Friday afternoon after class involved running around like a chicken with its head cut off to finish errands and throw clothes in a suitcase before hopping on the bus to the Nice airport with Katie, Regina, Megan, and Meg. It felt so weird to be at an airport for the first time since August - the train is so much easier here! No security and no tiny liquid bottles! We also discovered why everyone hates the company EasyJet: Not only are they huge sticklers on the gate closing time, they also inform you (just before boarding, mind you) that each passenger is allowed une seule valise (only one bag) to carry on...and a purse counts as your one bag. Also, if you bring a coat, you have to wear it - you can't hold it on your lap. Luckily, I was able to shove my purse in my travel bag.
Upon landing at the airport in Rome, the first thing I saw out the window was a giant "Emporio Armani" building. We were definitely back in Italy. It took us awhile to get to the train into the city; we were trying to call our hotel from a payphone that kept eating our coins to let them know what time to meet us and open the door. We gave up and soon found ourselves in an Italian train next to a smelly, dirty, drunk homeless man who later got in a dispute with one of the train employees (complete with animated hand gestures) and was kicked off for not having a ticket. Yep, definitely in Italy.
We soon met up with Evans, Andrew, and Ryan, who had flown out on Thursday, for dinner. I wasn't actually impressed with my pizza; the cheese and sauce were mixed into a spaghettio-like consistency, but the crust was at least thin and delicious.
Saturday was our one full day in Rome, so we split into small groups and Katie and I (as usual) covered as much ground as possible. We started by walking to the Colosseum to see the outside (the line to get in was too long and it was expensive - American passports mean zero student discount in Italy, even with proof of residency and enrollment in school). So we walked around the nearby Roman ruins and dealt with the annoying, persistent tour guides and souvenir vendors pestering us every thirty seconds. What struck me right away about Rome were the winding streets that opened up in to city squares with beautiful fountains and architecture. Everything is very close together and we literally ran into the Colosseum that morning.
Unfortunately, the streets are also very confusing when you're trying to get to a specific place (they change names every other block and often connect differently that the map leads you to believe) so it's easy to end up in a completely different place than you thought you were heading toward. Katie and I discovered this when we tried to get to the Trevi Fountain next; we were about a five minute walk away when we headed down some street (still can't figure out which one) that took us partway across town to the Ministry of Arts and Culture, a very beautiful government building that we hadn't previously known about. After spending a little time in that square, we finally made our way to the Trevi Fountain. Megan, Andrew, and Regina were there, so we spent some time admiring the fountain and taking pictures. Then it was time for Katie and I to meander over to the Vatican, where we had bought tickets ahead of time for 1:00 admission.
The Metro in Rome is très facile (very easy) to navigate. There are two lines, A and B, and because Rome is a small city, most rides are only a couple of stops and no more than five minutes long. We arrived early and peeked into St. Peter's Square for a few minutes before going around to the back where the museums were. I liked the area around the Vatican, except (bien sur) for all the people selling tour and trinkets on the streets. It completely cheapens the experience of seeing something like the Vatican for the first time; no, I do not want to buy a "I love Pope" t-shirt or pay for a scam tour. Katie and I decided to try speaking in French to avoid the people hounding English-speakers. When I told one man I didn't speak English, he replied with, "You dress like you speak English!" as we walked away. Funny - nearly my entire ensemble (minus my jeans) was bought in France.
The Vatican itself is, like so many other things I've seen this semester: Overwhelming. The museums are around behind St. Peter's Basilica. We went through a couple exhibits and then decided to head straight to the Sistine Chapel. It was a walk through ten or so elaborate halls to get there; they were filled with thousands of pieces of art (including a piece we studied in art history). The Chapel itself was much larger than I was anticipating; the ceiling was high and Michelangelo's murals covered the entire hall - it was so colorful. Katie and I spent a little while just sitting, admiring, and listening to the music of the guards yelling "SILENCIO!!!!" and "NO PHOTO!!!!" every minute...and yes, I got a few good not-quite-legal photos.
By this point, we were about to faint so we shlepped down to the Vatican pizzeria for some delicious thin floppy slices and wine (or, more likely, just crushed grapes) in a juice box. Then we went back to St. Peter's Square and into the Basilica. Wow. That's all I can say. Indescribable. The Basilica is massive. And dark. It took awhile to wander through the whole place. I tried to take a video to capture how huge it was, but it's impossible. Everywhere you look, there's something elaborate and...well, huge. It was really cool, but still a bit touristy - I couldn't get over the people posing for pictures as they dipped their hands in the holy water. Just bizarre. I loved all the candles surrounding the tomb of St. Peter in the center - that was a truly gorgeous display.
From there, we went to see the Spanish stairs (a lot of stairs in a small square) and we ran into Megan, Andrew, and Regina again. There was a military band playing on the steps and a lot of artists set up in the area, so we relaxed there for awhile and watched the sun set over Rome from the top of the stairs. This was one of the best moments of the day for me, seeing Rome turn into a night city. I think I would have enjoyed going out in the evening for a little while if we hadn't been so tired and pressed for time. Then it was off to see the Trevi Fountain at night (AND eat a cannoli at the Trevi Fountain!), and back to the hotel to relax before dinner.
One of Megan's friends knew of a good restaurant that was reasonably-priced, so Katie, Megan, Ryan, Regina, Andrew, and I took the Metro there for dinner. It was FANTASTIC. Bruschetta, spicy penne, the best sauvignon of the semester, tiramisu.... Oh, it was fabulous.
Sunday morning was spent relaxing. Regina, Andrew, and I took turns guarding luggage in the courtyard of the guys' hotel until we got kicked out onto the street and were homeless in Italy. Eventually, everyone straggled back to our street curb and we ate at a nearby restaurant (the pizza was DELICIOUS this time - I stole some of Megan's) and were off on our return journey to Cannes. Hooray for France!! (And thanks, Italy, for the pasta, pizza, gelato, and cannolis!)
This week has been quite the endeavor - eight and a half hours of internship, one hour of flute, nine hours of grammar class, two hours of Beth's class, two hours of art history, and four hours of cinema. Plus homework and packing for a trip. All crammed into three days. This is why France is the most academically-intense study abroad trips. I'm really excited about the internship now - I started teaching my seven- and eight-year-olds the "12 Days of Christmas" which they're going to perform at their Christmas concert! My middle-schoolers are going to write and perform and accompaniment on their instruments, and I'm going to direct it on December 7th. It's really fun now that I'm getting the hang of French music vocabulary and expressions, and starting to get ideas of how to teach and explain things. I even met some friends who are students in the adult class - two women who give me a ride home after class (who are probably in their late 20s) invited me to go our for crêpes with them soon. One of them spent a year studying in Maine and now she's an English teacher in France. It's exciting getting to spend time by myself speaking with native French speakers in a context like that; it's a shame the internship didn't get going sooner!
Now, I'm in Lyon with CSB/SJU for the long weekend. Lyon is the second-largest city in France (next to Paris) and the gastronomic capital of the country...so we're here to eat. Yum!
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