Adult Macaroni and Cheese

Written while watching the sun set over Roma from my balcony and digesting the most delicious Italian food that I have ever eaten in my life.

Also, this post is dedicated to S, M, & L for helping me create the perfect European experience.

Okay, I'll admit it.  I'm a-wait for it-tourist.  Wow, that was hard to say.  Living in Rome, in an apartment and really living on my own with two other roommates, has been an experience to say the least.  We have the least amount of time here in the program as we do in Paris and Madrid, yet we have spent the bulk of our time getting accustomed to the Roman culture.  So, we have pretty much been living in our own little bubble for the last few days before venturing out on our first field experience yesterday.  It's kind of like living like a local, but today we got to be tourists.  And in case you're wondering what that means, refer to what I said yesterday about going to the place where dreams are made of.  Let me give you a little clue: you can't visit Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower, and you can't go to Rome without visiting...

THE COLOSSEUM.  That's right, this beautiful structure actually exists-something that I could never really envision for myself because I've only ever seen it in the history books or all of my friends' abroad pictures.  But, today we took the metro to stop Coliseo and low and behold stood the structure in all of its striking glory.  And so was our professor, who happened to be our guide for the day.  So, instead of waiting in line for hours and trying to do it all on our own, the Colosseum got to be our classroom for the morning.  We even got a chance to "take a break and take pictures" in between learning about the purposes of different sections.

Hi Mom! I'm not always behind the camera!

After the Colosseum we explored the Roman Forum.  Quite an interesting place; I feel obligated to tell you though that most of it is actually refurbishments of what was originally there thousands of years ago.  Regardless, it is still interesting to be standing on a piece of ground where something remarkable once happened in history.  And, it is quite cool because Rome is like an onion...no it doesn't smell but it does make you cry (it is so beautiful) and it has layers.  Stand on one piece of the forum and you can look up and see the world above you; look below and it is an "archaeological Disney World."  Class ran a little late, so we grabbed a bus back home for a quick lunch and rest before our second field visit of the day, happy that there was a direct bus line back to our building.

This afternoon we went off the beaten path and went to the Markets of Trajan, just off the Roman Forum.  A cross between a museum and monument, this was a place I probably never would have heard of if I was not studying with IES; it was unlike anything I had ever seen.  You could probably classify it as a museum built into a monument, as it is a building that incorporates the different layers of land.  We got to go in the different caverns and see pieces of old temples and buildings dating back to the earliest centuries C.E.  One of the IES staff members used to intern there, so she served as our guide for the afternoon, with our time ending at a cool exhibit on Food and Fashion.  We grabbed another bus (same line) directly back home after an insightful afternoon.

Then, one of my classmates and I decided that we wanted to get a feel for Roman night life and go out for dinner.  Here, most of the touristy places close pretty early as tourists go back to their hotels after a long day exploring.  We decided to walk until we found a place-yes, I already forgot the name-just in a little cobblestone alleyway near the IES Center.  And it was delicious.  I officially have a new favorite pasta: spaghetti carbonara.  It's essentially adult macaroni and cheese, spaghetti cooked in egg and butter and cheese with bacon mixed in.  Paired with a glass of white wine and tiramisu for dessert, we left pleasantly satisfied.  We walked home taking in the beautiful sunset and cool weather, stopping to take pictures of the pretty views on the way not crowded by tourists.  

We have a free half day tomorrow before taking a walking tour with one of our professors of different churches in the area.  And, I'm getting excited for my weekend trip to Florence!  Until then, it's more Orange is the New Black for me and making room on my phone for new pictures.

Addio bella!