Sorrento&Pompeii

Last weekend, I traveled to Sorrento and Pompeii to see the ancient ruins left after Mt. Vesuvius erupted. Sorrento is situated right on the coast and the views are breathtaking. The water and the sky were the perfect shade of blue. If I ever move to Italy, I will live on the coast. Can't take the beach away from the California girl.

We spent Saturday walking around the quaint little town of Sorrento, looking in shops, buying a few things, and wishing to buy a lot more. There were the most beautiful handmade music boxes, but the one I loved the most was more than 60 euro, so I had to settle for looking. Afterward we checked into our hotel (couldn't open our door, again, this seems to be a pattern) and headed to dinner, which of course was delicious. First, a plate of bruschetta, fries, and suppli (various fried rice balls). Then about 4 different kinds of pizza, one with fries on top, and finally, a chocolate cake and the most wonderful pineapple and kiwi. Let's say we were more than a little full. I'm glad everywhere I've traveled embraces fries as much I do. I think we should stop considering them so American, especially since the rest of the world does them better than we do.
Sunday we drove to Pompeii and explored the city's ruins. I could have spent the whole day wandering the ancient streets and imagining the opulent houses and busy streets. I could even see the ruts in the stone from the chariots. I would have loved to live in Pompeii way back when, minus the tragic volcanic eruption. There's another eruption due any time now, so hurry over before it's buried again. Maybe stop in Rome and say hi to me too. :)

Mt. Vesuvius and the view from our hotel.

Right at home in the Pompeii ruins.

Roman House in Pompeii. They were broken up into 2 parts, the atrium in the front with the pool (pictured) in the center that collected rain water, and the peristyle in the back, which was mostly gardens. All the rooms faced inward and the roof had a hole in the middle for light and air circulation since there were no windows. 

 

Fountain in front of St. Peter's Church. Going to a service on Sunday!

Top 3 Gelato Spots: Old Bridge by the Vatican, Frigidarium by Piazza Navona, and the gelato shop across from Accademia Italiana (name unknown)

Beautiful sunset on the way back from a wonderful afternoon of losing myself in Rome.

Dinner tonight. Definitely becoming my usual.

 The time is flying by! I can hardly believe I am ending my 6th week in Rome. There is still so much to see and areas I have yet to set foot into. I want to soak everything in and then have time to soak my favorites in again and again. Yesterday I promised myself solo adventures. My first adventure consisted of a street full of vintage shops, Haight-Ashbury Roman style perhaps?, browsing Italian music, stumbling upon some of the best gelato recommended by my Italian teacher, losing myself in the most charming little backstreets, and observing, observing, observing. My favorite part of being out alone is that I can pretend to be Italian. I keep my mouth shut and no one knows any better. Just walk with confidence and NEVER pull out a map. Now to learn how to respond when spoken to in Italian and practice my accent.

Only a Bang Away...

I'm running out of creative blog titles, can you tell?
Tuesday night I was a little bored or needing some change. I'm not sure which, but either way, my impulsiveness took over and gone went my bangs. Picture me, 11 at night, roommate video taping, pair of kitchen scissors in my hand, attempting to see well enough through my bangs to cut in a straight line. And there goes months of growing my bangs out. Typical. No regrets. It was exactly what I needed to be inspired, not that inspiration does not hit every time I walk out my door. All the beautiful art and architecture is both awe inspiring and an over load to the senses. I did not think it possible to take in too much. I wish I had more time to take in the city at leisure. Once again, a sign I must be coming back. Italy has made a home in my heart. Before coming here, I hated the thought of life without APU, now I cannot wait to graduate and continue exploring the world. Secretly I miss Nepal more than the United States right now. Some friends and I helped serve food to the homeless last night and my only thoughts were of the street boys in Nepal. Every time I see someone on the streets here, I see the faces of those we met in Kathmandu. It breaks my heart.

On a lighter note, here are some pictures from Pollino as promised:

Entrance to the Angel Caves. Bats and water dripping everywhere since they are live caves and still developing. We took a boat ride inside and then walked around. It reminded me of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, but without the pirates.

Gorgeous hike in the hills.

At the top of the hike. Worth all the cold and rain. I thought I might be blown off the mountain, but I just pretended I was in Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day!

Exploring the town. It had so much charm I was giddy with excitement. An accidental proposal to Izzy and lots of clapping and jumping up and down were involved.

 And tomorrow we are off to Pompeii and Sorrento!

Adventures and Sick Days

An update is long overdue, I know. I've been too busy making friends with some Italians, known as my bed and apartment walls. They are very friendly and have seen me at my worst. We don't even have to use words anymore. Last Sunday began this lovely, yet clingy relationship. I wish they would give me some breathing room. Maybe tomorrow I'll be able to leave the apartment for more than 3 hours. I think my apartment was jealous of my love for the country outside these 4 walls and decided to pass the worst Italian cold onto me through my hotel walls in Pollino. Yes, inanimate objects can be this sneaky. All that aside, I do have some swollen tonsils and an all around sickly body, but between Advil, antibiotics, tea and honey, and some wonderfully nurturing friends, I am on the path to health. Hopefully this will be the last of my sick days. I've missed far too much school and opportunities to explore.

Last week provided me with more pleasant days, such as exploring ancient ruins under one of the oldest churches in Rome and traveling to Pollino in Southern Italy. One of my favorite parts of school in Rome is our close proximity to history and art. No need to look at pictures in books. In my Roman Emperors class, we took an excursion to San Crisogono Church.

 We went down these stairs into another time, the door even closed behind us. I thought we might not make it back out into 2010.

 

bones of a saint where put here, close to another object, such as a piece of cloth, to turn that object into a relic

Very old fresco

 Tomb of a poet or musician because the muses are depicted on the side.

Pirates?!

 

 Ruins from the Byzantine Empire

 Just hanging out with a 1500 year old pillar. A typical day in Rome.

i'm saving Pollino for when I can steal some of my friends' pictures. I'll add them in my next update!

When in Rome

This past weekend started off with a bit of an emergency when one of my roommates, Courtney, accidentally burst her eardrum with a Q tip. Nina, another of my roommates, and I rushed her to the hospital, and by rushed I mean waited 20 minutes for the next train to come. It proved to be stressful and frustrating with the language barrier and long wait. We watched NCIS in Italian on the waiting room TV and speculated the possibility of the man waiting with us being in the mafia. Ok, the latter was only me and my imagination, but he dressed the part and it looked like his hand injury was from punching someone. After almost 3 hours, the doctor saw Courtney for about 5 minutes to tell her the ear specialist was not there, so she had to come back the next morning, and they prescribed her some antibiotics. She’ll be fully healed in 2 months, but she can’t do much in the meantime. Kind of a downer, but better now than later since she’s a swimmer and goes back to school midseason.

We remedied the negative energy with some shopping on Via del Corso. Of course most stores were out of our price range, though we were not even on the most expensive street, but we had fun window shopping and discovering the more reasonably priced stores. I found a few gems that could equal a tragedy on my money situation if I did not have more self-control. I broke down a little in H&M, our last stop, and bought black pants a la Audrey Hepburn. How could I turn those down? Perfect for when I visit the gelateria from Roman Holiday. From H&M, we turned the corner and stumbled upon the perfect little ristorante, Hostaria Al Vantaggio. 

I enjoyed the most delicious meal yet of risotto and house herbs, while we were serenaded by an accordion player. Oh yeah and don’t forget the tiramisu and the nutella gelato from earlier in the day. Let me pause to enforce the stereotype of Italy’s food groups: gelato, pasta, pizza, and caprese (tomato/mozzarella combination). This could easily be all I eat for the next 3 months.

Sunday and yesterday after class were filled with tours of the Colosseo and Palantine Hill (According to Roman mythology, where Romulus killed his brother Remus and founded Rome. Also, the centermost of Rome's seven hills). Typical tourist activities, but these are necessary at least a few times. I know I’m a true Roman underneath my excited picture taking and childlike awe of the monuments. I feel so privileged to explore ancient ruins after class. When in Rome! We couldn’t find the tour for Palantine Hill, so guess who came in handy? Lonely Planet! Talked us the whole way through. I wish Palatine Hill was free, because I would come regularly to read a book or do homework. Maybe even write a book of historical fiction. It’s pretty inspiring. I can imagine emperors from ancient times inhabiting those immense, opulent halls.

I will leave you with 2 style tips I’ve picked up:

For men: Don’t be caught without your side bag/satchel/purse (which ever word you prefer), a bonus if it is designer, such as Gucci.

For women: Heels, preferably wedges with all the cobblestone here, are a must, even on your vespa.

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.