Troppo Lungo! (Too Long)

I am currently sitting on my bed, beginning what I have been dreading for three weeks: this blog, yet enjoying the most balanced and healthy meal I have ever made myself: a peanut butter sandwich (with peanut butter so expensive that I literally had to put back chicken to purchase it...an accurate display of how much I love my peanut butter), a salad with tuna, tomatoes, carrots, and mozzarella cheese, and a pear. What a lovely change from the pizza I have been eating every meal of every day…

So why is this blog so dreaded? Well, it’s been three weeks, three weeks full of exciting things, as well as three long, emotional weeks, both exciting and stressful. And I wouldn’t want to leave any of it out! Therefore, with the help of my journal and my scheduler, I have decided to make titles for the ease of reading, providing you, the reader, with the opportunity to scroll on down to the part you have been waiting to hear about or skip over the parts you don’t care for. Or perhaps you will come back later, like stopping after chapters in a book. Or maybe you don’t care. But I am still uptight over here in Rome, so this is how it’s going to work, whether or not this preface was necessary. That being said…

Prague and Celia Fox

It all started Thursday night, the last weekend in February...Nicole and departed for the airport around 6:30 PM, but we just made it to our terminal as the flood of people was pushing through the gate to reach the shuttle bus to the plane. And the plane...it was literally an all-out race to the seats. But once we were settled, it was actually a nice ride. Arriving at midnight in Prague, we didn't do much but go down to the Pub in Celia's dorm and chat.

Friday was full of sights to see. We saw Old Town Square, in which was a cute little market with food and souvenirs and really legit Czech stuff. I got a crepe that was amazing but made feel sick it was so filling. However, after only an hour, in which we saw the Prague Castle, from which there are unbelievable views of Prague, I found myself with a sausage in hand, stuffing my face yet again, in Wenceslas Square. I'd have to say my favorite part of the day was when I was able to spend some time with just Celia, Nicole wanting to wander with the other Richmond students we ran into. It was so nice to have someone familiar, someone I could just feel comfortable around no matter what, someone I love so much! She took me across the Charles Bridge and over to the Lennon Wall.
It made me feel so at ease to see it; it was just so calming. Not to mention, on the way, there is the lock bridge...much like on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, on which people put locks with their names written on them, signifying love forever. Aw. Then we sat in a cafe and relaxed for most of the afternoon, of course stopping at an H&M. What could make a person feel more at ease?

That night we went out to dinner and then to a 5-story club. It was arguably the coolest thing ever. One of the floors was lighted like a disco floor and they played 80s and 90s music. We got back to Celia’s dorm around 4:00 AM, after waiting 30 minutes in Wenceslas Square for the night tram/bus, sitting against a building, prompting a young man to drop 1 crown at our feet as his friend recorded him on video, and I devoured a fried cheese sandwich, which was incredibly delicious. It’s like a chicken-patty-shaped mozzarella stick on a sesame seed bun. This is something that needs to catch on in America. Or at least Rome, for now.

Sunday, I ate my first bagel in months! We went to Bohemia Bagel, Celia’s equivalent of our Worcester Bagel Time. I had myself the most delicious bacon, egg, and cheese on a Parmigiano oregano bagel. Then we wandered around until Celia departed for her Czech soccer match. She generously left us with a map, and Nicole and I made a ridiculous hike to the top of some mountain (more of a hill, maybe, but it was a serious hike), and then climbed a tower, resembling a teeny tiny Eiffel Tower, from which you could see all of Prague. The view was breathtaking. After that, we traveled over to the “Dancing House,” which was pretty cool…just a modern-looking building which, with the combination of its curved architecture and the way it reflects light, makes it look like it could be moving, or dancing, rather. After our long day, we were in desperate need of un caffè, naturally (by now I am literally addicted…which is a huge fail, since I came here hating coffee). Being unfamiliar with the city, we walked for an hour and unfortunately bumped into the most expensive espresso I have ever had. Then we went back to Old Town Square for some dinner from the market. I tried the famous Czech pork goulash. It was very tasty. Finally, we returned to Celia and rested a bit before we embarked on the Prague Pub Crawl (with a Skype session to Carleigh, of course). This pub crawl had potential to be fun…starting out at Bohemia Bagel, drinking beers and mixed-drink shots (including a taste of absinthe. Not the real crazy stuff, but an experience nonetheless). We met a lot of interesting people. Paul, and various other Englishmen. Riccardo, the Italian from Cagliari, with his tongue ring. But by the time the clock struck 1:00 AM, we had only gone to one other bar, and the 4:00 AM of the previous night began to make us sleepy, so we turned in early.

Sunday morning we bagel-ed again (this time a chocolate chip bagel!) and just chilled for the day, stopping at Celia’s favorite coffee shop: Choco Café. It was a sad moment when I had to pull away on the bus to the airport. So sad, in fact, that I struggled to come back to Rome, altogether, and even somewhat throughout the next week.

When I returned Sunday night I booked my flight to Amsterdam for the last weekend in April. And then later in the week, I had the stressful experience of booking a hostel…I was so rushed that I may very well have booked a mixed-room dorm. However, the website refuses to tell me whether or not there is a separation of the sexes. It is doubtful. Oh well…all part of the study abroad experience, I suppose. At least I have Nicole! And at least they have lockers!


The next weekend: Vatican, Ali Dubin, and Una Partita di Calcio

Friday, I woke up at 8 AM to make it to the Vatican for my Art History class tour. This was such an amazing experience. Raphael’s “School of Athens,” Michelangelo’s Sistine Ceiling, St. Peter’s Basilica…things you see on paper and you think “wow.” Seeing it in person was…the easiest way to put it into words is that I was literally jumping up and down for joy. After the two-hour tour I grabbed a salad, the first one I had had in ages, with Ashton (we love going on our little dates).

That night, we went out for Dennis’s 21st birthday. First, to dinner at Tony’s – imagine 20 of us. They showered us with bread and wine and focaccia. And I had the most amazing gnocchi with salmon. Then we went out to my first club in Rome: Coyote. I surprisingly had an amazing time, lasting until 3:00 AM, unfortunately costing Shannon and I a 20 euro cab ride home. Not so fun.

Saturday was chill. I went for a run and bought a Roma jersey on the way back, to get ready for the AS Roma vs. AC Milan soccer game we would be attending that night. Then I prepared for Ali Dubin’s arrival, as she would spend the night waiting for her boyfriend to arrive at one of the Rome airports on Sunday morning so they could go on a nice vacation to Sorrento. I picked her up at the train station and dragged her to the best gelato place in town: Giolitti (they take our meal tickets!). We got back to my apartment, full of red and orange jerseys, and I settled her in with my amazing roommate, Cat, and Ashton, who took her out to get Chinese food while I was at the game.

Now, the game was an experience. I have been to soccer games, but this game made me realize that pride for one’s team at the games I have been has been pitiful. The Romans are unbelievably crazy. They lit flares, the set off cannons, they chanted “Milan: Vaffanculo!” I don’t think I need vto translate that for anyone. It was intense. And…David Beckham plays for Milan. As a former soccer player…let me start over. As a former female soccer player…this was a dream come true. However, every time we mentioned his name, we were getting dirty looks from those around us, dressed in their red and orange. So we kept our verbal devotion to a minimum.

Getting back from the game was a disaster and I didn’t get back until after midnight. I went right to bed, yet still failed to take Ali to breakfast in the morning. Woof. We were still able to get her out in time to get to the train station, less one towel, which I was actually very happy she left in my apartment so I was able to see her again the following Thursday when she returned to Rome to send her boy on his way.

On Sunday, I joined my roommates on a walk to the Vatican in the morning to see the Pope and accept his blessing. It was an amazing experience. Piazza di San Pietro was so crowded. People had signs, balloons, and the Pope even made shout-outs to all the different nationalities.

After that, I separated from everyone and decided to adventure and see some things I haven't yet. I walked around the courtyard of Castello San Angelo and then I followed the river until I hit the bridge that led to Piazza del Popolo. I have been there twice, but never really soaked it in. It's quite pretty and there were a lot of people. I grabbed myself a slice of pizza topped with salad with shrimp...amazing...and I watched some street performers do weird dances and hula-hoop. Odd. Then I climbed some stairs and some more stairs and then some more stairs and found myself overlooking a beautiful portion of Rome at the edge of Villa Borghese, one of Rome's largest parks. I could see Piazza Venezia, or at least the Capitoline, Basilica di San Pietro, and so much more. Ah it was beautiful. Then I ventured further into Villa Borghese. Not too far, because my feet were bleeding at that point from walking so much. So I just found a nice spot and read through my guide book to get an idea of other places I haven't yet seen in Rome. Then I walked 45 minutes back home. It was really nice day.

The post-soccer game week

This week (last week) was rough. I went to an AIFS dinner with Italians…a night that started off great as we all spoke Italian for a majority of the time. I was feeling great until one of the Italians stopped speaking Italian. I asked him why: Perchè non parla italiano? – Perchè non capisci...Because you don’t understand. It is true that I often ask Italians to repeat themselves. But they talk just about as fast as any other native speaker of a language, so in my defense, it’s a valid request. His comment was, of course, not meant to be vindictive, but when it comes to learning this language, something that I have not only been struggling with for the last 3 months, but also since I began learning it, taking baby steps since freshman year, I am a little sensitive. So much so that it really threw me off for the rest of the week.

Additionally, with the first real assignments and research paper topics due this week, and impending midterms, the familiar feeling of academic anxiety struck and I felt overwhelmed like never before. This problem was magnified by the missing feeling I still had after seeing Celia, and then again when I saw Ali’s familiar face, not to mention the baseball team’s temporary relocation to Florida, which took “long-distance” to a whole new level. I really struggled to make it through. That is why this past weekend couldn’t have come at a better time…

Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri, Napes, Vesuvius

Friday we left at 8:30 AM from Termini Station and arrived at the ruins of the great city of Pompeii around noon. After lunch, we began our tour (joined again by Peter, who I had not seen since Florence, save a glimpse of him I caught at the Vatican when he was giving a tour to another group). It was so beautiful and so interesting. Additionally, I came to discover that the citizens of this resort town had very dirty minds…I’ll save you the details.

Friday night, I decided to take a train to Sorrento with a group of people, at the advice of one of the AIFS administrators. We got pizza at a restaurant recommended by Rick Steves. It was really very good. Then I had limoncello for the first time. Very sweet, but quite worth the try. After dinner, half our group departed for Vico Equense, where our hotel was located (halfway between Sorrento and Naples). Four of us stopped at a fancy bar, also recommended by Rick, called “Photo,” which was very trendy and decorated with professional photos. I had a piña colada on the rocks. Perfect end to our night…except for the 55 euro cab ride we were forced to take back, as there happened to be one of Italy’s famous transportation strikes that evening and the train was no longer running when we arrived at the station. On the plus side, I made friends with the cab driver, speaking Italian without fear.

Saturday was probably the best day I have had in Italy. We took a boat to Capri Island, off the coast of Naples. It was so beautiful. The famous Blue Grotto was closed, so we went to Anacapri, a part of the island that had cute little shops and great views of the water below. We found the famous Villa San Michele, overlooking Marina Grande, the harbor we had come into, and took so many pictures. Little did we know, the best was yet to come. The Seggiovia (chairlift), goes from Anacapri to the top of one of the mountains on the island. It is exactly like a ski lift one finds on a mountain in the Catskills, but each chair is only one person. It was a ten minute ride of absolute beauty and silence. The air was fresh and crisp (I’m so used to the cigarette streets of Rome) and the view became increasingly beautiful as we climbed. At the top we saw it all…the rocks and blue waters down below, the sea that seemingly continued to the ends of the earth, and even Mt. Vesuvius, back on the mainland we had just come from. We relaxed up there for a bit and then took our seats back down to Anacapri, where we enjoyed a calming pizza lunch.

We left the island around 5:00 PM, and everyone was exhausted. I passed out on the boat, which turned out to be a bad idea. I was seasick for the rest of the night, having to force myself to eat dinner around 9:30. Fortunately I wasn’t alone. Ashton was struggling as well, so we went on another one of our dates a block away from the hotel. We even ordered the same thing: Farfalle con salmon e noci (Bowtie pasta with salmon and walnuts). So good. Then fruit tarts for dessert. We were both exhausted and just went back to the hotel to pass out.

Sunday we enjoyed an archeological museum in Naples, followed by a trip up Mt. Vesuvius. The bus took us up most of the way on a treacherous road which was far too tiny to fit two vehicles, yet we someone managed to succeed in passing many terrified-looking people. The final 1000 feet were left for us to do on foot. A nice hike. An even nicer view. And we took some pretty funny pictures at the top. Then we were on our way, back in Rome just in time for me to be exhausted enough to sit in bed the rest of the night.

This Week

It was tough on Monday to get back into the swing of things, but I was more successful than I thought I would be…until it came to studying for today’s midterm. Even after procrastinating forever, I still feel pretty good about it, and I’m feeling even better to have one out of the way. Three more to go, and they’re all next week…therefore I don’t have to think about them yet. What I do have to think about is tonight’s aperitivo with Italians. I am getting back on the horse and trying to speak with strangers. Then tomorrow and Thursday, I’m taking cooking classes. Tomorrow’s menu includes Rice Timbale, coloured salad, and cream and soft-fruit tarts. Thursday we are making pasta with gorgonzola, gorgonzola and melon with rucola salad, mushroom and parmesan salad, and pear and chocolate tarts. Both are vegetarian, but I really wanted to get some more cooking experience under my belt, so I ignored that fact. Also on the agenda for this week is another AS Roma game vs. Udinese. I think it is this Saturday night. I’m excited, especially since all three of my roommates are off to Barcelona this weekend, so I will need something to do! I also hope to either go to Ostia Antica, located on the Mediterranean and only a 20 minute tram ride away, or chill for a day in Villa Borghese, taking advantage of the sun that we are supposed to have this weekend. Perhaps both.

Well, I’m sure no one in their right mind would read this all in one sitting, so I apologize for its length. But this is what I get for waiting three weeks to update the world on my life.

And I’ve learned my lesson. Now that you all know what is going on this week in my life, get ready for some commentary on them!

Ciao!