Its not all glamour here in the Eternal City...

Ok so things aren't perfect, but I still can't help loving Rome! Here are some not-so-sexy parts about this city:

- dog poop on the sidewalk - yeah, its pretty nasty.

- graffiti everywhere, including ancient or medieval walls :(

- Professors who tell you to cut the line to the Vatican Museums in front of angry tourists who had been waiting there all morning. (See photo on the left) I've never been insulted in so many different languages! It was pretty sweet.

- The buses, or drivers in general are notoriously frightening. It's hard not to get thrown around while riding the bus. The other day I thought I was getting the hang of it when it accelerated suddenly and - I don't know how it happened - but my leg ended up over my head, my arms reached for the hand rail and my booty got cozy with the lady next to me. Everyone who saw -and a lot of people did apparently - said it was pretty awesome.


Then I went to Naples, Pompeii, and Capri last weekend ...

- I spent my Friday last week following my crazy Ancient Roman Art history prof through flooded Pompeii in the pouring rain for 5 hours with no lunch of bathroom breaks. Sitting down was prohibited. Unfortunately I loved this. Here is a photo of the amphitheatre after the storm had passed. Ask me more about it if you are willing to accept your inner history nerd.

- More rain! On Capri! The most beautiful island by the sea! But it worked out ok because we had a few hours of sunshine when we went on a hike and took lots of photos!

(on left) This is for Lauren. I know you miss it. You know what I'm talking about.

- Also sampled some magnificent baked goods here: hazelnut biscotti and these amazing almond cookies! (photo bottom left- in front of Caprese pasticceria)

- Then after a brief stop at Naples Archaeological Museum, I felt it necessary that I stop and try their pizza. Pizza Napoletano has chewier crust than Rome's crispiness, but I'm not complaining! (photo bottom right - sitting outside at pizzeria in Napoli)

(You all better still be my friend when I return along with some extra poundage next semester - more of me to love eh?!)

In other news:

- I'm going to Tuscany this weekend with 8 other girls from my program! We're staying in this old farmhouse/guesthouse outside of Siena. I think it will be fun, relaxing, and slightly spontaneous.

- Also, I got an internship here in Rome at the Accademia dei Lincei - basically an amazingly old research library with an excellent collection. I will be working at the reference desk helping researchers find rare books, manuscripts etc. All in Italian! Eek!