Old School

Hello All!

I hope all of you had a great Fourth of July. I celebrated in my own right, by going out to dinner with two guys from Oregon who I met when I returned to the hostel. One of them will be a senior at USC (just like my older brother, Colin), and the other is at the University of Oregon. The USC one is currently living in Frankfort doing an internship at the Royal Bank of Scotland, something I would love to do.

We looked through my guide and found a restaurant next to the Colosseum where all the locals allegedly go. After walking for about 30 minutes we found the place and took a seat. It was obvious that it was not a tourist trap because the service people did not speak the least amount of English, but we still made headway. We started with some salad and then we each had pasta- I got a type of short pasta with meat sauce. As we sipped the house wine we discussed our travels as well as the interesting peculiarities of Italian culture. Unusually, after we finished our tirimasu, they were obviously trying to rush us out of their restaurant! I had the understanding that Italians took their sweet time at dinner, but apparently not at this place. It was fine though, and I headed home afterword for some sleep.

I got up a little later than usual and started on my journey to the Ancient City, starting with the Colosseum. Since I got there when it opened, there was barely a line, so I got my ticket and wandered around the ancient structure. It is so amazing that the ancient Romans could build such a grandiose place. The amount of carnage that took place there, was a humbling fact that is, I believe, a stain on a beautiful building. By the time I left, there was a massive line for tickets, and I was thankful for my early arrival.

Next up was the Roman Forum and the Paletine hill. This was essentially a mess of ruins that was very hard to figure out. I just had to do my best with deciphering what ruin was used for what. There was an old house that belonged to Emperor Augustus, which held a bunch of old stucco painted walls. Although beautiful, it wasn't astounding. As I walked through the Forum, I made use of my eavesdropping skills and overheard a tour guide's tidbits about the place, so I found out which was the old senate, and which was the Temple of the Vestal Virgins.

Upon my exit, I meandered around various other buildings and plazas, one of which was the huge and magnificent monument to the Unknown Soldier. This huge building has tons of columns and two eternal flames guarded all the time by the military. Inside, there is a military museum, and on top there is a cafe and a terrace. Quite different from the small, but still nice, American monument in Arlington.

I continued on the Pantheon, a truly awe-inspiring edifice with an unbelievably large cement dome on top. Although originally it had Ancient Roman uses, it is now a cathedral. It was nice to walk around it, and see the marble and sunlight intermingling, as there is a large hole in the roof to act as a sundial. Also, Columbia's main library is modeled after the Pantheon, so it got me excited about school, which starts in less than two months!

By that time I was a little hungry, so I got a slice of Italian cuisine, but it wasn't pizza. First of all, it was cold. Second of all, it had dough on both sides. Third of all, inside there was not cheese but fig and prosciutto. Quite an interesting lunch, but I enjoyed it and they told me it was very Italian. Next time, though, I think I'll go for the hot, one-sided, and cheesy cousin of it.

To finish up my day I went to the train station and got some tickets for the next couple days, and went back to the room to do some housekeeping stuff. Tomorrow I leave for Florence, where I'm staying with some incredibly generous family friends. I can't wait to spend time with them and also see the great art of Firenzi!

Until then, here's looking at you.