Trastevere

I love Trastevere. Last night, Nick and I wandered the streets of Rome for about 2.5 hours (the girls were either traveling or wanted to have an early night). We were not really looking for anything in particular, but sort of just walked around. It was a bit of a bar crawl, but we also stopped for pizza, gelato and pastries--found another incredible gelato joint--and we figured that we could eat all of this guilt-free because we were walking. We climbed to the highest point of Trastevere which has a stunning view of so much of Rome. I need to research what exactly this place was, but the piazza overlooked most of the city. It was beautiful. Behind us was a humongous fountain laced with beautiful statues (similar to the Fontana di Trevi). I'm hoping to go back to this spot during the day and see what more I can in the daylight. I also think the sun sets behind the city from this perspective, so I'd like to try and capture some pictures of that happening as well.
As we walked around Trastevere we encountered a ton of fun locals, different shops and hidden treasures (like the really cheap bar right around the corner from our apartment) We decided to leave the district and venture closer to the heart of Rome where we accidentally stumbled upong the Pantheon (no big deal) and Corso which is the shopping district. Neither of these places can hold a candle to Trast though, I am so glad we are living here. The city streets are frozen in amber light with lively piazzas, cobblestone alleys and timeless medieval infrastructures. Just simply walking around is an adventure as there is always some new food to try or new face to greet. The streets are lined overhead with decorative Christmas lights (sort of) and a ton of shrubbery which I can only imagine would be breathtaking when in full bloom. I hope I have the opportunity to come back in the Spring sometime very soon.
Today I plan on going for a run by the Tiber. It is a bit cold out, but probably feels like a sauna compared to the 2 degrees in NJ. Everything is still going wonderfully. Emily comes for her study abroad experience in Florence tonight, but she is actually staying in Rome for the first three days, so I am beyond excited to a. see her and b. show her around the city.
Time is flying by in Italy and I wish I could stay forever. But in just a few shorts weeks I'll be heading home to the states and will be able to more readily share this experience with everyone. Until then, arrivederci!

Funny stories to remember:
Trying to find the Roman Mcdonalds with Nick for about an hour. No luck.
Making friends with Paul at Garbo
Nick trying to speak Italian "you know you're speaking Spanish, right?"
Stepping on the cobblestone and splashing disgusting rain water up my entire leg
Walking nearly 5 miles home from school on Wednesday. Who knew public transportation shuts down on Roma game days!?
Somehow spending about ten minutes discussion glee with my 9th graders
Meeting the four NJ girls on the bus and pretending I spoke no English until the very last bus stop
Seeing Patrick and crew at least 3 times a week since meeting them (so many people who study abroad in Italy live in Trastevere and we keep randomly running into the same groups)
Getting Kebabs.

Words of the Day:
outside: fuori
so.. (colloquial sentence interjection/starter): allura
more: pui