushed the people at the doors in so he could get on. After weaving through traffic and marveling at the insolence of Italians, we finally made it to Argentina, got off, and got on the much less crowded tram. By the time we made it to the market it was already starting to close down, but I was on a mission to buy a hairdryer, so I finally found one, along with a straightener, for 18 euro. We wandered through the market where, lo and behold, there actually was an end! At that end, there was a McDonald’s, and we, being hungry and being Americans, decided to abandon our shame and eat. It was crazy busy, so the Italians can’t judge. Then I went home, eager to shower and use my new hairdryer and finally have normal hair, where I was dismayed to find that it doesn’t plug into any of our outlets, just like our iron. So, curious about why Accent would provide us with an iron that doesn’t actually work and suspicious of our apartment’s outlets, I sent them an email asking about the iron, so hopefully they can guide us in the right direction, providing me with the answer to the hairdryer as well. At least my straightener works. I showered anyway and let my hair dry, and I’ll fix it tomorrow before class. I uploaded my pictures to facebook, and then it was time to sit down and get serious about reading for class. I finished Act 3 of Coriolanus before I fell asleep, and after I woke up I skyped my family for an hour. I got to see my kitties!!! Things seem to be the same at home, but I was jealous of their day off tomorrow for Memorial Day. After skyping, I finished Coriolanus, made dinner (penne with tomato sauce again), and then took a break to look through my Rome travel book to make a list of everything I need to see before I leave. It seems like a large list, but a lot of it is Vatican stuff or things we’re going to see for class. One day I want to an Angels and Demons visit, and there is also much more at and near the Forum that cannot be missed. There seems to also be a lot of cool stuff in neighborhoods we haven’t even been to yet, so we’ll have to check those out sometime too. I had planned on watching the Italian Cup, but I had to finish my reading, and that took me the rest of the night, especially with the interruption of fireworks after the game ended. They were all over the city but I couldn’t see any of them. Finally Elli returned from Spain, burnt like a lobster, and the evening began to wind down outside as the sirens, cheers, and fireworks faded away. We have to walk to class tomorrow because of the transportation strike, but the walk is beautiful anyway, so I don’t mind that much, except that I have to get up a bit earlier. Hence, time for bed!







Dylanism

Day 9: Saturday
Lazy Saturday! I finally got to sleep in, waking up at 11am. I showered, but I had hot water for all of five seconds, then I had to wait a couple minutes for it to turn hot again, which is really annoying. The shower is annoying enough because it’s soooo tiny, and there’s nowhere to put the shower head, so you have to hold it and put it down to shampoo your hair and everything. After my shower, I realized I didn’t have any milk, so I had yogurt for breakfast. Then Kari and Kelly and I went to the grocery store where I was able to get milk. When we got back I made lunch: penne pasta with tomato sauce and grated cheese. I was pretty proud of myself! Then I decided it was time to get some reading done, so I read some of Shakespeare’s Coriolanus, but gave up and took a nap, which lasted until about 5:30pm. Then I made myself some sandwiches for dinner and continued reading. Around 9:30 we decided to go get gelato and hang out with the boys, so Kari, David, Joe, Brandon, Dylan, and I went back to the gelato/bar place from last weekend and this time I got some chocolate kind that I didn’t know how to pronounce. Then we had fun just hanging out in the room for the rest of the night. We decided to get up early and go to the Vatican tomorrow, which I am really looking forward to, despite not being a Catholic. The mere history held within the walls of Vatican City is amazing, and there’s no way to pass that up, no matter what religious beliefs one holds. And maybe I'll see some cute Swiss Guards! 

Machiavelli

Day 8: Friday
Finally Friday! After class Kari and I wanted to go shopping, but first we decided to go home and eat (trying to save money yaaay!) and also drop off our class stuff. Well we did that, but we also ended up just siesta-ing for a couple hours too. Elli got ready and went off to Spain for the weekend, and I took a glorious nap until about 3:30pm, when I woke up to find that we had all made plans to go shopping/out to eat/to the Spanish Steps. And when I say all, I mean me, Kari, Breanne, Sarah, Kelley, Mike, Alex, Chris, Brian, Don, and Andrew. Around 4:30pm we set out, but by the time we got to the Spanish Steps, some people were hungry and wanted to eat, so we split up, since our group was too large anyway, and some people ate while Kari, Mike, Alex, and I went to the Villa Borghese to enjoy the view and the park. This time we found a bust of Machiavelli and took pictures with him, although his nose was missing. We are so PTCD, I hope Professor Petrie is proud.

Me and the Machiavelli Bust

We sat at a bench by a fountain and talked for at least an hour, then decided to head home to eat (once again saving money!) On the way home we stopped at a store so Kari could buy the shirt she’s been dying to get since she saw it over a week ago. So basically the shopping endeavor was a fail. I want to buy shoes! So we went home, but I don’t have Elli anymore to make me dinner, so I scrambled up some eggs with cheese, and that was a good enough dinner for me. After dinner Kari and I decided we wanted to go out, and Mike and David joined us. We went over by the Accent center, back to the Irish Pub we ate lunch at yesterday (which seems so much longer ago than yesterday). The bar was crowded so we sat down at a table, which is more expensive, but oh well, it was nice. We hung out there for a while talking, and almost altogether forgetting we're in Rome because of the atmosphere. After we moved on to a place we passed on the way there that had flashing lights and was playing music. We sat down and listened to the music for a while, and some people started dancing, and we were just about to when the guard came in and told them all that no dancing was allowed, which makes no sense if there’s a dj! So we left and decided to just head home, since it was about 1:15am anyway. We went back to Mike’s and hung with the boys for a little bit, but they went to bed, and it is definitely time for me to go to sleep very soon. I am looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow beyond belief. And so passed my first week in Rome. I'm looking forward to seeing what the next two bring.

Rain O'Clock

Day 7: Thursday
I really didn’t want to get up this morning, but alas, I had to. Class was class, but the best part was when we moved all the desks into a U shape, which is more conducive to discussion, to make us feel more like we’re in Case Hall. After class a few of us hung around to talk to Tobin, and then we (me, Elli, Kari, David, Joe, Brandon, Dylan) decided to try out an Irish pub we saw across the street from where Mario took us to get gelato. It turned out to be a really good idea. We were so excited to hear people speaking English and to see burgers and fries and chicken fingers on the menu. They were even playing American baseball on the tv. I ended up getting a grilled chicken wrap, but I had a bite of David’s chicken fingers and they were SO GOOD. And of course, the rest of the boys got Burgers. After our delicious lunch we were transported back to the streets of Rome, and we walked back up to the Vittoriano/Wedding cake to go to the top. We took a couple pictures of the outside because it is just so huge and impressive it’s impossible to get over, no matter how many times you see it. Then we paid seven euro each to take the glass elevator up to the top, which was a little scary but not the worst I’ve experience. The top wasn’t as great as I thought it would be, but it was still pretty awesome. We could see almost everything in every direction, except the direct right and left where giant statues were blocking the view, which unfortunately was the direction of our apartments. We chilled up there for a while taking pictures in every direction of the Colosseum and Forum, the Vatican, Pantheon, and just the city in general.



View of the Forum and Colosseum from the top of Vittoriano




Girls at Arch of Septimius Severus


After we went down we made our way back over to the Forum to take more pictures, since our tour guide lady yesterday walked so quickly she didn’t allow much time for pictures. We also wanted pictures with us in them instead of just the random ruins. We even took some of us dancing around on a beam. It's amazing how tan I am getting even only after a few days because I never tan at home even after the entire summer. After the Forum we were going to go to the Colosseum to take more pictures, but it was almost 3pm aka rain o’clock, and the most ominous-looking clouds yet were moving in, so we decided to turn back. We quickly went grocery shopping, then it was siesta time, and I showered, uploaded pictures, and read. I had planned on napping, but by the time I was done with all that it was already 7:30pm and time for dinner, so Elli made penne pasta with chicken breast and tomato sauce. Then we all decided to go out (the same group as lunch minus Joe and Brandon plus Amanda and Brad). We had been unsuccessful in the past at finding bars and people in our neighborhood, but we finally found where everyone hangs out, and there is a beautiful piazza nearby (of course there is, they’re everywhere). First we came to the piazza where there was a street performer, so we watched him for a while and he was pretty entertaining. Then we just wandered around for a while and enjoyed the general atmosphere and all the people, then decided to head home because we still have class in the morning. I'm looking forward to a full weekend spent in Rome!

The Big Pile of Old Rocks

Day 6: Wednesday
The big day. We made our way to the piazza designed by Michelangelo outside Capitoline Museums at 10am. It’s right next to the steps Mike and I climbed up the first night. Our discoveries on that little adventure keep turning up. We met Tobin Craig and waited for our tour guide to show up. Thankfully she was English, or at least spoke it like it was her natural language. She took us on a chronological tour of the Roman Republic and Empire. I’ll try my best to recount the facts from the tour, but if I’m completely wrong I apologize. First we saw the evidence of the very beginnings of Rome, dated to about 6,000 BC. She showed us the development of the area through drawings as people transitioned from hunter/gatherer to agriculture to infrastructure. Then she showed us what the Temple of Jupiter used to look like, and we learned an interesting fact about the Romans: They never went inside their temples, which leads some to believe the Pantheon is not actually a temple because it is obviously intended to go inside of because there’s the oculus. She also told us, although the temples appear to be made out of completely marble, early ones were made out of wood with terracotta covering, which made it only slightly more weather and fire proof than regular wood. Next she took us to a display where there were busts of Roman senators, consuls, and emperors. She told us how, during the Republic, men would give themselves attributes to make them appear older in their sculptures because old age and wisdom were more valued. We also saw a bust of Brutus (the man who saved Rome from the tyrannical rule of the Tarquins and helped establish Rome as a republic in about 509 BC), which was very different from the others because his eyes were white and the rest was bronze. It was so creepy, I thought he was going to wink at me. We also so an interesting painting depicting the story of the war between the Romans and the Albans where the battle was decided by a combat of two pairs of triplets, one from each side: The Curiatii and the Horatii. At the beginning of the fight, the Curiatii managed to kill two of the Horatii, but all three of them were wounded, while the remaining Horatius remained unscathed. Knowing he could not defeat all three at once, he cunningly decided to begin running. The three brothers began to chase him but because of their injuries they ran at different speeds, and Horatius was able to fight and defeat them one  by one, giving victory to the Romans over the Albans. I enjoyed seeing that painting merely because I knew the story behind it and its significance in Roman history. Next we entered a room which held the famous shewolf statue, but what was more interesting to me in the room was the list of every consul of Rome along the wall. One interesting thing we did learn from our tour guide, however, is that shewolf was also another word for prostitute, so, as our tour guide said, “the man who found and raised Romulus and Remus may have just had a wife with a night job.”



Shewolf Sculpture

Cupid and Psyche

Next we were led to a beautiful view of the Forum, which is blocked in the plaza by the second building of the Capitoline Museums because Michelangelo designed it to take attention away from the Forum and focus it on the Vatican. Another statue we saw but was not talked about by our tour guide was the statue of Cupid and Psyche. It was my favorite, despite the fact I know nothing else about it. It just looked so elegant. My favorite stop was a room full of busts of philosophers, but we spent barely any time there. They had Socrates and Aristotle and many more. Other things we saw include: The Dying Gaul, a giant bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius that was only saved because it was thought to be Constantine for some time, the Venus, and other assorted statues of various Roman emperors and rulers. By the end of our two hour tour of the Capitoline (barely enough time to see anything, and there’s so much beautiful and interesting art), we were hungry, so we began to make our way toward the Colosseum for our next tour, but stopped on the way to eat. We picked up sandwiches in a tiny little side shop, and ate a picnic lunch overlooking the Roman Forum.
After lunch it was time for our tour of the Colosseum! It is so large and impressive from the outside, but I was less impressed after we entered. We were given headsets so we could hear our tour guide, and they made us look like Secret Service agents. We made our way from the senators’ level up to the plebs’ level, the level which I thought had a better view. We got to listen to all kinds of little conspiracy stories from our tour guide, including a theory that the Colosseum was flooded during the 100 Days Games and then drained. She also told us a few nasty stories of certain things that went on in the Colosseum, but despite the grotesque reputation is has, only about 5% of the gladiators died during the spectacles. Interestingly, they had to pass laws saying senators could not fight, implying that fighting was seen as an honor, so many slaves chose the life of a gladiator because one could earn fame and honor.

Colosseum

Colosseum

By the time we left the Colosseum it was about rain o’clock (between 3pm and 4pm because it rains without fail everyday at this time), and the ominous clouds had begun to move in. We made our way to the Forum nevertheless, but we didn’t get to see much before the rain hit. We did get to see where Caesar was cremated, and, interestingly enough, we also found out that the ruins with the kitties from the first day is actually where Caesar was assassinated. Mike and I had no idea how important they were when we were looking at them. We also got to go inside the Senate house, although it was the one built by Caesar since he moved it. By now it was pouring, so our tour guide decided to leave it there, but I feel that we didn’t get to see a large portion of the Forum and I really want to go back, despite the fact that it’s really just an extensive pile of old rocks.

The Forum

The Forum

After the exhausting day of a basically five-hour tour, we siesta-ed the next couple hours at home. Around 7pm, we went down to the boys’ room to see if they wanted to go get dinner and try to see The Hangover 2, but they were already making dinner, so they invited us to join and we had delicious pasta made by Dylan. Then we set out for gelato and the movie, only one of which was successful. I got caramel gelato and even tried to order in Italian, but when we got to the movie theater they told us the entire thing was in Italian with no subtitles. Big surprise, we’re in Italy! Luckily I found a movie theater online that plays movies in English, so we’ll have to go back and try again later. We just decided to go home, and we hung out in the boys’ room all night.

Siesta

Day 5: Tuesday
What a contrast from yesterday. We woke up bright and early at 7:30am for class. We were relieved to find we had wireless in the classroom, otherwise we weren’t sure how to survive a three hour class. Surprisingly it wasn’t that bad. I did end up uploading my pictures from yesterday to facebook, but I also paid attention. Tobin Craig is just so excited about what he’s talking about that he does a good job of keeping your attention. He literally bounces off his feet when he's really into it. It's adorable. At one point he even used the map of Ancient Rome in the front of his Livy book to tell us where to meet tomorrow. We also had a 15 minute break in the “middle” of class which was really after two hours. That's James Madison College. After class Elli and I went to the hotel to see if they had my tennis shoes that I left there. Sadly they didn’t, so my feet are going to have to tough it out. We’ve been through worse (dance competitions, walking through all of Paris in two days, kicking in the commons area for dance team in high school), so I think they'll survive. After that we immediately went home and did as the Romans do: Siesta! We made lunch, which was delicious scrambled eggs with ham and cheese. Then we made our way over to the Trastevere train station, which is two tram stops away, so Elli could buy her tickets for Spain this weekend and so we could figure out how to buy tickets for Naples! When we got home it was time to chill: upload pictures, post on the blog, catch up on some reading, and, most importantly, nap. We did that from about 3:00 to 8:00, when we were starving and decided to make the tortellini and tomato sauce we bought. It was good, but Elli made fun of me for picking out the veggies. We cooked dinner while dancing around and blasting That’s Amore. After dinner I skyped Jordan FINALLY for about 45 minutes, and then it was time to wind down for the night and shower and clean up and get ready for bed. Tomorrow is going to be the day of all days. Hopefully my feet will survive. I’m dressing blatantly American tomorrow with shorts and everything because we’ll be in the touristy areas all day, so who cares?! Time to go to bed…perhaps read for class…I guess there’s that whole “study” part of this being abroad.

Vorrei un gelato por favore!

Day 4: Monday
What a day! We started off early at 8:30 to get ready to go to the Accent center. Elli and I were so proud of ourselves for figuring out the public transportation, which really was not that difficult at all. If we take the tram and then walk, it takes a little less than a half hour to get to there. The tram passes right by the hotel Mike and I stayed at, the park we went by, and the ancient ruins with all the kitties. The walk from the tram stop is beautiful, and the center is literally behind this HUGE impressive white building, which, once again, I have no idea what it is. We have to walk through this beautiful courtyard and a cute little piazza with a clock tower, which is why it’s called piazza dell’orologio. It was used to film part of Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn, and the building our classes are in was originally intended to be the official bank of the Vatican. 

Clock Tower in Piazza dell'Orologio

Orientation was pretty much what was expected since it was all the basic stuff we need to know/have already heard a thousand times, but there was some helpful information about trains and phones and other things. Our guide told us that if anyone is being nice to us it basically means they are trying to steal from us. After orientation, which took about an hour and a half, we went to the phone store and bought phones. I have a cute little Italian phone that is like the 2002 version of cell phones in the US. I even have my own Italian phone number! Then we went home where Elli, Joe, Brandon, David, and I decided to go grocery shopping. FINALLY. Elli and I bought sandwich stuff, pasta, yogurt, and stuff for the apartment. We went home and made delicious sandwiches with cheese and chicken and mayo. I was pretty tired by then and it was siesta time, but we didn’t have time to nap since we had to be back at the center by 4 for our Italian lesson. Our Italian lesson was helpful, but I was so tired I could barely stay awake, and it just kept confusing me because I kept thinking of everything in French. The written Italian is pretty similar, but spoken it is completely different. After about two hours of that, our instructor Mario took us to get gelato, but we had to order in Italian. On our way to the gelato we were walking down a small alley which Americans would not consider a road, but of course the Italians do, so we had to keep moving over for cars and vespas, and at one point a man on a bike came up and Brandon didn’t hear him, and the man basically pushed him out of the way to go by. It was pretty funny and very Italian. After that we were free, so Elli, Joe, Brandon, Kari, and I decided on a big adventure. We made our way to Piazza Navona, where we took a couple pictures, and I even met someone from Elk River! Next we encountered the Pantheon, which was awesome just to see. I liked the outside a lot more because it made it look so imposing, but the only cool part about the inside was the hole in the ceiling. Then we walked to Trevi Fountain, which was super crowded, but took pictures and threw in our coins anyway. It is kind of nice to be in the really touristy areas and know that no one is judging you for being American because everyone is a tourist. Also, the other Americans around make you feel better about how much less embarrassing you are than them. Next we made our way over to the Spanish Steps, which were very impressive, but also too crowded. Our final goal was to get to Villa Borghese, the “Central Park” of Rome. Finally, we climbed up the steps and suddenly the city was much much quieter. The sun was beginning to set as we walked along the Villa Borghese wall to the gate, with a beautiful view of the city next to us. By this point our cameras all started to die, so we only walked into the huge park a little bit, since we plan on coming back many many more times.

The next priority was our hunger, so we decided to just eat at a tourist trap restaurant because we didn’t want to go far. I ended up really liking the place we found. We sat down in the basement away from everyone else so it was quiet, except the strange mood music they were playing. We shared pizzas, which were good, but I prefer the pasta here more. We were all exhausted by then, but we had to make our way back home. We walked by the Trevi again and it was pretty at night, but still crowded. Finally, we got back to the tram station, and the last stretch of our journey was before us. On the tram there was a scary bearded man who was sadly most likely mentally insane. He threw his cigarette butt on the seat in front him and was talking to himself and gesturing at the no one sitting across from him. He kept spitting on the window and all over the tram, and at one point he put his hand in the shape of a gun and started making shooting noises, pointing his "gun" at us. By the time we decided it was time to get off the tram and away from him he was shouting something in Italian and everyone was staring at him. It was really creepy so we got off a stop early and walked the rest of the way. After that adventure it was amazing to finally arrive home and shower. Tomorrow is the first day of class and will hopefully be a relax day, since Wednesday is going to be the tour of all tours. Buonasera! 

Piazza Navona

The Pantheon

Spanish Steps

Throwing our coins into Trevi Fountain

The Market

Day 3: Sunday
This morning I woke up to the sounds of the market outside on the street. When Elli and I woke up, we immediately looked out the window,  but were too aggressive with the curtain apparently, and the rod toppled down onto our heads. After we overcame that obstacle, we looked out the balcony and there was literally market in every direction. 

We immediately got dressed and ate breakfast (special K and honey pops things) and got ready to go down to the market with Kari. It was literally huge. It never ended. We walked around for at least two hours completely overwhelmed by the market's never-ending tents full of the most random things imaginable. Shoes, antiques, jewelry, power tools, statues, children's toys, even old school microscopes. I bought some magnets for the apartment for 5 euro, a necklace for 10, and three scarves for 24 (I thought I had bought two but oh well, they’re cute!). After a while we got too hot and overwhelmed and hungry, so we came back to the apartment and made some eggs for lunch, since it’s literally all we have to eat because the grocery stores were closed. Inspired by our egg lunch, Elli and I decided to set out to find a grocery store, but the one we found was closed and the other mysteriously did not exist. But we had a nice walk up to the river and took pictures and had some gelato. When we came back I decided perhaps it was time to start doing my homework, so I read a couple pages immediately fell asleep. I read for about another hour after I woke, and then it was time for our meeting with Professor Tobin Craig. Apparently he's never had a cell phone before, so he was telling us about how he accidentally hung up on his wife when she called because she told him to push the button with the phone, but all he saw was a bracket-looking thing, and he pressed the red one, which apparently is the hang up button. We got a few essentials out of the way, then were gladly dismissed because we were starving. Elli, Joe, Kari, David, Dylan, and I went out for dinner at a place Elli and I saw earlier down by the river. I had fettuccine with cheese sauce and zucchini. We decided not to go out tonight since I’m already tired and I need to get a little bit more reading done still. We have to go to the Accent center tomorrow morning at 10, where we’ll have orientation all day. We also need to FINALLY buy groceries, find the phone store, and go to the train station. Tomorrow shall be a busy day, so it’s time to rest up.

Tiber with St Peter's

Cheeseless Pizza

Day 2: Saturday
What a first full day in Rome. It started off as an early morning, and Mike and I got breakfast, wandered around outside the hotel a little, and checked out. When we arrived at our apartments no one was here, so we walked around the area for an hour. Although all of Europe to me is amazing, I like this neighborhood less than the one the hotel was in because there's not any of the main touristy attractions around and I haven't found a park where I can sit and read. When we came back, we checked into our rooms, and I was the first one to arrive to our room, which has three bedrooms for seven girls, and we all share a kitchen and two bathrooms.

My Room

I started moving my stuff in, taking pictures of the apartment, and figuring out the internet. Soon everyone else started to arrive. Around noon they delivered a pizza, or at least what they called a pizza, despite the fact that all it was was crust and sauce. No cheese. No toppings. Needless to say it wasn't very good, but I was hungry. Around 1:30 we decided to go to the grocery store, which was an interesting experience. First, we couldn't find shopping cards, and trying to identify what was body wash was an endeavor that took at least ten minutes. Since I had to carry everything back to the apartment, I only bought shower stuff and milk, eggs, and cereal. At least I think it's milk, but I have no idea if it's skim or 2% or anything, and the eggs are brown. I will have to go back once I figure out what I need, but the landlady said tomorrow there is a huge market where we can buy almost anything, so I'm really looking forward to that. It's interesting and also frustrating how my mind automatically reverts into thinking in French here, merely because when people are speaking to me in another language it's always been French, so I automatically start responding in French. It was embarrassing when I said "oui" to the lady at the grocery store. Hopefully my mind will start to be able to process the difference soon, otherwise I'm going to be confused a lot. After we returned from the grocery store we had an apartment orientation. The apartments are really nice and there's a balcony in each room. I lied down to take a little nap and when I woke up Elli was here! We got all situated and then a group of nine of us decided to go out to eat. Of course a group of nine blatantly American Americans does not stand out at all. We found a restaurant that I liked very much, and I had tortellini with white wine, but I found the tortellini much more delicious. The waitress got a huge kick out of us trying to use Italian from our little phrase books. After dinner we found a gelato/bar where we had gelato and drinks. I got nutella gelato and a strawberry smoothie. By the time we got back to the apartments it was very much time for bed, and I'm probably going to pass out sleeping very soon. I'm looking forward to the market tomorrow, and we have the entire day free and a bus pass, so who knows where the day will take us! Arrivederci!

Elli and I with our Gelato

All Roads Lead to Rome

Day 1: Friday
They say all roads lead to Rome, but fortunately, so do a lot of flights! After leaving Amsterdam, I arrived in Denmark and quickly realized no one accepted euro, but I didn't want to exchange, so sadly I didn't get any souvenirs. I'm pretty sure I was the only American on my flight to Rome, but I slept most of the way. I remember waking up at one point and looking out my window and realizing I was flying over the Alps! After I landed I made it through the airport just fine, exited through the non-existent customs, and found a taxi. My taxi driver didn't speak a word of English the entire drive except "It's hot" and, when Time After Time started playing on the radio, he shouted "Cindy Lauper!" and started dancing and honking his horn to the beat. The drive was terrifying, and I'm not sure how we didn't hit any pedestrians or motorcycles. Finally I arrived at the hotel, and they let me in the room where I was relieved to find two beds. Mike wasn't there so I took a shower and then waited for him.



View out the hotel window

 When he arrived we decided to walk around the area a little. It's amazing to think that most of the buildings I'm seeing are older than the Constitution and any building in the US. We wandered into an area where we all of the sudden noticed ruins and ancient columns, but we had no idea what we were looking at, a feeling that is becoming all too familiar. And there were kitties everywhere all over the ruins!


Ancient Ruins

 Then we kept wandering and stumbled upon another area that seemed important yet we were unable to recognize. Turns out it was the Vittoriano, a monument honoring the first king of unified Italy, Victor Emmanuel. We climbed up a huge staircase and realized we could see the top of St. Peter's! Then we rounded the corner and there it was: the Colosseum! After taking a couple of pictures and still wondering where we were, we decided to go get something to eat and found an Irish pub. Mike and I shared a delicious pizza, then decided to head back to the hotel and call it a night. So ended my first day in Rome.


First View of the Colosseum



Vittoriano



And just like that...

And just like that, I’m on my own. Here I am, in Amsterdam, waiting to board my flight to Copenhagen, Denmark, which will connect me to Rome. My dad said goodbye to me at security, and as soon as I got through to the other side it was like my journey had finally begun. The first thing I did on the other side of security was buy some Jägermeister (not really). It's so exciting being on my own in a foreign country where I have no idea what the people next to me are talking about, although I spy some Americans across the gate (the Coach purse and lack of nice shoes gave them away). I wonder if people can tell I’m American! Perhaps I need to buy more shoes (I only have 9 pairs with me), and I am already looking forward to shopping! Also, I have only been in Europe for a couple hours, and already I’ve seen at least 50 attractive guys! Love it! Anyway, the flights from Minneapolis to Newark and Newark to Amsterdam were good, and I only have my flights from Amsterdam to Copenhagen and Copenhagen to Rome left. I am looking forward to a shower and sleep. It still hasn’t registered with me that I’m not going home until the end of July, about 70 days from now. Hopefully it will start feeling like I’m going to be here for the long haul when I move into my apartment in Rome. Until then, probably the next time I’ll be able to access internet, I’m out!

Champagne in First Class

All packed!

I've been working on packing my suitcase...

Tentative Schedule

I thought it might be useful to post where I'm potentially going to be when, although not everything is worked out yet.

May 21st-June 13th: Rome, Italy
June 13th-July 4th: Florence, Italy
July 4th-July 9th: Isle of Wight, England
July 9th-July 15th: Poole, England
July 15th-July 19th: London, England
July 19th-July 23rd ish: Dieulefit, France

Not sure when, but we're also planning trips to Pisa and Venice, and I might go to Paris. I'm not sure when I'm coming home yet. Maybe never.

Test

Well this is my little test post to see what everything will look like. Stay tuned because you won't want to miss the epicness that will be Rome, Florence, Pisa, Venice, Isle of Wight, Poole, London, Dieulefit, and wherever else the wind takes me in these next 12 weeks.