Well, I'd love to say that I'm having an awesome time roaming the streets of Roma, but honestly.....I'm stuck inside writing papers. Hopefully, I'll be done tonight so I can have fun my last 3 days here. AHHHHHH! Only 4 days left! It kills me to think that I have to leave soon. I mean, yay for home, but I'm going to miss it so much. I love Rome. I love the ruins. I love the people. I love love love the food. I love the language. I love everything about it. I will be coming back.
Until I return, I suppose I'll just have to have an awesome time with friends and family in the states. See you in 4 :-) Arrivederci!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Capitoline Museums
I went to the Capitoline Museums this afternoon. I saw the original she-wolf with the twins Romulus and Remus, the bust of Commodus, the bronze cast of Marcus Aurelius, the Capitoline Venus, and the Dying Gaul. Basically....another Classic's major's dream. I would, once again, highly recommend this museum.
Afterwards, I strolled along the Forum and over to the Pantheon and Piazza Navonna. I'm trying to take everything in as much as possible. It's killing me that I have to leave so soon. It will be hard not being able to go to Venice for a weekend or have lunch sitting under the Colosseum.....poor me. Oh well....I will be coming back soon.
I hope everyone's have a good holiday season :-) See you soon (7 days...)
Friday, December 11, 2009
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Running Out of Time....
So, very very good 2nd to last weekend in Roma. On Thursday night, I took an epic cooking class. It was 7 of us cooking with Stefano Cirillo. He's a well known cook in Roma and lives across the street from Zeferelli and Valentino....no big deal. We made a 4-course meal and it was absolutely some of the best food in my entire life. Appetizer: Prunes wrapped in Prosciutto in a balsamic vinegar(ancient roman recipe). First Course: Roman Penne Amatriciana(spicy tomato sauce with bacon and cheese). Second Course: Sirloin Steak with Walnuts and Red Onion and a side of Picadilly Tomatoes. Dessert: The Tiramisu. I plan on posting the recipes as soon as I can get them typed up. I'm making the dinner for my parents the first Monday I'm back, so if anyone wants in, just let me know. We cooked and talked and ate until 1am. It was epic.
On Saturday, I severely crippled my bank account with a very nice shopping trip with the girls. It was excellent. I met up with my friend Christine who's studying in Florence and we went to Alfredo's restaurant, where Alfredo sauce was supposedly invented.
Today, I went out with some friends to a Pub, drank mimosas, and watched some calcio(soccer). Really good weekend. I can't wait to have more fun in these next coming days :-)
Ciao
On Saturday, I severely crippled my bank account with a very nice shopping trip with the girls. It was excellent. I met up with my friend Christine who's studying in Florence and we went to Alfredo's restaurant, where Alfredo sauce was supposedly invented.
Today, I went out with some friends to a Pub, drank mimosas, and watched some calcio(soccer). Really good weekend. I can't wait to have more fun in these next coming days :-)
Ciao
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Ciao Ragazzi
I only have 17 days left.....It makes so sad to think about, but I won't talk about that now, I'll just tell you what a wonderful time I had with my parents.
First of all.....Sam-I thought you should know that mom cried when she saw me for the first time. Take that!
I was so excited to see my parents, this is the longest and furthest away I've ever been from them. We talked and hugged and smiled and were very happy. I got them settled into the B&B right down the street from my house, then took them to the first place I went in Rome: the Aventine Hill. At the top of the Aventine, there is an orange grove and a terrace overlooking the city. We wandered among the sweet smelling oranges and I gave them a quick overview of the city. From there, we walked down to the Circus Maximus, up to the Temple of Venus, over to Teatro Marcello, and into the Jewish Ghetto. I don't think they will ever forgive me for how much walking I made them do.
The next day, we went to the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, Piazza di Spagna, Campo di Fiori, Largo Argentina, etc. Lots of churches, lots of monuments and lots of eating. That night we went to a very busy pizzeria and had the best pizza ever(I had pizza with zucchini flowers and sausage).
On Saturday, we did what my dad calls the "Caesar Shuffle"....The Colosseum, The Palatine Hill, and The Roman Forum. I've visited all of these places before, but this time I got to play tour guide. I think I did a good job? As ever, these sites were beautiful and inspiring. On Saturday night, my parents were kind enough to take some of my friends from St.Mike's and my roommate out to dinner. Also, delicious.
Sunday, we left for Cinque Terre. I sung it's praises the first time I went and now I can only add more. 5 terre is one of the most beuatful places on this earth. The towns are quaint, the water is hypnotizing, and the cliffs are majestic....well, my mom might have just thought they were terrifying. We hiked the first day, making sure to relax, drink some wine, and enjoy the scenery. I am very proud of my mom for overcoming her fears and standing on the edge of cliffs. It was scary, but exhilirating I'm sure. The second day, we toured each town, taking in each of their unique characteristics. The last time I was in Cinque Terre was in September. At that time of year the sea was calm, but the towns were overrun with hikers. This time, it was much quieter and very relaxed.
On Wednesday, we went to Assisi. Assisi is a hill top town in Umbria where St.Francis once lived. The town is breathtaking. Most of the time, we just wandered down old streets, purposely getting lost. In several cases, we happened upon a beautiful church. Assisi must have the highest percentage of churches than any other town. The town was getting ready for Christmas, even though it was in the 60s and they don't have snow.....I just don't get that. I would highly recommend a trip there, it will really amaze you how old and picturesque this little place is.
On Friday, as we left, it rained. Actually, every time we left somewhere it was raining. Fortunately, whenever we arrived somewhere else, it was sunny :-)
For their last weekend in Rome, the Destoops joined us. I met up with Marion and her parents while my parents did the epic tour of the Vatican museums. That afternoon, we went to the Catacombs of Priscilla that I had previously been to. For dinner in the evening, we strolled through Trastevere and picked out a busy restaurant. As always, it was delicious, haha.
On Sunday, I took the group to Ostia Antica. I had been there with school and, once again, I got to play tour guide. My parents were quick to notice that simply walking into those ruins instantly elevated my mood. Being amongst something so old and important and beautiful is extremely fascinating to me. It just makes me happy.
They left on Monday....with only 19 days left.
And now I only have 17. I'm working on papers(well I should be working on papers) and studying for exams(maybe). Mostly, I'm just trying to save my time here. Everyone is starting to tell me how hard it will be to go home. While I miss it a lot and cannot wait to see my friends and family, I know that I will be very sad to leave this place. I know that I will have to come back. I've made a list of everything I have to do before I go, so hopefully I'll have some interesting things to tell you about in the next 2 weeks.
Arrivederci! See you soon :-)
First of all.....Sam-I thought you should know that mom cried when she saw me for the first time. Take that!
I was so excited to see my parents, this is the longest and furthest away I've ever been from them. We talked and hugged and smiled and were very happy. I got them settled into the B&B right down the street from my house, then took them to the first place I went in Rome: the Aventine Hill. At the top of the Aventine, there is an orange grove and a terrace overlooking the city. We wandered among the sweet smelling oranges and I gave them a quick overview of the city. From there, we walked down to the Circus Maximus, up to the Temple of Venus, over to Teatro Marcello, and into the Jewish Ghetto. I don't think they will ever forgive me for how much walking I made them do.
The next day, we went to the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, Piazza di Spagna, Campo di Fiori, Largo Argentina, etc. Lots of churches, lots of monuments and lots of eating. That night we went to a very busy pizzeria and had the best pizza ever(I had pizza with zucchini flowers and sausage).
On Saturday, we did what my dad calls the "Caesar Shuffle"....The Colosseum, The Palatine Hill, and The Roman Forum. I've visited all of these places before, but this time I got to play tour guide. I think I did a good job? As ever, these sites were beautiful and inspiring. On Saturday night, my parents were kind enough to take some of my friends from St.Mike's and my roommate out to dinner. Also, delicious.
Sunday, we left for Cinque Terre. I sung it's praises the first time I went and now I can only add more. 5 terre is one of the most beuatful places on this earth. The towns are quaint, the water is hypnotizing, and the cliffs are majestic....well, my mom might have just thought they were terrifying. We hiked the first day, making sure to relax, drink some wine, and enjoy the scenery. I am very proud of my mom for overcoming her fears and standing on the edge of cliffs. It was scary, but exhilirating I'm sure. The second day, we toured each town, taking in each of their unique characteristics. The last time I was in Cinque Terre was in September. At that time of year the sea was calm, but the towns were overrun with hikers. This time, it was much quieter and very relaxed.
On Wednesday, we went to Assisi. Assisi is a hill top town in Umbria where St.Francis once lived. The town is breathtaking. Most of the time, we just wandered down old streets, purposely getting lost. In several cases, we happened upon a beautiful church. Assisi must have the highest percentage of churches than any other town. The town was getting ready for Christmas, even though it was in the 60s and they don't have snow.....I just don't get that. I would highly recommend a trip there, it will really amaze you how old and picturesque this little place is.
On Friday, as we left, it rained. Actually, every time we left somewhere it was raining. Fortunately, whenever we arrived somewhere else, it was sunny :-)
For their last weekend in Rome, the Destoops joined us. I met up with Marion and her parents while my parents did the epic tour of the Vatican museums. That afternoon, we went to the Catacombs of Priscilla that I had previously been to. For dinner in the evening, we strolled through Trastevere and picked out a busy restaurant. As always, it was delicious, haha.
On Sunday, I took the group to Ostia Antica. I had been there with school and, once again, I got to play tour guide. My parents were quick to notice that simply walking into those ruins instantly elevated my mood. Being amongst something so old and important and beautiful is extremely fascinating to me. It just makes me happy.
They left on Monday....with only 19 days left.
And now I only have 17. I'm working on papers(well I should be working on papers) and studying for exams(maybe). Mostly, I'm just trying to save my time here. Everyone is starting to tell me how hard it will be to go home. While I miss it a lot and cannot wait to see my friends and family, I know that I will be very sad to leave this place. I know that I will have to come back. I've made a list of everything I have to do before I go, so hopefully I'll have some interesting things to tell you about in the next 2 weeks.
Arrivederci! See you soon :-)
Friday, November 27, 2009
ok, so I know that I have been doing a terrible job at keeping this blog going, but I've just been so busy and so excited to have my parents here. I promise a nice long, funny blog on Monday after they leave.
But to sum up, I just spent the best week giving a tour of Rome, hiking through Cinque Terre again, and wandering the streets of Assisi. Basically, I'm not ready to stop living this wonderful life.
I'll post soon, cross my heart. La vita e bella.
Eliza
But to sum up, I just spent the best week giving a tour of Rome, hiking through Cinque Terre again, and wandering the streets of Assisi. Basically, I'm not ready to stop living this wonderful life.
I'll post soon, cross my heart. La vita e bella.
Eliza
Thursday, November 12, 2009
I LIVE IN ROME!
These past few days have really drilled it home that I live in Rome. For some reason, I've woken up each morning just thinking "Holy crap, I live in the eternal city." This could possibly be because I've done some very Roman things these past two days....
Yesterday morning, I went to the papal audience. It was extremely interesting, but also a bit of a bust(sorry Grammy). It was supposed to be outside, but his holiness was cold, so everyone had to pack into the conference center. You couldn't get close and the room was full of very loud Texans. There were blessings in 20 different languages and the Pope talked for a bit in German. The highlight of the audience was probably the very good looking swiss guards that talked with our group of girls :-)
After the audience, my art class took a walk around the perimeter of the Vatican, learning about the history and architecture of the area. Next, for mythology class, we went to the Galleria Borghese. The Gallery holds many sculptures by Bernini, and paintings by Caravaggio, Titian, and Raphael. That was my second time to the Borghese and it's even better the second time around.
Today, I went with my archaeology class to the Catacombs of Priscilla. These catacombs are further away from the center of the city than the ones on the Appian Way, so they are vistied less often. They are also better preserved and larger and are soooooo cool. The catacombs began as a mining system, then were transformed into the cemetery for the Romans. The Catacombs of Priscilla create a labryinth spreading for 8 miles. It is forbidden to enter the tunnels without a guide, as people become quickly lost. It brought out the Indiana Jones in all of us....everyone daring the other to go down a dark deserted tunnel. Of course, we never did, because our guide kept telling us firmly that it was too dangerous, yet smiled at our willingness. I would never ever go down there alone.....but it was amazing to see this network 100 feet underground.
I've been here for two and a half months, but it still feels unreal. This is such an incredible city and I'm so glad that I get to be a part of it, however short.
Ti voglio bene.
Yesterday morning, I went to the papal audience. It was extremely interesting, but also a bit of a bust(sorry Grammy). It was supposed to be outside, but his holiness was cold, so everyone had to pack into the conference center. You couldn't get close and the room was full of very loud Texans. There were blessings in 20 different languages and the Pope talked for a bit in German. The highlight of the audience was probably the very good looking swiss guards that talked with our group of girls :-)
After the audience, my art class took a walk around the perimeter of the Vatican, learning about the history and architecture of the area. Next, for mythology class, we went to the Galleria Borghese. The Gallery holds many sculptures by Bernini, and paintings by Caravaggio, Titian, and Raphael. That was my second time to the Borghese and it's even better the second time around.
Today, I went with my archaeology class to the Catacombs of Priscilla. These catacombs are further away from the center of the city than the ones on the Appian Way, so they are vistied less often. They are also better preserved and larger and are soooooo cool. The catacombs began as a mining system, then were transformed into the cemetery for the Romans. The Catacombs of Priscilla create a labryinth spreading for 8 miles. It is forbidden to enter the tunnels without a guide, as people become quickly lost. It brought out the Indiana Jones in all of us....everyone daring the other to go down a dark deserted tunnel. Of course, we never did, because our guide kept telling us firmly that it was too dangerous, yet smiled at our willingness. I would never ever go down there alone.....but it was amazing to see this network 100 feet underground.
I've been here for two and a half months, but it still feels unreal. This is such an incredible city and I'm so glad that I get to be a part of it, however short.
Ti voglio bene.
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