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Many of you probably hadn't had a chance to read my first post yet (below), because it's just first thing in the morning where many of you are, but there was inadvertently the appearance of a choice piece of salty language in my last post.
My aim was that this blog would be for all audiences, including my dear family, and though I freely and occasionally employ such language in certain settings and among certain company, it's not polite and not the tone I wanted for the blog. I was copying and pasting from a document I was keeping on my hard drive, and in the stream of consciousness I had it there and meant to remove it when I cobbled together a post for public consumption.
I do apologize. Hopefully I will be more careful in the future, though you might see alternatives for said term that look more like "freaking" or "fricking" or maybe even "effin'" if I get really riled up. I'll do my best.
Ciao!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Day . . . 3?
I'm in Rome, and it's already my third day here. I'm still really tired. For now I just wanted to get some thoughts down. Some of you will have seen bits and pieces of this in other places, and for that I apologize, but I've been having a lot of trouble sitting down to write about things. There's just so much to capture, and it seems impossible. I will try, though. I will. But for now I'm just gonna jump right in, just like I've done with this city, and all will be made clear. Eventually.
There might be utterly art historical stuff here, or just observations, or maybe even just how I'm feeling. Right now I'm pretty stunned by all of it, and I've only been circulating in a little pocket of the city. Mind you, at home, I've become somewhat of a homebody over the last few years due to school and some limitations with my back. So there's no frying pan from which to jump into the fire - it's more like the refrigerator to the fire.
Surprisingly, my back has been holding up. So. There's that. My feet, on the other hand, well, thank God for Lush Cosmetics, their amazing "Ballo in Maschera" foot lotion, and the fact that they have a little shop across the Campo de' Fiori from my school.
Other than that I have been sort of on my own for meals. I went to the grocery (which was an adventure in itself!) and picked up some breakfast stuff because they don't really eat breakfast here, but I do stop at a bar (cafe) and get a macchiato for 0.80 € (about $1.07) on the way to class. For lunch a few of us have been going over to this little place off the Campo for these things called suppli, which are a Sicilian street food: rice and meat sauce molded around a ball of mozzarella with the whole thing rolled in bread crumbs and thrown quickly in a fryer. They are quite filling at 2 € (about $2.69) so that's what I've been having for lunch, and we eat it sitting by one of the fountains in the Campo de' Fiori. All in all my appetite has been surprisingly low, especially for all the walking I am doing. But maybe that will change once I'm more used to my surroundings. For sure I will probably be the only one who LOSES weight while I am here.
Tomorrow begins the BIG walking and the site visits, and we are going to see the Arch of Constantine and the Column of Trajan. I got lost yesterday and looked up and there was Sant'Ivo della Sapienza, Borromini's masterpiece of architecture, just sitting there in the middle of the block next to a trattoria and a gelateria. In the books it looks so separate from everything (mainly because they usually show the inside of it), but I love that it is all in the middle of the street (much like everything else in Rome - there really is no right of way, except at the big streets).
Today I have to catch up on reading, so I'm spending the afternoon at the apartment. It is a gorgeous 17th century palazzo (I think) that has been subdivided. They promised us an extant fresco, but it is a rather dingy and boring 19th century fresco that we would sadly trade in a heartbeat for good internet.
I got a room all to myself (I told them all how badly I snore, and they seemed all too happy to let me have the private room). It is a little monk's room with an old Italian bed and a thin mattress, but it hasn't been too bad. A bathroom connects my room to the kitchen, and my room overlooks the center of the building with the courtyard below, so I hear everything that goes on in this place. Someone here owns several of what I have decided must be large exotic birds who squawk often (and quite early - around 6am the last couple of days). At first I thought they must be monkeys at first but I don't think they let you have them in 17th century palazzi. There is also a new puppy in one of the apartment who howls his loneliness during the day. It is a little hard on my slightly homesick heart.
More later, of course! Homework now, because I need to sleep early, mostly because I didn't sleep much because of the monkeybirds last night.
There might be utterly art historical stuff here, or just observations, or maybe even just how I'm feeling. Right now I'm pretty stunned by all of it, and I've only been circulating in a little pocket of the city. Mind you, at home, I've become somewhat of a homebody over the last few years due to school and some limitations with my back. So there's no frying pan from which to jump into the fire - it's more like the refrigerator to the fire.
Surprisingly, my back has been holding up. So. There's that. My feet, on the other hand, well, thank God for Lush Cosmetics, their amazing "Ballo in Maschera" foot lotion, and the fact that they have a little shop across the Campo de' Fiori from my school.
On Sunday my classmate Meg and I flew into Rome Fiumicino at about the same time, and we sort of wandered around the airport in a daze trying to figure everything out. I was so tired, having been awake for over 24 hours at that point (save a paltry 1.25 hour cat nap in the Yotel at Heathrow). Shortly before that, on the Madrid-Rome flight, I had had the only negative experience of my admittedly low-conflict travels, wherein a brassy flight attendant guilted me into switching seats so that a pair of newlyweds could sit together. She wanted to me to move one row up, to the bulkhead, even though I was all situated and buckled in. “It’s bigger, I promise! I think it’s bigger, for everything, for you!” she brayed. Fortunately the newlywed couple were the only ones who seemed to speak English, but I was mortified. Eh, whatever, yeah. I am bigger. The trouble is, when I went to sit down, I realized why this would be a problem: the bulkhead armrests don’t go up. I was on Iberia Airlines in Business Class, where they always leave the middle seat empty, and so this wasn’t a problem when I was in the seat I’d picked out months ago after studying Seatguru for the best seats. (What can I say? I'm a planner.) The whole reason that my parents and my lovely friend Tom helped me out by contributing accumulated American Airlines miles, in order to upgrade cabins for me, was to spare my back and make sure that I was in the best possible situation in that way upon arrival for my program.
Ah, well, at least it was only a 2 hour flight. I found myself upset, though I'm sure that it was just being tired.. I wanted to hold my ground, say, “You’ve just vowed to be together for the rest of your lives, and you’re definitely going to be joined at the everything over the next week or two, so what’s the big deal?” But, I didn’t want to appear rude, for fear that it would earn me worse service. It didn’t matter anyway, because the brassy flight attendant pretty much ignored me for the whole flight except for handing me my meal. I should have just stuck with it.
Ah, well, at least it was only a 2 hour flight. I found myself upset, though I'm sure that it was just being tired.. I wanted to hold my ground, say, “You’ve just vowed to be together for the rest of your lives, and you’re definitely going to be joined at the everything over the next week or two, so what’s the big deal?” But, I didn’t want to appear rude, for fear that it would earn me worse service. It didn’t matter anyway, because the brassy flight attendant pretty much ignored me for the whole flight except for handing me my meal. I should have just stuck with it.
That’s one thing that I’m noticing about Rome. People here just do stuff and don’t apologize for it. I don’t mean that they’re rude or something, but they just live their lives and don’t worry about what anyone thinks. Smoke a cigarette on the steps of the Pantheon? Sure! Nearly run over everyone in your path, crazy taxi driver? Why not? I need to stop apologizing for everything, for what I do, for being slow, for being ME – but we know that this has been true since I was 15 and working at that bistro in downtown San Jose, when one of the waiters I got along with the best yelled at me every time I apologized.
A better arrival in Rome, as far as first nights go, could not have been choreographed. We stayed at the Hotel Abruzzi, which is right on the Piazza della Rotonda, outside the Pantheon. It was a quaint little hotel, two stars I think, 149 € a night. (Although, now that I'm looking at the website, it says 3 stars -- not that I really even have ever stayed in enough hotels rooms to know the difference between stars. It's usually the Motel 6 for me, ya know?) Small room, but it’s European and that’s to be expected.
The windows opened right onto the piazza, where massive crowds were gathered. Apparently Italy had won some important football match and the whole city was a little crazy, but we didn’t know that, just got caught up in it. There was a babble of human noise that was anointed by the gurgling of the fountain, which is a large basin with a looted Egyptian obelisk that Clement VI had added to it in 1711. When I was lying down and Meg was in the bathroom, I started to hear the strains of that really famous Andrea Boccelli song (which I admittedly find very beautiful, even though it is so popular and overplayed and when I think of it I think of people like Carmela Soprano). I figured that one of the restaurants was pandering to the tourists. After a while I went and looked down into the courtyard and there was this guy there in the middle of a vast ring of people, actually singing opera while a PA played background music, right then and there. We mused as to why he was singing in the piazza on a Sunday night for a huge circle of onlookers, but then he missed a couple of notes, just by the teensiest amount, which was telling.
The windows opened right onto the piazza, where massive crowds were gathered. Apparently Italy had won some important football match and the whole city was a little crazy, but we didn’t know that, just got caught up in it. There was a babble of human noise that was anointed by the gurgling of the fountain, which is a large basin with a looted Egyptian obelisk that Clement VI had added to it in 1711. When I was lying down and Meg was in the bathroom, I started to hear the strains of that really famous Andrea Boccelli song (which I admittedly find very beautiful, even though it is so popular and overplayed and when I think of it I think of people like Carmela Soprano). I figured that one of the restaurants was pandering to the tourists. After a while I went and looked down into the courtyard and there was this guy there in the middle of a vast ring of people, actually singing opera while a PA played background music, right then and there. We mused as to why he was singing in the piazza on a Sunday night for a huge circle of onlookers, but then he missed a couple of notes, just by the teensiest amount, which was telling.
Once we were somewhat settled in to our apartment on the first day, we met the rest of our class and our professors for a really good meal our first night at this place called Trattoria Moderna. Stuart (one of the professori) said that they really tried to go for a Roman menu. We had risotto with sausage and, I think, pecorino cheese for primo piatto, and then veal saltimbocca for secondo piatto, and then for dolce this apple cake that is an old Roman traditional dessert. Plus really good wine. It was all perfect.
Other than that I have been sort of on my own for meals. I went to the grocery (which was an adventure in itself!) and picked up some breakfast stuff because they don't really eat breakfast here, but I do stop at a bar (cafe) and get a macchiato for 0.80 € (about $1.07) on the way to class. For lunch a few of us have been going over to this little place off the Campo for these things called suppli, which are a Sicilian street food: rice and meat sauce molded around a ball of mozzarella with the whole thing rolled in bread crumbs and thrown quickly in a fryer. They are quite filling at 2 € (about $2.69) so that's what I've been having for lunch, and we eat it sitting by one of the fountains in the Campo de' Fiori. All in all my appetite has been surprisingly low, especially for all the walking I am doing. But maybe that will change once I'm more used to my surroundings. For sure I will probably be the only one who LOSES weight while I am here.
Tomorrow begins the BIG walking and the site visits, and we are going to see the Arch of Constantine and the Column of Trajan. I got lost yesterday and looked up and there was Sant'Ivo della Sapienza, Borromini's masterpiece of architecture, just sitting there in the middle of the block next to a trattoria and a gelateria. In the books it looks so separate from everything (mainly because they usually show the inside of it), but I love that it is all in the middle of the street (much like everything else in Rome - there really is no right of way, except at the big streets).
Today I have to catch up on reading, so I'm spending the afternoon at the apartment. It is a gorgeous 17th century palazzo (I think) that has been subdivided. They promised us an extant fresco, but it is a rather dingy and boring 19th century fresco that we would sadly trade in a heartbeat for good internet.
I got a room all to myself (I told them all how badly I snore, and they seemed all too happy to let me have the private room). It is a little monk's room with an old Italian bed and a thin mattress, but it hasn't been too bad. A bathroom connects my room to the kitchen, and my room overlooks the center of the building with the courtyard below, so I hear everything that goes on in this place. Someone here owns several of what I have decided must be large exotic birds who squawk often (and quite early - around 6am the last couple of days). At first I thought they must be monkeys at first but I don't think they let you have them in 17th century palazzi. There is also a new puppy in one of the apartment who howls his loneliness during the day. It is a little hard on my slightly homesick heart.
More later, of course! Homework now, because I need to sleep early, mostly because I didn't sleep much because of the monkeybirds last night.
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