Roma, Roma, Roma!

Rome was absolutely incredible. Seeing the sites that I've only ever seen in history books was surreal, to say the least. The hardest part for me to grasp was the lenght of time it took to build some of these fantastic structures, and the amount of manpower that went into it. Walking through Rome is like taking a stroll through time, you'll be walking by some 18th century buildings and then turn a corner and suddenly there is a Roman ruin - and the whole city is like that. One of the really great things for me was the fact that I know a lot of this history and mythology behind the ruins and temples, so seeing them in person was a lot of fun. I spent a lot of time recounting to Adj, the mythology behind each temple, all of the stories of the Gods and Goddesses, the myth of Romulus and Remus and how Rome came to be.... it was 'Superfluous Knowledge with Miranda' time. We got to see the Coliseum and the Circus Maximus - where Genesis and Phil Collins were playing a concert Saturday night - and the Pantheon. The last probably was my favorite. It's almost hidden in the middle of all of these buildings, you're walking through narrow passages far from any main road and all of a sudden this square opens up and you just stop and stare. I got to see it at night and by day. We saw the Piazza de Spagna, where the Spanish Steps are and we also went to the Vatican. That.... was definitely the experience of a lifetime.

We waited in line and then took the lift and then 330 steps up to the top of the cupola on the Basillica of St. Peters. The view of Rome was breathtaking. I think I took about 100 pictures from all the way around, trying to capture everything that I could see. Being inside Vatican was very thought provoking for me. It could be just a side effect of being in one of the holiest places on earth, but I took about ten minutes to sit down and sift through all that was in my head in the small prayer chapel.

That night Adj and I walked around and ate dinner between the Spanish Steps and the Pantheon and then he wanted to go to Piazza Navona so we headed west from the Pantheon, me with the map leading the way. It was dark by this time and when we found the Piazza it was all lite up by the amber colored street lights. There are beautiful fountains at each end and a statued obelisk in the middle that was being restored. There were performers and tourists and artists looking to draw your portrait everywhere. On the southern side of the Piazza there was a big open area and I was drawn to the sound of drums and singing. The music was coming from a group of Hare Krishna’s who were smiling and dancing and playing music, clothed in their brightly colored saris and scarves. The music was so catchy and irresistible that I found myself smiling and tapping my feet to the beat. One of the women saw me and smiled, reaching out her hand to me and I allowed myself to be pulled away from Adj's side and into their dance. It took a few seconds but I caught onto the steps and danced and spun along side the women and the few other tourists that had joined in. My new skirt that I had bought the day before was the perfect thing to be wearing as it flared out around me as I spun, clapping to the beat. The women and I laughed and got lost in the music until it came to an end. I felt regretful as I had to stop dancing and back away, returning to Adj and smiling a huge smile as I told him how amazing that had been. "Funny," I said, "Those are the people my mother always told me to avoid in the mall."

Adj and I had an amazing time, our hostel was really great and because Adj can get by in Italian and is an Italian citizen, we got a lot of special treatment. I was truly sad to be leaving Italy - again - but comforted by the fact that I know I'll be back. That isn't even an option for me.

And now? Back to reality here in Berlin. It is my last week in Europe and I have so much to do. I have to figure out how I'm going to pack everything, including the 5 bajillion presents that I have purchased. I have a ten minute presentation tomorrow and a five page paper due along with two exams on Thursday. I'm taking Leo, my host brother and a friend to see Harry Potter auf Deutsch (in German) tomorrow and I have to prepare myself to say goodbye to all of my friends here. It's going to be an insanely busy week.

Love to all at home, One week left,
*Miranda