Birthday Weekend

First of all, thanks to everyone who sent me birthday greetings! I appreciate them all:).

Yet another great weekend... Thursday night we decided to finally check out the Spanish Steps pubcrawl (free on your birthday, which was nice) and it was a lot of fun. Most of the people in our program went along, and we were introduced to some new pubs and a cool club which was nice. Dan (whose birthday was earlier in the week) and I won a competition they set up there, so we felt pretty awesome about that. A nice way to ring in my 20th year... but 6 30 came too quickly the next morning.

We caught the 7 35 train out of Termini to La Spezia, from where we would take another train to Riomaggiore, where we were staying in Cinque Terre. Most of the boys couldn't get out of bed in the morning, so it was just Meghan, Carly, Kathryn, Kathleen, Dan and I in one compartment. Alyssa was on the train, but had gone ahead and we didn't know where she was. We were enjoying ourselves until the conductor came by to check our tickets and informed us that they were not validated. The tickets from the weekend before didn't require validation, and it wasn't something we thought about. Luckily he gave us a break and only charged 50 euro for the compartment, rather than per person, but it was still an unfortunate start.

Grabbed lunch in La Spezia and waited for Ben and Pete to catch up, then took the 8 minute train to Riomaggiore. Checked into our hostel, which was up some treacherous stairs but pretty nice and with an amazing view of Riomaggiore (pictured right). We immediately set out to the fifth town, Monterosso, where we set up shop on the beach and didn't leave for hours. When we did, the sun was setting and we were ready for dinner. Unfortunately Ben and I got sidetracked talking to a guy with a dog and could imitate a good Boston accent for an Italian, and we got split up from the group. We found some good photo ops as a result of it, and when we finally made it to the restaurant the pesto lasagna was spot on.

The food, wine, and sun foiled our plans to go out that night, considering that we wer all asleep on the train, but it made for a good night's sleep before our hike on Saturday. Well, at least for everyone except Aunt Meg (as we'll call her for differentiation purposes-- Erin's aunt is also studying in Rome and hangs out from time to time), Ben C., and Scott, who didn't leave Rome until 7 PM and not until 1:15 Saturday morning did I get a call saying they had made it to Riomaggiore. Ben slept on the hard marble at the foot of my bed until we left at 8. Hiking was amazing... nothing too challenging, but still some good exercise accompanied by gorgeous views and the occassional Limoncello or Prosecco when we felt so inclined. Spent some time in a vineyard singing songs from The Sound of Music, later the trail took us through an olive grove, and about four hours later we were in the fourth town of Vernazza. I recognized it as the place where I spent an afternoon with my youth group the last summer I lived in Holland, when I was 14, which obviously brought back fond memories for me.

We sampled some focaccia, for which the region is known, and hung out on the rocks for a few hours, until Meghan and I started thinking that if we were going to try to stay later than the original 6 PM departure time we had bought tickets for, we should make absolute sure they could be changed. It was 3, and the guy at the ticket booth said that not only was 6 the last train back to Rome, but that there was a problem on the line and we should think about getting to La Spezia ASAP. After waiting on the platform for a good 45 minutes, we decided to try to catch a boat back to Riomaggiore instead. What we thought was the last one pulled away the second we bought our tickets (4:20 at this point) and we began to realize our chances of making the 6 o'clock train were seriously diminishing. Somehow, right as we turned around, another boat pulled up, and we pushed through the crowd and made it on. As it sailed along the coastline we noticed something else: a train was also making its way towards Riomaggiore. We realized that could either be good and indicate that the trains were in fact running again, or be bad in that that might be one of the only trains to go out for awhile.

When we got off the boat we sprinted to the hostel, sprinted up our mountain of stairs, threw our belongings together, and sprinted to the train station leaving a stream of "Scusi!"s behind us as we dodged people. We noticed a swarm of people moving in our direction through the tunnel that led to the station and knew that meant that the train had arrived. We finished the last leg and approached the station just in time to hear the whistle blow and watch the train leave. After about 20 seconds of "No! No no no!"s and resigned laughter, we decided to check the schedule anyway. With the delay factored in, one was supposed to arrive in 15 minutes. Just enough time to grab a much needed beer from the cafeteria across the way and head to the platform. After talking to some guys from Temple, we realized that trains heading in both directions were using the same track, which equaled disaster in my opinion, but also helped explain the delays. Our delay increased by 5 more minutes, then 10, but at 5 45 lo and behold, the train to La Spezia rolled up.

We got to La Spezia with what we thought was 4 minutes to spare (9 when we realized that Meghan's clock was 5 minutes fast), and then the train to Rome got another 15 minute delay of its own. At 6 20 we were really on our way. Was that the end of our adventure? Of course not. As we got off the train 4 1/2 hours later the thought crossed my mind... "Does the metro still run this late?" The bars blocking the gate at the Termini station suggested otherwise. While nearly every bus runs through Termini at some point, after our last failed excursion on the night buses we were a little nervous. One of the drivers told us to get on the 170 to end up near San Paolo Basilica, but after 15 minutes on our bus when I asked our driver his "si... vicino..." wasn't so convincing. He dropped us off and issued a motion of his hand in the direction of the basilica, and we crossed our fingers and set out. By some miracle, that road turned into our street about 4 blocks down, and as we passed under the metro station we saw a train approach the platform. Go figure.

Slept soundly last night and have spent the day simply chilling out. I'm sure everyone who stayed enjoyed the rest of the weekend in Cinque Terre greatly, but I have to say I've been appreciating my day of relaxation. I'm in a bar across the street right now with Erin and Meghan having a macchiato and... I think I'm gonna get back to The Italians now. Ciao!

more photos

A Reflection after Two Weeks

We were assigned in my "Masterpieces of the Vatican" class to write a few pages about our initial reaction to Rome. I thought it would make for a good post.

This is not my first time in Europe, Italy, or even Rome. I was born in Germany (though I was too young to remember any of my experiences at that time) and as a child in a military household found myself back on the continent (more specifically, Holland) when I was eleven, and wouldn't leave until three years later. In that time I came to Italy for a week with my family. We flew into Rome, and spent the better part of that first day there, primarily in the Vatican. I enjoyed that day (and the week, in its entirety), but knew it was not a worthy predecessor or indicator to what my time here now will hold.

Though I am only a quarter Italian (my paternal grandmother was second generation to Chicago immigrants) it is part of my heritage I have learned to be proud of, and one of the primary reasons I chose to study here. Needless to say, grandma was pleased. Whenever I told anyone about my intended trip, the response was the same-- "Oh, Rome is the most beautiful city in the world. You will love it." Not that I had any doubts, but it was still exciting to hear. A day or two before I left a friend of my mom's stopped by with some books for me-- tourist and informational guides, for the most part, but also a novel she couldn't applaud enough. The novel was The Italians by Luigi Barzini, and after hearing her acclaim I decided it would be perfect reading for the plane.

Appropriately enough, the book begins by discussing the strange draw Italy has always had on foreigners. Its explanation of the picturesque towns, breath-taking scenery, fabulous cuisine, animated people, and overall romantic culture did nothing to put a damper on my expectation upon arrival. As of yet, I have not been disappointed.

Thus far, Rome has been the most amazing source of wonder,a we, and excitement for me. As a History major and art enthusiast, there is no end to the points of interest. An intricate fountain sitting nonchalantly in a quiet piazza, chipped frescoes above a church arch centuries old, a statue missing a nose and an arm but still beautiful and fascinating in its antiquity and the skill the produced it-- each with a story behind it. Even the trains have become canvases for artists with no resources besides an aerosol can (or perhaps simply nothing better to do with their spare time). The music from an accordion sneaks up to our classroom windows from time to time. Bands will appear out of nowhere in Campo dei Fiori and start churning out a jazzy rendition of "Somewhere over the Rainbow." A ten year old's fingers fly as he plays Vivaldi on a street corner for change. Music (with frequent beeps and honks from passing cars as percussion) is a part of Rome's soul.

That is not to say that a big city is not intimidating upon first arrival, especially with only a limited grasp on the language. The Metro/bus map looks like childish scribblings to the untrained eye (and even after having used it frequently for two weeks I don't deny having gotten lost on a bus for two ours one night). I'm still not exactly sure when the appropriate time to pay for a cappucino is (though luckily it goes down so quickly I don't think it matters). Though I feel that I'm coming along with my grasp on the Italian language, a few "puedo", "aqui", and "necesito"s still find their way out of the Spanish-speaking area of my brain from time to time. I even invented a word ("librere") when politely telling an Italian boy that no, I didn't wat to eat with him because I was going to librere on the Spanish steps.

In general, however, I have fallen in love with Rome as much as everyone said I would, and I know it will keep getting better. I can't imagine a time arising when I won't feel humbled standing next to the Colosseum. I don't foresee myself passing a talented guitarist on the ledge of a fountain without smiling. And while it's possible that at some point I might be able to utter the words, "Oh no, I couldn't possibly have any more caprese or gelato," I think I'll be a few pounds heavier before that day arrives. From the look of things, December is going to come too soon.

So that's that. We're finally getting around to the pub crawl tonight for my birthday, which should make a 6 30 wakeup time to head to Cinque Terre (yeah, I decided to go for a night) tomorrow morning fun, but hey, I'm in Rome.

Contact Info

I've been meaning to leave my contact information just in case anyone felt crazy and wanted to drop me a line or a letter or something haha. My Italian phone number is (0039)334-753-8104. It might require a +1 before it? Using 10-10-987 or 10-10-220 to call internationally makes it a lot cheaper.

I live on a street called Via Giustiniano Imperatore, which is actually irrelevant, but I think it's a cool name and I've finally memorized it so I thought I'd show off. I get mail through my school's address though, since apparently it's more reliable. That address is:

Angela Calonder
c/o Accademia Italiana
Via San Pantaleo, 66
00186 Roma

On the really crazy chance that you send a package, mark it as worth ''No Commercial Value,'' or else I'll be charged half the value of what you mark as a tariff.

Um... yeah that's about it! Dan's birthday was last night so we surprised him with a cake (that's still in my fridge, now that I think about it) then took him to dinner. One of our program directors is taking us to a round of apertivi at an authentic, non-touristy place tonight. I'm considering a trip to Cinque Terre this weekend but I don't think my funds allow that. It's hard for me to turn down after last weekend though... we'll see.

A Weekend on the Amalfi Coast

Classes finished well last week and by Thursday night we were looking forward to our weekend on the Amalfi Coast. We wanted to make it an early evening, but Hannah, Meghan, and I ended up on the wrong bus for an hour and a half before it took us back to the same exact place we got on, and we had to wait for another... So didn't get a whole lot of sleep that night as our train left at 6:45.

Checked into Sorrento after two train rides and immediately headed out to Positano. The drive was crazy, and the driver was crazier. We arrived in one piece (if not a little motion sick) and made the long descent down the stairs to the beach. It was gorgeous. The Amalfi coast is a collection of little towns strewn in niches in the mountainside. The water is beautiful and refreshing, so went for about a two hour swim with Alyssa, Meghan, and Pete, then decided to chill out at one of the waterside bars. Did some shopping, grabbed some nice Italian food, hung out on the beach for awhile longer, then decided we should probably head back to Sorrento to rest up for Capri.

Took a ferry to Capri at 8 in the morning, and the ride alone was enough to know we were in store for something amazing. The sun was rising over Sorrento as we headed out, and the water was beginning to acquire its deep blue color by the time we made it to Capri. Got breakfast and found a boating company that would take us by ourselves in two cute little boats on a tour of the entire island and leave us at the Blue Grotto. The ride was so beautiful, and we got to get out at two places to swim, and ended up cliff diving off a 40 foot cliff at the first spot. We're all a little bruised (well, some more than a little...) and sore from it, but it was awesome.

The Blue Grotto was incredible... we got into tiny boats and had to lay flat in each others' laps in groups of four to make it in, and it was completely dark except for the water glowing the most brilliant shade of blue. The gondoliers sang and their voices echoed. Flashes went off everywhere as people tried to capture something that photos could never reproduce. Afterwards we got lunch, made our way to Anacapri for a second, came back down to the gardens and eventually the beach, and got home in time to catch the sunset in Sorrento.

Had a good time last night... got some pizza from the place across the street and decided to check out the Sorrento club scene. Pretty much took over one of them and danced forever practically, and no one was too thrilled about the 10 am checkout time this morning. Alyssa, Pete, and Jeff were down for another day at the beach but everyone else was entirely worn down. Aside from our cliff jumping injuries and soreness, Ben somehow acquired pink eye, and by the end of the train ride Kat's feet and ankles had swollen up strangely.

An absolutely perfect weekend... I think we'll all sleep soundly tonight. For the rest of the photos click here.

Sciopero!

I have a few minutes between classes so I thought Iàd (yeah... Euro keyboards at school, havenàt quite mastered them yet) get in a quick update. Yesterday was the second day of classes, obviously, and it was a pretty long day for me because I had my 2 hour Italian class, a 3 hour Masterpieces of the Vatican class that I thought I was going to drop but now am reconsidering, and then I sat in on another 3 hour class (photography) that I still intend to keep. The second two classes were almost entirely outside and interactive, so it wasnàt too bad though.

The Masterpieces of the Vatican class was fascinating. We didnàt go to the Vatican, but Maurizio (our little old professor) took us on a tour of Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, and Piazza San Eustichio. Just like Claudio, he was very obviously an expert in his field. Piazza Navona, in ancient times, was actually a stadium where games similar to those that took place in the Colosseum were played. It was also where St. Agnes was killed, and the huge church that forms one side of the Piazza is dedicated to her. Because of its violent past, when the modern Piazza was constructed it was a dedication to peace. The fountain in the middle (which, unfortunately is covered with scaffolding right now... I asked Maurizio when it was supposed to come down and he sighed, and in very Italian fashion responded "It was supposed to come down in May.") symbolizes the four main rivers of the four known continents at the time (Europe, Africa, Asia, and America) with a dove/olive branch over top.

The Pantheon was absolutely amazing... I couldnàt believe there was so much to it that I was unaware of. It really is a perfect symbol for Rome itself. Everywhere you go here there are remnants of the three primary influences of Roman culture; its ancient pagan roots, the dominance of the church during the rule of the Papacy, and its Imperial days. Aside from its doors, the Pantheon (or Basilica di Santa Maria ad Martyrs, as itàs less commonly known) is stripped of all of its original bronze shell, which went to St. Peteràs Basilica during its construction. Where pagan idols once stood are now Catholic statues, frescoes, and paintings. Though he has his own massive monument in the middle of Ancient Rome, Vittorio Emmanuel IIàs tomb is in the west wall of the Pantheon, while his son is buried across from him. And in the daytime it was obvious at how it was the model for our own dear Rotunda at UVA (the Piazza where the Pantheonàs located is the Piazza di Rotonda, actually, and thatàs what it used to be called). If you couldnàt tell, I found the structure fascinating.

After Masterpieces of the Vatican I had Photography which I think is going to be a pretty interesting, if not overly challenging, class. We spent almost the entire three hours in Piazza Navona taking pictures and trying not to sketch out the people we were instructed to use as subjects. Halfway through we heard the melodies of "Blue Suede Shoes", and a float carrying the Italian equivalent of Elvis and his band drove by, slowly circling the Piazza. You really never know whatàs coming next here...

We were expecting a little excitement this morning because our first Sciopero was announced. A sciopero is a strike, and they are apparently really common for transit in Italy. Todayàs was supposed to start at 8 30, so we got up early to ensure weàd be at school before that time. The Metro was absolutely packed, the bus actually was better than it was yesterday, and we got to school 1/2 hr early only to find it had been called off. Ohhhh Italy.

We had planned to go to Cinque Terre this weekend, but couldnàt find any hostels. Now weàve decided on the Amalfi coast for this weekend, and hiking in Cinque Terre next, which should make for a nice birthday weekend. And possibly a sobbing bank account. But hey, Iàm in Europe.

Ciao for now... I need to do some grocery shopping.

Stayin Classy

Quick post before bed... class started today and things went well. Decided the coffee shop down the street might be seeing me a few times a day but that's ok. I'm in intermediate Italian which I was a little nervous about, considering that I haven't studied it, but everyone (aside from the two nearly fluent speakers in the class) seemed to be at about the same level of confusion and dismay as I was when the professor announced that she was no longer going to speak in English at all. I guess that's the best way to learn though...

Four hour break between my 2 hour Italian class and 3 hour Mythology class (I know, makes for a long day) in which we went and got lunch, our residency permits, aaaaaand... booked flights to Stuttgart for Oktoberfest! I know the biggest one is in Munich, but Bad Cannstatt (the suburb of Stuttgart in which I was born, actually) has another huge fest, and the airport Ryanair flies into is much much closer to Stuttgart, which both time and money-wise just makes more sense.

When we got done with class at six Meghan, Ben, Pete, Jeff, and I went to check out the Scholar's Bar/Pub/Tavern (can't remember which) which is a pretty authentic Irish pub with all English speaking waitstaff. Like I said before, I don't want to find myself using English-prominent areas as a crutch, but it was a nice breath of familiarity I have to admit.

Like I said, quick post, forgot to give the link for the rest of the Notte Bianca pictures (same as the 2nd album I posted before actually, but here you go.

La Notte Bianca

As intended I went and read on the Spanish Steps yesterday. The piazza was packed with people, and I'm not sure if it was because of Notte Bianca or if it's always like that on nice days. I was reading The Italians by Luigi Barzini, which was lent to me by one of my parents' friends, and just gives a very candid portrayal of the Italian people, and (at least in this phase of the book) provides commentary on the incredible draw it has to foreigners. While I'm enjoying the book quite a bit, there was one passage I particularly liked.

Is Italy love? Or is Italy, as some say, art? Like the Italian scene, art, too, can be intoxicating, can transform people, can transport them far from themselves, can be delightfully aphrodisiac. 'Art,' says Walter Peter, with words which could be applied equally to Italy and to love, 'gives nothing but the highest quality to your moments as they pass.'

Anyway, when I was tired of reading I picked up some postcards and decided to wander around for awhile. Thanks to my adventure I think I should feel fairly comfortable in the Spagna/Trevi Fountain/Quirinale area. Made it home then hung out for awhile to see what everyone was up to and around 9 decided to head out for dinner.

La Notte Bianca is an event that only started five years ago (I believe Paris has a similar one) and in short is an evening when the city doesn't really sleep (at least not until six in the morning, in our case). The streets are packed with people of all ages, from kids being pushed in strollers to an elderly couple clinging to each other for dear life in the swarm of people. Street vendors have their goods on display, there is live music all the place, and we even passed an old woman all bundled up swinging her arms to some hip hop music in hopes for collecting some spare change.

The Metro was insane... completely packed, and when it came time to get on the bus we normally take we found out (after 20 minutes of waiting) that it wasn't running its normal course, so we had to go back to the craziness of the Metro. Decided on an alternate route, met Erin's aunt who is also studying here this semester, and got a nice dinner at a place on one of the side streets. After that, it was time to take to the streets and celebrate Notte Bianca.

We met up with some of the guys at the Drunken Ship after we were able to navigate ourselves to Campo di Fiore, and after having a few drinks there decided to head out to a nearby hookah bar. We were all just hanging out and enjoying ourselves at the hookah bar and kind of just lost track of time. Before we knew it it was three, and we still wanted to make it to the Circus Maximus for the light display we knew to be going on there.

Alyssa took charge leading us along the Tiber to the Circus Maximus, which turned into quite the trek, but it was definitely worth it by the time we got there. I was just expecting a field of white bulbs, but instead they were these big orbs of all kinds of colors, and they'd all change independently. It really was awesome and reminded us of the poppy field from Wizard of Oz.




After hanging out there we decided to keep moving on to the Colosseum, which apparently was supposed to have fireworks at some point, but we never saw them. The Colosseum was still pretty awesome though... I guess there's just something about standing in Ancient Rome at five in the morning.



Needless to say slept late today. Ben and Dan mad a surprise visit and Meghan and I ended up accompanying them to the Colosseum and swapping stories, since we never managed to meet up with them. It's Sunday, so most things were closed, but I was successful in attaining a caprese sandwich and some gelato, which I believe comprise about 80% of what I've eaten since getting here. So good.

School starts tomorrow... wish me luck.

A Good Start

Well, not surprisingly I've given into my thoughts of possibly starting a new blog (this will by my... fifth?) to record my time in Rome. I've been here five days so far and it's been amazing. I love my roommates (and everyone in the group, for that matter) and we all get along so well. The staff are all very helpful, the classes seem interesting (we start Monday, but we've met the professors and have the basic gist of the whole thing), the food's great, and around every corner in Rome there is something new to take your breath away.

I got here Tuesday after 12 hours of traveling and found no one to meet me in the airport, which made me nervous for awhile. I met some people from other programs, but that only offered so much comfort. After all the other programs had gone their merry ways I was really just alone in the waiting area. Then I noticed a girl had the same tags on her bag as me, which were issued by Arcadia, and when I approached her I learnt that she was Erin, who would be sharing an apartment with. Turned out Scott was sitting a few chairs down, and Ben arrived shortly after. Turned out the group flight was delayed, so we got to go to our apartments early. Met the other roommates Meghan (who I'm sharing an actual room with) and Alyssa a few hours later, went sheet shopping, and despite being incredibly hungry they made a short stop to the top of one of the Seven Hills to show us a view of the city we'd be calling home for the next four months.

We agreed that dinner could wait for a second. When we finally did eat it was great... bruschetta and grilled vegetables and pasta and risotto and tiramisu and wine... just a really nice way to get to know everyone and kick off the trip. Afterwards the girls in our apartment went to Ben, Scott, and Pete's place to celebrate Alyssa's birthday, and by 12 45 we were seriously feeling the jetlag, and dreading our 9 am wakeup time, so called it a night.

Wednesday was mostly just orientation; went to the school (right off of the Piazza Navona, which is incredible, a nighttime shot of one of the two fountains is pictured right) and got our first tast of the public transportation we'll be using every day. Left around 5, dinner at 7 where we got a surprise 3 course meal after filling up on the antipasti. Oops.

The Trevi fountain was nearby so we made a quick stop there before half went home and half went out, and I can't really even describe what coming around the corner and seeing that was like. I really had no idea how massive the thing was, and everything so intricately carved, so detailed, water streaming, lit up at night. Amazing. Probably only rivaled by, in our quest for the Campo di Fiori, stumbling upon the Pantheon. Best surprises.

So Campo di Fiori is a huge American/student hangout, which is not necessarily how I want to be spending my time in Rome, but it was fun nonetheless. Went to a bar called the Drunken Ship where the bartenders teased us about needing IDs and pulled down Southern Comfort when I asked for bourbon, and then ended up walking around the city and sitting in one of the cafeteria bars until it closed down at 2 am.

Thursday was more orientation in the morning, and then we pretty much had the afternoon to ourselves. It was raining a little so we hung out at the apartment until meeting to have dinner and receive a short culinary lesson at the villa of friends of the directors. This time we were prepared for an extensive meal, but still couldn't help going overboard on the bruschetta. I was very happy for my vegetarianism when I got to sit out one of the courses and take a breather. By the time we left at midnight everyone was pretty wiped out and we all just went home and to bed.

Friday was our first day trip, to the mountain town of Tivoli. Claudio, who will be my Roman Emporers professor and also teaches architecture led it, and proved to be quite the knowledgeable fellow. As one of the Bens (we have two Bens and two Scotts) kept pointing out (when he wasn't marking everything as "the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!")... "This guy knows everything!" We first went to the ancient Roman temple dedicated to a pagan goddess, which was not in the best condition but impressive nonetheless, and then to a huge Villa that was given to/improved upon by a Cardinal, and in my mind was on a similar level to La Alhambra-- a moorish palace in Spain that was in the running to be one of the new Seven Wonders of the world. On one floor each room was painted entirely, the ceilings and walls, with either nature or religious scenes, and the gardens and fountains were very extensive. Two of the fountains played music controlled by the water, and have since they were built hundreds of years ago. (Not continuously... once or twice a day... but the mechanisms are the same). Pictured right is the fountain that has brass birds in it, and has bird like whistles that go off at 2 pm.

In the afternoon we finally had some down time to explore our own neighborhoods. We live right off the Basilica San Paolo metro stop (and are graced by the bells of said Basilica every fifteen minutes) and our block is filled with little shops, bars (more like cafeterias, coffee and pastries are more popular buys than alcohol here), and pizzerie, and I scored a black beaded purse for five euro yesterday. I mean, the strap broke when I got into a taxi at the end of the night so it now serves as a clutch, but... five euro! The guys came over to check the internet for the location of an art show we went to (we're the lucky apartment that has wireless networks to tap into, a living room, and two balconies) and grab some food, and then we went to said art show. It was a Phillip Geist exhibit. I had never heard of him, but he uses projectors to turn impressive buildings into his canvas, in essence. Last night it was the Palazzo di Esposizioni, and was kind of just like Windows Media Player visualizations with trippy music playing. It was still pretty cool, and then we went to find a bar to hang out for awhile. Got lost and found some huge government buildings before following a sign to the Old Bell Pub, had a taxi NOT take us to Alien discoteca like we asked but a random bar instead, and then called it a night.

Today I think I'm gonna go grab a bite to eat with Erin for a second, then maybe head out on my own and check out the Spanish steps or something. In general just take it easy, because tonight is La Notte Bianca, where the entirety of Rome (shops, restaurants, families) stay up all night. Not sure why the tradition exists, but it's supposed to be a good time. Sorry for such a long post, I guess that's what happens when there's catching up to be done, but I'll try to stay on it to keep them shorter in the future.

For more pictures click here or here.