So I’m two weeks behind on this now and have had two of the best weekends thus far.  Two weeks ago my weekend started off on Thursday with a huge family dinner with the friends, and then Friday I got to see a friend from SF I’ve known since kindergarten, Maxwell who is studying in Copenhagen.  We had him over for another one of our big family dinners and then we went out with all of our friends to one of favorite clubs, Gilda.  Then after a few hours of sleep my friends Tyler, Matt, Caitlin and I left for Naples at 7:30am!  After a nap on the train we had a perfect day trip in Naples: started with their famous fried appetizers and a perfect pizza at one of the most famous places in Naples that we stumbled upon, then wandered through the historic center to the castle and the harbor where we took in the view for awhile and then found their Christmas Village, a whole section of the city dedicated to selling Christmas ornaments, nativity scenes etc. and THEN an amazing seafood dinner before heading back to Rome.  Naples was a beautiful city and has the best food I’ve had in Italy.  After that perfect day I woke up early and met Maxwell again on Sunday to see the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and Roman Forum and then I took him to my favorite gelato place and St. Peter’s Square.  It was great to see a familiar face and to get to be a tourist in Rome with him!  

After that awesome weekend I had a week of serious paper writing and then onto another great weekend.  On Thursday I saw one of my favorite bands, the Fleet Foxes, in Rome with lots of my friends.  It was an amazing concert (they’re SO good live) and it was really cool to see them here, surrounded by people that loved them but totally didn’t know the words to any of the songs.  Afterwards we met a few of them and ended up talking to them for a really long time (being some of the only english speakers was a huge advantage for this)  After this perfect night I spent all day Friday in the library and again on Saturday.  But on Saturday we went out for possibly our best night out clubbing in Rome.  We went to a really classy club underground in Villa Borghese and had a wonderful night.  Finally on Sunday we went to see a Roma soccer game!  All I can say is you haven’t seen soccer or dedicated fans until you’ve been to a Roma game. So crazy! and of course they won.  

Two perfect weekends later I feel a lot better about going home in less than 3 weeks, and with Thanksgiving tomorrow I’m definitely starting to miss home and getting excited about Christmas in SF!  But of course we’ll be cooking a huge feast here tomorrow night, perhaps pasta will have to get added to our Thanksgiving menu.

It was great to return to the relative normalcy of Rome.  I missed our neighborhood and knowing my way around and being able to understand what’s going on around me.  Last weekend I got to go to Florence and Siena with my art history class which was awesome!  We got just enough free time to have some great meals and do some exploring but mostly we were in museums and churches all the time.  It was amazing!  I never would have seen that much on my own and my professor is insanely smart and somehow transmits a huge amount of information and makes sure we all get a good look before whisking us off to our next destination.  Everything in the Uffizi was awesome, it was Botticelli heaven.  The weekend highlight was The David.  I knew exactly how big it was but somehow it looks ten times that, it’s a miraculous piece of art.  At the end of the weekend I was again happy to return to Rome.  As much as I love travel I’m a person that definitely needs a place to call home, and the residence and my roommates here make for a wonderful home for the semester.  The week flew by and this weekend was a wonderful first weekend back in Rome since before fall break!  Thursday and Saturday we had huge family dinners in our apartment with our friends here, Friday we had a great night out, Sunday I finally saw a show!  My friend Matt and I were having a lazy rainy day, made a huge brunch etc, and decided to see if there were tickets left for the Italian national tour of Mamma Mia!  There have been billboards everywhere and we promised ourselves we would go.  After what seemed like a year on the phone trying to give them an American credit card, address and name that included letters that aren’t even in the Italian alphabet we secured tickets!  It was amazing, I spent the first five minutes laughing uncontrollably, Mamma Mia translated into Italian is even more ridiculous than in English.  They also do everything bigger, they don’t have a word for “corny” and I’m starting to think the concept just doesn’t exist here.  The costumes and dancing were out of control, and the lighting was pretty impressive.  An entire number consisted of men in purple spandex and flippers for no reason I could figure out.  Needless to say we had the time of our lives… and were definitely up and dancing during the FOURTH encore.  I would definitely  welcome a career stage managing Italian musicals, I know I’d be having fun!

And now its barely over a month until my flight to SF, it’s crazy that it’s flying by so fast and I’m a little worried I won’t do everything I want to here; but I can’t wait to be home for Christmas!!!

Pictures of Barcelona, Siena and Florence coming soon!

I got back from Barcelona Monday morning and have had a busy week back at school, I finally have time to blog about it!  I just spent a week in Paris and Barcelona on my fall break with Emily, Mackenzie and Grace and had the time of my life.  It was an awesome week, and I went from never leaving the U.S. to visiting 4 countries in less than 2 months, crazy!  We left Rome Monday afternoon for Paris and after checking into our adorable hostel we met Grace’s awesome friend Rachel who’s studying abroad in Paris for dinner (I had my first salad since being here and creme brulee, yum!)  and then wandered over to the Eiffel Tower to catch the light show at midnight.  It was gorgeous and nothing like I’d expected.  Tuesday we went to the Musee D’Orsay, it was awesome.  It’s such a great collection and layout, and the building is beautiful.  Then we bought baguettes and ate them as we made our way to the Garden Toulerie and then strolled down Rue de Rivoli.  It was a great walk and we saw a lot of Paris.  Eventually we made our way to a famous falafel place, SO GOOD, I definitely missed falafel.  Paris definitely beats Rome in multicultural food variety, but Italian food is still ten times better than actual French food.  We planned on going to the Gardens Luxembourg after that, but it started pouring rain, so we hid out in a cute coffee shop until it was time to meet Rachel for dinner.  That night I got French Onion Soup, pretty delicious.  Wednesday we wen to the Louvre! It was incredible, we saw Cimabue’s Madonna and Child and Giotto’s Crucifix next to each other!  Basically my life is complete.  Then we tried to go to the Gardens  Luxembourg again but as soon as we got there it started pouring again.  We took shelter with Banana Nutella Crepes and it stopped in time for us to walk through it a little before we  had to go back.  We had baguette brie and champagne in our room for dinner before going out to a cool Parisian club called “The Queen.”  We had an awesome night.  Thursday we met Rachel for delicious lunch crepes and a walk on the Paris high line, awesome views, and then headed over to Sainte Chapelle.  It was the most beautiful room, and it was perfect light for looking at the stained glass.  I could have sat there forever.  But we had to leave eventually… to go to Notre Dame! Another beautiful church.  I knew it would be awesome on the outside but the inside really blew me away, so vast and beautiful.  To complete our perfect day we went to an adorable restaurant for a snack after, I got a caffe amaretto and a crepe with chocolate sauce, homemade vanilla bean ice cream and perfect homemade almond whip cream. It was the most perfect meal ever.  Then we ran back home to watch the sunset from a hill near our hostel, we were a little late but it was still a beautiful view.  And then another awesome dinner of SUSHI!! I missed it so much that it tasted like the best such I’ve ever had.  That night we went to a party in a fancy apartment with Rachel’s friends.  Quite the night.  And then at 6:30am we were off for Barcelona!  What a whirlwind in Paris.

Barcelona was the complete opposite of Paris, Paris was great but very similar to New York in its’ bustling big city vibe.  Barcelona was the vacation I really needed.  We stayed at a beach-side hostel, which made me so homesick for the pacific!  It was a laid-back weekend full of paella and sangria.  We had a late lunch that day on the beach of nachos and tapas and then went out wandering Barcelona until an awesome dinner at 11:30 of paella.  On Saturday we tried to go on an 11am bike tour but missed the meeting point so we went to the Picasso Museum first.  It was great to see his progression and a really cool museum.  Then we tried for a 4pm bike tour that didn’t exist.  My disappointment was cured with an incredible lunch of paella, tapas and sangria and then more wandering.  It’s a perfect city to walk.  Later we had delicious ice cream on the beach before getting ready for dinner (yes my travels definitely revolve around food).  For dinner I had an amazing grilled salmon and then we went to a cool bar and then a Moroccan themed club on the beach.  It was a perfect night, except Barcelona provides no late night snacks.  On Sunday we had a leisurely lunch on the beach and then finally found that elusive bike tour!  Remembering how to bike was a bit of a struggle and a ton of fun.  It rained in the beginning but then rewarded us with a double rainbow as we rode by the beach.  We saw all the Gaudi architecture on our tour, which was awesome.  Biking through Barcelona was one of the highlights of my week.  Four our last meal we found Mexican food in Barcelona!  (My biggest unfulfilled food craving in Rome)  After nachos, a veggie quesadilla, spicy potatoes and a margarita I was pretty much the happiest girl in the world.  We ended our night at the beach, running through the ocean, loving our last moments of break.  Then at 4am we went to the airport to come home to Rome. It was so great to get back to a city I’m familiar with and a language I at least kind of speak.  Rome is an easy place to feel at home at and after traveling some more I’m still so glad that this is where I’m living.  Needless to say classes were a struggle on Monday, but i got through the week, and tomorrow at 6:00am I leave for Florence and Siena for the weekend with my art history class!  What a life!  But at two months in I’m starting to miss home (both in SF and NY) and seeing Less Than Rent’s new show go into rehearsals makes me feel a little weird not being in rehearsals for something.  You should all check it our for me since I’ll be in Rome!  

http://www.lessthanrent.org/FriendsDontLetFriends.html

So much love from Rome!

I had a great weekend going out with friends and exploring Rome, we even found a 24 hour bakery with Nutella donuts!!! But now it’s midterm exam time for the next 4 days. Wish me luck!

So I started off this morning in the Sistine Chapel, which brought me to tears.  It’s truly the most magnificent, spiritual room I’ve ever stepped foot in.  Then I went to the wonderful local market and bought some great veggies for the weekend.  Then I came home and got to skype with my awesome parents (and Roxie) before they went to work.  Finally I went to class, Roman Literature.  And then, I went out to dinner with the girls (and Matt!), before… wine tasting night at school!  Now I know a lot more about wine and got to try a few great ones, including my favorite, Prosecco!  Just a normal Wednesday in Rome.  What a charmed life I’m leading.

This weekend marked one month in Rome, and only two and a half more to go.  In many ways it feels like I’ve been here for much longer than a month, but thinking about having less than three months left still induces panic that I wont do enough while I’m here.  This weekend could have been one of those times where I worried I wasn’t taking full advantage of Rome, but being a month in and a week away from midterms (eek) it seemed appropriate and necessary to get some lounging in.  So in between small activities out and about in Rome (an afternoon shopping/gelato trip etc.) and two amazing nights out I spent some time watching movies with the Rome family.  We started Friday morning with “Ten Things I Hate About You” and “Pretty Woman” and then resumed later with “Across the Universe” and ended our Sunday night with “Despicable Me.”  In between we watched a little bit of “The Incredibles” at 6am after the concert we went to on Saturday but no one was awake for enough of that for it to count.  None of these things seem appropriate for a blog about Rome, but it was the first weekend that really felt like it could be my normal life, reminding me of Sundays watching movies with my roommates in 13H in our dorm in NY.

I also fulfilled my first big American craving since being here.  Italians don’t seem to do brunch.  They have a cornetto (delicious pastry) and a cappuccino for breakfast.  So far I’ve been totally in love with this Italian breakfast; but every weekend morning I wake up wanting a big brunch.  I strongly believe that a Saturday/Sunday brunch is the most important meal of the week!  So on Saturday Grace and Emily and I made french toast with carmelized bananas, home fries and scrambled eggs with mozzarella.  It was SO good!  We ran into some issues not being able to find vanilla extract or syrup but managed a pretty delicious brunch. 

Our big event of the weekend was an Afrojack concert on Saturday.  It was at a beautiful venue in Rome and another amazing night here.  The music was great and everyone there was loving it, it was an awesome night of dancing and fun, and loving our lives in Rome!

Now I have a two more weeks of school including midterms until fall break, when I’ll be going to Paris and Barcelona!!!  I couldn’t be luckier.

This week has been the week of my golden birthday, and I definitely would say my best birthday ever. On my actual birthday I was at school until 11pm, but when I arrived home I was greeted by a room full of balloons, cake (complete with trick candles), prosecco, and Emily, Kat, Mackenzie and Grace; my best friends here.  After the festivities in my room Tyler and Matt took me out for one last birthday drink.  It was wonderful to spend my birthday with such good friends and so nice to have such good friends after less than a month here!  The next morning I was at the Vatican Museum with class which was pretty awesome and then started gearing up for Oktoberfest…

Emily, Grace, Mackenzie, Matt and I left Rome from the Termini train station at 8pm on Thursday on a double decker bus with a huge group of study abroad students from different schools.  After a relatively sleepless 12 hour bus ride we arrived in Munich at 8am at Stoke Travel’s campsite.  As soon as we got in line to check-in we were greeted by stoke workers, all pretty young, awesome people mostly from Australia, bringing us beer in line.  This was just the start of the stoke campsite being the best place we could have possibly stayed.  After we dropped our stuff off at our tent we jumped on a shuttle to Oktoberfest and spent the day in a huge beer tent, drinking great beer, eating delicious food, meeting great people and listening to Polka music.  That day we headed home pretty early and took naps before spending our night partying at stoke.  Our camping package included meals and an open bar so for no extra money we hung out with the hundreds of other people staying at stoke for Oktoberfest and had a great night.  On Saturday, the busiest day of the festival, we were on the 8am shuttle to Oktoberfest and sitting at a table in a different amazing beer tent by 8:45.  We were immediately served beer steins and started our day off well.  We stayed there until afternoon having a delicious lunch of German dumplings.  Then we gave up our table to go explore the rest of the festival, consisting of lots of tents, beer gardens, souvenir stands, tons of food stands and rides.  We wandered into downtown Munich before heading back to stoke for a barbecue dinner and another long night of partying.  On Sunday we had our morning free before getting back on a bus for Rome at 1pm.  We opted to go to Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site and Museum instead of another morning of beer drinking.  It was a huge museum that we could have stayed in for hours longer and an incredibly moving morning.  I’m so glad we got ourselves up early to go see it before we left.  

After another 12+ hour bus ride and then a night bus from Termini station to our residence we arrived home in Rome at 2:30am.  As great as it felt to get back to Rome I was definitely a little sad to wake up this morning and not be in a tent in Germany.  It was a magical weekend and a taste of an amazing life of camping in Europe.

Pictures coming soon!  And so many thanks to everyone who sent me birthday wishes and made this week so awesome!