This is my final blog entry until September of this year when I head back to my beloved Citta Eterna for an entire semester. I am extremely excited about that journey, but for this entry I am going to focus on the last two weeks in the most incredible place on the planet.
This trip was the perfect combination of a classics geek-out, a UMiami frat party and the iron man triathlon. We saw sights, some of my favorites include: the church of Santa Sabina on the Aventine, the Vatican catacombs and even the Jewish ghetto. We partied too, meeting some of Jackie’s friend’s students and becoming the infamous jordans. And then there was the walking. I really enjoyed it, even with my fractured fifth metatarsal I was able to keep up with an awestruck group of twenty-two self-proclaimed professional photographers. Every moment was precious and we knew it.
The sights were by far the most breathtaking parts of the trip. I distinctly recall everyone making the same gasping noise as they peeped through the Keyhole of Rome. There wasn’t one person whose jaw didn’t drop when we got out of the metro at the colosseum stop for the first time. When we stepped into Santa Sabina everyone fell silent because they could feel the history in the air. I plan on visiting all of these places next year to soak it all up again. I’ve heard it gets more and more beautiful every time.
What would a trip to Europe been with out having a little fun. Every time we went to dinner we just HAD to try the house wine! It would have been rude if we didn’t. For the most part I spent my free time sleeping or writing my blogs, but when we went out—we went out. But every minute of this was a learning experience as well. Whether it was wandering the Piazza Venetzia for a night bus or running into our waiter Danelle at a gay bar, we learned something new every single night.
This trip wouldn’t have been half as fun if we hadn’t spent most of our time getting to the places we were learning about. Around every cobblestoned street corner lay a new adventure. Most of the time everyone was too exhausted to walk home but that didn’t stop many of us. We wouldn’t have tried the majority of the stuff we did if we hadn’t just stopped into a place on the way to our destination. Being a born and bred city girl, I loved the walking. We got to see, hear and feel the Roman way of life by walking the same cobblestone streets our ancient ancestors did. No matter how badly I would have loved to hop on Paolo’s motorino it just wouldn’t have been the same.
Each and every day was a new adventure. The wheels of my imagination were always turning. I plan on writing a mystery novel, or at least a short story that takes place in Rome. (I know I joked about it, but it will be too much fun not too) Now with my extremely intense historical background on Rome, it should be a breeze. All of my favorite places are sure to appear. Maybe even some characters I met while on our trip. I can't wait to use my new knowledge and navigational skills of Rome.
This trip would have been great if I went by myself but I couldn’t even imagine it with out all the wonderful people that enjoyed this amazing experience with me. There are no words to express the love I have for all my twenty-three fellow dorks (that includes you Dan and Jackie). The jokes, the fun and the interesting conversations could not and will not ever be matched. This trip bonded us through knowledge, food, fun and exhaustion. As I look to my future in Rome, I will never forget a single moment of this trip and I hope that none of you guys will either.
I would like to dedicate this final post to my new family, a Romani! And a special thanks to Dan and Jackie for not only putting up with me, but for teaching me more then I ever imagined I could learn.
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