Home sweet Rome

Yet another beautiful day in Rome. I'm losing track of which days I've provided a play by play for, so I guess it is time to stop recounting every little detail and start generalizing. Today was the first day that we were all able to go visit our schools and what an adventure that was! We woke up early (in order to simulate any more commute traffic we might encounter) and the 5 of us at Marymount met for our very first Marymount excursion. The bus system is so easy to navigate. We made it all the way to the school with very little difficulty.
Unfortunately, we arrived at the gate of Marymount and met a guard at the door (who was named Paolo, I asked in Italian!) who told us that Ms. Sweeney was not in and we wouldn't be allowed to meet with her. He said that we could wait for her outside the gate and as we waited a wonderful Irish nun came out and started chatting with us. She told us that we could follow her back into town, she was on her way to mass, and we could get a bite to eat at this little bar (the Italians refer to most eateries as "bars") down the road. We walked with her for 10 minutes or so and she gave us so much helpful information about Marymount and the students and Italy in general. She was seriously so sweet and he accent was incredible (she asked us if The College of New Jersey was 'Trenton of Old')
We stopped at the bar at I asked for a croissant--the staff laughed at me and said no croissant, it is called a cornetto--which was the most delicious pastry I've had.. ever. I will definitely be hitting up that bar on the way to school every day.
We walked back to Marymount and consequently ran into our nun friend who brought us inside and gave us a mini tour.

The.school.is.amazing.

Based on the website, I expected a beautiful facility, but nothing could have prepared me for what Marymount University really looked like in person. I felt like I was standing in some sort of magical resort. I can't imagine what Rome looks like in the Spring/Summer (it is winter here, yet still beyond beautiful). We stayed around Marymount for a while but then decided to head back to our apartment and make plans for the rest of the night.
The commute home was just as easy, it might be nice to take the bus for half the time and then run the rest of the way. There is something so liberating about running along the river.
I was hungry by the time we got back home so we decided to stop at this small eatery right around the corner. I tried two suppli which are absolutely wonderful (I think I need to start using new adjectives). Suppli is a fried rice ball with mozzarella in the center and some sort of pomodori (tomato) sauce laced throughout it. I could eat one for every meal, and they are only 1 euro. Amazing.
After devouring the cheesy goodness Alyssa, Nick and I decided to go for a run. We went south along the river and saw a whole new side of Rome. The sun was shining and there was a totally different feel to this part of the city. We'll have to go exploring there soon. On the way back we were able to run right along the water on a small bike/runner's path and with the sun setting behind us it was truly picturesque.
We're all going to try and hit up some of the Campo bars tonight and maybe find a club to dance at. I am very excited to see what the Rome nightlife has to offer and will certainly blog again tomorrow! In the meantime, here are a few pictures of Marymount and yesterday's festivities in Piazza Navona (which I will have to write about next time we visit!)

This was the playground right outside the main gate of the school. Though it is not technically owned by Marymount, you can still see the breathtaking view my fellow teachers and I will see
each and every morning while we walk up to meet Paolo!

















This was Piazza Navona. I'll write about the history of it all eventually, but here you can see the beautiful architecture that surrounded this awesome outdoor carnival with games, music, food and shops. There was a giant carousel in the center of it all and a whole bunch of statues throughout the plaza. The street vendors were selling various trinkets and toys (I bought this really funny secret noisemaker) and had a delicious eggplant (melanzana) and mozzarella panini

Funny stories to remember:
The two drunk men on the metrebus with their adorable little dog
Meeting our Irish nun/angel
Finding out Mandee is also from Hillsborough

Words of the Day
eggplant: melanzana
cornetto: croissant
mi piace: I like ...