The End

MY LAST DAY IN ROME was quite memorable.  A big group of us went to a restaurant called Fellice in Testaccio, and it was the bomb!  I had ravioli and veal, and it was incredible.  I was so full when I was finished!  Really going to miss how good the food is here.

After dinner, we made our rounds at the local Rome bars for one last go around.  But that wasn't the highlight of our night.  After the bars, we went to see the monuments at night!  We went to the Victor Immanuel building, and then to the Colloseum before we cabbed it back home.  The Colloseum was awesome, it was illuminated with a burn organge glow.  The entire stadium was lit up.  The weather was perfect too, in the 60's and comfortable for the evening.  It started to rain a little bit, but not too hard, just a drizzle.  Walking down Corso Vittorio Emmanule for the last time made me realize just how much I'm going to miss this place.

We left for the airport at 7:30 in the morning, and had no problems arriving on time.  The flight was wonderful!  We had two meals, and a video console screen with the option to select our movie or show of choice.  I watched three movies, Skyfall, Taken, and Taken 2.  Little to no turbulence, it was great!

I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT IT'S OVER!  

After 115 days spent out of the country, and 15,626 miles travelled, I am officially done.  And so is this blog.  Arrivederci! 

JC

Final Week in Rome!

ONLY SEVEN MORE DAYS until I return to the U.S.  It's definitely bittersweet as I'm looking forward to going home, but there are some aspects of Rome that I'm really going to miss.

One of which is the food!  So I've decided that I'm going out to eat for dinner most nights.  I've entered the "Yolo Roma" phase of the trip, where I'm realizing that I'm not sure if, or when, I'll ever get back here again, and have decided to take advantage of the awesome culture and cuisine.

Which means more reasons to blog! I'm going to document dinners and restaurants during the last week here.  Here's an update from the past few nights:

Tuesday
Caprese Salad and Gnocchi with Truffle Sauce, followed by gelato for dessert.

Wednesday
Caprese Salad and Ravioli with Red Sauce at, followed by a cannoli for dessert

Friday
Pesto and Gorgonzola bruschetta, Bacon, tomato and cheese pizza, followed by a Nutella Calzone with powdered sugar at Dar Poetta.

Saturday
Caprese salad and Scampi Risotto at New Station

Sunday
Pizza with Prosciutto and Parmigiano at Pizzeria di Marmi

Monday
Started with Gelatto at Della Palma at 4 pm, (Kit Kat and Peanut butter, my favorite!)  Followed by dinner at La Scala, had a Salad and Ravioli with Truffle Sauce.  Then a cannoli for dessert.  Tasty!

Tuesday
Didn't go out for dinner, but did have two cannolis

Wednesday
At Felice in Testaccio, had Ravioli and Veal (SO GOOD!).

Check back for updates.

JC

Weekend in Corfu, Greece

I WAS NEARING THE END of my time studying abroad.  I’d broken the t-minus two week countdown until the day I was to return, May 16th.  I couldn’t believe how fast it seemed everything was going.

I’d had one last weekend to travel before I spent my last weekend in Rome to study for finals.  Figured I’d take advantage with a weekend getaway to Corfu, Greece, with one of my roommates and a buddy from Italian class.  

WE’D HAD an evening flight, and this was my first time flying RyanAir, the low fare airline that allows travelers to get around Europe not only easily, but at a cheap cost.  They don’t make their money in the amount that they charge per flight, no, instead they come up with creative ways to nickel and dime their consumers.  They charge you if your bag is too big, if you forgot to print your own boarding pass, for all food on the plane, etc.  Fortunately, being that I’ve become a much more seasoned traveler in my time over here, I wasn’t nickled nor dimed by any of these gimmicks.  

It was dark by the time we landed.  We were flying right next to some mountains, and were all of the sudden really close to the ground, but I couldn’t see a runway, just water.  Then, THUD.  We had a bumpy landing, but it was a landing nonetheless.  I wasn’t able to see the runway before we’d landed because of how small it was.  I breathed a sigh of relief, when, over the intercom came the sound of triumphant trumpets.  A woman on a recording read: “That’s another on time flight for RyanAir... Over 90 percent of RyanAir flights land on time... Beats every airline in Europe!”  A quick note on this, RyanAir lists departure time as to when the plane will actually be taking off.  However, it lists the arrival time as about 40 minutes longer than the flight will actually be.  So 90 percent of their flights landing on time is a somewhat bogus statistic.  What she should’ve been saying was 90 percent of our flights are pretty close to on time.  

We had a driver take a group of us to our hotel, where we had an included sandwich for dinner.  A relatively early night for us, we went to bed soon after arrival.  

The next day, after a pretty decent inclusive breakfast, we went to the beach. Our hotel was about a 15 minute walk down to the beach, but it was worth the walk because of how secluded the beach was.  There were just a few other people in site.  We decided to shell out the 15 euros to rent kayaks for the day.  We paddled about a mile in the ocean, which was calm that day, to a larger rock next to the island that jutted out of the sea.  There were no people within a half a mile of us when we finally arrived.  Serene and peaceful might be proper words to describe the environment out there, but those don’t capture how quiet it was.  We could only hear the faint sounding of a bird off in the distance, and the swishing of the small waves against the rocks.  The weather was perfect, 80, sunny, barely any clouds.  It was so relaxing that I put my paddle up on the shore, and just laid in my kayak for awhile (even fell asleep for a little bit, but it was okay!  Didn’t even drift too far out).  We paddled back along the coast of the island, checked out a few caves, then made our way back to return the kayaks.  A quick stop for lunch (two Greek pitas, ate them at a beach side restaurant, fantastic!) was followed by another included dinner at the hotel.  I stayed up a little later that night, but had a big day planned for tomorrow. 

For some reason, my time abroad seems to be the semester of impeccable timing.  The theme continued this week, as it turned out to be the celebration of Greek Easter in Greece.  There were two big ceremonies set that day for the celebration in downtown Corfu, and the first began at 11 A.M. 

It was the annual smashing of pots ceremony, which when we heard that, didn’t really know what to think.  We’d figured, a few kids throwing down some small little clay trinkets, maybe they’d make a popping sound or something, but nothing extravagant.  We got to downtown Corfu at about 9:30, walked around for a bit, then gathered in the square at 10:50 for this ceremony.  

YOU COULD TELL by the way people were acting that something big was about to happen.  Thousands had gathered in the main square, and everyone was staring up at people on balconies, who held medium to large sized clay pots.  We were in the first row of spectators, and I kept thinking to myself that it didn’t feel safe.  I thought a flying piece of clay pottery could easily hit somebody.  So I got out of the first row and waited under the tent of a restaurant, checking my phone frequently so I’d be ready by the time this thing got started. 

The clocks struck 11, and BOOM!  The folks started throwing the clay pots into the street.  It started as just a few, pop, pop, pop.  But then they were thrown more frequently, and harder!  Smash, bang, BANG!  Most were maybe 18 inches in height, and they just kept coming, it was raining clay pots in Greece.  But those were just warm ups, you see, they held the best stuff for last.  The second round of pots were so big (four feet high or so) that it needed several people to push them over the balcony’s edge!  Boom, BOOM!  The amount of debris on the ground made it look like you’d just survived WWIII.  The pot throwers embellished in their moment to shine.  They would start a countdown and get the whole crowd chanting in Greek, then the pots would fall, and the crowds would go crazy!  Boom, BOOM, BOOM!  “YEEEAHHH!!!” they would cheer.  It was a helluva celebration.  

And just when you thought it was over, the last remaining pots would be thrown.  You could imagine the people on the balconies, scrambling through their apartments for one last thing they could throw out there.  These were the ones that caught you off guard, because you thought the show was over.  But nope, pop, pop, SMASH!  The whole show lasted about 10 minutes, and there were so many broken pots everywhere.  The little children scrambled to grab a piece of one for a souvenir.  While it was mostly a fun event, some folks got hit in the line of fire.  I saw two women with severe gashes on their heads.  They held cloths to their heads as blood ran down their faces.  They would definitely need stitches.  I breathed a sigh of relief as I walked away unscathed, and glad that I’d moved under a tent. 

We went back to the hotel, grabbed our beach gear, and ate lunch beach side, (another Greek pita) then chilled for awhile before our next event in downtown Corfu.  Another included dinner, then we were off to see some fireworks! 

Once again, there were thousands of folks gathered.  They’d had a brief religious ceremony, then a 10 minute or so fireworks show.  It was spectacular.  We went back to our hotel, and I spent a decent portion of the night on the beach, staring up at the star covered sky.   

We had an early flight today, landed about 9:30.  There were the trumpets again, celebrating another “on time” flight for RyanAir!  Yipee.  

My travels are done.  I just need to get through finals, then hop on a plane for the 4,372 mile journey home. 

More updates to come. 

JC

Vatican Museum

THERE WASN'T MUCH LEFT on my list of things to do and see in Rome.  I'd seen just about all of the staples, and even saw the celebration for the Pope's new election.  But there was one glaring omission, the Vatican Museum, which houses the famous Sistine Chapel.

I'd had another travel free weekend in Rome, so I figured I'd take advantage.  I went with a buddy of mine from my Italian class and left for the Vatican around noon.

It's located about half a mile away from St. Peter's church.  We'd had the option of reserving tickets in advance and skipping the line (which cost extra) but decided against the pricier option.  However, many solicitors came up to us while we were waiting to try to convince us to change our minds  (even had an over/count to see how many times they'd ask us).  It took us about 45 minutes to get through the line, but we didn't mind.  Although it was a little cloudy and spitting rain every once in awhile, we managed to strike up a nice conversation with a couple from Australia while waiting in line.

There's a lot of art to see in this museum, and it is no secret to the many tourists who go there.  It was packed!  So, so unbelievably crowded, that at some points, you were left at a complete standstill.

The most notable work in the museum is the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo.  It's a series of paintings that depict biblical scenes, that are located all around the chapel on every wall, and even on the ceiling.  After awhile, it was a strain on your neck to keep looking up.  I'd even debated bringing my neck pillow for extra support, but decided against it.  When you see it in person, it's hard to believe that someone actually took the time to paint all of it.  It was pretty packed in there as well, but we stayed for almost an hour looking at the art.

They're very strict about photography (none allowed) and even speaking (you're supposed to be completely silent) in the Sistine Chapel.  They had a few security guards whose job it was to yell, every five minutes or so, "No photo, be silent!"  Quite a boring job, but also extraordinarily difficult rules to enforce because of the sheer amount of people in the chapel.  The conversation level would cycle, starting as a whisper, then working it's way up to a persistent hum,  and rise to an indoor conversation level, before the security guard would inevitably yell "SILENZIO!" which would start the conversation level cycle over again.

The other notable work is the School of Athens by Raphael, which we saw towards the end of our visit.  It depicts famous philosophers, and even features a self portrait of Raphael on the far right side of the painting.  Thankfully though, this painting is on a wall, so I didn't have to strain my neck to view it.   Once again, very cool to see.

We called it day around 4 or so to head home.  I'd been on my feet for most of the day, so it was nice to relax.

More updates to come.

JC

Buying Saline Solution in Italy

IT STARTED A FEW YEARS AGO, when I'd noticed that I could no longer read the blackboard in school.

Told the folks, quick trip to the eye doctor, and I had glasses.  I was nearsighted (meaning I couldn't see far away) but only mildly.  It was just a -1.00 prescription.

I was a little self-conscious about wearing glasses all the time in school, so I would only wear them during classes to read the board.  They would go in their case and into my backpack for most of the rest of the day.

BUT EVENTUALLY, I caved in and decided I wanted contacts.  I still remember when I walked out the eye doctor with them in my eyes.  It was like seeing in high definition for the first time.  Although learning how to, and being comfortable with, putting contacts into my eyes were a struggle at first, it is something that I no longer have to worry about.

I only brought two bottles of saline solution with me for the trip to Italy (that's the liquid you use to clean your contacts when you take them out before you go to bed, for those non-contact wearers).  But Saturday, I ran out and needed to get more.  I went to the supermarket for what I thought would be a relatively easy process.

I'D HAD A FEW OTHER THINGS that I'd needed at the grocery store, which I got first, and luckily at the last second remembered that I needed saline solution.  I looked up and down the aisles of the supermarket, but no dice, I couldn't find any.  Only some of the products are even recognizable American brands.  And the fact that the labels are in Italian didn't make things any easier.  Who knows, I may have glanced over the lens cleaning solution without even knowing.  Nonetheless, I left with just the groceries, and went to try another place.

It's a small boutique store, just about a block away from my apartment.  They have a hodge podge collection of goods there, such as toiletries (e.g. toothpaste), cleaning supplies, school supplies, and other little random trinkets.  I looked around the entire store, and again, couldn't find anything.  I figured I'd try to ask the owners.  It was two people, a man and a woman.  The woman was standing closer in proximity to me, so I gave it a shot.

"Parlo inglese?"  I asked.  She gave me a confused look and a shoulder shrug, and decided to call for reinforcements and ask the other clerk.  He followed suit, but this time with more exaggeration, extending his shoulders up and putting his hands out just above his waist, and had an even more confused look on his face.  Looked like I was out of luck.  But it turned out that there was another man in the store, who the clerk thought might speak English.  She turned to him and gave it a shot.

"Scusi, signori?" she asked.  The man turned to her, and then she pointed at me.  I spoke in English, and he indicated that he understood.  I told him what I was looking for (even fake rubbed my eye to better indicate what I needed) and he translated it to the clerks to see if they had it.  They answered back, and he told me that they didn't.  I was 0 for two.  But he did say that the Farmacia should have it, but that it closed at 5:30.  For the record, it was about 3:00 when he told me this.  I said thank you, and continued on my endeavor.

I walked down the street past my apartment to where the Farmacia was.  But it was closed, even after he said that it should've been open.  Typical Italy.  I went home for the day, and decided that I'll take another crack at it tomorrow.

SUNDAY IN ROME was beautiful! 75 and sunny, barely a cloud in the sky, and a breeze to cool you off when you needed it.  Before I tried the Farmacia, I figured maybe I oughta try to figure out what I was asking for in Italian.  I asked one of my roommates at his computer to type in what saline solution meant in Italian, and he came up with "contattare soluzione."  I repeated it to myself over and over as I walked down the street, but of course forgot what it was by the time I arrived at the store.

BUT IT DIDN'T MATTER, the Farmacia was, once again, CLOSED!  I was disappointed, so I bought a cannoli for the way home to cheer up (which it did!).

Today would be my fifth attempt at buying saline solution, and I saw a Farmacia on my way home from class (different than the one near my apartment) that I noticed was open.  I took a deep breath and walked inside.  I went to the clerks behind the counter.  "Parlo inglese?" I asked.

"Aw, no," said the clerk.  But just as I was about to leave, I remembered what contact solution meant in Italian.

"Conttatore soluzione?" I asked.

"Si!" she exclaimed.  Eureka!  She went to get the bottle, asking me if I wanted a big bottle or a small one (I went with the larger) and even understood her as she told me how much it cost.  I'd finally got my saline solution.

In the states, this would've been a one stop trip.  But here, it took three days and four separate stores to finally get what I was looking for.  If this wasn't a sign that it's nearing the time to come back home, then I'm not sure what is.

More updates later on.

JC

Field Trip to Tarquinia

I FINALLY HAVE A nice weekend to be in Rome.  I've been travelling for the past few, and it is nice to be here, particularly today, because it is SO nice outside!

Friday, I had an archaeology field trip to Tarquinia.  We looked at some old tombs at two different sites and had lunch followed by gelato.  The tombs were nice, but it was one of those trips that if you'd seen one tomb, you'd seen them all.  Not that exciting, but the weather was nice enough that I didn't care because it was so great to be outside.

More to come later on.

JC

Amalfi Coast

I'VE LEARNED THAT THERE ARE many benefits of vacationing through a travel company.

In fact, we learned it first hand when we went to Venice in February on our first trip.  The directions, simple.  Show up here, at this time, and we'll take care of the rest.  It saves a lot of stress figuring out logistics.

SO, this weekend, Scott and I decided to book our weekend trip to the Amalfi Coast through Bus2Alps, the same one we used when we went to Venice.

As expected, we showed up to the Roma Termini train station at around 7 p.m., and took our bus that got us to our hotel, Hotel Florida, at around midnight.  Straight to bed for a big day of travelling the next day.

We started off with a boat tour around the island of Capri (pronounced Kah-Pree, not Cuh-Pree).  We then got into smaller boats (more like canoes) so we could enter the Blue Grotto Caves.  The entrance to get in was very small (e.g. only five people in a boat) and we had to duck our head down to that we could fit.  The boat guides told us to get "down and in."

A little bit of an aside here.  When I was in middle school, my family and I took a week long river rafting trip in the Grand Canyon.  It was a very cool trip.  However, there were times when the Colorado River gave us a little turbulence in the boat (river rapids, for those unsure of what meant).  When the rapids would get too big, our boat crew would tell us to get "down and in," meaning get inside the boat so that you didn't fly into the Colorado.

Flashforward a decade later, and here I am again, with a boat guide, telling me to get "down and in." Well, it was for good reason, because I would've hit my head on the cave had I not ducked all the way inside the boat.  We spent a few minutes in there, and then got back to our bigger boat to continue our tour.

We were on the island for a little while, and they had a ski lift tour that would take you to the top.  I'm not the best when it comes to heights, but we went up anyway.  The views of the island were pretty spectacular, but it got pretty frigid as we ascended up the mountain.  When we got to the top, we were in the clouds, and couldn't see most of the island below.  "This must be what heaven is like," I remarked.

Back down the ski lift, back to the bus, and back to the hotel to freshen up before dinner, which for me that night was a margarita pizza and ravioli with red sauce.  Another early night, for another busy day.

The next day was our beach day on the Amalfi Coast.  We'd had good weather the day before, and Saturday was no different, about 75 and sunny.  We laid out for some of the day, and I even went in the water for a swim.  I did a little backstroke, and I had the Amalfi Coast as the backdrop.  The water was a little chilly, but the views, beautiful.

A bit of an aside here as well.  There were a lot of people on the beach that day.  I'd been on reading my book for most of the day (refresher, book on 1988 presidential election, which continues to impress) and there was a girl sitting not too far away from me who was also reading something.  We had a quick chat about our respective books.  I'd asked her about how she was liking Memoirs of a Geisha, and she said it was good.

Then she got around to asking me about mine, and I'd told her that it was a book on the 1988 presidential election.  She gave me a strange look and proceeded to say: "Oh, I'm not a history buff" (since when does reading a book about a presidential election that took place 3 years before I was born make me a history buff?!).  Nonetheless, I felt pretty old after that comment.

Continuing on, we went to the bus, back to the hotel, freshen up and out for dinner, where I had some amazing gnochhi with red sauce.

Sunday, we went to see the ruins of Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius.  It was a large area but very cool to see.  The plaster casts were remarkable (when the ash covered the bodies from the volcanoe, they wound up being mostly preserved, so they used this archaeological technique to see the bodies).  We arrived in Rome around seven this evening.

I'm really happy that I travelled to see so much of Italy.  So far, I've been to Venice, Florence, Tuscany, Amalfi Coast, Orvieto, Umbria, and Sicily.  I think that will be all the travelling I do within the country, but it was great to see.

Not sure when the next post will be.  Check back for updates.

JC

Weekend in Sicily, "A Wonderful Adventure"

FROM MY EXPERIENCES SO FAR, travelling in countries outside the States has been different than just travelling domestically.

I mean, there are certainly similarities.  Navigating through airports, public transportation, getting around new cities.

But I guess, it's the uncertainty of travelling in another country.  You're only with a few people that you know, travelling on airlines you've never heard of, without an iPhone, staying in cheap (sometimes sketchy) hotels, not knowing the lay of the land, nor having anyone speak your language primarily.

But the uncertainty of travelling in another country isn't necessarily a bad thing.  It's not that I've ever felt at risk or in danger.  This uncertainty, this change, doesn't have to be a negative, it can be a positive.  It can be a "wonderful adventure."

Which is a convenient segway, that phrase, a "wonderful adventure."  At the moment, I'm reading an amazing book, called "What It Takes" by Richard Ben Cramer.  It's about the 1988 presidential election, and explores the background of six of the primary candidates vying for their party's nomination.

One of the candidates he takes a close look at is George H.W. Bush, the Vice President at the time of that election (one that he would later go on to win).  However in 1980, he had tried to win the nomination for himself, one that he would lose to Ronald Reagan.  His acceptance of the Vice Presidency might've been seen as a failure (particularly when the job in the past had been described by others as "not worth a warm bucket of spit"), but it certainly wasn't how Bush saw it, at least after he changed his mindset.  Here's a passage from the book (in the passage, "they" is Bush and his wife, Barbara):

"'What was the Vice Presidency?'
A wonderful adventure.
He had decided- they had decided- that it would be, just as he had decided how he was going to do the job.  This was the ultimate triumph of discipline, and Geroge Bush's greatest talent: the power of mindset.  He could decide-they could decide- how it was going to be, and then it was that way... because no one, no one, would ever see them treating it any other way."

I took this passage to heart this weekend in my travels to Sicily (Italian island, south of Rome), and that whenever my travel was uncertain or different than what I was used to in the states, that it was all just a part of "a wonderful adventure."

So when I flew an airline that I'd never heard of: "Blu Expres" (that's an abbreviation for "blue" for those uncertain), or when we waited on the tarmac in a chilling wind to get on the plane, or when our takeoff had more turbulence than any flight I'd ever been on in my life, it was all just a part of  the "wonderful adventure," that was, my weekend in Sicily.

The adventure continued when we got to our hotel, Hotel Moderno, on the fourth floor of a building on a main city street.  The hotel receptionist asked for our passports, and while we expected to get them back right away, he instead said that it would "take a second" and that we should go to lunch and he would be done when we got back (done with what?!!!).  But it was okay, more time for us to see the lovely town of Palermo.

We got back from lunch and our friend was "done" with our passports (done with what?!!!) and we went back to our room.  For some reason, we heard this loud wailing sound coming from someone in the building across from our hotel.  An anomaly, we thought at the time, but it persisted.  It was a woman who kept shouting what sounded like "MARTA!!!" (Meh-Heh, Mur-Hah, we weren't exaclty sure what it was) over and over again, about once every thirty seconds.  Picture the person in the opening of the song "Lamborghini Mercy" yelling "MARTA!!!" over and over (by the end of the week, we had a nickname for her, "Lamborghini Marta").  She must've had some sort of mental illness, because it continued during just about all daylight hours when we were in the hotel.

FORTUNATELY, we didn't spend much time in the hotel.  We spent the day Friday walking around the city, and went out for dinner at night (three dishes, calamari, spaghetti, and an incredible cannoli!).  We went to Mondello Beach on Saturday afternoon after a nice lunch (sandwich at a good sandwich shop) and had a nice day in the sun.  The water was so blue and it was just a beautiful day (even tried to go for a swim, might've lasted only ten minutes, though, that water was too cold).  We had another amazing dinner (margherita pizza, spaghetti carbonara, and another cannoli!).  I think I had four cannolis, in three days, so I've got that going for me.

As we left the hotel this morning, our friend was screaming at the top of her lungs again as we left the room for our double decker bus tour (the bus tour was great!).  Over and over again, she yelled, but it was okay!  Wasn't that big of a deal at all!  All just a part of the wonderful adventure.

We had a short plane ride today (only an hour) and we had to get a train from Fiumcino (the airport) to our apartment (in Trastevere).  We got our tickets and tried to hustle to get the train, but we'd just missed it.  We had to wait another half hour to get the next one.

I sat down at the station, and opened my book, and thought that it wasn't a big deal, I'd have an additional half hour to read!  All just a part of the wonderful adventure.

Next week, I'm going to the Amalfi Coast in Italy.  Update will be on Sunday.

JC

Easter Sunday at St. Peter's

BECAUSE I'VE SPENT most of my life as a Lutheran, my knowledge of Catholicism is somewhat limited.  If you asked me to recite the "Hail Mary" prayer,  I might start telling you about Doug Flutie's miracle pass in 1984.  If you asked me to give a "Confession," I might start singing the song "Confessions Part II" by R. Kelly.

But that doesn't mean that I wasn't willing to go Easter Mass at St. Peter's with the new pope while I was studying abroad.  It was a once in a lifetime opportunity.  I was eager and willing to learn about a sect of religion different than my own, and give it all of the respect that it deserves.  

The day of the papal resignation was when the idea of attending Easter Mass first came up.  It was February 11th and one of my friends, Erin, said she'd had an extra ticket to go to the Easter Sunday service.  I jumped at the opportunity and said that I would go.

The acquisition of tickets for Easter Mass at the Vatican is no easy task.  On their website, under the heading "Papal Event Tickets," it reads: "Note: Christmas and Easter Papal Mass Tickets are difficult to obtain." But fortunately, Erin had already taken care of everything on the ticket front (as she'd faxed a letter to the Vatican well in advance) so she went to pick them up and we were ready to go.  Sunday morning began early, around 7:30 so we could leave for the service around 8:15.

Perhaps my expectations were too large going into this.  I figured that we would be able to get a seat somewhere inside the church, and that there would be translator ear pieces that you could set your respective desired language to.  I found out how wrong I was the moment I stepped off the public transportation bus.

We walked up to St. Peter's square and saw a line of about 1,000 people waiting to get through a metal detector.  Erin and I weaseled our way to the front so it wound up not taking as long as expected.  We walked around the square for awhile, seeing if we could get in the church (couldn't as the service was entirely outside) or if we could even find a seat (couldn't, all taken).  At one point, I went up to one of the Swiss Guards and showed him my ticket to see if it would get me any closer.  He took one look at me, smiled, and said no.  I felt like I was getting rejected by a bouncer at a nightclub, particularly because he got to say no to me in front of a large crowd of people who were already gathered in the square (all of whom casually snickered as I was getting rejected, by the way).  Erin and I walked around for another fifteen minutes, and eventually settled on a place in the middle of the square.

There were no seats, so we sat on the cobblestones for about a half an hour until the service started at 10:15.  It was very cool seeing Pope Francis I in person.  However, once again falling short of my expectations, was the fact that we didn't have any way for the service to be translated.  So once it begun, we were there listening to a different language (e.g. Spanish, Latin, and Italian) for about 95 percent of the service (there was one reading in English while I was there).  We didn't even have service pamphlets telling us what was going on.  I felt somewhat clueless.  Even though it was a really nice day outside, Erin and I decided that we didn't want to be there for the whole time and left early.  It was a cool experience, nonetheless, and I was thankful that Erin was able to acquire the tickets for us.

Next update might be next weekend, as I believe I'm going on a weekend trip.

JC

First Haircut in Italy

"NORMALE?!"

If there was ever a Sunday for me to be dressed in "Sunday Best," it is tomorrow.  I'm attending the Easter mass at St. Peter's, the first for Pope Francis I.  Tomorrow is the pantheon of Sunday Bests.

After two and half months in Italy, my hair was starting to get a little shaggy and I needed a haircut.  I asked my buddy if he knew a place, and he said yes, so I followed his directions to get to a place with a sign out front that said "Barbiere."

Although, he said they didn't speak much English there.  I was worried that I would come out with a terrible haircut, which would be disastrous right before Easter Sunday.

I walked in to see two older men busy at work cutting hair, with one guy in the waiting chairs.  No one said anything to me, so I took a seat.  It was setup just like any other barber shop you would see back in the states, but it wasn't exactly touristy, as all of the reading material was in Italian and the radio was broadcasting was an Italian soccer game.  

After the other guy in the waiting room went to get his haircut, it was my turn.  "Prego," the hairdresser said as he pointed at me.  I took a seat while he wrapped the bib around me.

"Normale?" he asked, inquiring about what length I wanted my hair.  I didn't want to reveal I was American, so I didn't say anything and just nodded.   I mean, what's the worst thing that could happen after agreeing to a haircut where the hairdresser said "normale?"

He continued to cut my hair, and it actually came out looking great.  It was only six euros as well.  I'm all set to be dressed in Sunday Best tomorrow.

So now I know what length to get my hair cut in Italy: normale.  So I've got that going for me...

I'll be back tomorrow with a post about Easter Sunday.

JC

Weekend in Prague

IF YOU HAVE NEVER bothered to take the time to look up a word in the Czech language, then consider yourself lucky, because it resembles no form of communication I've ever seen on this planet.

Scott and I wrapped up our Spring Break this weekend with a three day trip to Prague.  We left on Thursday afternoon.  I was nervous about the amount of English they would speak there.  I'd never been to the city and was hoping, that like every other European city I've seen so far, that they spoke at least a small amount.

We arrived Thursday afternoon and took a shuttle service to our hostel.  I was pleasantly surprised to hear Michael Jackson playing on the radio during the ride (gotta love that globalization. can't escape the king!).  Like I'd hoped, just about everyone spoke a little English, so communication was no problem.  But it was still a little weird seeing words in Czech (e.g. if you wanted "tickets" for something, you would be asking for "vstupenky" in Czech).  We went out to dinner, and I had potato dumplings filled with meat, which was pretty good.

Friday was our touring day.  Before our tour, I had a steak dish which was good.  We went around to see the Prague Castle, the Lennon Wall (wall with graffiti that pays tribute to John Lennon), and walked over the Charles Bridge.  I had goulash for dinner, which is a meat dish with sauce and bread dumplings, which was very good.  Saturday we did another quick walk around the city.

Prague is a very cool city.  It was really cold for the whole weekend.  The only day of sunshine we had was on Saturday, which might have brought the temperature up to the mid-30's.  I was relieved to come back to the weather in Rome, which was mid-60's and sunny today.

This week, I get back to classes, starting tomorrow.  Check back for more updates.

JC

Florence and Tuscany

"DUDE, THIS IS AWFUL. LOOK AT THE REVIEWS OF THIS HOTEL!"

It was Sunday evening, and one of my roommates, Scott, and I had gotten back from our respective weekend trips (he in Dublin, and I in Paris).  We were going to knock out Florence and Tuscany for the first two days of Spring Break, going by train leaving on Monday morning and coming back on Wednesday to Rome.  

We were going over the logistics for the trip, printing out train tickets, reading maps, etc.  Then we got to the hotel part of the logistics.  I told Scott that Hotel Cordova was the place that we were staying for two nights.  I'd made the reservation about a month ago, and it seemed like an afterthought until Sunday.

He typed in Hotel Cordova to trip advisor, a travel review website, and it was not a pretty picture.  Here are a sampling of the reviews:

"Don't Stay Unless you have to!"
"Wretchedness"
"Pathetic Hotel!! Would Never Recommend This to Anyone"
"Avoid this Place at all Costs!"
"Worst Hotel Ever!!"
"Hotel Crapova"

Needless to say, we were a bit spooked by the prospect of staying at Hotel Cordova.  So I put in a call to try to cancel the reservation so we could get out of it.  In broken English, they told me that they'd already charged my credit card, so we were out of luck.  We departed Monday morning by train for Florence.

We got to the hotel around 10 AM, and took a deep breath, hoping for the best in our next two nights.  The hotel wasn't on the first floor, so we climbed up three flights of stairs.  We could barely see anything on the way up, as all that illuminated the hallway was a flickering light.

We got to the hotel "lobby" and were greeted by a friendly receptionist who showed us to our room, and it didn't look as bad as we'd read on the Internet.  But we had a big day planned, so we threw our stuff down and went on our bus trip.

We had a guided tour to Tuscany to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa.  It was about an hour bus ride there, and was very cool to see.  We took the cliche tourist photos of ourselves holding the tower up, spent about an hour there and were on our way back.  We got dinner in Florence, where I had Gnochhi with Gorgonzola cheese cream sauce which was amazing.  We then went back to our hotel, and had a great night of sleep, around 13 hours after a long day of walking around.  So far so good in the hotel, very contrary to what we'd read in online reviews.  

The next day was a tour of Florence that I'd planned out.  We started at the Accademia Gallery to see Michelangelo's statue of David.  We'd waited in line for about an hour and half, and I started to get impatient.  We still had a few large groups in front of us, and I figured I'd give it a shot to see if I could weasel my way in to the exhibit.  I went to talk to one of the museum directors, said I had one friend with me, and she said that we could go around the large groups and right in.

Michelangelo's David was truly remarkable.  It's a 17 foot tall statue, and when you see it, it's hard to believe that someone actually took the time to sculpt it.  Along with Da Vinci's "The Last Supper" painting, it was the most impressive piece of art I've seen.  It was a good thing we got to the front of the line, because when we left the exhibit, we noticed the people behind us in line were still waiting to see David (wound up saving us about an hour!).

We walked around Florence for some more of the day and stopped in to a sandwich shop for lunch (had prosciutto, mozzarella, and tomato sandwich that was quite tasty).  We crossed the Ponte Vecchio bridge to see the Boboli Gardens.  The views of Florence from there were very nice, and we were fortunate enough to have nice weather with sun that day.  We went back to the hotel for a quick nap, then back out to dinner.  I had pizza and ravioli with truffle sauce which was amazing.  Back to the hotel for the night, and once again, no problems whatsoever!

We left the hotel around 9 AM on Wednesday for our train back to Rome.  The hotel wound up being much better than our expectations, and way better that what had been said about it on the trip advisor website.  It was a pleasant surprise.

Tomorrow, Scott and I head to Prague for the weekend.  We return on Sunday, I'll be back then with more pictures on FB and a post here.

JC

Weekend in Paris

FROM THE MOMENT our plane touched down at Orly airport in Paris, Sean and I had about 45 hours before we would be departing the city, going on our separate ways.  We had a relatively early flight from Rome to Paris which got slightly delayed, so we got to our hotel around two in the afternoon.

The previous evening, I'd sketched out a tentative itinerary of our travels for both days we would be there.  In the few hours of daylight that we had left on Friday, we wanted to see the Notre Dame Cathedral, The Louvre, walk down the Champs Elysees to l'Arc de Triomphe, and finish it up with a climb up the Eiffel tower.  We were hoping to go to see Louis XIV's Chateau de Versailles on Saturday.

We walked in to our hotel, and were greeted by a friendly hotel lobby receptionist.  We talked hotel logistics (he even gave us a discounted rate on our room) and how to get to our desired destinations.  I pulled out the folded piece of paper from my back pocket that I had handwritten our itinerary on, and showed it to him.

He gave it one look, and in a soft french accent, said, "No way.  You cannot possibly do all of this in two days."  He gave us a less ambitious itinerary instead.  We said thank you and walked to lunch, griping along the way about how we wouldn't be able to do everything we would want to while in Paris.

Our lunch was a three course meal of crepe de fromage (pancakes with cheese inside, actually quite good!) steak au poivre (steak with pepper sauce, also excellent) and dessert.  It was really good, but we were still a little disappointed that our itinerary had been complicated.

But then Sean and I looked at each other and had one of those rare moments where we both knew exactly what the other was thinking.  We decided to go against the advice of our friendly hotel lobby receptionist, and stick with our ambitious itinerary anyway.

We started at the Cathedral of Notre Dame, took a quick look inside and were on our way to the Louvre.  There was barely any line for tickets so we walked around there for about an hour and a half to two hours (saw the Mona Lisa here).  We then took a long walk down the Champs Elysees (where the final stage of the Tour de France is held) to the l'Arc de Triomphe.  It was getting cold and our feet hurt from all the walking, so we took a break for dinner at a place near the Eiffel Tower.

We had these sandwiches called Croque Monsieurs, essentially a ham and cheese sandwich (mine had an egg on top) which was quite good.  We then walked over to the Eiffel Tower to wait in line for the trip up to the top.

We waited for about an hour in the cold, and finally got on the ride to go up the tower.  Unfortunately, they wouldn't let us go all the way to the top because it was too windy and cold that night, so we settled for the second floor, which provided some spectacular views nonetheless.  We took the metro home and were both pretty tired, and had no trouble falling asleep that night

We had a later start the next day, as Versailles was the only thing on our itinerary.  It was a long, confusing train ride out there, but we eventually figured it out.  The palace was amazing.  We toured there for just under three hours or so.  I think it would've been better to see it in the spring or summer when all of the flowers would be in full bloom.  Still, very cool to have seen it (hard to believe that someone lived in a place that big!).  We had dinner at a place near our hotel, I had french onion soup, steak au poivre (for the second time, but still really good, probably better than the first night), and tarte aux pommes (apple pie, good in France too!).

So despite the fact that our friendly hotel lobby receptionist cautioned us against our ambitious itinerary, we saw everything we wanted to, just as we'd planned.

We had flights out of separate airports, so we said our goodbyes at the metro stop and we were on our respective ways.  It was a great weekend of site seeing.

Next up, Florence and Tuscany, tomorrow and Tuesday.  I'll be back Wednesday with more pictures on Facebook, and another post here.

JC

Viva Il Papa!

WHAT A DAY!

Today was an historic day in Rome, as the Conclave elected Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio to become Pope Francis I.  But let's start from the beginning of my day.

I had three midterms today, Archaeology, Intro to the European Union, and Italian Language and Culture.  So I was already exhausted from late night studying when my final midterm wrapped up around 6:30.

In my last midterm of the day, Italian Language and Culture, there was a girl in our class who said that she'd had an inside source that said that tonight was going to be the night that the pope was elected.  No one really believed her and everyone brushed it off, but she said her source was from inside the Vatican.

I decided to take her at her word, as I hadn't been down to St. Peter's since the conclave had started anyway.  Worse comes to worse, I see black smoke and hope it happens again the next day.

I went with a buddy from my Italian class, and we were waiting for the 870 bus to get to St. Peter's at a stop near our campus.  After about 10 minutes, I got impatient, and we took a cab ride to St. Peter's, which wound up being much cheaper than expected (and also wound up being a great decision, more on that later).  Sean had been waiting at the square for all of the afternoon voting, so he was already there.

We got there, and there were a few thousand people waiting to see if the pope would be elected.  It was raining steadily, and just about everyone had umbrellas.  They had television screens zoomed in on the chimney to see what color the smoke would be.

I was in the square no more than 15 minutes, when we saw black smoke emerge from the chimney.  A collective sigh went through the crowd.  No more than two seconds later, the smoked changed to gray, then to clear white.  A new pope had been chosen.

Pandemonium ensued, everyone rushed to be closer to St. Peter's with shouts of joy.  "Viva Il Papa!" they yelled, meaning "Long Live the Pope."  The bells of St. Peter's were ringing quite loudly.  Just about everyone in Rome stopped what they were doing to get down to St. Peter's to see it.

A processional began, and it seemed like a long waiting period for the Pope to emerge, the crowd was buzzing as to who they thought it would be.  A nun standing in the square was getting the details on her phone, the new pope was from Argentina.  With every movement of the curtain from where the pope would emerge, the crowd would gasp in anticipation.

Then, with a removal of the red curtain, there he was, Pope Francis I.  He gave a brief speech and blessing and just like that it was over.  I'd witnessed history, it was amazing.

It's pretty unbelievable to think what happened.  Of all the semesters I could study abroad, I choose this one.  Of all the places I could study abroad, I choose Rome.  And for the first time in over 600 years, a sitting Pope resigns.  And the only time I go to St. Peter's during the conclave is the one voting session that the Pope is elected.  And if I hadn't cabbed there,  I wouldn't have been there in time to see the smoke turn white! And the one week that Sean visits, he's here to see it happen!  What are the chances?!  It's pretty unbelievable, but I'm so stoked that it happened.  By far coolest experience here yet.

More updates to come this week.

JC

The Day's Activities

Howdy!

Today, Sean and I got started around 11 A.M., where we went to a tasty kebab place for lunch (a change of pace from the traditional Italian pizza and pasta).  We then toured around downtown, going to the Colosseum, Victor Immanuel building, Piazza Campidoglio, and went to San Pietro in Vincoli to see Michelangelo's sculpture of Moses.

I had class in the afternoon, and tonight we went to dinner at a place across the street from my apartment called New Station which I've been to before and was quite good.

The conclave is getting underway, and Sean and I are hoping that we get to see the new pope elected before Friday morning, as that is when we leave for Paris!  Fingers crossed that we'll be able to see the white smoke come out of the chimney.  More updates to come.

JC

Culture Day

Hey there!

So today, Sean and I spent less time site seeing, and more time immersing ourselves in Italian culture.  Sean had the chance to go on his own this morning as I had class, and was able to get some delicious pizza for lunch.

This afternoon, I took him up to our school's campus and gave him a quick tour, followed by another short walk for a nice overlook of the city.  We then went to basketball, where we played ball with some Italian kids and got to speak Italian to them.  Then we went to my Italian Language and Culture class.

For dinner, we went to a really good pizza place.  On the way to the restaurant on the tram, there was a street performer playing a handheld piano in the tram.  I took Sean and his picture, which I'm sure will be making it to various social media outlets soon.  Today wound up being a full cultural immersion.

Tomorrow, we're doing some site seeing in the morning, and eating out for some delicious dinner.  Updates will be daily this week.

JC

Sean Arrives, Lazio Soccer Game

Ciao friends!

Yesterday Sean made it to Rome!  His flight got in around 11 and I went to pick him up from the airport, where we cabbed it back to my apartment.

Today was a touristy day.  We went to the Vatican (my 3rd time, Sean's 1st) where he got to climb to the top of St. Peter's for the best view in the city, and we toured around the church there for a bit.

This evening, we went out to dinner at Tony's for some penne with vodka sauce which was awesome (they even gave us free dessert)!

Tonight, we immersed ourselves in Italian culture by going to the Lazio vs. Fiorentina soccer match.  The weather was crummy all day, and it looked like it was going to rain for the game.  We were about to tap out and call it a night, but it was only a light rain, so we decided to go anyway (which ended up being a great decision as we were under cover in the stadium, so we didn't even get wet).  We initially tried to get there using public transportation, but after waiting 40 minutes for a bus that never came, we took a cab to Stadio Olimpico.   We arrived just in time for the beginning of the match.

European soccer fans are the most passionate sports fans I've been around.  They'd memorized and sung about 30 different cheers, all screaming at the top of their lungs in unison for every one.  They would wait for the cue from the cheer directors (wearing gray jackets facing the crowd, standing near the field) before they screamed their hearts out for the next cheer.  From the sight of it, 50 percent of Stadio Olimpico was empty, but you couldn't tell by how loud it was in our seats, the Curva Nord section (loudest and most crowded section in the stadium).  This was where the die hard Lazio soccer fans were, and they didn't sit at down at any point during the match (except halftime).  Lazio lost 2-0.  It was a very cool experience.

Tomorrow, Sean and I are playing basketball with Italians, and he's coming to my Italian Language and Culture class.  We leave for Paris on Friday.  I'll keep updating this throughout the week.

JC

Pope Resigns

Hey there,

Here's an update on the past few days.

I spent the weekend in Rome.  Thursday was a big day here.  Sec. of State John Kerry visited Rome that day for discussions on Syria.  I didn't get the chance to see him.  Also Thursday was when the pope officially resigned at 8 P.M.  I actually made a news package on the story for ATV, which I'm passing along to them back at school.

Don't have a whole lot going on this week.  The next big thing happening in Rome is the papal conclave, which could start this week, but no one is sure of the exact date. Next weekend Sean arrives, and I'm excited to see him and show him around Rome!  More updates later this week.

JC

Italian Elections

Yesterday, the second day of the Italian Elections wrapped up.

Before I get to the results, I wanted to give a little bit of background on the candidates and the process.

The election takes place over two days, and is a parliamentary system, where voters vote for a party rather than a candidate.  However, there are leading candidates who campaign for the party, and they are described below.

Pier Luigi Bersani was the favorite to win, according to the polls.  He is a member of the Democratic party.  However, in Italian politics, public opinion polling isn't allowed in the last two weeks before the election occurs.  So although he was leading, anything could happen in those two weeks and there would be no reflection in the polls.

Silvio Berlusconi is a member of "The People of Freedom" party, and is back from the political grave after facing a host of criminal allegations.

Beppe Grillo is a part of the Five Star Movement, and was seen as a not very serious candidate as he used to be a comedian, but gained traction when he ran anti-corruption anti-austerity campaign.

Mario Monti is a member of the Civic Choice party and was the incumbent Prime Minister, whose austerity measures were very unpopular in Italy.

In the end the results were mixed.  Bersani beat out Berlusconi by less than half a percentage point in the lower house of parliament.  In the Senate, Bersani once again won, but not by enough for a majority to pass legislation.  Berlusconi did better than expected, as did Grillo, as he received about 25 percent of the vote.  If a coalition with a majority is not formed, then the Italians could be headed back to the polls.

But in the end, an overwhelming majority of voters supported a platform to ease or eliminate the austerity cuts made by the incumbent Monti, which is not a good sign for the Euro zone.

To be honest, there hasn't been much buzz here about the election.  Most folks are more focused on the Pope's retirement than the election.

This Thursday is a big day in Rome!  Secretary of State John Kerry will be visiting on his first diplomatic trip (not sure when and exactly where, but I may try to see him at some point), and the Pope officially resigns at 8 P.M., and I'll be in St. Peter's Square for it.  Updates will be posted here!

JC

Weekend Trip to the Netherlands

Hey there,

It's been a tiring past 72 hours, but I'm finally back in Rome after a weekend trip to the Netherlands with a few of my roommates.

We started off on Friday morning at around 4 A.M. to get a cab to the airport for our 7 A.M. flight to France.  We had a quick layover in Paris before we flew into Amsterdam, and got in around 1 P.M.   We stayed at my roommates Uncle's house which was a few tram stops away from the main part of the city. We were pretty tired, so we walked around for a bit and then went to bed.

Saturday started early, around 8 A.M. where we went to see the Ann Frank house.  It was a very powerful and sad exhibit to see in person, but definitely something that I'm glad I saw.  We then got our very own guided tour through Amsterdam from our roommate's Uncle.  He walked with us for about 5 hours in the city, giving us historical details as we went.  It was really cold that day.  We stopped at a place called "Winkel" where we had the "best apple cake in Amsterdam" (that description was according to my roommate's Uncle, who has lived in Amsterdam for 50 years, and his description lived up the hype, it was awesome!).

That evening, my roommate's Uncle invited us to a Jewish ceremony called "Purim."  This was a new experience for me.  Guests came dressed up in all sorts of creative costumes (e.g. headbands with flowers on them, girls dressed as princesses, etc...).  For those who don't know, this ceremony was a reading in Hebrew (about 15 pages or so) and every so often, the reader would say the name "Haman" during which all guests are to make some sort of noise by banging something together (e.g. banging hands on table, using noisemakers, clapping hands.  My roommate's Uncle even banged plates together, and broke two of them!).  We then sang some traditional songs and left to go back to sleep.

We slept in a little later today on Sunday, and managed to go back for some more apple cake.  It was cold to be walking outside for too long today as it was snowing.  Our flight back left around 9 P.M.  and we finally made it back to our apartment a little past midnight.

This week is a big week in Rome!!  Tomorrow the Italian presidential elections wrap up, and Thursday the Pope officially resigns.  Secretary of State John Kerry is also visiting Rome some time this week, just not sure when.  It'll all be updated here!!

JC

Bridgesport Diplomacy

Howdy!

Here's an update on basketball.

So at our Welcome Back BBQ on campus at the beginning of the semester, they had a sign up sheet for this program called BridgeSport, which would give interested students the chance to teach Italian kids how to play basketball.  It looked cool, so I wrote my name and e-mail down and attended the first meeting.

BridgeSport is an organization that was founded last year at the American University of Rome by a study abroad student.  According to the mission statement, Bridgesport "is revolutionizing diplomacy and cultural exchange experiences by sending top college students studying abroad, into local communities to teach youth ages 8-13 sports while advancing their experiences and knowledge of American culture." More details on their Facebook page:  http://www.facebook.com/Bridgesport , and here's their official website: http://www.bridgesport.org/#1 

The organization's goal is to bridge the gap of cultures using sports (hence, BridgeSport).  The kids don't speak much English, and we don't speak much Italian, but we're united by the common bond of basketball.  In our orientation meeting, our advisor spoke of Richard Nixon's "Ping-Pong Diplomacy" where professionals of the sport in China and the U.S. played to enhance diplomacy, which on a much smaller scale, is what we're doing.  See here for more on Ping-Pong Diplomacy:  
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ping_Pong_Diplomacy 

So far, we've had three sessions.  The first was just an orientation session, and the last two have been official meetings.  We meet on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4-6, but I can only attend the first hour of each session as I have class at 5:15.  At the orientation meeting, we had one kid show up to play with us.  At the second, we had two kids, and yesterday we had over 10.  If we continue at this rate, we'll be at over 100 kids by the end of the semester.   

We usually just play knockout or some pick up games.  Yesterday I had the chance to teach one of the kids, David, how to slide his feet while on defense.  It's been really fun so far, and I look forward to doing it for the the rest of the time that I'm here.  


This weekend, I have an excursion planned, which I'll be back with information about on Sunday or Monday.  

JC  

Roaming Through Rome With My Parents

Howdy!

So my parents have been in town since last week, and they leave tomorrow!  The time with them has gone so quickly, but it has been great having them here.

Today, I toured through Rome with them to some places that I'd seen already, but also to some places I haven't seen before.  We went to the typical sites in Rome (Victor Immanuel building, coliseum, pantheon etc...) but we also got to see some new places, such as the catacombs and a spectacular cathedral that I hadn't seen before (I think it was St. John's).  In their time here, they hired two tour guides (Luca and Lorenzo, twin brothers who, in my opinion, should have their own stand up comedy act) to take us around.  We rode in style in their Mercedes van (it had two rows of seats, so I had the back row all to myself!).  They even gave us Italian nicknames, as they thought our American names were too boring (Tomasso for my dad Tim, Susanna for my mom Susan, and Giacomo for me).

We've ate almost all of our meals together.  For lunch, we went to a cafe recommended by Lorenzo where my mom had a white pizza with mozzarella and Gorgonzola cheese (which I got a bite of and it was amazing).  For dinner tonight, we ate outdoors downtown with heaters surrounding our table.  We had a nice view of the open square, and there was even a small choir of girls singing outside (two of them were playing violin, it was great!).  I had some awesome tortellini with ham.  For dessert, we walked to a gelato shop called Della Palma, which has over 150 different varieties.  We got to choose two flavors, so I went with Kit-Kat and Peanut Butter.  So far, it is the best gelato I've had in Rome.

Basketball has finally started up this week, and I have it again tomorrow.  I'll be back on Thursday with an update on that.

JC

Orvieto Day Trip

Hello!

Today, my day started around nine where I went to get breakfast with my parents.  Their hotel is within walking distance of my apartment.  After some tasty scrambled eggs, we were picked up by our tour guide, Angelo, for our trip to Orvieto.

Orvieto is right near where my last day trip was to, Umbria.  We started out at the Cathedral of Orvieto, which had a remarkable architectural exterior.  The interior wasn't as overwhelming as St. Peter's, but still nice nonetheless.  From there we went and did an underground tour of the caves of Orvieto, and then got an amazing view of the countryside.

Lunch today was awesome.  We had our tour guide order our food for us, so we started with bruschetta, then split 3 different pastas, and then had a meat course.  I think it was the best meal that I've had so far.

My parents are here until Wednesday, and we have another trip planned for Tuesday during the day.  I'll post details as they come.

JC

Day Trip to Umbria

Hey there mavericks!

It's been awhile since I've posted about my endeavors, so I figured today would be a good day to update.

Today began early, around 5:45 for our class trip to Umbria, which was about 2 hours away.  Umbria is up north so it was a little colder, but it gave us the chance to get out of the city and see the country side.  The landscape was picturesque, rolling hills and endless valleys.

We started our trip at an olive oil production center.  We got a lecture as to how olive oil is made, and what the difference is between the various types (e.g. extra virgin olive oil vs. virgin, which, until today I didn't know much about nor know that there was a significant difference between the types).

We also learned the 'proper' way to taste olive oil, according to the experts.  You take the cup of olive oil and cup your hand around it, so that your body heat warms it slightly.  Then, you smell the olive oil twice, take a small sip and swish, then take two big breaths through your mouth in order to get the flavor on all parts of the palette, then finally swallow and breathe through your nose.  Needless to say, it was a completely ridiculous way to taste olive oil and we all looked really crazy doing it, but hey, "When in Rome," right? (or in this case, "When in Umbria").

After that we had a hopped back on the bus for a wine tasting.  We got to taste 3 different wines, of which my favorite was the red, called Cantina Novelli Montefalco (it was so good that I caved and bought a bottle).  We then went to a few ceramics factories where we got to see various plates and vases being produced.  They said that they have major purchasers back in the States, like Williams Sonoma etc...

This evening, my parents arrived!!  They got in this morning and spent the day on their own, then we met for dinner at a place called New Station across from my apartment (although, my nickname for the place is "Luca's" as that is the name of the owner who I've come to know since I've been there, tonight was my 3rd time at the restaurant!).

Tomorrow, I'm touring around with my parents (places I've been already, but it'll be fun having them along!).  I'll update more this week!

JC

Venice Day Trip

Hey there,

So yesterday, my day began at about the earliest it has in over a year, as I found myself having to get up at about the same time I used to for morning swim practice.  My alarm was set for 5:37 AM in order to allow enough time to get to the bus station for our day trip to Venice, and it was a struggle.

We took public transportation to the bus station, where we got on our bus which ended up being pretty nice (A/C, bathrooms, etc...).  My friends and I also had a prime location on the bus as we had a table, so we could more easily converse on the bus.  Our bus left around 7 AM, and it took about seven hours to get there, with a 40 minute rest stop included.

Once we got there, we hopped on a boat to get to San Marco Square, another 40 minute ride.  This weekend, Carnevale was going on, essentially a Mardi Gras of Venice.  It was so packed!  Just tens of thousands of people everywhere.  Everyone had on either a Masquerade mask (I even picked up one for myself for just 5 euros) or any costume you could think of (e.g. Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland costumes, Super Mario Bros. costumes, etc...).  We wondered around for awhile, eventually settled on a place for dinner, then wandered around some more (where I had another awesome cannoli for dessert!).

The coolest part of the trip was towards the end.  They had a stage set up in the square with a DJ playing music, and a light show.  There were still thousands of people left as nightfall approached.  We stayed there for about an hour and then hopped back on the boat to the bus station, where we had another seven hour ride ahead of us (most of which was spent sleeping).  I was finally in my bed at around 6 AM.

This week, basketball should get started up, I have a day trip planned on Friday, and my parents are visiting at the end of the week.  Check back late this week for more.

JC

Good Eating, and Climbing St. Peter's Basilica

Howdy.

So here's an update on the past few days...

Last night we went downtown to a sit down pizza shop that had been recommended to us.  It was awesome, I got pizza with onions on top.  However, one of my roommates hit a home run with his selection of pizza that had the works on it (mushrooms, sausage, etc... it even had a sunny side up egg).  After that we went to a gelato shop for dessert.  I got two flavors, strawberry and vanilla, which was very good (my first time having gelato!).

Today, I went with a group of AUR students to the Vatican.  A short walk to the train station was followed by a one stop ride to St Peter's Square, a much easier commute than I'd anticipated.  We walked around St. Peter's Square for awhile.

After waiting in line for about 20 minutes, we paid our 5 euros to climb the dome in St. Peter's Basilica.  We could have paid seven for the elevator, but we wanted the full experience.  We got to what I thought was the top, and we had a nice view of the city.  I was then told that we were only about halfway there.  I continued up the steps, and given that my physical fitness is nowhere near what it used to be, it was a somewhat of a struggle (and by that, I mean I was panting the whole way up).  I'd also be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous climbing up that high (as I'm not the best when it comes to heights).

We finally got the top and the view was stunning.  You could see everything.  I wish I'd taken a panorama shot of the whole city, but I got some awesome photos nonetheless.  We climbed down the stairs and got to view the church.  There's a lot of cool artwork and sculptures.  The church itself is about 400 or so years old.

Tomorrow, we depart early in the morning for our day trip to Venice.  It's about a 6 hour bus ride, so at least I'll have the opportunity to catch on my leisure reading (and napping!).  I'll be back early next week with more.

JC

Super Bowl Sunday

Hi there,

Super Bowl Sunday began in the afternoon after a long night's rest.  Fortunately, we have excellent blinds in our room that are able to block out what would be the glaring 2 PM sunlight.  A quick shower and cleanup of the apartment was followed by a walking excursion into downtown Trastevere.  My friends and I walked around for about an hour.

In the middle of the trip, we stumbled upon a dessert store.  After a quick scanning of the shop, we realized that they'd had what I've been looking for since I arrived in Rome, cannolis!  I caved and bought one, and it was spectacular, best cannoli I've ever had.  Although, there are several dessert shops in town, so I'll continue to adventure to find the best one.

At night we went back downtown to watch the Super Bowl at a place called T Bone Station, which was pretty American for Rome, but an appropriate patriotic celebration nonetheless.  They couldn't seat us right away, so we went to this fast food burger place called Beerland (yes, Beerland).  Most of my meals here have consisted of some form of pizza or pasta, which made my bacon cheeseburger taste that much better.  If you've ever watched the reality show "Survivor," picture the episode where they're finally able to eat real food for the first time.  Okay, so perhaps that comparison is a bit dramatic, and by a bit, I mean way too dramatic (I've been spoiled with good food here!).  But eating a cheeseburger was worth it.

We went back to T Bone for the start of the game around 12:30, and when all was said and done, we got home around 5 in the morning.  There were just a few of us left in the bar when by the time the game wrapped up.  Getting up at 7:30 for my 3 hour Art History class was not the most pleasant experience.

We have some day trips in Italy planned for this upcoming weekend which I'm stoked about, check back around Sunday for details.

JC

Exploring Rome

Hi there!

So the first week of classes have wrapped up.  Some I like more than others, but overall they seem like they'll be good experiences.

The great, perhaps greatest, thing about the American University of Rome is that the school does not schedule classes on Fridays.  So every weekend of the semester is 3 days long.  And today, my roommates and I got a chance to take advantage of the city.

We began at the Victor Emmanuel building around 1 PM.  We climbed up about 200 stairs to get to the top of the building which had some pretty stunning views.  From there we went to the Museo Capitolini, a museum that you could easily spend all day at, but we stayed for only an hour as we had other places to go.  It had all sorts of nice paintings and sculptures.  Finally, we ventured over to The Coliseum, and paid the small fee to walk around inside, which was pretty cool.

Tonight we're going to what one of our roommates has billed as the "best pizza shop in Rome."  I'm trying to keep my expectations low as I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised when I discover that his assessment was right on the money.

Next week, we're planning an overnight Florence visit, and we're in the process of booking trips to other countries, which I'll continue to update here.

JC

First Week of Classes

Hey there!

So this week, I, along with the rest of the American University of Rome students came back down to earth and started classes.  After an amazing week long vacation that felt like it wasn't going to end, I woke up Monday morning for my first class, Art History.

The extent of my knowledge in Art History is limited as it is completely unrelated to my major and I've never taken even an intro course on the subject.  My interest was sparked as a high school sophomore  in my European History class, where we learned about Renaissance and Baroque periods.  So I figured it wise to take a class on the subject while in Rome.  The majority of the course is held outside the classroom, as we travel all around Rome to see various art, which I'm looking forward to.

Art History was followed by Intro to the EU, a history class that covers 20th century Europe to the present.  My Monday concluded with my introductory Italian language class.  Not even my Rosetta Stone program that I received for my birthday could fully prepare me for a language that I have no background in.  Let's just say that we've got a long way to go until I'll be "buono" in Italian (I think buono means good, and by think, I mean that's what Google Translator told me it meant).

Today I had my European Mass Communications class, which looks at media in Europe and how messages are disseminated to audiences across the continent.  Tomorrow, I have my introductory Archaeology class, another course that will involve traveling to see excavation sites.

Now you may be asking how I'm able to take so many courses that are unrelated to my major and minor.  But fortunately, I'm at a point in my studies where I can take several electives in order to attain my degree.  I figured it would be best to wait until I went abroad to take my electives.  I hope that the courses I'm taking will enhance my cultural experience.

That's all for now folks.

JC

Buon Giorno!

Howdy!  So I've decided to start a travel blog about my experiences while abroad in Rome.  Hopefully, this one will be more successful than my previous blog.  My attempt to be the next Nate Silver (the electoral guru who, unlike me, successfully, predicted the results of the previous two presidential elections) did not go as planned.

My journey began in the Philadelphia airport, where I boarded a 6 PM direct flight to Rome.  Unfortunately, I boarded the plane as the two minute warning approached during Niners and Falcons game, so I was unaware of the results of that game, and the Pats Ravens game, until the next morning.  (Although, I must note that I'm pretty stoked for what's being billed as the "Harbaugh Bowl" or "Superbaugh."  I imagine that American football is broadcasted a little differently in Italy.  I can't wait to hear "GOOOAALLLL!!!" every time a touchdown is scored.)

The flight was pretty smooth and I arrived in Rome the next morning, where the AU Rome folks picked up a group of us from the airport.  They dropped us off at our apartment in Trastevere, which is a city environment.  I live with 5 other guys in an apartment which has 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, and a living room.  We live right above a pizza shop called "Pizza Boom" which is spectacular.  Although I must add that on my first day,  I sounded like quite the tourist as I asked for "goat cheese pizza."  The woman working there gave me a puzzled look as she said "Goat Cheese?!" in a soft Italian accent, clearly having no idea what I was talking about.  I settled for a different type instead.

The first two nights have been very fun.  Most of the students, me included, have spent their nights at a bar downtown called Scholars, which is a pretty American bar for being located in downtown Rome.  Last night was karaoke night, and unfortunately (although I had signed up) did not get to sing because I'd signed up too late.  We've had guided tours around the city from the folks at AUR, and last night we got to see the coliseum.

Classes don't start until Monday January 28th, so we have the rest of the week and weekend to meet people and see the city.  I'll try to update this periodically.

JC