I would first like to apologize and say I am so sorry that I have not written in such a long time! I know the withdrawal from reading my entertaining and enthralling posts must be very difficult, and I can only imagine the disappointment I have caused you all whenever you go to check my blog, and there is never a new post! Well, today I will brighten your day with a fresh new and long overdue blogpost!
Today is Thursday March 18, meaning tomorrow is March 19, the day I leave for Spring Break. Can I just say, the day it turned March 1, I could not believe it as I wrote the date on the top of my notebook paper in class. When did this happen? How has the time flown so (too) quickly? These are questions I cannot understand. It seems like yesterday I was attempting to find the book store on Via del Corso and getting extremely frustrated and lost and more confused by where I was in relation to my apartment, and proceeded to hop into a cab, realizing I was not far at all. Now I know exactly how to WALK there and know this city I have been living in for two months pretty well, I must say. It has become almost too comfortable, after being here for one month straight without taking any major trips away from Rome. I love it.
Before I talk about my Spring Break plans, here is a small recap of the past few weeks:
Two weekends ago a few friends studying in Barcelona came to visit! It was a great time, and I loved showing them around Rome! And felt pretty confident explaining to them the historical sites of the city, with all I have learned in my history classes and onsite classes :) Mom and Dad, get ready, you will be happy to know that I am actually learning. It was as if I was vacationing in Rome for a weekend, doing all of the touristy things a tourist may do in one weekend, cramming it all in, into two short days. Oliver and I did our best to show them the ropes and must see attractions in Rome. Pantheon, Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Spanish steps, the works. Plus we had a few delicious meals! I think over anything the Barcelonians were impressed the most by the food. So much so, they made us take them back to the same restaurant twice. Guess we have it pretty good! It was a jam packed weekend, and I was exhausted from entertaining, but I think Oliver and I are gold star tour guides. We may start a business. Our visitors left Rome, tired, "romemania-ed" out with their bellies full.
In between weekends, the days are filled with going to class, walking around, enjoying the weather when it is nice out, and relaxing, trying to get sleep. I have been attempting to run outside along the Tiber River when I have time and when the weather is suitable for running. Also, the past few weeks, many of my friends parents have come to visit, meaning we get to go out to dinner! It is so great to have parents come and just a crazy thought in my mind, that our parents are coming to visit us in a foreign country that we have been living in. Needless to say, I love when my friends' parents come, and it makes me so happy to see them together, but I am counting down the days till I get to have mine her with me!
Last weekend, Jori and I had a field trip to Pompeii with our on-site class. First, when was the last time I went on a field trip? Middle school? And second, the trip left at 7 AM...grand. It was a friday, so thursday night we went to bed at 9 pm (just kidding) to wake up to darkness and watch the sun rise as we walked to meet our teacher at our bus. It took about two and half hours to get there, so I had plenty of time to sleep. The weather ended up being beautiful, which really made a difference! I had no idea what to expect going to Pompeii, I had been to Ostia Antica, an ancient port city, so I assumed it would be somewhat similar...but it wasn't. Pompeii is huge. It is an entire city, and yes, we walked from one edge to the other, covering everything. We were there for 6 hours. And yes, we used the entire time. Led by my on-site class teacher, Jens, who is German and pronounces all of his Vs as Ws and is the most friendly, kind, smiley man I have met, was the best tour guide we could've asked for. We saw Mount Vesuvius, the brothel, the huts, villas and the remains of the people's bodies that were found from the eruption. The story of Pompeii is incredible and hard to imagine what the Pompeians went through, but it is also extremely fascinating, and amazing that Pompeii was able to be excavated and we can still walk through it today. All and all it was an enjoyable field trip, and I am glad I went with my class and had a built in tour guide to show me around.
The rest of the weekend, we explored a new area called Prati, which is past the Vatican. I took the metro for the first time, which was a new experience and also way overdue. But the transportation system in Rome is not the best...I literally walk everywhere and find that and the tram that goes down Viale di Trastevere (my street) is the most practical form of transportation. The metro stops are very far away from my apartment, so it does not make sense to walk to the metro stop, but instead just walk to the location. However, I have recently discovered the bus system here, although very slow, there is no time schedule, is pretty convenient and easy to use. So, we walked around Prati and another area across Rome called San Giovani. And later that day we go a pretty amazing and satisfying sandwich (after not eating all day) from a place called "Frontonis". Mmmm. That weekend we also decided to go to a 60's themed party at a bar near the Roman Forum to try something new. It was fun, very Mod. I felt like I traveled back in time. We danced and grooved, it was a good time. And yes, I wrote "grooved".
So now after another week of classes, it is time for Spring Break! The itinerary is this: Marbella (south of Spain), Barcelona, then Amsterdam. I am really looking forward to all of these cities, it will be busy, but I have not traveled for awhile, so I am more then ready to get jet-setting! Do not worry, I will be blogging about my trip when I return.
And when I get back I will have a certain special visitor's arrival waiting for me....NICOCLE! She is coming the day after I get home and I am not sure what will happen when we are reunited, but let's just say I cannot stop thinking about her coming and being here with me for almost two full weeks! I know I have so much to look forward to in the next 10 days traveling, but I am incredibly antsy for her to be here!!!! And then after she leaves guess who else is coming to visit...yep, Mom and Dad!!!
So much to look forward to! And it is all going to fly by in no time. Promise I will blog again soon. I won't keep you waiting any more. I promise.
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