Holy and Unholy

So its about time I tell you about the nightlife here. Italians don't go out until way later; restaurants don't really start serving until 7 and if you're there at 7 you are clearly a tourist, so naturally we're there around 7. But we really are starting to get to hang of things here, but I still don't think I have adjusted to the time change fully. So we eat dinner pretty late we have gone to many restaurants but are trying really hard to eat at home to save money. I've had fresh salad from the market the last two nights, with prosciutto and such. Its amazing but going out is just as fun! So after dinner, we come back to get dressed. My roommate Chrissy, I'm not sure if I have introduced you to her yet, but she is my equivalent in the fact we have all these weird habits in common, its funny. Anyways! so we get ready to go out, and because its been rainy and kind of cold, we have been wearing jeans but hopefully I'll get to wear a dress tonight! We have to go across the Tiber River to go to the good bars and clubs, so we usually take the tram (like a above ground T) or the bus. Most Americans go to Campo De Fiori, which is a piazza (plaza) that has a bunch of bars. We go to The Drunken Ship which is clearly american oriented because of the name and that they have beer pong tournaments advertised. We also like Giaganti which is more italian but everyone speaks english. The bartenders here love us for some reason and always end up giving us free drinks. I have noticed that the more italian the bartenders are, the more they love americans, so the more free drinks. Drinks are pretty expensive because a beer can be 4 euro which is about 6 dollars and thats the cheapest, so free is good. Giganti is more of a dance bar and the other one more of a hang out bar, but both still fun. A lot of the bars at Campo which we affectionately call it, close around two, so we head over to Scholars which is like an irish pub/american bar. Last night was Beatles night so they had a band that played Beatles songs and then the music switched to 90s hits like the Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys. Needless to say our night ended with a HUGE sing-a-long. But, because the nights start so late, they end late and because I think I am still on American time me and no one gets tired til around 4 or 5 and we don't get home til soooo late. This can be kinda of a day killer because we need to sleep alot, but we haven't yet made our days productive. So the late nights and partying had to be counteracted by some holiness...hence our visit to the Vatican today.

We got back kind of late last night so we slept a lot of the day, but we left and headed for the Vatican around 2. I am soooo glad I brought multiple pairs of comfortable shoes because I have never walked so much in my life these last 5 days. We took a bus to the Vatican and got lost a little by walking around this huge fortress which I have yet to the now the name of but will find it out soon enough. We finally made it to the Vatican/St. Peters and it is one of the most humbling things you can see. It is absolutely huge, and even when you're in it you can't fathom how large it is. The letters around the dome on the inside are 12ft high, and looking up they don't seem that large at all but they are! There is this big wooden thing (I know, very unprofessional but I am still reading/learning about all these historical things), in the middle that is supposedly 10 stories high! and it doesn't even come close to hitting the dome part. It is so ornate and every detail is immaculate from the gold everything to the tiny toenail on the statues. The Pieta is there and it was absolutely unreal. Its so unbelievable because I've learned about it in almost every history class that covers ancient history as well as Italian class and Latin so seeing it for real was crazy. I do wish that I had read more about it and the other parts of the Vatican so I knew what I was seeing and knew the exciting and mesmerizing history to it all. Then we went to the Adoration of Christ in the Vatican and it was one of the most humbling experiences. Its in a side cove thing that you have to be silent in and there are curtains blocking it off from the rest of St. Peters. The host is on display and you kneel and pray and its soo humbling, its hte only way to describe it. Then we paid to go to the top of the dome. The best 7 euro you can spend. You go to the top of the dome on the inside and its crazy to see everything from so high and then we took the stairs to the top of the dome and it was a very scary hike. They should really warn you that if you're overweight you won't fit on the staircase. You go up two spiral staircases that are claustrophobic and way too small. I felt like I was in alice and wonderland and if my roommate wasn't in front of me I would have freaked out because you can't tell when it will end and if there is a way out. Then it starts slanting because of the dome shape, so if you were larger, you would get stuck here let alone probly pass out from asthma because we almost did because there were so many stairs! and we took the elevator halfway!!! you could walk! At the top, you can see alll of Rome and its breathtaking!! I will post pictures later and leave you with the thoughts of that view!

Adventures

So since I've been here for four days already I have a lot of things to write about so I'm going to skip some of the stupid stuff like exploring the school etc. Yesterday we went on a walking tour of Rome where we saw beautiful views of the city and some of the most unbelievable places in the world!! We went to Piazza Venezia which has an unbelievable Monumento di Vittorio Emanuela which is giant and so breathtaking its unbeleiable. Across from the piazza is Via Del Corso which is the big shopping road like Newbury street kinda of thing. Past Piazza Venezia is the Colusuem. At night the coluseum was amazing it was so shocking to think I was really there looking at this amazing building that has been there for so long and behind the walls gladiators fought and were killed! Its really surreal, its the only way to really describe it. And sadly the my camera does none of these justice because being here is obviously much better, but the flash and such are just not easy to use with these huge open air spaces. So today and yesterday we went to Trastevere which has the Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere. It was so beautiful and all the decorations were stunning. After this adventure we walked across the river to the city center and finally got cell phones. Its literally like im in eighth grade when my cell phone was pretty basic...same deal here. It will take some getting used to not having the keyboard on my phone but i guess I'll do it like the romans do? So then we went to the Trevi Fountain (Fontana di Trevi) which has got to be my favorite thing I have seen so far. IT IS UNREAL! I threw a coin over my shoulder and there is something like I'm supposed to be ensured that I come back to Rome in 7 years? and if I threw two I would come back in 7 years with my true love. Who knows but I threw only one seeing that I am sure I will be throwing more coins and I don't wanna jynx it by throwing too many. Now don't think we know where we are going, its a little bit harder to navigate than I thought. Luckily, the boys have a roommate from BC who was studying here last semester too so he's knows all the ins and outs of Rome. Peter is our personal tour guide and he is a great sport about it haha After this we went to the Pantheon because it was raining, and the Pantheon is totally just as unreal and amazing. Because there is a hole in the domed ceiling, the rain comes through the middle and reflects the light and its amazing. I feel so bad writing about all these amazing places because I don't even have words to describe them well enough and do them justice. I will be posting pictures eventually when I figure out how to do that. So beyond all the amazing history we saw today, we also got up early to go to the fresh market that is right around the corner from us. Its one of the best places to get produce and meats because it is soooo fresh but it is also very cheap. I bought prosciutto, mozzarella, tomatoes and some apples bigger than my fist and I can't wait to go back for more stuff. The only problem is it closes at noon so you really need to be on your game and get up, which can be extremely difficult when you were out til 4am....(stories of nightlife to come later!). So I'm going to go make my delicious dinner which im really excited for so I'll write again later!

Finally A Roma!

So I'm going to write a blog because I want to remember all the amazing adventures and food! Don't expect anything too exciting, cute or witty, because I am far from a great linguist and I am definitely not that eloquent, but I will try! My time here I plan on living by one motto: "When in Rome, do as the Romans do!" so I'll be trying a lot of new things and having a ton of fun!!

So now IM FINALLY HERE!! I finally made it to Rome after being teased by everyone who was in Europe already. Its just as beautiful as I thought, but a little defiled because there is graffiti everywhere, and apparently no one picks up after their dogs either. When we were picked up at the airport, it was really interesting to see all the cars because the Fiat and Smart Cars are everywhere and there really isn't any SUVS because they're not practical. These cars whip down the roads with zero consideration for people and they are fearless drivers! Not to mention the motorinos which like vespas and small motorcycles weave in and out and go faster than the cars. We squeezed down a one way street with cars packed on either side. How we didnt take off anyones mirror is beyond me. Our apartment is on the 5th floor which is really nice. We have like 5 terraces and two of them are huge and have beautiful views. There are five people from BC in my house and one new roommate who just arrived today (three days in, im a little late starting). My direct roommate is Chrissy who I met before we came and we're like the same person so this is working out nicely! Only issues with our house is that our phone is very testy and doesn't really like to make phone calls and its freezing! The heat is only turned on for a limited amount of time every day in Italy, its regulated by the gov't and our house is so big the heaters are pretty lame. I wish I had more hangers and I wish I had more space to store stuff, some of my stuff is on the floor which for anyone who knows me is NOT ok. But overall, I was very impressed with our apartment.
I have a lot more to talk about the last few days but I need to go to this cute outdoor market before it closes so I'll finish my first three days of adventures at a later time!!