Keri Goes Abroad: January 2012

Pat in Rome!

Rome. These pictures feel like a lifetime away. Salzburg is covered in a blanket of very wet snow that stopped all traffic and made it so that I only had two students in my first period class this morning. In the mountains there's been even more - feet and feet of it. It's still fresh enough, though, that I don't really look at these pictures with a fierce longing for summer...yet.

Pat and I arrived in Rome in the early afternoon. As we flew in, the landscape changed below us, from mountainous greens to the yellows, olives, and reddish-browns that Italy is known for. It was nice to leave rainy Salzburg and arrive in warm, dry Rome. It was not nice, however, to have our lives flash before our eyes several times in the taxi ride from the airport to our hostel. We picked some shuttle service that seemed less-than-legal (like many things in Rome), and watched as our fellow passengers argued heatedly in Italian, complete with dramatic hand-gesturing, with our driver. I'm sure we got slightly ripped off, but we did make it to our hostel without having anything stolen. Our hostel was right next to the train station, an area that is central but not too central, and shady but not too shady - much like any other train station in Europe.

After checking in and exploring our room we wandered to find some ruins. Pat was eager to see some "old stuff" and I was excited to see what Rome had to offer. We ended up at Trevi fountain, watching the swarms of pickpockets and tourists.

Oh hey, we found some old stuff

Rome by night

Trevi fountain

The next day started with a cup of Italian cappuccino and a baked good. We decided to just wing it and head in the general direction of the city. On our way, we stumbled upon some cool churches, including the one with what Pat called "Horny Moses." Apparently some of the translations say that Moses had light coming out of his head, which somehow morphed into horns. Michelangelo was one of the sculptors to make Moses according to the horned translation - thus, "Horny Moses." We weren't even trying to find it; Pat just pointed up an alley and said, "Let's see what's over here."

But the best part of the day, and perhaps the trip, was the look on Pat's face when we stumbled upon the Colosseum. We turned a corner and BAM there it was. Pat's jaw dropped and he stood still for a solid minute before walking on. We had read about the Rome pass, which included entry into some of the sites, and used it toward a tour of the Colosseum. Our guide was knowledgeable, but the day was hot and I can barely remember what she said. It didn't really matter, though - the sight of a colossal ancient architectural feat was enough. Our tour included a tour of Palatine Hill, this time with a different guide. It's mostly ruins, but still an awe-inspiring sight.

After our full day of touring, we wandered around near the Colosseum, where we found a little restaurant and ate some food. The Austrians will tell you that it's good to walk around after you eat, and that's exactly what we did. We moseyed from the Colosseum, up a few alleys, past the old gladiator training grounds, and over to a park. The park was nothing special, but it was really cool to see masses of barefoot children playing pickup soccer. It's a cultural difference - in America you might see the same kids playing frisbee, football or baseball.

That night we made our way back to the hostel, exhausted and full of Italian food. We tried to avoid our crazy Brazilian roommate and the loud Americans down the hall, and attempted to get some rest before the next day's adventures.