Crazy Woman Stealing Pizza

The Vice President of the University has arrived with his family for the week. It is rather stressful and we all feel that we can not enjoy our experiences as much. It is just for the week so we will all survive. A few of us broke off today with Dr. Dubs to walk near Piazza Nova. We had lunch down a side street at this little pizzaeria. The only crazy thing for the day is that towards the end of our lunch a homeless lady started screaming up and down the street. She came over to our table and Matt was trying to be nice and talk with her. As soon as we blinked she stole the rest of his pizza. The waiter said that she is the queen of the street. He has a hard time keeping her away from the restaurant. Homeless is a problem any where in the world. We had been told that the homeless and the gypsies are slick at stealing things and money for the bill right off the tables at outdoor restaurants. Matt had his hand on our bill money the whole time she was near us.

The Black Wolf Who....

 So, we decided against going to Asissi and decided to go shopping in Albano, the next town over and last stop on out train line. When we got off the train we had to walk up this crazy leveled walk way up into the town. Everything is up hill in Italy. I am so tired of walking up hill both ways to see a village. The older women amaze me. Their cardio endurance must be amazing compared to my college cardio endurance. Their legs are so defined. My legs on the other hand are like tree trunks. We found this beautiful little park and had a nice walk. I liked the main thorough fare of the park. Each side of the gravel path was lined with Italian Cyprus trees. In between each tree was a park bench. Sitting on each park bench must have been the local men's club. They had their dogs marching around the bench proudly while the men seemed to yell at each other from one bench to another. The cutest little thing to watch.
      I like Albano in a different way compared to Castel Gandolfo. Albano seems to have less of the ambiance of the Pope and local gossip. The older women are hanging their clothes out to dry from the lines dangling just outside their windows. They yell down to the people in the street to ask how everyone is doing. The children run around kicking their soccer balls into the building walls. Occasionally, one ball gets away from them and slips into a store front.We found a pizza shop to have lunch in for the afternoon. I had un pezzo pomodoro con prossutto e mazzeralla with a bottle of orange Fanta. Danilo has got me into Fanta. Every morning he grabs a bottle of Fanta at Johnnie's shop before we get on the train. None of us found anything worthy of buying so we headed back on the train and went back to campus.
    A couple of us headed outside to sit in the Kiwi vineyard to have a chat. Jenna, Rachel and I were talking about what we want in a guy. Jenna recommended that I make a list of things that I want in a relationship and what I want in a boyfriend. I made a list and found that my boyfriend Ray did not fit many of the things that I wanted. It was at this point that I realized that I did not want to be in a relationship with Ray any more. I had been dating him for seven months now. He wanted to marry me but I didn't. I realized that he was not going to make me happy. We sat outside until the sun started to go down. The group was heading up into town to have an apperativo before we had dinner at Cafe' Baruffa or Andre' Bar. Next door to campus is the Agriturismo Casale degli Archi. They have a restaurant that opens after the farm work is done. Agriturismo's are family run farm houses that rent rooms and sometimes have restaurants. They are a wonderful experience.
     We were sat down stairs in this lovely brick room that we had all to ourselves. Danilo started this game called "the black wolf who." It is a memory game of sorts. The first person starts it: The black wolf who wears shoes. They next person says the black wolf who wears shoes and eats babies. The game became so outrageous that we got into this laughing fit. Then, it turned into pure banter. It was one of those moments that anything seemed funny because we went beyond reality and into craziness. I love moments shared around a table with good company and great food. These memories are the ones that I cherish the most. We all learned about the art of the digestivo. One can choose to have an espresso, a shot of jagermeister or a shot of limoncello to finish off your meal. The idea behind the digestivo is to help digest your meal. My bill at the end of the night was 30 euros. I would have paid 100 euros to have another night like this again. 


 

The Baths of Caracalla

    We visited the Baths of Caracalla today. The baths are near the Stadio Olympico where AS Roma plays, my favorite soccer team. Today was the first day that I actually felt that I was able to walk in ancient Rome. We had to wait outside for our tour guide today. Rachel came up with the idea to play charades. We were all sitting around in a circle guessing various different phrases. I ended up guessing Rachel's phrase which was broccoli trees. I remembered her telling me that she thought the Italian trees looked like a stock of broccoli. Since I guessed her phrase it was my turn. I settled on my old stand by of "cocktail dress." Needless to say the guesses started to become rather pornographic. Every time I play charades I always use that phrase. I blame it on a time I was at a friend's house in high school for a party after a musical I was in. We were playing charades and she used that phrase. Since then I use that same charades phrase.
     Finally, our tour guide came. He was the same man that guided us through the Capitolini Museo days earlier. He was an excellent tour guide then so I was looking forward to learning about the baths. The baths were the earliest form of the spa but more manly. First thing the men would do is come into the baths and disrobe. The term gymnasium has root in "becoming nude." These men would then head to the gymnasium nude. They would do their various exercises and sweat out all of the impurities. Additional heat would be added to warm the floors of the gymnasium. The technology of the additional heat area is interesting. The floor would be elevated off of the base floor where the heat could circulate through heating the tiled floors. It would even travel up through the walls. The Romans were ingenious. They developed this system that would recycle the humidity off the walls back into the heating system. After the men would sweat out all of their impurities they would then head to the pool area to wash off the sweat. The pool area here in Caracalla.was among the largest in ancient Rome. After the men had a few laps and washes by their slaves boys or boy lovers, they would move on to the fridgidarium or the cold room. Moving to this room would help close the pores of the skin. This is important so that impurities do not get into the skin and cause irritations. This area is so different compared to the Roman Forum. The over crowded Disney nature that the Forum had did not exists here. We pretty much had the place to ourselves. It doesn't seem to be frequented by the tourists.

Doc Dubs

      Our guide left us to wonder around the area. Doc Dubs had just bought a new coat with a pleat in it this morning at the train station. She was walking around modeling the coat. Out of no where she threw her scarf around her head and exclaimed she was a movie star. Cheers to being the movie star for that brief moment.
    Every where we turned there was another new exciting bit of the place we could explore all to ourselves. After much hiking around we gathered near the entrance. We were parting ways with Matt, Nicole and Brittany for our first weekend because they were heading to Barcelona, Spain. I had opted to stay for the weekend to explore some more. Plus, there were talks of going to Assisi. I was dieing to go there because Saint Frances is whom my beloved grandmother is named after. She was born on his feast day. I am not too sure whether we will go but it would be nice. We have to travel in a group. We are not allowed to travel alone unfortunately!
   

Matt is showing Danilo his picture and Jenna and Ali are pretend sleeping. 

On our way back to the train station Doc Dubs wanted to head over to the Trevi Fountain for the first time. I couldn't pass this up. I have been dieing to see the fountain. I have this burning desire to wade in the waters much like what was done in the movie La Dulce Vita. Thinking smart, I best not because I will be arrested.

I loved the walk up to the fountain because you can hear the waters causing such a noise. Rounding the corner and there it is, Fontana di Trevi, a beautiful site. I walked down to the water surface to get a look at the carvings closer. I love this creature off to the side blowing on his horn. He beckons the water creatures up from the depths to join Neptune on his throne of power. The water creatures seem to breath life into the drowning powers of water. It is an amazing piece of work. We did not throw our coins into the fountain because one is supposed to throw their coin into the fountain on their last day in Rome. That way they will return to the eternal city.

When we got back to campus, Fratello Giovanni gave me a birthday card. He is this cute short old man whom has dedicated his life to the Brothers of Christian instruction. he is probably nearing his mid 80's. He is no taller than 5 feet and wears thick framed glasses. He pretends that he understand English when he approaches us. He even tries to ask in the cutest way for English lessons. He was so cute when he walked up to me. He said while handing the card to me: "For you. Happy Birthday Beautiful." Now, Fratello Mario is rather hard to read. He is the Brother that runs the main house and our campus. He is very business like compared to Fratello Giovanni. He scares most of us because he seem unapproachable. He very rarely even talks to us. The majority of the time he comes in during dinner and talks to Danilo about us and walks out. He seems to always be complaining. I think he needs a good hug. hahah.

Tanti Auguri a Me y Nicoletta.

Waiting in line for the Coliseum 

      I noticed at the beginning of this week that we were going to see the Coliseum and Roman Forum for my birthday. One of the reasons why I chose to study in Rome for the spring semester was to have my 22nd birthday in Rome. The greatest gift to myself was having the chance to walk through the such a historic area.
      We have started this new thing at dinner every night. Jenna recommended that we play this game called high/low. We go around the table to say what our high was for the day and our low for the day. This allowed for us to be open with each other, hear some of the difficulties each were having and share amazing moments that we may not have been able to share together. Last night, I was a little too eager and announced that my high for the day was seeing the Roman Forum through the arch and having my birthday tomorrow. I didn't have any lows. I was too stoked at the new experiences I was having each day. We had our morning classes and walked down to the train station. Every morning it has become a custom to walk into the tabacchi shop/ grocery store. We all have called it Johnnie's shop. We all grab a light snack to have on the 40 minute train ride into the city. Un pezzo di pizza rosa or fracchia con rosemarino or even a piadini con mortadella. When the train finally pulls up to Termini train station, the welcoming noise of the huzzle and buzzle of the station greets us. There is this show that keeps being advertised on the TV screens in the station. It is called Gli Amici di Bar Margherita. It looks like a great show but we do not have television on campus. It is set in 1954 in the city of Bologna, Italy. I will have to watch the show sometime. The past couple of days we have been taking line A subway. Today, we would be taking line B subway and getting off at Colloseo, the Coliseum.

Danilo and Me inside the Coliseum

       I think that we were all expecting a walk to the Coliseum when we arrived to our stop. This way we would be prepared for the view of the Coliseum and not taken by surprise. Much to many of our preconceived notions, immediately when you step out of the subway stop, your breath is taken away by the colossal structure of the Coliseum. I love these moments when your breath is taken away by a moment that wasn't expected. Danilo tried to grab our attention because we had to cross the busy intersection in front of the site. We all had our cameras pointed towards the site and none of use were watching the traffic. Reflecting upon this now, we were lucky we were not run over by a Fiat or Vespa. Danilo made one warning to us. He said that if we try to take pictures of the men dressed as gladiators around the Coliseum, he will not stop the men from demanding money for the picture. We all kept that in mind. We headed over to the entrance to greet our guide.

The Group Picture in front of "the Cross"

We met our tour guide and walked into  history. He told us all about the different seating levels and where everyone sat, even the emperor. Much of the marble that once covered the Coliseum was removed to cover the outside of many churches throughout the city. The guide even noted that the only renovation to the Coliseum was the flooring on the main stage and marble added to a seating area at one end that was done during the time of Mussolini. He wanted to create a new Roman Empire. Well, history has shown us how long that has lasted. Our guide was talking about a cross that was placed in the Coliseum by Pope John Paul 2. Apparently, I wasn't paying attention and asked him was the cross was for right after he finished talking about it. I could never let this moment down. Every time we came upon a cross in Rome, everyone would quickly ask me why that cross was put there. Thinking back on it, seeing Jenna's face after laughing so hard still makes me giggle to this day. It is just banter. Jenna, had this way about her that when she laughed, even if it were at something you did, she would laugh with her whole soul. You could really see the real person behind that bulging vein on her forehead after laughing.
      After our battle with the animals and gladiators, we walked just around the way to the Roman Forum. The view of the Roman Forum was much different than yesterday. Today, most likely due to the good weather, everyone seemed to be walking around in the Forum. It felt like walking around Disney World. I haven't even been to Disney World. Yes, I am a deprived child at heart. I have never stepped foot on Disney property. As much as I did not like the fact that I could not have the Roman Forum all to myself, this was the epa center of ancient Rome. This is where all of the citizens of Rome came to shop, interact, do their banking and participate in governmental policy. Thinking about this factor has allowed for me to see the Forum in a different light.

The building housing the supposed body of Caesar

Brittany pretending to be a Caesar

       One of the most intriguing buildings in the Forum supposedly houses the body of Emperor Caesar. Now, I say supposedly because history states that his body could be in another area of Rome near lago argentina. His body could have also been burned and the ash became dust in the wind. Generations of people, mainly women, come to throw flowers on the grave to show support. It reminds me of the women that make pilgrimages to the grave of Elvis Pressely. This man of history was stabbed to death by the very men he trusted. History has coined him as a tyrant, a crazed fool but also a man of vision whom built the structure of the eternal city that we have come to know today as Rome. I don't know if I could lay flowers on his supposed grave but I can peer at the mound of dirt and wonder. On a side note, I must have missed a funny moment. Apparently, Matt was wearing the zip at the knee pants. I have no idea what went on but everyone was laughing at him. His pants were half zipped and he said he was hot. Okay, that isn't that funny. I do have to admit that I am a little slow on the uptake. However, this time I think I was too involved with my environment. I would love to have another person from my group tell the story. It has been four years now since we were there and I still don't understand why that moment was so funny.

Nicole and I

       It has been a great experience today to see the Coliseum and the Roman Forum. This part of Rome is the epa center and life line of the history of Rome. On our way out towards the train station, Danilo grabbed an olive branch and fashioned himself a crown. All hail Emperor Danilo. We all took turns wearing the crown of olives. We then headed back to be chauffeured back to Castel Gandolfo in our modern chariot called the train. At dinner we were going to celebrate both Nicole's and my birthday. Nicole's birthday was saturday but she was traveling to Barcelona. So we celebrated together. We all had dinner and Brother Mario walked in to talk to Danilo. I really wish I could not translate Italian. I heard them conversing saying that there was a birthday cake made by the Pope's pastry chef in Albano for us all to enjoy. Danilo sent us upstairs to the command center for a moment and then he would call for us when he wanted us to come back downstairs to the dinning area. We have called the commons area of our campus the command center. We all love to spend the evenings together in the room sharing things on our laptop or just watching funny things on the internet. We are all developing into a close nit group and it is only our first week hear. I decided to take a moment and write in my journal. I was so excited to what was in store for Nicole and I.

The cake

     When Danilo called for us to come back to the dinning area, a huge Auguri party burst out to the notes of Tanti Auguri. I couldn't help myself but to burst into tears. I have only know these people for a week and they are here to celebrate my birthday....well, Nicole and my birthday. We were presented with a cake made by the Pope's pastry chef in Albano (the next city over or the last stop on our train). We blew out our candles and were presented with a bottle of champagne to share with our mates in the group. Danilo stated that it is an Italian custom to pop a bottle of champagne for your birthday. If the cork hits someone, you are meant to marry that person. Nicole, was so successful opening her bottle of Champagne. Evidently for myself, I have no skill opening a bottle of champagne. I think you would have to be there to actually understand the humor about the moment. I struggled to open that bottle for 10 minutes. Danilo even tried to loosen the cork for me. The person who's birthday it is has to pop the cork or they will have bad luck. I didn't want to have bad luck. I tried and tried and even got myself worked up in a cold sweat. Then, I cycled into a laughing fit. Everyone, had worked themselves into a crying fit of laughter rolling around on the floor to the point of vomiting. That is how funny this was for everyone. Finally, I think the champagne bottle just gave up and let the cork go. Moments like this is why I travel. I travel to laugh so hard that I cry. The group pitched together and bought both Nicole and I birthday gifts from the boutique Never Without You. They were side bags. It is a lovely story behind the boutique. An international soccer player developed the clothing/accessory line for his wife. Every time he left for one of his matches he missed his wife so much. He called the line Never Without You so that when he is away he is never without his love, his wife. I love the story behind the line.

The Girls.

The First Glance

Matt giving some assistance

You ever wonder why people cry when they see their child for the first time? It is because of the hard work it took them to over come the pain and despair. Well, I didn't have any of those problems nor have I ever experienced child birth. I have however, had breath taking first glances at the unforgettable moments in life. Those moments measure to the same level of child birth. Today, we all had a unique first glance at the Roman Forum through the arches of the Capitalini Museo.

Today was the first day that we have had rain in Rome. Rain seems so foreign in this eternal city of the world. We first visited the Vittorio Emanuele Monument. It is not well liked in Rome. The Romans call it the birthday cake. In my opinion, I think it is a beautiful monument. It also houses the Italian equivalence to the "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier." No matter how avant garde the monument is, I like it. It adds character to my view of Rome.

Natalie polishing Constantine's Toe

Capitalini Hill is equivalent to the Greek Acropolis. This is where the start of the Roman day occurred and where it ended. In the middle of the square stands the Marcus Aurelius equestrian statue. Well, the really one is inside of the museum but a fake stands outside where the statue once stood. Inside the museum lays exhibit the remains of the Constantine statue. While waiting for our tour guide to show, we had a little too much fun with the statue. This is the way we were in Rome. We took the time to have a laugh but also learn about the new culture we have now become a part of in Rome. These moments of laughter we will remember for years to come.

The main purpose of our visit to the museum was to see the real Marcus Aurelius statue inside. This statue is the oldest equestrian statue in Rome. The only reason why this statue stood the threads of time is because it was mistaken to have been Constantine on the horse. The famed statue of the "She Wolf" is housed in the Capitalini Museo as well. This is the symbol of Rome.

   
    There isn't much more that I remember about this museum. The problem being is that there is only so much that one can take in from a museum on one single day. I suspect that I will have to make another visit to the museum. I think that the other problem being is that I am writing this 4 years after I first traveled to Rome.  The museum is really good to learn the general history of Rome and early Romans. As we walked through the museum and glanced at the busts of Emperor heads of long ago. We walked back to this section that looks out upon the Roman Forum. Through the arches we were able to see the Roman Forum for the first time. It was raining outside and barely a sole was walking around in the Roman Forum. Danilo leans over and says that all those people are getting rained on. They are not having fun. I think that I would much rather prefer to be rained on than overwhelmed by the mass numbers of tourists wondering around. It was a lovely  sight. I love the moment when my breath is taken away by a sight.

First Glance

The She Wolf of Rome: Romeulus and Remus

The Group Under the Arch

Initial Walking Tour

       I have decided that I prefer the first glance of sights rather than having them spoiled by looking photos up on the internet. Yesterday, we ventured into Rome and walked from the Spanish steps to Vatican City. This area of Rome is not only known for its high fashion but also the passieggiato, the famed walk before dinner or after. We stopped into this little pizza shop right next to the stairs a practiced ordering pizza. The most popular pizza in this shop seemed to be the potato pizza. Vorre un pezzo di pizza. Di meno, lo stesso, di pui. You actually are not supposed to eat on the steps but no one was stopping us. While we were sitting there we noticed that the Africans were selling all of the illegal products all along the stairs. When the police came close they would pick up the goods in this ingenious way and run off. If the police did not see the products on them than they could not be stopped for questioning. The Africans would lay out their purses on this little blanket. Attached to every corner of the blanket were strings that the person would hold in their hands. When the police were near, they would pull the strings and throw the "stachel" over their back and walk on.

      Dr. Dubs just had to stop in front of the Louis Vuitton store and have a photo. She is such a fan. Walking in and out of the famous clothing stores took my breath away. I am such a clutz and was afraid that if I came too close to an expensive item I would ruin it just by glancing to hard at the price tag. I am such a fan of the Coppola family and inside the Louis Vuitton store were the latest from the Sophia Coppola collection. They were the most beautiful high heels. However, the price tag was $1,000 dollars. Welp, a girl can only dream. I never realized how much of a girlie girl I am until I stepped into these shops. I much rather preferred to put on my soccer boots and bend the ball just like Beckham.  With the first caress of the Gucci name tag or Louis Vuitton suitcase would change any girl. haha. We even stopped in to have an espresso at the famed Cafe Grecco. This is the cafe that President Kennedy would stop into when he was in Rome. Besides an espresso I had in Naples, this espresso by far is the best one I have had to date.
    We continued on along the Tiber River and up past Castel Sant'angelo. As a newly baptized Catholic, I was so excited to see Vatican City for the first time. I have had a great desire to see the home of my church now for years. We all walked around a bit and then had gelato at Blue Ice. What a delight of a day. We all jumped back on the subway and headed to Termini Station to catch our train home to Castel Gandolfo.