Happy Birthday Mom!

I just wanted to say, before I pass out from studying for my crazy midterm that will happen later today, that I want to wish my Mom a very happy birthday! I love you so much, and hope that you have a great day today! And thank you once again for all your help and support that made this trip possible! I love this program so much, and am so grateful to be a part of it. Love you mom! Have a great day!

Volare! Oh oh!- An American Girl In Rome, Italy

Heat. Weight. Heavy. Trudge trudge trudge. Tickets? Where do we get tickets? Wait on a long line. Go to another line. Tickets! Uh which way to go? Train? Talk talk talk. Squish squish squish. Push. Sit. Ah! Termini!

Thus marked the central emotions of my first venture into Rome, Italy. An amazing place where I spent 4 days, explored countless years of history, gained a few pounds, and took far too many pictures.

The crowds didn’t seem to oppressive as we stepped off the train. My heavy pack was filled to the brim with items that I didn’t necessarily need but still “needed.” That was something I quickly learned during this trip. Anyway, Termini was my first true Roman land where I stepped foot. The gleaming station was marked by countless shops, and hints of smells of food to come. A smaller version of Penn Station, and rather cleaner, Termini would soon become a sort of home for me in Rome. Or at the very least a guidepost that would lead me in the right direction as I ventured onto the metro.

A group of 14 or so of Semester at Sea students accompanied me and my friend Liz to our hostel. Using Liz’s superior sense of direction, we eventually arrived at our destination-the Hotel Lella. More like a little portion of a condo complex in Rome. It was fairly close to Termini as well as an other metro station for the blue metro line. Our room wasn’t ready yet so we decided to drop off our luggage, and escape into the city. After some brief wandering we came across a nice restaurant that was fairly inexpensive, I’ll try to remember the name later. We stepped inside to what looked like a giant pastry shop and pizzeria. All around us were “frescos” on the walls, pushing us into the roman mentality. A quick glance at all the choices around us and our decision was easily made. We sat down, and after a little bit of difficulty communicating, we sat down for one of the best meals of my life. Essentially it was just a little bit of prosciutto and then some incredible margarita pizza with extra tomatoes (there’s a particular name in Italian for it but I can’t remember it). One bite and my taste buds were ignited! It was all so incredible! I’m so glad I got pictures of everything (which I will eventually post)!

It was at this restaurant that I experienced my first “real” international toilet. I didn’t even know how to use it! There was no toilet seat on it, and you sort of had to squat. Doesn’t sound too difficult, but believe me, it’s not too fun. Also, there was a pattern throughout Italy of lack of toilet paper. Thank goodness some Semester at Sea alums had tipped me off to this little issue, and I had my Charmin to go at hand when I needed it. Lucky for me.

Anyway, after our nice little lunch we continued to explore a little more. We made the decision to eventually walk and see a few of the famous sites of Italy. Our first real stop was the Spanish steps. It was so strange to see things you’ve seen in movies come alive before you. Yet, ironically, truth be told they weren’t nearly as impressive as I thought they would be. There they stood, the colors of the square creating a picturesque scene all around them, but I noticed that in movies it all seemed so much more daunting. Yes, it was tiring to climb them rather quickly, but not too much so. Not nearly as much I thought. However, they were still rather beautiful, but I was more interested in seeing the Trevi Fountain, which was our next stop.

A short walk away for the square surrounding the Spanish Steps, we came across the Trevi Fountain. Although it also seemed smaller in “real life” it was in fact very beautiful. All around the fountain were tourists  from all over the world and it was incredible to hear and see the mixture of cultures in a city so ancient and unique. Of course we took a number of pictures, including the quintessential picture of me throwing a coin over my shoulder into the fountain and wishing. After our cameras were thoroughly exhausted we decided to move onto the Pantheon. Yet, distractions kept us from that destination for quite a while, since we decided to stop at a number of shops, including a gellateria. Unfortunately I no longer had a lactase pill in my bag, so I had to make due with watching the others enjoy their gellato-and boy did they ever. They devoured it, and it was exactly the pick me up they needed in the scorching Italian sun.

finally, we did reach the Pantheon, only to uncover that since it was a religious holiday, it was closed to tourists. Thus we were forced to take just a few pi8ctures right outside, and to then sit and relax in one of the only public areas that provided relief from the heat. Never have I ever before appreciated shade so much!

Anyway, after the Pantheon we decided to make our way over to the Colosseum. The walk over was also rather eventful as we saw other sites that although didn’t seem to be very popular, were so incredibly beautiful. My particular favorites included the various archeological digs around the country.  Each was so amazing to view since it made you really realize how very young the US is in relation to the rest of the world. Me being an anthropology buff couldn’t take enough pictures or read enough signs. However, the Colosseum was calling us so we continued further.

Now traveling in a large group can be fun in many ways, but at the same time it poses difficulties. For example, all of us had different wants and needs for our little trek, so by the time we arrived at the Colosseum and took pictures of the outside, half the group wanted to leave to go back to the main train station to get tickets to Florence. While me and my friend Liz wanted to go inside the Colosseum and experience it completely. By the time the decision was made to split up, the Colosseum had closed. Liz  and I just decided to return another day, and to instead make the walk home to meet with our two friends who were also sharing our hostel room with us.

Now Liz’s nickname up to this point (and still further on in our trip) was “maps.” with her spicy attitude that was never afraid to ask for directions, and her aptitude for knowing where she was, even in a foreign location. So she stated that it seemed that our hotel was within walking distance of where we were. I was super happy to hear that since I was overly tired and overheated. However, she was a tad off. About an hour and 5 minutes off. Here’s what happened. We traveled to Palermo street. We were supposed to go to Pallazo. Woops. And so we walked and walked thinking that we were doing a spectacular job, and that we should be so proud of ourselves for our profound sense of direction. Yet, upon arrival at Palermo street, our hopes were sufficiently slashed, and we knew we were in for an interesting and tiring adventure. To top it off, our two friends had called us and we told them we were 5 minutes away. Well we were-plus another hour or so. Anywho, we traveled and walked around and asked people for directions. However, not many Italians we met in this off-the-beaten path area spoke proper English. So we were misdirected, and pushed around. We did see a lot of Rome though. Just not the parts we were so longing to see. Yet, eventually we were met by a nice tall Italian man walking with his mother. She clearly didn’t speak English when we asked her, but her son helped us so much. The sweet mother and son directed us so perfectly, and with such kindness that we were more than grateful. They made sure to send us along paths that were clear of any known “sketchy” areas. So nice, and we were so incredibly grateful.  Through their directions we knew to hop on the metro, and change in termini, where we caught the blue line, which dropped us off about 5 minutes from our hotel. Thank goodness. When we finally arrived we apologized to our friends, and took a much needed shower.

After freshening up we decided to say a quick hello to the rest of our large group before heading out in our smaller one for dinner. We went to a small cafe near the hotel, and enjoyed some delicious pasta dishes as well as pizza, and of course some amazing Italian wine. Everything was so good, and I knew then and there that most of my budget for Italy would be spent on food. I think it was well spent.

After our dinner, we decided to head out together in search of a  little night life. None of us wanted to go too far, but it was Liz’s 20th birthday and we wanted to make sure that we celebrated well enough. So  we caught a beer at the local McDonalds, which was surprisingly good. Then we headed to another Italian bar where we tried a few local drinks. Our interport student on board the ship spoke of the local drink called Limoncello. He said you definitively need to try it when you’re exploring Italy. So we followed his advice and ordered a round. It was absolutely disgusting. Essentially it is a bit of lemon with an absurd amount of alcohol. Not exactly a great refreshing beverage. Yet, we did the deed and partook in that particular cultural experience. After a few more drinks we headed back to our hotel and decided to sleep for the long day to come.

Day 2 -Rome

Traveling can take such a toll out of a person. You don’t even realize it until your body aches, and it’s so hard to wake up. Luckily that’s where Liz came in. After a wake up call from her, and a little pushy push out the door we were on our way to explore more of Rome, and Vatican City. We enjoyed a quick little lunch of pizza before we arrived at the metro in Termini. A relatively quick, yet extremely crowded train ride later, we were in Vatican City. The walls came up around us and showed us the great  extent of this small little country within a country. Thank goodness Liz and I had pre-purchased our tickets and were able to skip the extremely long line that circled the city walls. After a brief foray with security, we entered the Vatican Museum and began our exploration

Now the Vatican museum was extremely misleading. Everywhere you looked it seemed as if the Sistine chapel was just a short distance away. So not the case. We roamed from room to room, thinking that every grand hallway was the entrance way to the most famous of sections of this grand museum. Yet the way to this grand site was more than worth seeing. Beautiful tapestries from ages past decorated the various rooms and hallways. There were so many incredible sculptures and paintings, artifacts, and other incredible things to behold. I especially loved actually seeing works by Michelangelo and Raphael in person. Liz and I decided to rent an audio guide for the day so we could also learn about the various exhibits throughout the museum. The audio guides were great and I believe they were only 7 euro for the day. All you had to do was type in the number of the item you wished to learn about (which was posted next to the item), and then stick it to your ear just like you would with a cell phone, and just like that you’re learning all about the greatness that surrounds you.

I took so many pictures at the Vatican. How could you not! My mom was nice enough to lend me her digital SLR for this trip, and it sure came in handy when flash was not allowed. I captured countless years of history in those photos. I just wanted to document as much as I could so when I am back home I could relive all of the amazing memories. After about two hours we finally reached the final passageway to the Sistine chapel. Yes it was beautiful. And yes I did take a few photos and videos when you really weren’t supposed to. But I must say, it really wasn’t as grand as  thought it would be. Yes the ceiling was extremely beautiful, but I wasn’t overwhelmed. It was just a spectacular ceiling in a smaller chapel than I imagined. After we made our way through we decided that we were so exhausted that we absolutely needed to take a break outside. So out into St. Peter’s Square we went to sit on the bases of the pillars that circle the lovely area. We glanced over at the line leading into Saint Peter’s Basilica, and decided that after a day full of museums Liz had her fill. Thus I decided to come back the next day on my own.

We knew we needed to get some fuel in us, so we stopped for a little snack and then headed back to our friend the metro so we could go to the Colosseum. It was a relatively short journey, and we finally were able to enter the amazing behemoth that was our destination. Once inside we met up with some “SASers” as us semester at sea people call ourselves. They were kind enough to teach us a little bit about the inner workings of the Colosseum so we didn’t have to spend more euros on an audio guide. After their little history lesson, we wandered about and took some amazing pictures once more. I absolutely loved the Colosseum. It was just incredible, and also horrid, to imagine the ongoings of this ancient site. It was also just so insane to see this feat of architecture. I can barely draw a proper stick figure, and yet the ancient Romans, without the use of any modern technology, managed to create this incredible place! I also loved that I knew a little bit of the history for why the Colosseum was there. I had learned in my global studies class about the “bread and circuses” that the Romans used to keep their subjects happy. Well a part of the “circuses” aspect included the gladiator shows that they put on for their subjects. It was just so cool to see something I learned right before me and to incorporate it into my mind. Anyway, after our time there we decided to wander a bit through the forum for a few more pictures, and then we made our way back to Termini where Liz needed some much deserved shopping time. After a bit of retail therapy, we decided to head back to our hotel to meet our friends for dinner.

We ate in another random, but very Italian restaurant. I had the most amazing pasta with seafood. So fresh and so delicious. The bread was especially good, and I loved the bread-sticks we were given. They were prepackaged and had a bit of olive oil on them, which of course made them absolutely delicious. I would love to find some in the states (kelly if you’re reading this find out if Ivarone has them!). Our dinner was really wonderful all around, yet Liz and I were just too tired to venture out again. So we accompanied our guy friends to the store where they bought some nice wine, and me, some white tic tacs. They walked us back to the hotel, and we had fun taking funny pictures with them before they decided to head out. In the meantime Liz and I tried to figure out what we would do the following day. We had hoped to go on some sort of day trip. However, trains to Piza and Florence were very expensive, especially considering hat we’d only be in either location for a few hours. Also, the less expensive non-high speed trains would have us traveling about 8 hours round-trip for the day. So after much deciding we thought of an alternative. A morning for me exploring the rest of the Vatican, and a morning of relaxation and shopping for Liz. Once we came upon this compromise, Liz went to bed, while I attempted to skype and contact everyone from back home. Although the internet at our hostel was less than perfect, it was still rather successful. It was just so nice to share my adventures in person, and too check up on everyone. Although I haven’t been homesick at all since first coming on this amazing adventure, I still do love to talk to people at home. I just wish I had better internet and more time to write my e-mails, or these blog updates for that matter. Lucky for all of you, 7 hour ferry rides back from Santorini in Greece sure come in handy when attempting to catch up with work you’ve fallen behind on. With my skyping over it was off to bed for me, and then another whirlwind day in Rome.

Rome-Day 3

Now Rome was an easy enough city to get around in. However, when it came time to see everything, no amount of easy transportation could let you see the whole city in a short period of time. Just like how Rome wasn’t built in a day, neither can you see it all in a day-nor in four like I did. However, I do feel as if I got a lot done in such a short period of time.

For starters I woke up bright and early our third day and ventured out on my own after checking out of the hotel. I walked to the train station, and headed over to the Vatican. I got there about a half-hour after they opened, and hoped on the line to enter St. Peter’s Basilica. What looked like an hour long line really took no longer than 20 minutes. As I entered I was struck by the pure beauty and grandeur of the place. As far as y9ou could see there were incredibly beautiful paintings. It was just so incredible to see the amount of effort that was put into this place. How many countless hours had been spent to put this entire beautiful church together! If anything you had to admire the Basilica for it’s sheer testament to human patience. I spent my sweet time exploring. I took so many photos, and tried to get quality shots. I also made sure to thoroughly capture the place using my amazing handy-dandy Kodak Playsport camera. I wandered around for a good 20 minutes just documenting the place for those back home. I also made sure to take my time shopping for souvenirs for a few of you readers. The Vatican definitely had a nice gift-shop, but boy was it crowded. Except for the second floor whose staircase was tucked away-out of sight. So when I made my way up there I was free to shop at my leisure. After my shopping was done, I made my way up to the Doumo, I believe it was called. After paying 5 euro for the stairs pathway, I began my climb. I wasn’t aware of the sheer number of steps until I overheard people discussing it on the way up. I’m proud to report that I made it up the first 250 steps or so without any pause. And boy where these steps windy and steep. Great views though. Once I reached the first top, I had to climb a few more steps before reaching the top portion of the basilica ceiling. It was such an incredible view, and I had to take a bunch of pictures of course. After this little venture I decided to climb up to the second portion of the duomo. This consisted of climbing another 250 steps or so. Much steeper, much smaller, much more windy steps mind you. This time I had no choice but to take a short break. During this break I paused to take a few more pictures, since I didn’t know of the opportunity that awaited me at the top. Finally I reached the last staircase portion. It literally consisted of a bunch of  the smallest steps I’d ever seen. And the only way to keep steady was to use a rope that dangled down. Finally I reached the top and the views of Rome were so incredible. So insanely beautiful. Mainly because I was so incredibly high up in the city. I took as many pictures as I could before hurrying back down to meet with Liz, who had called me on my way up.

Down I climbed down almost as steep steps- at least there were more handrails this time around, since before there were none. I made my way out of the city, taking pictures as I walked, and then proceeded to get very lost on my way to meet Liz. Finally, I saw our meeting place, and she proceeded to tell me about her successful morning. Through her shopping skills, and awesome sense of direction, she brought me back to this amazing bag store where they had incredible Italian leather bags. I finally indulged myself and bought a great souvenir. My tan leather bag was my first and so far only major indulgence purchase on this trip-yet it was still a lot cheaper than bags of comparable size in the US. I had to call my mom afterwards to ask her if she wanted in on such a great deal. Of course she said yes, and will be receiving a nice black bag when I get home.

With our purchases in tow, Liz and I wandered about for a little longer, and then decided to pick up our bags from the hostel. Afterward we went back to Termini to hop onto an hour long train ride back to Civitavecchia. Boy were we exhausted, but so glad to have taken it easy. We fully intended on having a calm and quiet evening. Yet our friend Eric had other plans for us. We were walking up the stairwell headed back to our rooms when we saw him on the stairwell. He said he was meeting two other friends in a half-hour to head out to get some dinner and to taste a few of the local wines. Liz and I decided to join in, and that’s how we found ourselves once again off the ship.

We wandered down the port, past the train station until we came to a local pizza place that served only two kinds of pizza-anchovie and margarita. Our group of 5 ordered 2 pies, and I discovered that I would be forced to eat only the anchovie because I had forgotten one of my lactase pills. Lucky for me the anchovie in Italy isn’t made with cheese. Instead its a mixture of sauce and the anchovies. Normally I’m not a fan of anchovies, but my goodness that pizza was good. So fresh and so delicious. Our group brought our pies over to a local wine cafe right across the street, and we ordered some delicious, yet fairly cheap, wine to wash it down with. For in Italy it is so true to say that the wine is cheaper than the water. It was all so delicious! In the meantime we met some Italians who had previously studied abroad in the US, and talked with them for a bit.
After we had finished our delicious dinner we walked down over to the beach to a little beach bar close to our ship’s berth. It’s picturesque setting made for a nice end to the day. We sipped a few drinks, and then danced to the live music that was being played. Apparently the Italians are fond of oldie American songs, so I twisted my heart out to the twist and a few Elvis songs with my friend Liz. A little while after we called it a day, and each of us made our way back to the ship.

Rome-Day 4
At 8:30am, bright and early, I was on my way back to Rome for the day. This time I was with a Semester at Sea trip that I had bought off of my friend Eric. He wanted to watch the Netherlands soccer game, so I got a lucky deal! This trip was titled Unusual Rome and Catacombs. Essentially the tour consisted of a visit to the catacombs that the first Christians used to bury their dead. It was incredible. The extent of this underground labyrinth took my breath away. It was just an endless passageway filled with holes that had once been teeming with bodies and offerings to the dead. Unfortunately the barbarian invasions have hidden such history from archeologists today. Yet still it was an amazing place to behold. Thank goodness I had a guide however, since I would have otherwise been lost for hours. We viewed some fantastic grave sites and paintings prior to ascending the stairs back above ground.

After our catacombs tour we were driven to another awesome site. Now  I had viewed the chapels of the Capuchin monks on the travel channel before my trip, and I was struck by the insanely creepy atmosphere, as well as the amazing symbolism behind the chapel. It was here that thousands of bones from thousands of bodies were arranged together to create an amazing site. Skeleton Monks bowed down to the viewers, adorned with various body parts arranged in spectacular patterns. I couldn’t take any pictures here since it was a place of reverence. We were also required to cover our shoulders and knees to enter. It was simply a place of reflection upon life. How quickly it comes and goes, and how very equal we all are in the end. I was particularly struck by the words written near the floor in the last section of the display. It basically said “What you are now we once were, and what we are now you will be.” So very interesting to think about in that atmosphere.

Before returning to the ship we had about 4 hours to explore Rome. I was so tired from my past three days,  and it was so very hot that it was exhausting for me to move my feet. My friend and roommate Julie had two other friends on this trip with her so us four decided to find a small pizza place to grab lunch. I had two delicious slices of pizza, and then departed to do some shopping and more exploring. Julie and I walked around for a bit and explored more of Italy-she got in some good shopping time while I tried to hold myself in from spending some more. Finally we decided to hit up the Pantheon so we could actually view the inside of it.

The insides of this great building were truly astonishing. The ceiling was built with giant slabs meters thick that curved inward until they formed a large circular hole in the middle. Information stands around the building told of the rain that is collected into smaller holes in the ground when it falls through the hole. The inside was adorned with Christian pictures, for the Pantheon is now used as a Catholic church. However, its history tells the tourist that it was once a Pagan place of worship. It was just so ironic to see a visual representation of the cultural borrowing that is found throughout Christianity. I was so exhausted at this point that I decided to take up residence in one of the seats in the Church and relax for a while, while Julie and her two friends continued shopping. After a short rest they came back for me and we all decided to make our way back to the meeting point to catch our bus.

Along the way we stopped in a few more stores, including an Italian Disney Store! I was so excited to see it! Inside they had decorated it specifically for Rome with Romanesque Disney characters. I couldn’t resist buying a magnet to commemorate the experience. My friend Julie and I also attempted to get some wifi at a cafe, but the attempt failed when we discovered their internet was down. So we made our way to the bus a little sad not to have contacted home again, but overall happy to have explored another day in Rome.

Back on the ship I decided to rest up a bit before entering the port of Naples. So I took the time to sleep, share pictures and stories with friends, and then study. It was annoying to have to go back to schoolwork again, especially after such an awesome time of adventuring. Yet, I was so very glad to be back onboard. The MV Explorer had definitely become my home away from home-as Disney vacation club members would say, haha! So I spent my night doing those assortment of activities with a few friends, and then resting.

I will post my days in Naples to come. Sorry again for the delay, but I’ve been so busy exploring, and I hate writing stupid entries. I hope you all enjoy the detail I go into here. I do it as much for you as for me. So please have patience! Tomorrow is Turkey Day here on the ship. I have one very difficult midterm ahead of me. Then a day of seminars and fun. Hopefully I can finish my Naples entries by then, as well as Croatia. I really can’t wait to tell you all about the amazing time I just finished having in Greece. All of these updates will come! I’m sorry for the delay! Until then, ciao for now.