This post has been written for a good while, but I was waiting to get pictures that I was unable to get from a friends computer. It'll be nice to get back to my own computer. At the beginning of April some of Asher and Missy's friends (both of them) came to Rome for 4 days. Nate and Joy definitely made a milestone memory for me here in Rome. In a good way. The daily words included 'epic', _____ (too amazing to mention...actually I can't remember it. do you Yettons or Dani?), and 'stellar' (which quickly turned into 'awkward') and the experience was definitely all of them. They stayed with my friend Dani, who I'd met here in Roma, which I was very happy about since that meant more hangout at her place (ie. crepes, wine, tea, guitar, hula hoops, movies, etc).
My favorite day in Rome is the first day I was here. Waking up in a non-English speaking bed and breakfast, exploring the streets and sights, soaking up the views of domes, churches, piazzas, Italian women, and jackets, the Italian language...and everything else that made it great. The Thursday Nate and Joy were here made for my favorite evening in Rome, and that day is the closest viable contender with my 1st day here. I met them that morning in Campo de Fiori and showed them around. I enjoyed a brie and speck panino (my fave) while enjoying the thrift stores as we strolled down the street by my apartment to Castel Sant Angelo. St. Peter's Piazza enjoyed our company for a bit as we soaked up the sun and pictures before heading to the Gianicolo park that overlooks the city to play with Red, the Irish setter, and chat with his retired Italian owner. Trastevere offered us a music store to browse through, cappuccini to drink standing at the bar, and kebabs to eat in a quiet piazza as we rested a bit before climbing Aventine Hill. We entered the church at the top of the hill to find a boys and men's choir practicing for an event. With the sun beaming through the window and the reverberations of an epic choir, I felt like I could stay there all day. We enjoyed some Italian white-chocolate (thanks Nate!) as we waited in line to look through a keyhole. What's through the keyhole? St. Peter's of course. The plan was to finish with a sunset at Pincio Hill that also overlooks the city, but we were ready to rest so back to Dani's we went.
That night we (Nate and Joy, Dani, Cass, Virginia, Hilary, and I) went to eat near Campo de Fiori where Nate told me and Cass the girls they were going to set us up with in Nashville. I made sure to make a mental note of that since our waitress probably burned the rose I gave her to heat up my pizza. Love hurts. We returned to Dani's to find the wine and cheeses out and Charlie (the dad of Clara (the roommate of Dani)) playing his guitar, Harmony, like a champ. We stayed up into the wee hours, and yet not long enough, playing music and singing songs. Charlie played requests and some solid ones he'd written, Nate played a Griffin House song that one of Charlie's songs reminded him of (does the computer count as a musical instrument?), Joy showed off her guitar and singin 5ki11z with 'Genesis', and I dabbled with requests and randoms from Radiohead to Feist. It made me really miss my guitar. I loved it. I noticed it also helps that Joy has a stellar voice so no matter what I played sounded good. Smiles and laughs abounded the whole time they were here, and we all felt like we had been friends for a lot longer. Definitely some great days.
The main highlights of the week after involved Il Clan. No, that's not a gang or dodge ball team but a restaurant. My roomie, Keith, and I have become friends with Dika and Maysa, the two women who run this Brazilian eatery directly below our apartment. Keith and I were happy to discover, upon taking them homemade Mexican salsa, that it's a Brazilian custom to return a dish full of food when someone brings you food. It's worked out well. :)
The 2 weeks after that were really busy. Upon realizing that I'm not going to be in Roma forever I made a list of everything still left to do that I wanted to do. It was long. I realized I'd leave Europe feeling like I didn't get to do everything, but I didn't think that'd be the case with Roma. Seems tragic, but I guess it gives me more reasons to return (not that aren't enough). This was on top of: working on our Final presentation for studio (which was more battling the computers than working on the project), working with customs to get a box from my mom that was supposed to arrive before Easter, searching for a job this Summer, and planning a 3 1/2 week traveling bout after school and before home.
While I was disappointed how the overall group design ended up in studio, our final presentation went well. After lots of fees and frustrations I received the box from customs 2 days before leaving Roma. I was happy to get the medicine (4 months worth), a travel book on Rome, a travel book on Germany, and a postcard of Texas. The three cities I considered working in this Summer were Chicago, Nashville, and Rome. Sadly I had to pick one and felt strongly led to go to Chicago. I got an job working for an architecture firm there, living 3 El stops (that's train stops, not Spanish for 'the stops') away with none other than the Callinanator, and enjoying the weather, boats, concerts, pubs, pizza, etc that is Chicago. The travels after school haven't gone as planned so far, but they've still been great.
After finals I went back to Pisa and Lucca (see previous post) with Hilary, a friend from studio. After walking all day on Saturday my foot hurt to the point of almost not being able to walk due to a high school rodeo injury. It didn't really matter too much the rest of our time in Lucca, however, since we rented bikes for 2 days. We enjoyed biking around the town, on the ancient city walls that Napoleon's wife turned into a park back in the day, and through the country side of Tuscany along a river and wine fields with speckled towns on mountains as backdrops. Instead of going from there to Venice, Prague, Germany, and Paris I returned to Rome to let my foot rest. While a little frustrated I couldn't travel I did really enjoy the next 2 weeks I spent there. I was able to see Keith again and we celebrated his last day in Rome. Another great day was with my landlord that involved helping him move me to the apartment at the top of the building (that has a large terrace overlooking the street), talking about Christianity, him trying to get me to stay there all Summer to get paid to teach him guitar, drink cappuccini, and work on apartments, talks about Christianity, he loaned me his guitar (yay!), going to Villa Borghese with his wife and 3 daughters to celebrate Feste, and he showed me 2 chapels I'd never been in.
The time between then and now I didn't plan, although I tried as I continually looked at flight prices and the health of my foot. I spent every day at some point in il clan and have become good friends with Dika, Maysa, and Sergio. Sergio has been in Rome his whole life and is a regular at il clan. He's hilarious and would take me to hangout with him and his friends when not at il clan. Another unplanned friend last week was Marcella. She's Dika and Maysa's niece who has studied in the states for a while (so spoke English) and was in Rome for a week. When all 5 of us would hangout and I wanted to tell Sergio something that he wasn't understanding I would tell Marcella in English, she would tell one of her aunts in Portuguese, and they would tell Sergio in Italian. The joys of living oversees.
Last Saturday I went to Venice and enjoyed the water taxi's, churches, and small streets for a day before flying to Frankfurt, Germany. I've been staying near Kaiserslautern the past couple of days with my aunt, uncle, and cousin. They've been great hosts taking me to a few castles and enjoying the local cuisine (ie. schnitzel, bratwurst, and other edible things with 10 consonants and 2 vowels). It's been a blessing to see them, enjoy their house and company, and having them show me around the area. I will be sad to depart. ...but not too sad since I'll be heading to Prague (probably with my cousin, Gwynne).
Current reading: Just finished Ernest Hemingway's 'A Farewell to Arms' and loved it (I'll tell you all about it, Cass). Now enjoying 'Father Elijah'.
Current listenings: Thad Cockrell - pride wontgetus where we're goin, The Frames, Cabin's latest, Butterfly Boucher - A Bitter Song, The Grand Opening, R. Adams as usual, Axe Riverboy - carry on, Trent Dabbs - A Decade Fades cd, Tyler James - come off cold, don't leave, etc....
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Saturday, April 5, 2008
The rest of Spring Break
This is a guy in Milan. Guesswhat patch was my favorite?
Day 2 - Lake Como
This day was frustrating, but still fun (which seems to be a recurring theme for me). The plan: take a train to Como, see it and possibly the neighboring town, Brunate, which is a gondola ride away, take the hour ferry up to Bellagio, take the 10 min ferry to Varenna, and then take the 1.20 hour train back to Milan to catch the train to Cinque Terre in time to sign into our hostel. Sounds like a great day, right? Unfortunately we got a late start and missed the train we wanted so we couldn't do everything. Plan B ended up being an enjoyable stroll through Como to the lighthouse at the top of Brunate, and a race back to Como's train station only to wait 2 hours in Milan since we were rushing to a train that didn't exist. Once we got to our hostel we were definitely ready to crash. The relaxed atmosphere of Como off its expansive lake was the pace I wanted for Spring Break, and the views from Brunate were what my camera wanted for Spring Break. We were both happy.
From Brunate's lighthouse.
Tim and Pablo.
Italy has two suns: Romulus and Remus.This day was the best. For those who don't know, Cinque Terre refers to an area off the Mediterranean in Italy Northwest of Pisa that contains 5 small towns that are connected by trains, trails, and boats (that were not going when we were there because of the cold weather, I presume). It has kept a lot of it's original flavor because it has been dubbed a national park, which keeps large hotels away at the cost of a small entry fee. We stayed in Riomaggiore (Southeastern of the 5), and explored it a little grabbing pesto pizza for breakfast and some lunch snacks for the trail on our way out of town. La Via dell'amore connected us to the next town, Manarola, as we tried to take in the sound of the Sea crashing on the rocks at the base of the cliff below us and the views of the coastal towns that pocket parts of the procession. Manarola is a lot like Riomaggiore in layout - one larger street up the middle with smaller streets branching off it. We enjoyed a terraced park on the way out of Manarola and ended up playing with pictures more than the little playground there. We were sad we couldn't capture the huge gusts of wind and roaring of the ocean below.
Manarola.
Between towns.
Vernazza.Day 4 - Pisa, Lucca
Pisa = overrated. Lucca = underrated. Oh how I tried to convince my travel team of this, but to no avail. 'We're so close, let's just stop for a quick picture'. The quick pic was enjoyable, but left us arriving in Lucca at 6pm only to find no direct train to Rome (train ticketers = liars) and no luggage storage at the station. With just enough time to carry the bags to the amphitheater piazza and back to the station I got enough of a taste to have great expectations for a return visit (possibly after school). I wish I could be there for their annual Summer music festival to see such favorites as Feist, John Legend, Ricky Martin, and more. Maybe next year.
PS. It was really cold and really rainy the next day, Easter Sunday. "How fitting," I thought, as I puddle-hopped to St. Peter's in hopes to see the Pope's umbrella.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
March Madness
Well, it's time for my monthly blog. I've pretty much just been sitting in my room, reading, and working on studio. Nothing exciting.Ok , not really. In reality it's kinda daunting to try and do a blog to relate what it's like to live here when it's impossible. This being the first blog I've had I've thought a lot about the different ways people try to capture memories and portray experiences, and I feel like all of them fall short of the real experience of being here. So while I don't know how to move you to tears in describing San Pietro, or give you goosebumps and humble transcendence in telling you what it's like to touch an impression in stone of the Apostle Paul's face, I will do what I can. Thank you to those who are interested for being encouraging and patient.
We just recently had our Spring Break that ended the Tuesday after Easter. Having 10 days in Europe was like Christmas, and it was hard to try and decide whether to go visit islands and Athen in Greece, modern architecture through Spain to Portugal, or relaxing strolls with great views around Northern Italy. Northern Italy it was: Milan, Lake Como, Cinque Terre, Pisa, and Lucca.
Day 1: Milan
I'm in studio researching the trip, printing maps, and booking a hostel with Tim from 12 am to 3:30. We run out the door to pack and meet Pablo at the bus stop, to take a bus, to a bus, to a flight, to a bus to Milan. Tim and Pablo are fellow architecture students. Not sleeping didn't phase me since I slept on the flight, and it was amazing to wake up at the Milan runway since the Alps enclosed the whole length of the right side while landing. Fortunately it let us out on the runway and I shot a quick picture before getting on the bus.
I regret not running around the bus and capturing a photo of the sun rising over the Apean-runway. Forgive me Brian. After a bus to the city we found the hotel and set out exploring. Tim was our guide, having researched Milan, which meant that we wondered around till we saw the Duomo on the skyline, and then dodged all the H+M's and McDonald's as we went in that direction. The Duomo was pretty amazing both inside and out. It's spires reminded me of those on a drip-sand castle, and inside it had an awesome statue in it of a man wearing his skin like a cloak with the hood back (the hood being his head).
Outside the local gypsies grabbed Pablo's hand and filled it with bird seed, and his left arm was instantly covered in pigeons. Another gypo gave me some seeds as well, and after the fun they asked for money pretty vehemently. I got off without paying and we both laughed at them when they told us to pay them 10 Euros (about $16).
What next? When in doubt, gelato. I was kind of surprised to find that Milan doesn't have hardly any pizzerias and gelaterias; probably since they don't eat while walking like the Romans. ...well, more like the tourists, actually. The Romans spend 2/3 hours for a 4/5 course meal. So anyways, gelato in Piazza del Duomo that included the Duomo, a statue of cool lions (I love the statues of lions and angels all over the place) around a guy on a horse (wanna be Marcus Aurelius), and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. 
The Galleria (also called the Mall) is a large, covered arcade linking the Piazza del Duomo with the Teatro alla Scala (one of the world's most famous opera houses). After getting lost for awhile we made it back to the hotel for a nice 3 hour nap (I didn't complain cause I was feeling a little sick from something I ate the day before), and then woke up and went out to explore the night life. For the size of Milan it has the most depressing bar scene I've heard of. We finally found a few about an hour walk away. The reason we found it was because all the locals were drinking in the street between the bar and gelateria. Drinking outside is common all over Rome so we enjoyed relaxing in the slow paced street for the evening - which included some pizza from the pizzeria that was sooo delicious. After the cold hour long walk home it was time to rest for day 2.
We just recently had our Spring Break that ended the Tuesday after Easter. Having 10 days in Europe was like Christmas, and it was hard to try and decide whether to go visit islands and Athen in Greece, modern architecture through Spain to Portugal, or relaxing strolls with great views around Northern Italy. Northern Italy it was: Milan, Lake Como, Cinque Terre, Pisa, and Lucca.
Day 1: Milan
I'm in studio researching the trip, printing maps, and booking a hostel with Tim from 12 am to 3:30. We run out the door to pack and meet Pablo at the bus stop, to take a bus, to a bus, to a flight, to a bus to Milan. Tim and Pablo are fellow architecture students. Not sleeping didn't phase me since I slept on the flight, and it was amazing to wake up at the Milan runway since the Alps enclosed the whole length of the right side while landing. Fortunately it let us out on the runway and I shot a quick picture before getting on the bus.
I regret not running around the bus and capturing a photo of the sun rising over the Apean-runway. Forgive me Brian. After a bus to the city we found the hotel and set out exploring. Tim was our guide, having researched Milan, which meant that we wondered around till we saw the Duomo on the skyline, and then dodged all the H+M's and McDonald's as we went in that direction. The Duomo was pretty amazing both inside and out. It's spires reminded me of those on a drip-sand castle, and inside it had an awesome statue in it of a man wearing his skin like a cloak with the hood back (the hood being his head).
Outside the local gypsies grabbed Pablo's hand and filled it with bird seed, and his left arm was instantly covered in pigeons. Another gypo gave me some seeds as well, and after the fun they asked for money pretty vehemently. I got off without paying and we both laughed at them when they told us to pay them 10 Euros (about $16).
What next? When in doubt, gelato. I was kind of surprised to find that Milan doesn't have hardly any pizzerias and gelaterias; probably since they don't eat while walking like the Romans. ...well, more like the tourists, actually. The Romans spend 2/3 hours for a 4/5 course meal. So anyways, gelato in Piazza del Duomo that included the Duomo, a statue of cool lions (I love the statues of lions and angels all over the place) around a guy on a horse (wanna be Marcus Aurelius), and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. 
The Galleria (also called the Mall) is a large, covered arcade linking the Piazza del Duomo with the Teatro alla Scala (one of the world's most famous opera houses). After getting lost for awhile we made it back to the hotel for a nice 3 hour nap (I didn't complain cause I was feeling a little sick from something I ate the day before), and then woke up and went out to explore the night life. For the size of Milan it has the most depressing bar scene I've heard of. We finally found a few about an hour walk away. The reason we found it was because all the locals were drinking in the street between the bar and gelateria. Drinking outside is common all over Rome so we enjoyed relaxing in the slow paced street for the evening - which included some pizza from the pizzeria that was sooo delicious. After the cold hour long walk home it was time to rest for day 2.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Gelato, jackets, and women
A lot has happened since my last post. It has been difficult to get online and I have preferred to be all-here lately, but I do want to share part of the story that is my life so I will try to post more often. Also I now live 3 minutes from studio instead of 30.
Rome is amazing and I love it. Two of my favorite things that standout to me in this metropolitan area of 4+ million people are the jackets and the women. The jackets vary in design and almost all of them are one's that I would want to wear. I was sad that I couldn't bring more of mine up here, but was happy to find a long black jacket that reminded me of probably my favorite jacket I've ever seen (which would be one of the green one in the beginning of Brotherhood of the Wolf). For those who don't know I'm attracted to dark haired girls, and apparently Rome is where these beautiful women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano. It really makes me want to learn Italian and live here for a while. There are other unexpected features of the city that have not been as easy on the eyes. I've been surprised to see the amount of spray paint and homeless people around Rome, and while I have yet to see a wreck as it happens, I have seen the aftermath of a handful of wrecks that ended poorly for the mopedian. I've also seen the smoldering rubble of at least a dozen mopeds that included a charred streak up a building and a blown out 2nd floor window. These are probably the main 3 of a list of things that make it hard to believe I'm really in Rome. My mental image of the perfect-city Rome isn't exactly lining up with the Rome I'm experiencing, and I don't think they'll ever meet. There are some close encounters, however: walking into the Pantheon on a rainy day, stumbling into a random church that I've passed by many times and finding it to be utterly amazing inside, a typical Italian girl speaking, gelato, etc...
Speaking of gelato, one of my favorite memories in Rome so far was the first time I ate it here. I was with 3 friends from studio exploring the more well-known features of the city during our first week here. We found our way past the Pantheon, through some winding streets, and to Trevi fountain - which we all immediately claimed as one of the coolest things we'd seen so far. We got some gelato at a store that overlooked the fountain, and as soon as I started eating it 'Born in the USA' by Bruce Springsteen blared through the gelatoria. It rocked. The food in general here is awesome. I'll never get tired of eating panini and pizzas. I've been to a handful of good sit-down Italian food locations, and my roommates and I were surprised to find a really good Chinese restaurant.
Studio has been great this semester. Our professor is a native Italian so he naturally practices the Italian liesurely work. With a couple of cappicino breaks during our 3 hour class and lots of time between due dates, the studio is made complete with frequent trips out of the studio into Rome and surrounding areas. The first big day trip included a 30 minute train ride to Ostia Antica. This is the best place to see the ruins of a complete Roman city as most of it has been untouched (there is a building for food/souvenirs). Our 2nd big day trip took us to Pompeii (a 2 hour bus ride) and it was even better. Having been to a temporary exhibit at the Field Museum in Chicago I felt even more familiar with the history of this ancient city that everyone needs to visit. I was surprised at how much of it is still standing, and probably enjoyed the local gladiator arena the most. The 3rd day trip we took was only a few days ago and left the other 2 in the ruinous dust - Hadrian's Villa. It's only a 45 min bus ride from Rome but takes a full day to see. This Villa for one man was so large that it was built in two phases, and it leaves even less to the imagination than Ostia Antica and Pompeii (pictured below). My favorite feature of it included a long pool of water with statues directly around it, hills on the long sides, a large oak tree on one end, and an enclave to gather in at the other.
Music. The culture here is funny to me because they all listen to tunes with English lyrics (for the most part), there are advertisements in English, mtv on tv, and tourists everywhere. I try to imagine the reciprocal with Dallas...just seems strange. Specially since so many Italians here don't speak English and/or speak the local Italian dialect which is impossible, from what I hear, to understand even if you know Italian. So music. I love it. Walking and exploring gives new experiences to favorite songs, like eating a favorite dish at a new, unique restaurant. At first I was getting goosebumps really easily. My favorite songs lately have had lyrics that resound with my steps*. I've been without most of my music (including all my favorite artists), but I'm hoping that will change soon.
Crepes. One evening I was invited by 2 girls in studio to a house to eat crepes that were being cooked by students of another school. Sounded fun so me and 1 other guy went and had crepes with about 10 girls. There were people from all over: U.S., Finland, Switzerland, etc. I was one of the last to go through the serving line so I grabbed 2 crepes and loaded them with nutella (which is everywhere here), apple sauce, cheese, and other assortments that were on the fixin's table. I didn't think I would get full that night, but ended up eating 5 total; they had leftovers. I stayed until the last guests left and talked with one guy there about getting a guitar and joining him in his cello playing out at the Roman streets and piazzas. I really wish I had my guitar.
Superbowl. Hard rock cafe is where 8 of us went to watch the Superbowl at 12:30 am. For 16 Euros we got reservations that went quick, 2 beers, chips and salsa, and a sweet mug souvenir. To the shagrin of my roommates I was rooting for the NY Giants because they beat the cowboys (so they needed to go all the way) and also so that I could joke about how much Eli Manning is than Peyton (which I haven't gotten to do yet since none of my friends here like the Colts). He's way better, Wes and Dre. Before the game started I waited at a table with my new Finish friend, Taina, with some other Italians who were waiting for people. Samuel, who I met while waiting, was one of the Italians who was also rooting for NY since his dad works there. I ended up sitting at the table in front of his group so throughout the game I would get pats on the back or get up and cheer with 10 Italians. Before the game he hit me so that I would stand with him for the national anthem. Hand on my heart and everything with 1 other person in the room. Halftime happened outside. The sidewalk was big enough for a 4 vs 4 football game in which I was the only one who spoke fluent English. With a hodge-podge court that had a car parked on one side, short passes that usually fell incomplete, and more laughter than sweat it felt like I was in Middle School. After the second half the cheers at the end of the game lasted from the tv to down the street.
Church. A few friends from studio told me about the Baptist Church of Rome where I went this past Sunday for the first time. It was relieving to sing old English hymns again, and I found Dani, the cook from the crepes night, to sit by. At the end they had all us first-timers to stand up and say our name and where we're from. This allowed for me to meet a handful of people who came up to me afterwards. One of which was a DTS professor who's here on sabbatical. He's heard of you, Gunter, but hasn't met you. The meetings continued into lunch as a large group of us walked to a sit-down restaurant. I met a girl from Jamaica and another from Wales. I've found it's easy meeting people in Rome. Well, maybe not Italians.
Travels.
I've gone on 2 awesome weekend trips within Italy (Sorrento and Capri; Bologna and Ravenna) which I will post about soon. I'm going to Florence with the Studio tomorrow and Athens for Spring Break with a group of people. I have about 3 weeks after Studio finishes on April 24th before I head home to do the majority of my traveling. There are a few trips I'd like to do before then, and the top of those is snowboarding in Switzerland. Stories and pictures will abound.
*
Copeland - Thanks to you
This far from home,
It doesn't feel as far when I know you're doing well.
Distance is what you make it.
The distance is what you make it.
I hope that you can see the strength that pulled us through
Is now passed on to me I wear it like you always do.
Underoath - Some Will Seek Forgiveness, Others Escape
Hey unfaithful I will teach you
To be stronger, to be stronger
Hey ungraceful I will teach you
To forgive one another...
And Jesus I'm ready to come home
The National - Mistaken for strangers
You get mistaken for strangers by your own friends
when you pass them at night under the silvery, silvery citibank lights
Ryan Adams - Friends (from memory not ipod)
Sunday, January 13, 2008
From 2008 to Rome
Friends, Romans, countrymen. Welcome. I hope you don't have big aspirations for future posts since I am no journalism major, but I do hope to put up at least a picture a post since I love taking pictures (thanks mom and dad for the new camera :)
Now that that's out of the way...2008 started out awesome. The Christmas approach with the Wood Pile never fails to help make for a grande ole celebration to bring it home. Family (that's me with Nelson and Ali's baby Kennedy), friends, and the ungodly amounts of food are a must. This New Year's Eve was one of my most favorite as a handful of my closest friends came to Dallas to rock. The night was all planned out, but nothing happened according to plan - which turned out to be better because of the people I got to celebrate it with. Thanks to all who brought in 2008 with me. I hope everyone else had as much fun as I did.
Rome.
After staying up all night packing I got on my flight. Mom dropped me off at DFW, where I was happily mistaken as a marine, where I was finally setting out on my own. There was a layover in Philadelphia, and off to Rome. I switched seats with a girl on the flight so she could sit by her parents and ended up sitting by a Roman mother and her 2 daughters. One of the daughters flipped through the little black book of Rome that Asher, Missy, and Gaia got me and circled all the restaurants, bars, etc that she loved. She spoke as much English as I did Italian so we flipped through a translation book, watched The Bourne Ultimatum in Italian, etc. This was the flight. Having stayed up for 2 straight nights (1 packing and the other on the plane) I arrived in Rome. My cell phone wasn't working, I couldn't get my debit card unfrozen in the 3hrs I was between flights in Philly (yeah, no cheese steak either), and I was going to pick up my apartment keys at a convent where a friend was staying. The train into town was easy and my mental picture of 'Chicago but different' proved to be pretty close to reality. Once in town I realized that I was miles from where I needed to be and talked a cabby down in price (at first accidentally) to get there. After arriving at the convent (cobblestone streets are no fun with rolly-anything), I sat in a small room for my friend trying my best not to sleep but failing a couple of times. After my friend arrived and I learned that there were no keys yet, I went to stay at a hotel that the lady who was working the desk setup for me. I walked a while, took the 15 Euro cab ride to who knows where, went in a gate, and walked up to what looked like someone's house. It was a bed and breakfast that was owned by an older couple. I spoke Spanish with the Father of the house while we watched his wife prep the room and bathroom. After saying goodnight I took a picture of myself in my room. I showered and got in bed to list some things or make a plan or something before sleep and found myself drifting in and out of consciousness. I was able to do whatever I needed to and slept 12 hrs. I remember thinking it fitting as I correlated my delirious entry to Rome like that of Dante's entry to Hell, and it made me feel all the more far from home the next day. Here's me, my room, and it's morning view.
Charming, ain't it. The first full day in Rome has been my favorite to date. After eating wafer bread and jam with warm milk and an espresso I headed out into the unknown. One of the few things I understood the wife say is that the bus tickets can be bought at a tabacchi (small vendors throughout the city). I bought a ticket for 1 Euro but decided to walk since I had the time and the weather was inviting. The walk was great. I used the maps at the bus stops to find my way since I found I was off of any map I owned, and saw that I had about a 5 mile walk before me. One woman tried to speak to me in Italian and I could only say 'no comprende' as I kept walking. As I neared more urban territory the white noise of any city (cars, people walking, trolley, etc) tasted different to my ears as it was mixed with the Italian language dancing in the air around me. Lately I've enjoyed walking with my headphones on (it's been easy to get goosebumps during certain songs), but I'm glad that I didn't think to do that on the first day. I walked in circles a bit, went through a few markets, was surprised at how many people had dogs, and finally decided to rest my ankle at an outdoor cafe. I later learned that I was resting right in front of the door to where a group of my friends were living and where I resided until I moved into my own apartment. After a rest I walked uphill off the major street with the trolley and; you probably wouldn't be far off from picturing the next neighborhoods I saw as the architypical Roman streets: winding, narrow, hilly, etc. I got to the top of a hill and noticed 2 Americans that i chatted with for a bit. They gave me a map and, after we traversed the top, proceeded to the base where we parted paths. The top had views over the whole city. It was also large enough for a park with meandering paths, statues, and mobile vendors.
Did you know: the white building above with the winged charioteers is called 'the wedding cake' by the locals since has a large, layering base and totally disreguards the surrounding environment. After the hill I called a roommate and met up with some of the class. Since then I've been in a watered-down Italian culture since I speak English all the time. That first day really imprinted on me what it means to be in a foreign place where nobody knows who you are, what you're saying, or what the deelio. It really made me want to learn Italian.
Since then I've moved into an apartment with 2 roommates in a neighborhood that's been described as the Beverly Hills of Rome, started my studio course which will probably be the best one I've ever done, and daily life has started to get some structure. As I am one who loves change you can count on each day being different as I continue to explore both the city and the culture.
Ciao!
Now that that's out of the way...2008 started out awesome. The Christmas approach with the Wood Pile never fails to help make for a grande ole celebration to bring it home. Family (that's me with Nelson and Ali's baby Kennedy), friends, and the ungodly amounts of food are a must. This New Year's Eve was one of my most favorite as a handful of my closest friends came to Dallas to rock. The night was all planned out, but nothing happened according to plan - which turned out to be better because of the people I got to celebrate it with. Thanks to all who brought in 2008 with me. I hope everyone else had as much fun as I did.
Rome.
After staying up all night packing I got on my flight. Mom dropped me off at DFW, where I was happily mistaken as a marine, where I was finally setting out on my own. There was a layover in Philadelphia, and off to Rome. I switched seats with a girl on the flight so she could sit by her parents and ended up sitting by a Roman mother and her 2 daughters. One of the daughters flipped through the little black book of Rome that Asher, Missy, and Gaia got me and circled all the restaurants, bars, etc that she loved. She spoke as much English as I did Italian so we flipped through a translation book, watched The Bourne Ultimatum in Italian, etc. This was the flight. Having stayed up for 2 straight nights (1 packing and the other on the plane) I arrived in Rome. My cell phone wasn't working, I couldn't get my debit card unfrozen in the 3hrs I was between flights in Philly (yeah, no cheese steak either), and I was going to pick up my apartment keys at a convent where a friend was staying. The train into town was easy and my mental picture of 'Chicago but different' proved to be pretty close to reality. Once in town I realized that I was miles from where I needed to be and talked a cabby down in price (at first accidentally) to get there. After arriving at the convent (cobblestone streets are no fun with rolly-anything), I sat in a small room for my friend trying my best not to sleep but failing a couple of times. After my friend arrived and I learned that there were no keys yet, I went to stay at a hotel that the lady who was working the desk setup for me. I walked a while, took the 15 Euro cab ride to who knows where, went in a gate, and walked up to what looked like someone's house. It was a bed and breakfast that was owned by an older couple. I spoke Spanish with the Father of the house while we watched his wife prep the room and bathroom. After saying goodnight I took a picture of myself in my room. I showered and got in bed to list some things or make a plan or something before sleep and found myself drifting in and out of consciousness. I was able to do whatever I needed to and slept 12 hrs. I remember thinking it fitting as I correlated my delirious entry to Rome like that of Dante's entry to Hell, and it made me feel all the more far from home the next day. Here's me, my room, and it's morning view.
Charming, ain't it. The first full day in Rome has been my favorite to date. After eating wafer bread and jam with warm milk and an espresso I headed out into the unknown. One of the few things I understood the wife say is that the bus tickets can be bought at a tabacchi (small vendors throughout the city). I bought a ticket for 1 Euro but decided to walk since I had the time and the weather was inviting. The walk was great. I used the maps at the bus stops to find my way since I found I was off of any map I owned, and saw that I had about a 5 mile walk before me. One woman tried to speak to me in Italian and I could only say 'no comprende' as I kept walking. As I neared more urban territory the white noise of any city (cars, people walking, trolley, etc) tasted different to my ears as it was mixed with the Italian language dancing in the air around me. Lately I've enjoyed walking with my headphones on (it's been easy to get goosebumps during certain songs), but I'm glad that I didn't think to do that on the first day. I walked in circles a bit, went through a few markets, was surprised at how many people had dogs, and finally decided to rest my ankle at an outdoor cafe. I later learned that I was resting right in front of the door to where a group of my friends were living and where I resided until I moved into my own apartment. After a rest I walked uphill off the major street with the trolley and; you probably wouldn't be far off from picturing the next neighborhoods I saw as the architypical Roman streets: winding, narrow, hilly, etc. I got to the top of a hill and noticed 2 Americans that i chatted with for a bit. They gave me a map and, after we traversed the top, proceeded to the base where we parted paths. The top had views over the whole city. It was also large enough for a park with meandering paths, statues, and mobile vendors.
Did you know: the white building above with the winged charioteers is called 'the wedding cake' by the locals since has a large, layering base and totally disreguards the surrounding environment. After the hill I called a roommate and met up with some of the class. Since then I've been in a watered-down Italian culture since I speak English all the time. That first day really imprinted on me what it means to be in a foreign place where nobody knows who you are, what you're saying, or what the deelio. It really made me want to learn Italian.Since then I've moved into an apartment with 2 roommates in a neighborhood that's been described as the Beverly Hills of Rome, started my studio course which will probably be the best one I've ever done, and daily life has started to get some structure. As I am one who loves change you can count on each day being different as I continue to explore both the city and the culture.
Ciao!
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