So since the last time I wrote...all of a sudden I have 5 days left! 5! I can count that on one hand. Not ok.
Sunday morning I leave very early to depart for Israel, which I cannot wait for! I am more than excited to see Nicole and be back in the holy land. Nicole has been telling me of all the exciting things we will be doing. I get to meet her friends, see what she has been doing for so long and get to have a taste of the completely different experience she has been having. Plus, two friends will be in Israel at the same time, Todd from here in Rome and Steve, my friend from school. It will be zman mitzooyan! (an excellent time)..I guess I will try to speak hebrew while I am there, which will be great. Put that college level hebrew to use, as I have not been speaking very much italian here.
So what have I been doing in Rome these past few days?
The weather here has been so gorgeous and hot and sunny I cannot tell you! The sun has finally come out. But honestly, it may be a little too hot for me, I am not used to it yet. That may be a problem in Israel...
On Friday it was really nice out and I had heard really good things about this park near school, that had turtles! So, Jori, Todd and I went to go check it out. Before hand, Jori and I were ordered to try these sandwiches at this "cheese shop". It was more of a simpler sandwich (I got turkey, pesto, cheese) the bread was amazing, and not so greasy, I thought it was maybe the best sandwich yet. I've raved over others, but I think since this one was less oily and the bread was so hearty, I enjoyed it more.
So the park...Todd had been there once before, so he led us there. Let me tell you it was not an easy walk, but it was very pretty, it took us probably a half an hour. We walked up and up, stairs and a windy hill to an area that overlooks a great portion of the city. It was beautiful. We kept walking and walking, and passed some Academy of Rome that had four pictures of kids in togas with wreathes on their heads...it made me wonder if that was their school uniform? Maybe. Very possbily. But it looked like a very prestigious private school, that very cool young Italian students and international students may go to, in this amazing location. I would consider going there. We continued to walk and came upon this humongous park, that went on forever. There were fountains, grass, trees, it was perfect. Todd said that someone had told him it was bigger than Central Park, which was hard to believe, but later when we explored, I would believe it. We picked a spot and laid there for at least an hour, just basking in the sun. There were a lot of people in the park as well, running and just sitting. Later on we wandered into another area where there was a small little river/creek that led into a small lake. There were swans and birds...and turtles! And this really weird chicken-turkey-pigeon-duck creature, that scared me. It was so pretty and I could not believe I had not been to this park yet! It really upset me that this discovery came about so late in my time here, but at least I made it there once. It was a very calm and worthwhile day spent in this amazing park right near school...who knew?
Later on Jori and I went on a date to our last dinner at Alla Fratte. We shared the rigatoni carbonara and the salmon penne (our fav). It was a cute way to eat our last meal there. Great find.
Saturday (pause) Saturday, Saturday...had been planned for awhile. Mifflin? Have you ever heard of it? Well, Mifflin is a big deal in Madison. It is a huge block party on Mifflin Street where all of the students go for the day to party. It is a day not to miss, however, us study abroaders missed out this year. Which is why, our little Roman crew decided to celebrate here in Rome, why not? We determined the day "Tour de Roma", sipping beverages at special spots all over Rome. We started at the Bergese Gardens, headed to the Trevi Fountain to toss coins, stopped at Miscellenea for lunch and "sexy wine", continued to Tiber Island where we were greeted by our friend Oliver decked out in a Toga, and then time for a dinner feast at "Tony's". It was a long fun filled celebratory day and such a great Saturday to remember. We did Mifflin proud back in the States. Jori and I arrived home at 8 pm, got in bed to lay down for a bit...and didn't wake up till 9:30 am the next day. Woops. Yes, that is true and I have no idea how that happened. I have never ever slept that much before. Tour de Roma was a success.
After all of the festivities on Saturday, it was time to crack down and hit the books for finals week. On Sunday Todd, Lucas, Jori and I had our last meal at Le Fate, the 10 euro student deal place, with the chef from the cooking classes. It was quite sad, but a good meal to end on there.
Today, Rachael and I went on a little adventure to find the mysterious "key hole". We had heard about this "key hole" from a few people, that said you look through it and there is a perfect view of the city. So for a break from studying we headed to the Circus Maximus to find it! We didn't really know the exact directions, so we went up this hill to find this cute and beautiful area. There were a few churches and buildings, but it was very lush and there were rose bushes and orange trees and a few sitting areas, like small parks. We found the key hole, by following a group of people. It is literally this building, and there is a small hole...but you look through and it is magical. You just see this green covered pergola leading straight to a tiny little saint peter's basillica. It is perfectly shaped and incredible that it is so carefully placed to look right onto st peter's. We went back a second time to look. And then we wandered the area and found a little cove of orange trees with benches in a green and gravel area, with a spot that looked over the city. It really was such a gorgeous area and very enchanting. I thought of the secret garden to paint a picture for you. I am so glad we went!
The days are really flying by and one of my suitcases is packed and ready to go, which is scary. I am going to miss Rome a lot and the little things I do everyday, and being in this amazing city. Two exams down, and two to go! And then off to Israel.
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