When in Rome...

I've been extremely busy! I'm going to try and do shorter posts but update more frequently starting next post. This one is long!
Saturday I went to Rome. The weather was beautiful! Not a cloud in the sky but it was chilly. Rome is awesome! Such a cool city but much different than Florence. Of course I only spent the day there but it is very big and very metropolitan which couldn't be further from what Florence is like. Some parts of Rome looked exactly like New York City and some parts look like San Francisco. Some buildings are just so incredibly old and some are brand new. It was very strange but very cool at the same time. Oh and then of course there the fact that you can just turn the corner and see the Colosseum! You know...just walking down the street next to the Colosseum! So the trip started at 7:30 when we boarded a an express train to Rome. The train was awesome. Definitely a step above NJ Transit! The scenery was beautiful. I tried staying awake long enough to get some pictures of the Tuscan country side. The ride was about an hour and a half and then we arrived in Rome. There were about 25 kids that went. Most were Rutgers kids but there were also some from England and Sweden. Our day was jammed packed. We started off at the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica which was gorgeous. On the trip were 2 teachers from school, one of them also served as tour guide. Unfortunately for those that don't know Italian well (aka me), were out of luck when it came to getting all the facts about all the places we went. The teacher slash tour guide spoke VERY little English as they are trying to get us to learn Italian so quickly. So I got the majority of the points but I did miss some things here and there. So anyways...back to the trip. We were just walking along and turned the corner and there was the Colosseum staring right at me. It was so cool! This was something that I had learned about since elementary school and now I was five feet from this ancient structure that I had only seen on TV or in books. It was really unbelievable. I think that might have been the moment when I finally realized I was in Italy...for real. Because is was a walking tour we didn't get to go in, which I would have loved to do, but I'll just have to save it for another trip back. (Plus it was a Saturday and the line was legit a mile long!) From there it was on to a few other monuments and the the Roman Forum which was also unbelievable. We were looking at it from atop a hill so we could see the whole thing in its entirely. Its just so hard to believe that those structures are thousands of years old and still standing. After that it was a stop at the Trevi Fountain which was also something I was really looking forward to seeing. I thought it looked much different in person than in pictures I had seen but it was still beautiful! I always remembered it being so bright blue and it wasn't THAT blue but it was still cool. I tossed a penny in and made a wish! Then we had a quick lunch break where we went and got some very delicious pizza. Then it was off to see the Spanish Steps. On our way to the Spanish Steps we noticed a man quickly ripping something small and black out of another guys hand. Then all the sudden the two guys come racing through our little pack pushing me against a table of venders and punching Jes in the chest. We had in fact, just witnessed a man being pick-pocketed! The thief, who was not a very good at his job, was chugging along and the guy who had just been stolen from was racing behind him until he finally cut the thief off in the street, shoved him against a building and grabbed his wallet! The thief ran off and the guy walked backed toward us looking very accomplished! It was a happy ending to a scary scene. So lesson learned: People do really get pick-pocketed in Rome! Thanks to the many layers Jes was wearing, she was fine and we marched on to the Spanish Steps. There is a neat looking fountain in front of the steps that has water from the aqueducts so I decided to have a try! You know what they say...When in Rome! So I figured I'd try the water from the fountain. It was really good actually! Tasty but very chilly! From the Spanish Steps to the Pantheon. I didn't really know too much about the Pantheon before but it was really neat. The word Pantheon means "All the Gods." The dome on the Pantheon is made of one complete piece of cement. It is the biggest solid structure in Europe with a large circle at the top which lets air in to preserve everything inside which is entirely original. I was thoroughly impressed by the Pantheon. After that we made a few more stops to some really neat Piazza's along the way but the grand finale was what I was most excited about seeing which was the Vatican. And it was worth the wait. It was so incredible. We got to go inside and looking around. Inside there is one of Michelangelo's most famous sculptures, the Pieta. It is a depiction of the body of Jesus laying laying on the lap of Mary after his crucifixion. He created a series of Pieta's with similar themes but this is his most famous. He also painted some of the domes at the Vatican. The detail and work that went into this masterpiece is truly incredible! We didn't get to see the Sistine Chapel which is also on my list of "must see" but that just means I have to go back. The day was awesome. It was exhausting but it was absolutely worth it. It was rumored that we walked 10 miles around Rome...and I'd believe it! Rome is so big that it was nice to have a guided tour (even if it was in Italian) but I will definitely make a trip back at some point. Who else can say they spent their Valentines Day in Rome?! We arrived in Florence around 9ish and then all of my roommates and a few other people from Rutgers went out to this Mexican restaurant called Tijuana to celebrate Morgans 21st Birthday! The food was delicious and it was a lot of fun!

Sunday was just a resting up day. My roommates and myself decided to venture to The Coop, our favorite (NOT) food store. We travel to The Coop, which is on the edge of town, because it is much cheaper than the other mercadi's in centro (in the center of Florence) and because it is much bigger with way more food but it is a decent walk and the trouble is carrying all the bags back to our apartment. Well we walked there to find that it was closed! Obviously we have not adjusted yet to the fact that things in Italy are closed on Sunday and Mondays! Oops!

On Monday in Culture class, we look a trip to the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum which is in the center of Florence. Salvatore Ferragamo is a famous shoe designer to the celebrities who used to make fit-to-wear shoes for major stars like Ava Gardner, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Gretta Garbo and many more. All of his shoes were hand crafted. Ferragamo was known for improvising when it came to materials he used for his shoes. The museum was packed full of his original collection of high heels including several of Marilyn Monroe's original shoes. She would only wear Ferragamo shoes. They had to be the same style but in different colors. Ferragamo is also known for introducing color into the world of shoes. I really enjoyed the museum! It was really interesting and totally different from anything we have done in Culture class so far.

On Tuesday night I went with a bunch of Rutgers people to this club called Be-Bop to see the Beatles cover band that plays there every Tuesday night. It was so much fun! Definitely an experience! It was so funny to see Italian guys fake a British accent and sing Beatles songs! A lot of fun though! I'm sure I'll be back!

Today for Culture class we went to one of the oldest family run Trattoria in Florence called Mario's. Our class got a two course meal, wine, and water while Francesca explained to us the ingredients that go into making the delicious meal! Florence is known for using simple ingredients and for only what is in season and what you have in your house. Everything was really yummy and perfect on a cold day. After lunch we went to finally go see Michelangelo's David! After he stood us up last week due to the strike, I was really happy to finally see him! The Accademia Museum itself, doesn't have too much to see. David is definitely the main attraction. As you walk in there is a hallway full of some of Michelangelo's unfinished works which was interesting. David is really huge and unbelievable that he still in such perfect condition since being created in in 1504. Francesca says we have to see David at least 6 times before we leave Florence so I know I'll be back!

Tomorrow after class we are meeting with an Italian official for get our Permesso di Soggiorno or permit of stay. Then its off to the market and from there who knows! Tomorrow night the boys are having another group party with Nick and Maria (not themed this time) so that should be fun as well.

Saturday is our first Rutgers Extrusion. We are traveling by bus to Bolonga, which is in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. The food is supposed to be delicious! We will spend the whole day there traveling around on a guided tour and then Nick will take us out to dinner.

On Sunday I am thinking about going to the Uffizi Museum but thats not definite yet.
Oh and I booked a ticket to Dublin with Jes, Jen, and Morgan to go visit Jacquie for St. Patrick's Day weekend! I'm so excited!!