A Weekend in Rome

Time has been going by pretty quickly. It is already October, and we've already been here in Rome a month and a half. That's pretty crazy, honestly. This past weekend I was just here in Rome, mainly to relax after traveling for two weekends (one of which was Oktoberfest, whew) and because we went to Ostia Antica on Friday morning.

Floor mosaic of Neptune, Ostia Antica

Ostia Antica was interesting, mainly because it is the original port of Rome from ancient times. Its mostly ruins now, but some of the remaining elements are nice to see. A lot of the floor mosaics are still remaining, and they're actually very detailed. Most of them featured Roman gods. One of the more complete mosaics featured Neptune, the Roman god of the sea.
It's really hard to imagine what all of these spaces looked like thousands of years ago. I'm getting a bit tired of looking at ruins to be honest, and am much more impressed by buildings that are still existing in their entirety. The Pantheon was essentially built around the same time, and almost fully intact. This impresses me a little bit more than half foot walls and pieces of frescos. Its still interesting to see, but it would be even better if we could see what it once was. Now that was probably impressive. We walked around for about five hours and saw most of the area. We were concentrated in the Castrum, which is the original area of the port before most of the expansion happened. There is a theater in this area, and its actually mostly intact. It's actually pretty cool because most of the steps ancients would sit on are still existing, as is the stage area.

Theater area, Ostia Antica

Cheeseburger at T-bone Station

Later that night, we went to an American Steakhouse in Rome for Rose's birthday. Our party included myself, Naeemah, Clarissa, Rose, Rachel, Cait, Justin, Kyle, and Simon. We were all really craving cheeseburgers and steak. We found one right in Trastevere called T-Bone Station. The cheeseburger was quite good, as were the onion rings we had and the barbeque sauce. Its refreshing to know that there are places in Italy that serve "American food." Hearing people say that they're going to go eat "American" also sounds really strange. I guess we're known for steak and burgers. I guess there are worse things. It was a good night, and it was great to be able to have a burger again. I didn't realize how much I missed them until I started eating one. There are a few other American places in the area, and it would be interesting to try those out too.

Piazza of St. Peter's in Vatican City

On Saturday, Rose and I went to an international market near the Vatican. We also stopped in the Vatican piazza, as I still haven't seen it yet. It really wasn't as large as we were expecting it to be. Pictures make it look enormous, and when we were there, it just didn't seem as astounding as I was expecting. The international market was called Castroni, and it was on Via Cola di Rienzo a few streets up from the Vatican. It was interesting to see what selection they had. They did have some American food like Chips Ahoy and Mexican food. They also had a pretty extensive section for Asian food and for English teas. I got myself some English tea, Chips Ahoy, and pancake syrup. Pancake syrup was almost ten euros. I don't think most Europeans have even heard of pancakes, even though they're so common in the United States. Later, we meandered over to Via del Corso to do some shopping for Rose's birthday with Cait. By the end of the day, Rose managed to get an entire outfit, including shoes. I'd say it was a successful day.
That night we went to Coyote, a dance club about 25 minutes walk from where we live in Trastevere. Clarissa, Naeemah, Cait, Rose and I all went together. They played mostly American music while we were there, and we met some guys who were also in architecture in Italy. The dance club was set up essentially like an American club would be, except that Italian guys act differently. They're more flattering, and they also have different perceptions of personal space. We didn't end up leaving until 3am. As we were leaving, a group of guys asked us to go in with them to help them get in. Guys had to pay ten euros to get in, while girls are free. Basically, guys still need girls to get in to pay ten euros, whereas girls can just walk in. Kind of sucks for them, if you ask me. There were a lot of guys in there though, so maybe that was why.

What I bought at the flea market

Sunday morning, I went to the huge flea market in Trastevere with Mackenzie. It was a successful day. I got a cloth bag for nine euros, when it was supposed to be ten. Some of the vendors like to haggle, and some don't. We also found a stand owned by a man and a woman who were selling real leather bracelets, keychains, rings, etc. I ended up getting a bracelet and a ring. They were gorgeous, and it was pretty amazing that they were all handmade and not that expensive. After the market, Mackenzie and I decided to make pancakes and have an American breakfast. After a long search for some oil that wasn't olive oil, we successfully made some pancakes with Rachel. It was a nice breakfast, and I have missed pancakes.

Well, that pretty much sums up my weekend. It was great being able to relax a little bit and be able to experience more of Rome. I'm also glad I was finally able to see the Vatican, and hope that I'll be able to see inside St. Peter's and the museum before I leave. This week is basically production week for studio since our first phase (the Arturbain competition) is due next Monday. Our project is coming along pretty well, and it's actually kind of fun to work on. This weekend I am going to Nice, France in the French Riviera and Clarissa and Rachel, so that should be fun.
A presto, ciao.