Our apartment has been having problems lately: the internet is stop and go, and our plumbing is clogging up. We can only use one bathroom and we can't use the dishwasher or the kitchen sink, because the water and other things back up into the bidet and shower in the other bathroom. Hopefully it will be fixed tomorrow, but until then we have to eat out.
On Thursday, we had class and in the afternoon we watched the Italy vs. Slovakia football game. It was a highly charged game, and the streets would come alive with cheers or boos with each goal or near-goal. Everyone was depressed when Italy lost. So much for Italian football glory! =(
Friday was a long day of monument viewing. In the morning, we went back to the Roman Forum and the Colosseum to see Trajan's Column and the Arch of Constantine, both of which I had seen already, but which are still impressive at any time. In the afternoon, we went to the churches of St. Pietro in Vicolo and S. Maria Minerva to see two statues by Michelangelo: Moses and the Risen Christ. The Moses was one of those classical statues that you hear about and that sits there with his menacing expression, preparing to jump up and berate you for your sins. His beard truly is magnificent. The Risen Christ on the other hand, is remarkable because the perspective with which you view the statue has an amazingly profound effect on the way the statue seems. From the left, Christ looks grotesque, with a potbelly and an abnormally large bottom. But from the left, Christ is a normal human being, entwined with his cross in a very artistic and beautiful manner. In the evening we were tired and cooked at our apartment.
Saturday was a very, very busy day! We got up early, realized that we had a problem with the plumbing, and then left to catch a bus and train as a group to go to Ostia Antica, about a 45 minute ride. The day was sunny and gorgeous, warm but not sweltering. Lisa showed us through some of the ruins, pointing out the ancient necropoli, the town wall, the public baths (complete with reconstructed mosaic floors - researchers literally put them back together tiny piece by tiny piece), and the apartment buildings. There were no defined paths or routes through much of the town, so we were free to explore and climb over buildings on our own. We climbed up to the second story of the apartment buildings to get the lay of the town, and we lowered ourselves down into the underbelly of the baths, where we could see the original plumbing fixtures. In the hot rooms, water was pumped through pipes in the walls, and the pipes still remain today. We picnicked in a grassy opening in the ruins.After exploring Ostia An
tica, we went to the beach! The day was absolutely perfect for it. There was a slight breeze, and the water was exactly the right temperature. It was a little disconcerting at first not to be able to see the bottom - it was a little murky - but after we got wet we felt so good that we no longer cared. Salt water is very different from the fresh water of Lake Washington that I'm used to. The salt is disgusting if it gets on your lips, but on the other hand you float really really well. We lay on the beach for about forty five minutes, avoiding the men hawking swimsuits, jewelry, and tattoos (these men are EVERYWHERE in Rome. Supposedly they are mostly immigrants, and to be frank it's rather sad. However, when you're trying to relax and close your eyes on the beach, it's rather annoying). I only got a little bit sunburned, which was excellent! In the evening, we went out to dinner and I had my first pasta in an Italian restaurant, as well as my first prosecco (which was so so tasty!). I'm slowly acquiring a taste for wine, but prosecco needs no prior experience at all!Today was one of our rare days off. I spent most of the day catching up on reading and working on my Farnese family presentation, as well as my art history presentation. Only two weeks and four days left in Rome!
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