Rome Day 4

Breakfest

Today we were able to sleep in because we didn't have class until the afternoon.  By the time we went downstairs for breakfast the only thing left was toast.  So we were stuck with that. After that we worked on our homework and later had another unenthusiastic lunch in the food cafeteria.  Class was pretty fun today I'm learning about commands in Italian and Ashley is learning how to say different nationalities and how to count.  After class, Ashley and I were so hungry we went on a quest to find the cafe her professor took her to two days ago.  It was called Zodiac Cafe located on top of Mounte Mario which is the highest hill in Rome.  We got somewhat lost while trying to get to it, but made the steep trek to the top.

The view from the top

The view was breathtaking and we could see all of Rome and its famous seven hills.  However what shocked us the most was the plethora of feral cats that were EVERYWHERE.  There were at least fifteen different cats that were chilling all over the top of the hill.  Some were just laying out on top of cars and others laying in potted plants.  They didn't even mind when we approached them.

We then sat down at the outside cafe and did our best to order in Italian.  We originally wanted a club sandwich and a Caesar salad but they were out.  So we were forced to get a pizza sandwich.  I thought it was pretty good but Ashley wasn't too thrilled with it.  We also got Coke in a glass with a lemon floating in it.  It made for an interesting taste.

The Meal

Additionally, the area overlooking Rome had a railing that was filled locks on a roadway called  Degli innamorati (Path for the ones that love).  The thousands of locks had many inscriptions of lovers and were locked all over the railings.

Lovers' Locks

After we ate, we decided to walk around the forest preserve which went deep into the woods. This turned out to not be such a smart idea because we had not put on the bug spray before we left. So we only ventured into the woods a little bit and turned back after getting bitten like crazy by the mosquitoes. 

Ashley enjoying the forest preserve!

After running away from the mosquitoes we got some tasty gelato again.  I got chocolate and Ashley got a mixture of strawberry and mango.  The mango didn't taste so great.

 Gelatos with a snoozing kitty on the car

We ate our gelatos as we traveled back home.  We have since taken a nap and are currently working on homework.

The Top

ROME Day 3: First Day Of Classes

Pizza

So as I concluded yesterday we decided to go out and eat some real Italian pizza.  Ashley, our friend Kiley, and myself walked several blocks from our campus to a pizzeria.  The place was very Italian, and we were a bit overwhelmed at first ordering in Italian.  We have since gotten better at it.  The pizza was actually pretty cheap.  The slices were huge and cut with large scissors and only cost 7 Euros for six slices and two Cokes between Ashley and I.  They were very tasty!  When we got back to campus we both took showers and went to bed.

Ashley getting ready for her first day of classes in her room.

Today was the first day of classes.  My history of Rome class was canceled for some reason, so I had only Italian II at 3:00pm.  Ashley had her Italian Culture and Context class at 9am in the morning and really enjoyed it.  Her professor took her class on a hike to the top of a cliff where you can see the whole city of Rome.  The professor bought drinks for everyone in the class at a little cafe.  When she got back we had lunch together at the Mensa food cafeteria, which had OK food.  After that, we both went to our Italian classes.  Ashley really enjoys her professor.  My class consists of 9 students and a Islamic teacher.  My teacher was born in Wisconsin but has lived near Rome for the last several years with his wife and kids (one of which is named Chris).  The class seems like it will be fun.  He plans on taking us on a field trip to where he currently lives and sending us on a scavenger hunt with no clues at all.  We'll have to use our Italian and ask people where such and such things are. The midterm for the class is on my birthday.

Lasagna dinner (note how large the Coke cans are in Italy)

After classes finished Ashely and I ate at the small cafe in the basement.  We got some baked frozen lasagna that actually tasted very good.  Around 6pm, the two of us and a group of people took the bus into the heart of Rome to get what has been rated the best gelato in the city.  It was located off the beaten path and not many tourists frequented the small street it is located in.  The buses were very different from the typical city transit buses we are familiar with.  Furthermore, you can get away without paying.  In fact we didn't see anyone at all pay to get on the bus.  Ashley and I felt guilty.  When we got off the bus we were right in the heart of the city.  We first walked through an open street market that was selling many novelty items such as jewelry, sunglasses, and hats.

Ashley at the end of the street market.

The market also had a colorful carousel.  The group we went with had seen this all before because they had also attended the first semester here.  So the entire time during our outing we were rushed much to our disappointment, but Ashely and I plan to come back here and take our time.  After the market we crossed the Tiber River on an old bridge.  From there we could see the Vatican and it was pretty close.  It was really really really EXCITING!  We plan to save that visit for another day. 

Extremely excited upon seeing the Vatican up close!

From there we walked some more of the tight streets of Italy.  Every single inch is covered with cobble stone. Near the gelateria we ate at was a very large domed church.  We saw at least ten of these throughout our whole excursion.  This one had the doors upon and we went inside.  It was very pretty.  The most exciting part of it was that it had relics from Padre Pio (his glove, blood, cassock) and Pope John Paul II (his Pope hat and stole). 

Sign pointing to the Church with the Padre Pio relics

After visiting the church, we finally made it to the gelateria.  It was called the Gelateria del Teatro and it turned out to be as good as our group said it was.  I got a mixture of white chocolate and chocolate gelato in a cup and Ashely got a mixture of white chocolate and raspberry in a cone.  It was quite delicious!

First bite of gelato!

After the delicious gelato, we basically traveled almost all over the city. We walked through many piazzas and saw many fountains and churches and stores.  We also made our way to the famous Pantheon, the current structure which dates back to 126 AD. It was pretty fascinating.  We didn't get to go inside because it was closed at the time, but we plan on returning!  Also nearby was a bit of home: McDonalds.

The Pantheon!

Blehhhh McDonalds

We continued our walk through the many plazas and made it to the Spanish Steps.  We climbed to the top and made it just in time to see the last of the sun setting.  It was quite crowded.

The Spanish Steps

Once the sun set we were all pretty tired and decided to head back home.  It is impossible to convey how much we walked and how much we saw through this blog, but it was quite alot and it was so thrilling to both of us.  It really is possible to almost see all of Rome in a day.  Because we were so rushed, Ashley and I plan on going back on our own real soon.  The many restaurants we saw we plan on returning to dine at.  We took the bus home (without paying once again) and Ashley crashed and went to bed as soon as we arrived.  We don't really have any plans tomorrow, but we didn't today either so who knows what we will be doing.

Taking all of the Italian culture in at one of many fountains we saw.

ROME: Day 2

The bus!

Today we woke up and headed to Lake Bracciano and visited a 15th century castle.  Apparently Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were married here in 2006. We didn't have much for breakfast because the dining hall was closed until fifteen before we got on the bus.  So we drank some delicious fresh squeezed orange juice (it was sooooo good) and I took some burnt pancakes for the road.

The 15th century castle!

 The bus drive took about an hour to get to the lake. When we finally did we had the option of going to visit the castle or go onto the lake.  Ashley and I decided to go see the castle which was up an extremely steep hill.  The walk up it was treacherous!

Look how steep this is!

When we got to the top, it was a whole other world.  The area was like something out of a fairytale book. The old moat was now the parking lot.  There was also an old church inside the walls and turrets.

In front of the old church within the castle.

We walked around the castle but were unable to tour it because it wasn't until later in the day and Ashley felt really gross and queasy from our lack of breakfast.  So we walked back down the steep hill which as I already mentioned was a steep incline.  It was pretty slippery walking down and I tripped and fell down while walking. 

foot wound

After making it back down the hill Ashley and I sat on the lake until it was time to eat at 1pm.  The area had such a nice cool breeze, it was very refreshing.  We ate at a very Italian restaurant.  The meal consisted of four courses.  The first was a appetizer of cantaloupe, prosciutco, a grilled egg plant, salomi, ham, and some sort of bread with a tasty mysterious topping on it.  My plate also had shellfish in a sea shell. Some people got baby octopuses in theirs.  It was quite gross.  However, the cantalope mixed with meat was EXTREMELY tasty and was an interesting combination of tastes. 

tasty first course

 The second course was meat lasagna, and I have to say I've tasted better in the States.  The third course consisted of a full bodied crayfish and other assorted seafood mixed with rise.  I didn't eat much of this plate and Ashley completely abstained from it due to her shellfish allergy.  They gave her a bowl of Risotto sauced rice instead.  The final course was a dessert that tasted like soap that had the texture of whipped cream.  Nevertheless, we were extremely full by the end of the meal.  After the meal we all went and chilled on the lake.

In the Lake!

At the lake you were able to rent umbrellas, chairs, and even paddleboats!  The paddleboats even had a slide on the back! A couple of frat boys in our group rented one and paddled along the shore.

bro boat

After about a half hour in the lake, we got on the bus and went home.  Ashley and I both passed out after a very exhausting day.  Perhaps we will go eat at a pizzeria later this evening.  Tomorrow is the first day of classes.

Sleepy Ashley

ROME Day 1

THE AIRBUS

Wow it was one crazy trip to get here and I'm EXHAUSTED! The flight to Paris was very luxurious. Traveling on Air France was really awesome because they were very hospitable.  They gave us blankets, earplugs, pillows, and headphones all for us to keep. The Airbus was huge and had televisions on the back of the seats in front of us.  During takeoff they had a camera attached to the tail of the plane and we were able to watch ourselves take off on the screen in front of us.  Ashley wasn't too happy about that.   But it was the smoothest take off I have ever been on.  The jets themselves were also really silent.   After the takeoff we were able to watch any movies we wanted that they provided us. You could also play games, watch the status of the flight, and listen to music and radio.  I watched Rango and Ashley watched The Social Network.  For dinner, they served us a cheesy pasta that was really good along with a bar of cheese, lemon cake, some sort of beefy vegetables, and TAPIOCA, which I found to be pretty tasty.  After dinner, I tried to sleep on the plane but it was impossible.  I took a sleeping pill but it didn't help at all but I still closed by eyes for about two hours.  Ashley was unable to sleep as well, she just watched another movie.  By the time I gave up on sleeping, it was breakfast time and we were served concentrated orange juice and a muffin.  Not long after we landed, both being extremely tired.

On board the Air France plane upon landing

See the cool tv screen behind a very tired Ashley

We got off the plane and had to walk FOREVER to get to the new terminal.  We had to get our passports stamped and then had to go through another security checkpoint.  By the time we got there we would have NEVER made the 7:15 flight to Rome.  A ton of people had the same flight we originally were supposed to take and missed it.  So we waited for our plane.  And waited.  And it was freezing cold! Our plane was delayed then delayed again and we continued to freeze.

Freezing cold Charles De Gaulle airport in France

We finally were able to board around 10:00pm and had to wait for another thirty minutes for several reasons.  The flight was originally late coming in because of the fuel strikes and the plane was unable to take off from its original location.  Then we had to wait on the plane because there was way too much air traffic over Amsterdam which is where we would be flying over.  The plane was an extremely old Airbus  that still had ash treys in the arm rests.  Furthermore, the plane creaked the whole trip and it sounded like it was going to fall apart on take off and during the landing.

Ashley and I slept the whole trip and were knocked out.  It seemed like the time flew by when we landed in Rome.  We got off the plane and successfully obtained all of our luggage!!! NOTHING WAS LOST!!  And for some odd reason we didn't have to go through customs or get or passports stamped.  We just walked right out the door and got into a white taxi. The taxi driver didn't speak English and I was able to tell him where we were going.  I think he though I spoke Italian because he continued to talk to me in Italian until I told him I didn't understand him.  The ride was very nerve racking.  If you think DC drivers are bad, come on out to Rome.  They speed and cut corners real close.  I enjoyed the ride, but Ashley did not.  The ride took about thirty minutes and cost about fifty Euros.  We were able to see the dome of the Vatican on our way to campus which was pretty cool!

The driver dropped us off in front of the alley of campus which was very beautiful.  He even helped us with our luggage.  In Italy all taxi drivers buy their own cars and use them as taxis.  So we got into campus and moved into our rooms.  I am on the 3rd floor with a kid from New Jersey who likes the Yankees.  Ashley is on the fourth floor with a girl from St. Louis.  Both of our roommates are pretty nice.  We missed the walking tours because we were both exhausted.  The only thing I ate all day at this point was the muffin on the plane and I was too weak to do anything.  I was also pretty dehydrated and extremely jet lagged.  It took me awhile to get my energy back.  Ashley crashed out on her bed for half and hour. But so far we have been able to cope with the new time zone.

We made it!

After getting a sandwich in the cafe in the basement, I felt better. We then attended a mandatory orientation meeting.  After that we had a picnic outside in the courtyard where we got to know everyone.  We were free to go into Rome if we wanted, but Ashley and I were too tired.  So we just walked around campus and explored the area and the surrounding neighborhood.  We found out that there are a lot of stray CATS on campus.  We even saw a little black kitty jumping in the bushes and running across the road. 

Kitt

The area doesn't feel like a foreign country yet, it feels like we are still in the States on a retreat or something.  Ashley and I do not know anyone here except for a friend of Ashley's who lived with her in Mertz freshman year.  We are both in Italian II together.  Ashley has since gone to bed and I would too, but my floor is too noisy.  I have tried several times to call home but I am having difficulty.  I will attempt again later.  Tomorrow we are going to a lake/beach and have our choice of going on a lake tour or a 16th century castle tour.  Ashley and I want to do the castle tour.