Roma è la mia Città per Sempre

Yesterday was wonderful. I woke up with Ginny and we went to the prati market (of course) to get our fruits, veggies, and cheese (cheap brie! hooray!). It got me up and moving for the day. After a quick bite I settled in to watch the season premiere of BONES! So excited with this season, I don't even care that I shouldn't be watching tv while I am living this incredible city. So after being cuddled up on the couch for half an hour my energy was lagging. I could either nap, or tag along with Kat and Sophia for their passagata. I got my lazy bones up to explore Roma!

The Itinerary: Circus Maximus to see the military exercises/fair, Santa Sabina, and "the keyhole"

We walked along the Tiber to Forum Boarium where they just finished graveling a little park so we stopped to soak up the warm November sunshine. Passing by la Bocca della Verita we approached the Circus Maximus. It was fenced off and swarming with people dressed in military uniforms. At first we were unsure if we were even allowed in because of the fifteen intimidating soldiers standing at the front gate, after watching a family with little kids go in we followed suit. We checked out a map which labeled each branch of the military and where their booths were. We saw tanks and planes and helicopters and boats and horses and lots and lots and lots of people dressed in uniform. It was like a fair ground! The Marines were a little disappointing in their gym suit windbreakers but they had a large pool set up in which they were sailing guests around! We saw a demonstration of a bomb/drug/tracking dog searching suitcases and finding the correct one, then we watched as they simulated a robbery and had the dogs charge the "criminals" who were wearing padded attire of course. They even fired blanks from guns which was startling but impressive because the dogs never flinched. When they finished the trainers rewarded the dogs with pats and played with them. After that we examined the scientific booth where they had posters about forgery and fraud and fingerprinting etc. Over top their dress pants and shirt these officers had long white lab coats! It was again not very intimidating just like the Marines. They even had fake Benjamins. It was a fun day to be outside and we enjoyed our stroll around the circus checking out all the displays.

Along the Tiber
Photo Cred: Sophia

Forum Boarium

Tanks!

Marines and sailboats

Want a Frati in Prati tank?!?

After that we strolled up the hill directly across the street from the circus in search of Santa Sabina (the circus was the only thing we actually knew how to find, the church and keyhole were educated guesses). Along the way we found a small walkway which was covered in ivy, then we realized once we reached Santa Sabina's garden that the walkway was nothing. In the garden they have a small orange grove and benches. The sun was reflecting golden glow over the city which we could view from the deck over the Tiber River. We just sat at the overlook looking out over the entire city bustling with life, the modern and ancient alongside one another just like they have been for decades. This is Rome. This is where we live, our city, home. It was a really nice moment to experience. I would highly highly recommend anyone in Rome visit this overlook and garden.

Kat and I in the orange grove

the overlook

Sophia and I and ROMA

Inside the church next door we were three of the five people visiting. The huge wide nave was empty of anything except fabulous marble. This is an old church in the original basilica style with a flat wooden roof and a clerestory with wooden carved shutters letting the light in. The apse had a beautiful naturalistic fresco which I admired but besides a few chapels it was a very barren church, in a nice way. I told Sophia I wanted to ballroom dance in the church, it had just the right atmosphere! Kat and Sophia obliged and did a little waltz for me. I might go back to that church it really had an impact on me, along with the gardens.

Aisle of Santa Sabina

Following Ginny's advice we turned right out of the church and kept walking until we saw it, the keyhole! from this spot all guidebooks and friends have promised "the best view of Rome" In this great big green door, above the doorknob, a hole has been drilled so the viewer can look through with one eye. The paint is worn away by years of hands pressed against the door as people look through. It was the perfect summary to our walk. I don't want to spoil the surprise but if you're in Rome you should take a peek. It brings a smile to my face just remembering it.

Keyhole

We strolled back down the hill past the circus, stopping in a cafe for an Earl Grey pettifor and Kat's first cannoli. Strolling along streets we've never seen, sort of aiming towards home we passed by a view of the Roman Forum from above and through the Campidoglio which Michaelangelo designed, through Piazza Venezia. Sophia pointed out la gatta on Via della Gatta for Kat and I as we wandered towards the Pantheon. It was finally dusk when we were at the Pantheon after a quick stop in a cioccolateria for a gift. After that we finally came home to change for aperitivi.

La Gatta

The Pepperonis are winding down their stay in the eternal city and invited the Prati and Centro (we are specifically in the Ponte neighborhood btw, learning something new everyday) apartments to aperitivi. We showed them one of the places we frequent more often and enjoyed a drink and some appetizers with them chatting about their day at the Vatican and trip to Pompeii. They really are lovely people. We keep the tour going for them and stopped by San Calisto as well as one of our preferred wine bars. All of us crowded on the steps of the fountain in front of Santa Maria in Trastevere sipping Peronis watching kids play ball was a really nice moment. I am lucky to have such great friends.

The Gang as captured by Mrs. Peppers :)

The parents eventually called it a night and we all trooped back to our apartment to change and try to located a club. The night fell apart, some people were tired/sick and those of us who did go out spent forty minutes strolling the streets of our neighborhood finding that Fridays are horrible nights to go to clubs in Rome. Everything is closed or booked for private parties. That was fine with me because it meant I could curl up in my bed for a good nights rest instead.

That's a great day to me.

Back Home

THIS WEEK!  I've been so happy this week! I think it's a mix of returning to Rome, my home, seeing all my friends again, and I've been out in the warm sunshine running nearly everyday ("Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands, they just don't"). After loads on loads on loads of laundry and only three or four trips to the grocery store I think I'm back to normal. On Saturday night Ginny Kat and I sat down to a wonderful meal together and then when our sweet tooths got the better of us we made baked apples with so many sugar glazes! haha it was a nice night to catch up and relax and sleep in our own beds.

On Sunday Kat and I shared one last fantastic adventure for Fall Break. Our good friend Principe Pepperoni's parents (le Grande Pepperoni or Pepperonis) flew in on Friday for a week to visit him. He, his roommates and our's were still in Paris when they arrived. He passed along Kat and my phone numbers because we offered to show them around a bit (even though they've been to Rome before) and take the out for aparativi or something. On Sunday they called :D  Kat and I had planned to visit the ghetto for dinner but that'll be here any old weekend, it's not often we'll have the honor of meeting the Grande Pepperoni!! So at their generous invitation we met them at their hotel for a glass of (excellent) red wine in the garden before going to dinner together. Nothing could have gone better that night. We've never met these people before, we've only known their son for two months and he wasn't even with us when we met them but they are so warm and friendly and easy to get along with our dinner was great fun! They are really awesome and we enjoyed our dinner. Can see where Pepperoni gets his cool factor (hint: both sides).

Sunday night our final travelers came home and we were so happy to see Julie and Sophia! They were exhausted from Venice, Nice and Paris and so happy to be home. Monday I only had my few morning classes and it was nice to see friends and hear about exciting adventures people had. Places I'm sad I didn't go: Venice, Paris, Prague, Istanbul (Hagia Sophia), Brussels, and there are many more. I'm glad we didn't try to squeeze more out of our break though, we were pooped. Monday was also Halloween! which is totally not a big deal in Rome. When we were in Dublin and Edinburgh we saw lots of Halloween decorations but returning south it's just not as popular. Since we're American and Tuesday was a national holiday (no school) we all dressed up anyway. I tried to be a smurf (un puffo) but that didn't work and I went for peacock instead! Thanks to Julie for the earrings. We went to La Masion which was free(!!) and had decent party music but it was a little crowded for my taste.

Black Swan and Kat

Everyone

Kat, Peacock, and a Wooster Bro (Beta?)

Tuesday was a holiday! We were all trying to deal with daylights savings (yes we're a week ahead of the US) and break and homework and laundry, also there were no open grocery stores. This is a major problem because we wanted to have a potluck in honor of le Grande Pepperoni that night but were having trouble getting ingredients. Thankfully Gatto was all set to make her homemade gnocchi (as good as that sounds, it tasted even better) and Fillippo's was open (hooray 24 hour bakery!). It was just a small group with the Prati boys, Hope, two friends of Hope and Pepperoni's from COW, and of course our guests of honor. They kindly provided us with wine better than I've ever had before, and possibly better than I will ever have again. They were sweet and remembered Kat and I mentioning we eat lots of nutella and olive oil so they brought some of those also! Everyone stepped up their game and the night was a great success! Food, friends and potlucks! After the Pepperonis called it a night and went back to the hotel a couple of us went out to Scholar's for karaoke night! Once there we found some more IES friends and danced to the early hours of the morning.

Party favors

Wednesday was bright and far too early in my opinion but Julie shook me awake and I was trotting to the Pantheon by 9:30. My Renaissance class went to Santa Maria Sopra Minerva which is a fantastic church and it is just about as Gothic as Rome will every be. It was funny after all my Northern Adventures and gothic churches to come back to Rome and visit one. We examined an altarpiece/chapel decorated by Filippo Lippi one of my favorites (his biography is kinda funny if you're looking for a laugh) as well as a statue started by Michelangelo but finished by his apprentice. It was a wonderful experience, thank you to Pier Paolo for keeping me awake! I grabbed a quick slice of pizza from Flippo's and came home to nap, blog, and do homework. When we got out of Italian at 6 that evening it was already very dark, so sad. Julie wanted to go running along the river and I told her she wasn't allowed to because it isn't the safest thing for a girl to do alone at night. The solution was that we would run together for a short run and we got excited to run together and chat about our fall breaks. We had a fantastic run, she kept me going at a good pace as we trotted along the river then up across Tiber Island and past the ghetto, along Via Guila, and home! We covered numerous topics but still wanted to talk more, maybe anther run sometime.

Santa Maria Sopra Minerva

Filippo Lippi's chapel

Thursday I had my two hour lecture for conservation followed by a trip to visit Augustus' monuments with Forma Urbis. Starting with a tour of the Ara Pacis (we were not given enough time to explore the Audrey Hepburn exhibit) which I am in love with, particularly the relief of Tellus and the breezes. We then stepped outside to admire the Mausoleum of Augustus before a short jaunt to the Sundial of Augustus. I spent a lot of our travel time chatting with our professor Gianni which is always enlightening. Thursday was also National Sandwich Day, I (unintentionally) participated, did you? When I went to Filippo's to grab a sandwich I of course was using my best Italian with Walter and then the gentleman at the register. The guy at the register wanted to know if I was studying abroad, which school (there are a couple close by), can everyone at my school speak Italian like me, what was I studying, etc. We had a small little conversation which was fun and only slightly embarrassing when I misunderstood him. It turns out he is Iranian and studying at universita in Rome also, and in fact is studying fisioterpia!! Small world. So I hope I'll get to see him again sometime and we can talk Physical Therapy.

Ara Pacis

Mother Earth/Tellus

Cimabue and garlands

Hope!

Thursday evening I went for another run because we got out of Italian very early. I am feeling more in shape and going for longer runs and feeling less winded, hooray! On my cool down I looked up in the sky and watched maybe ten flocks of birds all swooping and flying around each other above the Tiber. I've seen this before and in fact there are certain spots in Rome where priests used to watch the birds for messages from the gods. With the perfect soft pink and cotton candy blue clear sky in the distance and this mob of swirling black shapes above my head I was really happy. The temperature was great, my run was delightful, people were speaking Italian everywhere and I realized as I turned onto my street I was coming home. Rome has become my city and I am just a speck in it's great history, but I share that role with millions of people before me just as there will be tons of people to follow. I love it here. Last night was the first time I thought to myself, I never want to go home. Rome is now my home.

A clip of the flocks: Click Here

Fall Break: Nice is Nice

Thursday morning was early, we didn't even bother with breakfast until we got to the airport after Meredith got herself out of bed and walked us to the bus stop, what a sweetie. I cannot wait to see that girl again in fewer than 12 days. At the airport I enjoyed my last "american" coffee, since then it's been all espresso.

Once we landed at Cote d'Azur airport in Nice I slipped up a bit. I tried following the directions we were given to get to the hotel but they weren't the clearest. We took a bus to the other terminal at the airport we grab a bus to the wrong stop then walked to the train station then got a bus and missed our stop, I correctly asked for directions in french! thanks Madame Soloman, and then we walked past our street and turned around. Whew. Kat was a little peeved with me and I can understand that, we were both tired. Thankfully Hippopotamus was a great landmark. We stayed at Chez Patrick which had sparse accomedations but clean hot showers and clean beds along with the sweetest reception lady. They do not have 24 hours reception unlike Bunkhouse so I kind of liked that we were the only ones in the flat for a while.

It was only four o'clock but after travel and stress and so many timezones in a week we were hungry. So we went to Hippopotamus, a restaurant on the corner, for a quick bite which turned into an early dinner. Afterwards we walked the main drag enjoying the warmth compared to the North and all the lit storefronts. We stumbled upon a mini Notre Dame with beautiful stained glass windows. It's odd to see Notre Dame with palm trees around it! We poked our heads into H&M before settling down for a glass of wine in France. After that we were both ready for an early night and turned back to catch up on some zzz's.

Friday morning we got up and packed since we were flying back to Rome later that evening. Our reception lady very kindly let us keep our stuff at the hostel until we left for the airport. I decided at the last minute to leave my fleece coat there too and just tough it out with my sweater and scarf. HA! I took those off within an hour of leaving the hostel, t-shirt and jeans baby! I love Nice. We bought pastries on the street as we walked down towards the flower market, at the suggestion of our friendly lady. We saw brightly colored houses and hotels all along the street and ended up in an open piazza with a fountain, what a wonderful good morning that was. The flower market is an open air flower, soap, spice, veggie market which smells heavenly. Kat and I wandered then we bought brie, a baguette, and grapes to snack on at the beach. Best decision of the day. We crossed the road to the beach and enjoyed the perfect morning. The grapes even tasted like lavender!!!

It was sunny, warm, the waves were crashing as women swam and children built sand castles in the little patch of sand on a pebbly beach. Kat and I finally took off the shoes and waded into the surf a bit. At one point the wash from a cruise ship hit shore and we had seconds to grab our belongings and scamper up the shore as a giant wave collapsed onto the beach. A heart pounding moment that had everyone on the beach laughing from relief or despair if they weren't fast enough.I can't believe I was at the beach in late October and it was hot. Not just warm, hot. After we tore ourselves from the beach we walked along the coast and found the port with big beautiful sailboats and yachts. We stopped for lunch and I was politely corrected by our waiter when I tried to slip some Italian words into my French. Light salads were nice after heavy stews and Guinness. We stopped in a few bakeries/patisseries and chocolate shops soaking in the afternoon. We grabbed a croissant each and I had a meringue while Gatto bought an eclair and sat in the park enjoying the sunshine and we people watched and nibbled on our treats. More shopping/window shopping took place because we loved how cheap it could be compared to Rome.

Eventually, sadly, it was time to go. We figured out how to get to the airport much easier than how we left it thankfully. Our flight was delayed which meant we sat playing card games at the gate for a while and when we landed in Rome the trains to termini had stopped running for the night, so we had to splurge and take a shuttle back to our apartment. But oh how nice it was to be home. We smiled to each other then collapsed into our beds for the next ten hours. Nice was very relaxing and just the way we wanted to end our trip.

I have much to share about my time since traveling but school comes first! Off to Italian class now.
Ciao!

PICTURES

Baby Notre Dame

Foie Gras....

Not so bad
(Don't judge my burger, it had french cheese on it
and I obviously chose french fries!!)

Kat and Poseidon

The Flower Market

Hello ocean :)

Me in the ocean in France

Sand, rock, teal water, navy water

Nice is nice

Oh Gatto

Proud of these pics I took of my travel buddy

Our picnic

Coast line

Fall Break: Scotland with the BFF

After four wonderful days in Dublin Kat and I weren't ready to leave! Kat proclaimed in each city we visited "I could stay here. I could live here." and it was true. I loved Dublin but the highlight of the whole planning process was knowing that I would get to see Miss Meredith in Edinburgh where she is studying abroad. She met us at the bus stop with a shriek, a hug, and starbucks. She walked us up the street to her flat where she kindly let us stay for two nights.

After dropping our stuff off at Meredith's our tour guide was rip raring to go! So we headed off down the Royal Mile between the Parliament and the Queen's Castle. It was a nice way to get a good first impression of Edinburgh. We reached the Queen's Castle and turned to face our newest challenge, Arthur's Seat. It is a very steep hill we wanted to hike, and Meredith didn't let us slack. We hiked to the very top instead of the smaller peaks. I was hot by the time we reached the top but the brisk wind at sundown cooled me off quickly and I eventually rebundled up in my coat and scarf. Meredith promised that the legend of Arthur's Seat was on a plaque at the top.... it wasn't. But we went up there and looked at the giant concrete block up there! The view of Edinburgh was breathtaking and the sun was just starting to sink leaving golden rays and deep shadow across the hills, towns, and port. Kat has turned me into a hiking junkie and I'm really loving the reward and great feeling that I get when I reach the peak and can look down at the ant-sized people below.

After our hike back down the mountain it was getting close to dinner time (for them, Kat and I still didn't understand the concept of eating before 8). So Meredith took us out to the Noodle Bar, a super cheap Chinese restaurant that has giant serving sizes. We met up with four other girls and had a fun conversation all dinner. There was one girl who was studying art in Rome and Florence earlier this semester and knew a little Italian so we chatted with her. Another girl went to high school with my friend Lindsay from Ithaca so we spent ten minutes singing her praises of course. I had been having some seriously weird cravings for Chinese food when I was in Rome, so Meredith unwittingly cured my craving. Thanks gurl! After dinner we went back to Meredith's were I enjoy a wonderful shower and some catching up chat before the guests arrived! Oh yes Meredith and her flatmates hosted Tequila Tuesday which consisted of lots and lots of new introductions and very cool people crowding into their kitchen. I had so much fun! She has awesome flatmates and friends. Some are American and several are native Scottish, and other nationalities. They have a great location close to the uni and city center. At night before we all went to bed (Mere and I snuggled up while Gatto had the oh so pleasant air mattress) we all waved goodnight to Ryan whose window we can see across the alley from Meredith's room.

The next (that's Wednesday for those starting to lose track) Mere went to do her PT (good girl) so Gatto and I were on our own to wander around, find a little cafe for breakfast/brunch. We then hit the touristy shops because we such a limited amount of time to try and find the cute authentic shops. I found tons of MacLeod items for sale from plaques to shot glasses and magnets. I was really trying to find something with the Scottish thistle on it but besides an expensive necklace I didn't really see anything particularly catching, which is a shame. Kat bought a gift for her stepdad which I am kind of impressed she got through security, I don't want to ruin the surprise on the off chance he finds this blog so mums the word. Once we had cross some items off our Christmas lists we met Meredith back at the flat. From there we left for the two mile walk down to the port in Edinburgh. It was a great day and a nice chance to walk around the town without getting lost! We stopped for some coffees and snacks. Once we found the water Meredith revealed her brilliant plan, we went on a tour of the Royal Yacht Britannia!!! It was a audio-guided tour which gave a chance for Kat, Mere and I to goof around and talk without being a nuisance to any guide. It was so interesting learning more about the royal family and to be on the same yacht that they have traveled on many many times.There were four or five levels to explore and when we had finished up we stopped in the tea room for some tea and scones! When we left the Britannia it was starting to get cool and spitting rain so to Kat's great delight we hailed a taxicab (they are so much cuter in the UK than anywhere else).

We stopped off at the mall for some errands Mere needed to run and I picked up a ton of pens at the pound store because I paid just as much for one in Rome as I did for 16 in Scotland. Somethings not right there. So I'm all set for the rest of the semester and then some! Mere continued our walking tour with a stop at the Bobby Bar, named after a very loyal dog, and The Elephant House where J.K. Rowling started writing Harry Potter. It's now a bit of a tourist trap and not at all the same according to locals, but we went a took a picture out front all the same. Meredith showed us the meadows/green area and her campus... which is so elegant!! I seriously thought we were walking on to some rich person's property but it was just Edinburgh University. What a wonderful place to live and go to school.

Once we had run home and collected ourselves for dinner we head to the Grassmarket to The Last Drop for some haggis and beer! Haggis is actually rather good, it was served with mashed potatoes and mashed turnips which I needed because it was just a hair too spicy for my tastes (but we all know I'm a weakling anyway). I also had the most amazing dessert!!! Cranachan is a Scottish dessert made with raspberries, whipped cream, and whiskey. I just picked off a menu not realizing I was picking the most delicious blend of flavors. I was a happy camper. Mere showed us to Flanagan's, her version of San Callisto, just the favorite neighborhood bar you always stop in at the end of the night. We were feeling pretty whipped out from our long days traveling and walking (and the WKD was just a little too sweet) so we headed back home for bed. We had a 10:30am flight to Nice the next day which meant waking up rather early, more on that later!

PICTURES!

Not helpful enough

Meredith's favorite street, I can see why :)

Climbing Arthur's Seat

Looking out over Edinburgh from the top

Look what we just climbed!

Photo Cred: Gatto

Meredith on the Britannia

Kat and I in the living room
Princess Di played that baby grand in the corner!

Reunited and it feels so good! haha

Mere and her sailor stud

Elephant House where J.K. Rowling started Harry Potter

Someone's happy to be in a UK taxi!

Haggis! 

This is not a castle but rather where Meredith goes to
school, so jealous!

Cranachan
(photo from internet)