Roman Desert

Our first Friday and what did we decide to do? Beach, you guessed it. I'm soaking up more sun here than I ever do in California. I adore it though. And in true Taylor style, this beach outing led to an adventure. We ended up on the wrong bus from the train station and discovered a new beach. The water and sand were gorgeous and the sky was dotted with the colorful sails of wind surfers. We practically rolled in the sand we were so happy with our fairytale discovery. It was only after playing in the waves that we realized the same wind that drew the wind surfers also wreaked havoc on us beach goers. The wind was so strong it blew sand everywhere, and i do mean everywhere: in our purses, on my camera, on my water bottle mouth piece, all over our towels, in our ears, in our eyes, in our hair (I just washed a sandbox down our shower drain), and etc. Think an 80 degree desert with an ocean and you've got this beach. The serenity and beauty of the beach won me over the wind though. I hope to visit again!

I would like to point out that I am sitting on my "towel" in this picture!

Other than the beach, I have been a diligent student, going to far more hours of class than I do at APU, 20 hours vs. 12. I'm promise I'm not complaining. I love my classes, although I already switched Political and Economic Systems for Renaissance and Baroque Art and I might switch Archeology for Roman Emperors. Italian is my favorite class so far. We went to the market at Campo di Fiori to learn the names of fruits, vegetables, meats, and spices and I thought I had gone to heaven. The food looks so wonderful and fresh. I just want to eat it all! I'm also easily sucked into the novelty items, such as lemon juice extractors and devices that make curly q's out of veggies. I resisted this time. Next time, maybe not.

The rest of my spare time has been spent having dinner parties at friend's apartments or with my Italian fling, Lonely Planet Rome. You think I'm joking, but I'm not. That travel guide is my new love interest. He knows what I need before I do and always has something intelligent to say. This weekend we might walk hand in hand on one of the walking tours he suggested, go shopping in vintage stores, and share gelato at the same gelateria seen in Roman Holiday. Romantic right? I'll let you know how it goes.