Day Two

Rome is still incredible.

Today was a whirlwind. I am extremely tired so this entry will not be nearly as long as last night's, but we experienced SO much today. After waking up very late (jet lag.. gets me every time) we all decided to take a nice walk across the Tiber and into the heart of Rome. We walked through the streets a bit and found this AMAZING pizza place. My pizza, which had NO cheese and was folded in half, was probably the best I've ever encountered. I devoured that delicious doughy goodness like it was my last meal. Better yet it was only 3 euros! We walked around some more until we found this beautiful little market with fresh vegetables, cheap souvenirs and a bunch of other random goodies. I'm sure we will be heading back there (campo di fiuri?) for some outdoor shopping.

Unfortunately, Nick's luggage has been lost since arriving, so we decided to head to his apartment and see how he was doing. We found his street, Via De Scarpetta, and eventually his apartment. I think being here totally without any form of texting or cell phone communication has really helped all 10 of us appreciate the technological world we now live in. It must have been SO hard to coordinate plans back in the day. Fortunately, Nick romeo and julietted his head out the window and was able to let us into his apartment (which is beautiful by the way) and we all hung out for a bit. We then decided to explore a bit more and headed into what might be the most beautiful ancient structure in the world, the Colosseum.

As it turns out, the Colosseum (and all of the other beautiful historical landmarks) are literally just minutes away from Trastevere. I know where will be spending a great deal of tourist time! We didn't take any official tours or anything, but just being able to see the breathtaking sights was well worth it. We will take a guided tour at some point. As Dom put it, I felt like I was walking through a history book. Everything was just so picturesque and literally indescribable. As we walked around it started to get dark, so we decided to head back home. We encountered a few basilicas and tons of statues/fountains. There was a giant staircase that led to some church (we'll have to revisit so I can aquiesce the name) and on top was an stunning view of the Roman skyline. We could even see the Vatican, which was beautifully lit. I have a few pictures,I promise I'll post them tomorrow.

Rachel, the last of our roommates, was arriving at night, so we decided to head back toward the apartment to make sure she found her way. On the way home we stopped at the supermarket and had our first Italian shopping experience. It was incredible. It seems that most Europeans do not buy food from bulk in these stores (everything, everywhere, comes in such tiny portions!) but we had a lovely time trying to decipher what we needed, how much to get and where we could find such and such. Italians LOVE nutella, so I was sure to grab a container of it and decided, thanks to Sarah's suggestion, to buy some rice cakes as a vehicle to eat the spread. A delicious snack, might I say.

The market we went to was super affordable and a lot of fun. We had to pass through a clothing store and head underground to get to it, which was kind of strange, but the food was all well priced and so far delicious. Plus they serve wine, which is never a bad thing. We walked home and as we arrived found Rachel. Finally all eleven of us were safely in Italy, ready to go!

We went back to the streets of Trastevere for some dinner (at this point it was nearly 8:00pm, remember, Romans eat late!). The first restaurant we found was called Carlo Menta, which appears to be a Trasteverian favorite, so we decided to try it out. After some seating confusion (it is hard to seat 10 people in such tiny places!) the restaurant was more than happy to accommodate us. I had an absolutely amazing dish, gnocchi with clams and mussels. Everything was absolutely fantastic. I took a picture of my meal and will definitely share it with you, although I don't think the picture will do it justice. Our waiter was also great, very helpful and willing to deal with our lack of Italian (which is already improving!). We definitely had a great dinner, and will certainly head back to Carlo Menta again.

We stopped once again for gelato (big surprise?) and walked back to the apartment, where we decided to crack open some of the delicious wine we purchased earlier at the market. For 1.50euro I bought a lovely red wine which was absolutely delicious. It is hard to believe, but wine is actually cheaper than water here! We took advantage of the night off and got to know one another in the bigger apartment on the third floor. I really do love this group dynamic we've begun to create. It is going to be a wonderful 2 months with these people. Hard to believe that just a few days ago we were strangers and now we are united foreigners in a strange country. There is just so much to learn and so much to gain from this experience, it has already been mind blowing and we've only just begun!

Funny stories to remember:
Sprinting across what seemed like a highway to avoid traffic
The dog peeing in the upstairs clothing shop of the food store
The thumbs up/smile of the woman whose picture I interrupted
Everything Elena says/Dom trying to play card games!

Words of the Day:
me too/also: Anch'io/anche
I'm sorry: Mi dispiace
I like: Mi piace