A post for post's sake

So I haven't exactly been diligent about posting this week BUT I do have a good reason for my absence: Midterms. Fear not, Wanderers, I am going to the beach tomorrow for a little R&R before my next exam and will be writing some new entries about this weeks adventures!

The weekend is finally here and with that brings Europride 2011!

Europride is a yearly event in Europe (creative how they tied that in there isn't it?) celebrating LGBT communities. Rome was chosen to host it this year and lucky for us, it is this Saturday! The event will consist of many fun celebratory activities including a parade and as the big finish, Lady Gaga has announced that she not only be in attendance but will be performing a FREE concert in the Circus Maximus. Now, I will be upfront with you all and say that I am not a huge Lady G. fan. Well, I'm not being completely forthright when I say that. I actually dislike her quite a bit but I will be in attendance to celebrate all those who are proud of who they are despite of what others may say. Also, Who turns down a free concert by one of the world's most sought after musical artists?

Not this college student, that's for sure.

Alright, so this was a longer post than intended but it happens. How shall I wrap it up? Hm. Well, here's a fun picture of cats sun-bathing in Republican Age Temple Ruins in the Field of Mars located at Largo Argentina in Rome.

See what I did there? I disguised a history lesson with something cute and cuddly. I'm sorry if you feel like you've been bamboozled. But, hey, you learned something there, didn't ya?

Ya did. Buona Notte!

Basilicaholic: (n) person who loves exploring old churches

On Friday, Noelle and I decided to take a church tour of sorts since we are both positively addicted to them since arriving in Italy. So we prepared our maps and our church appropriate clothing (since there are very specific standards here) and off we went!

We took the Metro into the city (always an experience), fighting tooth and nail for a little space to grip onto as the subway conductor recklessly maneuvered the train through the twists and turns in the track. Once the doors opened at the Barberini station we raced above ground into the sunlight. It was a particularly humid day and unfortunately the first church we went to was closed for the siesta hours so we had to head to the next stop on our maps:

1.Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major

This church was elaborately trimmed with gold from ceiling to floor. Aside from being gigantic looking, the outside of the Basilica looked relatively unassuming (for Roman standards, that is) but on the inside it was clear that contributers spared no expense on the decoration. Many of the churches in Rome have the similar feature of being comprised of a main church and several chapels as well as having a covering over the alter of the main church much akin to a gazebo in a backyard (except much more expensive). These coverings are all very beautiful in their own right but they tend to detract from the detailed mosaics painted on the domes and ceilings above the alters. This church was very decorated but not to the point of being overwhelming.

2. Saint Peter in Chains

This church was the definition of simple but gorgeous nonetheless. The entire inside was white-washed with the exception of a large painting in the center of the ceiling that was done in vivid colors depicting the building's namesake. Another of the church's claims-to-fame is the statue of Moses sculpted by Michelangelo. This church also had a large covering over the alter that made seeing the paintings that surrounded the alter and continued up onto the ceiling difficult to view without craning your neck around the monstrosity. In the pulpit, a case contained the chain's of St. Peter for visitors to view. The simplistic decoration of this church made it extremely easy to take everything in and enjoy your surroundings.

3. Basilica of San Clemente

In this church photography was not allowed with the exception of in the courtyard. While we were in the yard, two little boys ran to the fountain and splashed around. It was adorable! I had to snap a few photos. Within San Clemente was an amazing 12th century mosaic surrounding the alter at the front of the church. The colors were very metallic and rich looking consisting of shimmering golds, deep blues and warm reds. The mosaic was created out of millions of little tiles rather than paint as we saw in many of the other churches. This church is especially neat because when it was built in the 12th century, the basilica was put over top of the original church which was erected in the 4th century.

4. Papal Archbasilica of St. John Lateran

This was the final and the most extravagent church that we have seen since being in Rome. It was only later that we found out this church ranks as the number one church in the world outside of the Vatican and is home to the Pope's throne. The church had about 16 different portions: 2 main churches and several chapels throughout. In one of the main sections there are gigantic statues of each of the 12 Apostles. This basilica was almost too much as beautiful as it was. It was just so much to look at that no person could truly appreciate it in one visit alone. Hopefully, we will be able to get back there before we leave Italy in 4 weeks (*gasp*)! I think we'll manage.

On our adventure, we passed the Colosseum as well. We haven't had time to get there yet but judging by the lines we saw, that may be a day trip within itself!

Tomorrow we are heading to the travel agent to work out our trip to Paris! Best start brushing up on my French...

Je voudrais peanut m&ms, s'il vous plait. Bonne nuit!

Happy 150 years of unity Italy!

Today was Italy's 150th anniversary of unification!

Oh and I saw Michael Jackson rise from the dead and perform in Piazza del Popolo this week. No big deal...

Here is the link:

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1841507000728&subj=1462950114

Firenze and Pisa and Roma...oh my.

We spent this past weekend in Florence and Pisa and I spent the past few days trying to recover from the trip. We had a lot of fun but Roma is still number one in our hearts.

The trip began with a four hour train ride at 5:50 AM... meaning that the public transit was not running. Our choices were taxiing to Termini (the train station) or embarking on the hour and a half walk there...

We are poor college students in a foreign country. What do you think we did?

Why, we woke our sorry butts up at 3:30 AM, laced up our hiking shoes, strapped our belongings to our backs and hit the road. As crazed as it was, we got the rare opportunity to see both the Piazza de Popolo and the Spanish Steps completely void of tourists and residents alike. I managed to snap a few photos; however, in my bleary-eyed state, I accidentally deleted my entire photo card. I could kick myself but, thankfully, the only photos lost were from that morning.

I slept the entire train ride to Florence (Firenze in Italian). Upon arriving, we located our hostel. A sprawling campsite located completely across the city from the train station (on the top of a steep incline) next to the Piazelle Michelangelo. Despite the struggle of climbing the hill with all our belongings, staying there was well worth the view of Florence both during the day and at sunset.

During the day, we visited Il Duomo. A centerpiece within the city, that is located in a church. In order to see the dome up-close-and-personal, we climbed 463 stairs and got to view it from a circular platform around the base of the dome (I am hoping to upload the video I took in the next post). Upon continuing the ascent, visitors are able to access the roof exit and take in a 396-degree view the city. It was truly breathtaking but I would not recommend the trek for those that are fear small, dark spaces or heights. As exciting as it all was, Noelle and I were happy to have our feet back on the ground!

Florence is also home to the 3 original David statues. We managed to spot two out of the three!

For the remainder of the day we wandered around and enjoyed the scenery. After that we had our first "wow" dinner since being in Italy at this outdoor bistro. I ordered lamb and roasted potatoes. To drink, Noelle and I treated ourselves to mojitos and then raced back up the mountain to the Piazelle to enjoy the sunset before settling into the tent (yes, us city girls camped... shocking, huh?) for the night.

After a good night's rest, we packed up our things, checked out and headed for the train station at 7 AM. Next stop? Pisa. Once we trekked back to the train station, I took another nap until we arrived at Pisa Centrale Station. I don't really have much to say about Pisa. I came, I took touristy photos, I shrugged and got back on the train. Not too exciting of a place BUT I am happy to be able to say that I have been there.

The train ride home was what made the trip to Pisa worth it. The tracks followed the western coast of Italy and provided for serene views of the ocean.

All in all, it was a very nice weekend!

Today I don't feel like doing anything, I just want to work on my tan.

It's officially been a week since landing and in keeping with The Bible (as is appropriate in Rome):

On the seventh day, they rested.

And it was good.

Noelle and I enjoyed a lazy day on the patio. We tanned all day and just as we got hungry, we were surprised by the lovely Ashley DiTomaso, when she rang the doorbell bearing gifts of fresh food from the market. We had chicken, mozzarella and tomatoes with olive oil and risotto with wine. Afterwards we went out for gelato and finished planning our trip to Florence and Pisa for the weekend.... which we will be waking up for in approximately 5 hours. Joy! But exciting none-the-less.

We will be staying at Camping Michaelangelo in Florence, which is a Hostel that offers its guests 3 person tents for 15 euros a person. The hostel got great reviews and looks like it will be a lot of fun because it is located right on the banks of the Arno River.

While in Florence, we will be doing all the must-see things (i.e. Michaelangelo's David, Il Duomo, stalking the Jersey Shore cast). You know, all the necessary things. Then on Sunday we will jump on another train to see the famed leaning tower of Pisa before returning to Rome.

One thing is for sure, this fabulous day of R&R was much needed as I will probably not get any for the rest of the weekend!

Happy Memorial Day weekend to all of my American friends stateside :). Buona Notte!

...I just blew a fuse and knocked out the power in our entire apartment trying to publish this post. I am what happens when disaster meets talent. Mamma mia...

Ciao, bella! Do you speak English?

Today was by far the hottest day since I have arrived in Rome. I have been trying to avoid looking like a tourist by wearing cardigans over anything that would show my shoulders and sunglasses to hide my eye color but as Noelle put it: "They know we're American! I don't know why you try to hide it."

So I *gasp* donned a sun dress sans sweater bearing it all (and by it all I mean my shoulders and back). Scandalous stuff, I know, but that was enough to make any person within neck-craning distance practically fall off their Vespa at the shock of it all.

My day started out lazy. Slept in late... again. I just love waking up to Noelle telling me, nay, yelling at me to get out of bed. First I attended Italian class in the market. We learned all the ins-and-outs of ordering fresh fruits, veggies, meats, seafood and cheeses with my professor, Christiano, and his wife, Olga, who can best be described as Mom and Dad figures to those in the class. They showed us a couple inexpensive places to shop and eat as well as where to find amazing gelato.

When class ended Noelle and I walked into the city to get our school books, much to Christiano's amazement, who was baffled by the idea of walking that far. On our way back home we grabbed some pizza and Coca-Cola (which by the way, like almost everything else, is far better over here) and then came home to do homework because, after all, we are STUDYING abroad.

This weekend we are planning a trip to Florence and Pisa with other people on the trip. We've had trouble booking the train tickets though, which is worrisome since we're leaving Saturday morning and already booked a hostel on the ocean called Camping Michelangelo. After giving up on that for the night, we went out for dinner, which to be honest, was kind of a let down. The pasta was something I could have easily made myself. We did stumble across a FANTASTIC gelataria called Old Bridge just outside of the Vatican City. The gelati and staff members were equally delicious so I give it two enthusiastic thumbs up. As we ate the gelato we headed to the Vatican to take in the sights at night sans millions of tourists which I would definitely recommend doing. Not only was it gorgeous but there was basically no one around. We listened to the bells toll at midnight and then made our way back to the Residence.

Ground-breaking stuff, I know. Nothing too big today went on as it was so unbearably hot but we did learn that if you just stare right back at the locals they eventually feel awkward and stop looking at you. No school tomorrow so I am just going to sit back, sip my wine, and listen to some country music. I've been on a weird country kick lately although I'm not quite sure why... maybe its my nationalism bubbling up in me or something now that I am in a foreign country. I will only be worried if this nationalistic spirit turns tourette-like. Buona Notte!

Obama. Da bears.

You have no right to health care.

Damn.

And 2 coins for a new love...

I had classes all day today but it made for yet another wonderful day in Rome. In Roman History today we met on Capitoline Hill. The hill is home to the epi-center of Archaic Rome and is representative of over four centuries of development and transition within the city. It was amazing to sit amongst the ruins and hear about how the ancient city came to be what it is today. Every now and again I can't help but reach out and touch all of the history around me. It has been here long before I was and it will remain long after I am gone.

We looked at huts and graves. Remains left behind by those that each had their own hand in history. It makes me think about life and how short it is in the grand scheme of things. Each of these people lived their lives in pursuit of happiness but I wonder what they found to be significant. Was it the work they were doing and the jobs they aspired to attain? Was it their families? Or was it, in the case of many of those that I know today, the pursuit of love and general happiness? We study the things that the Etruscans (as they were known between the 8th-3rd century BC) left behind but what does this really tell us about the people they were and what they believed to be important. Whatever those things were, one thing is for sure: they believed in honoring their loved ones when they passed away.

The experience was amazing and their is no other way to describe it. It was one of those days that makes you feel honored to be a part of the long history of the area.

On a lighter note, Noelle and I revisited the Trevi Fountain (as promised) and each tossed in two coins as per legend (see last post). We shall see. Here are some photos from the day:

On that note, I feel extremely blessed to be here and have the opportunity to experience everything I am seeing firsthand. It's late and I'm exhausted (and excited to see what tomorrow holds as my Italian class is taking a field trip to the market). Buona Notte!