Originally posted on my Tumblr travel blog, A Roman Spring with IES, in 2008.
I have only been in Rome a couple of days, but I can already tell that I am going to enjoy it here. There is so much to do and see, as well as people to meet!
The past few days, I have been trying to get to know the city better. On Friday, IES sent us on guided tours where we stopped at great spots; such as the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and Spanish Steps. Friday night, I met up with IES students in Campo dei Fiori. Yesterday, I took the metro for the first time back to Spagna (the Spanish Steps) so that I could buy books for class on Monday.
Last night (Saturday night), Dave and I went with Valerio to meet up with some of his Italian friends in Trastevere. They were doing a Scavenger Hunt! I don’t think they won, but it was fun to watch their efforts. Afterwards, they took us to a Metal Rock Pub where they played music from American bands (I thought that was kind of funny).
Today, I met up with Rigo in Spagna again and we walked around to look in shops. I have been hunting for an Italian looking coat, but have not yet come up with anything that I think is a reasonable price. Supposedly, right now is “sale season”. Everywhere you go you see “saldi” in the window. But either they are not really sales or the normal prices are extremely high, because all the coats I have seen are around 200 euro.
I am finally starting to feel comfortable using the public transportation. However, my knowledge of the system is still very limited. I am also starting to recognize streets and my neighborhood, which is very good. It is very easy to get lost in Rome, due to the design. There is no rhyme or reason to the streets. Unlike New York, where the streets are setup in a grid, Rome’s streets are mass chaos. There are a million tiny side streets and everything seems to be in diagonals. It makes if very difficult to navigate when you don’t know your way around.
Besides from that, I will be starting intensive Italian class tomorrow morning. I am very excited to start. It has been difficult to walk into stores or restaurants and try to buy something due to my lack of Italian. So, I am really hoping that this week is street conversation language, or the stuff we really need to know just to be able to get around comfortably in Rome.
I am hoping to put up pictures soon and display them, but I haven’t had the energy to do so yet. Walking around takes a lot out of you!
Until next time, Ciao!
Stephen