Anna Stevens

Rome Journal

Day One: 321 photos

I pulled an all nighter for the first time this year from the jet lag getting here. That is
sad. That is especially sad because I am in DAAP. But that is okay because Rome is
SO beautiful. There are sea gulls everywhere, which I did not expect. There are
huge umbrella pines everywhere too. I did not expect for there to be some many big
pretty trees. I love it. The city is so old. Everywhere we walk there is another
awesome monument that I have only read about or seen pictures of. The weather is
great, really great. The churches are beautiful. The coliseum is awesome. The ruins
are beautiful. I love all of the different brick textures and designs. I love the
drinking fountains too. They are normal to the citizens but really amazing to me. It
is also so green right now. I love nature. Seeing what I have of Rome right now has
reminded me of how much I love the built environment. I love interior design, but
nature was the first living environment for humans. And Rome shows the beauty in
the past and present living environments. IT IS JUST SO BEAUTIFUL.

Day Two: 415 photos

I could see myself permanently living here. Many people here love Americans.
Some hate us, but not that many. The food here is so good. It is like American
Italian but with only the base ingredients at a much higher quality. It is stripping
down what we call Italian of everything excessive. What is left is so good. I love
simple foods, foods that are not complex but are made of really good stuff. I love the
opportunity to taste and enjoy each individual ingredient and enjoy the simple yet
profound combinations. We also had some wine at a restaurant. It was the best
wine I have ever tasted. It was so sweet. My mother would love it. I dont
understand how it was so sweet. It was also free which was awesome. When we
paid the owner he gave me a bottle on the house because we liked it so much! Best
thing to happen to me today! The sculptures we saw today were also great. Hades
was enormous and just stacked! The ceilings were also beautiful. I think I am going
to create a photo album called Ceiling Porn. The park was also absolutely beautiful.
I hated that we had to run through it. I would like to take things slower when I come
back. The Pantheon was really cool, but I like other places better. There are pigeons
everywhere. There are also hot men everywhere. The men of Italy are just
impossible. They wear beautiful suits. They have beautiful hair. The have will-
trimmed beards. They are so stylish. They always smell good, and they ride
motorcycles. This should not exist! So that pretty much sums up day 2, great free
wine, awesome ceilings, hot men, and pigeons.

Day Three: 443 photos

It was an awesome day. I really think I could live here. We went to Ostia, which are
the ruins of an old port. It was beautiful. It is also a sanctuary for old dogs,
awesome. The weather was fantastic. It felt so great to be close to the ocean. There
were middle schoolers everywhere. The hotel is awesome. Everything smells so
good, and they fold and organize all of our stuff! The people here smell amazing! I
dont understand! They smoke and drink BUT THEY SMELL AMAZING. We saw a
cool church. They arent very creative with their names. Ill have to explain more
when I get back. We ate at a caf outside with a view of a beautiful church. It was so
great. I want to live here. We walked around Rome on our own for 7ish hours. It
was so great!!! We saw some really awesome stuff. Every part of Rome is awesome.
I love seeing it all. We went to Tiber Island. It is really cool there. There is a
beautiful broken bridge. You can walk around the island, which is fun and awesome.
Couples write their names on locks and attach them to the walls. I also had gelato
there. I got chocolate, coffee and pistachio all in one cone, and I am never eating
anything but pistachio gelato ever again, SO GOOD! We walked through the Jewish
district on the way back. People are crazy Jewish. We saw a city square of ruins that
had been turned into a cat sanctuary. I loved that. We sat on some steps looking at
this MASSIVE monument for a good hour or so. We just talked, really great people
watching. It was just really fun. We stopped at a grocery store on the way back,
AND STUFF IS SO CHEAP!!! You can get a 2-liter of coke for .89 euro. You can get a
bottle of wine for 5.89 euro. This was also not a very nice establishment but
everyone was dressed to a tee. Tomorrow the plan is to eat lunch at a park. Get
bread, cheese, nutella, pears and other foods at the grocery store to eat there. It is
just all really fun and really beautiful and really exciting.

Day Four: 280 photos

Im slacking. Today was really tiring. We saw soooo many churches. I have photos
of so many church ceilings it is getting ridiculous. My favorite ceilings are the ones
that are just white a gold with coffers with flowers. They are the best. I have a lot of
pictures of that. I have walked more than I care to ever walk. Today is Labor Day so
none of the busses were running. We went to a downtown market and had lunch
there. It was really cool. There are flowers and foods everywhere. I wanted to stop
and get some fruit and look for balsamic vinaigrette, but we had to continue our
running tour. We didnt know we would be training for a marathon. Our tour
guides name is Tony. Her tagline is okay, lets go. We made a song and
everything. I was the first person to be left behind, feeling real loved. I was in a
really awesome church taking pictures when I realized how quiet our radio was.
One of the teachers came back to get me though so its all cool. We got to watch little
kids chase pigeons while waiting for people in a town square. It was the best thing
ever, and I got an amazing picture. Im really proud. For dinner ten of us walked
around Rome for a good hour before deciding on a place to eat. I was irritated to put
it lightly. The food was pretty good though so I guess thats okay. Tomorrow we see
the Vatican. Im pretty excited. Im also pretty tired.

Day Five: 195 photos

I think my energy level is directly related to the amount of photos I take. We went
to a castle fortress thing today. We saw a lot of cool things, cool rocks, cool vines,
cool views, cool wood, and really cool glass, cool stuff. We got to see all of Rome at
the top of the castle. That was fun. We then went to the Vatican. There was a line
that was forever long. I bet people had to wait 3 hours, but we had a reservation. It
also finally rained today. It rained hard, but really only at lunch when we were
outside. I did find out that my rain jacket could contain my camera and my purse. I
looked really weird but thats okay. Every other part of me was really wet. We hung
out under some scaffolding, but it had holes in it. I also saw a seagull swoop down
and attack/eat a pigeon from 10 feet away. That was truly an experience, vicious
animals. The Vatican was really cool but sooooo crowded. We were really packed
and had to hurry because there were so many people. I dont think my feet have
ever hurt more than they do now. Im really tired. We also had a horrible
experience on a bus. So many things have been really great. There have only been a
few eerie moments, but I am getting ready to go home. I miss it, and they are kind of
running us to the ground. Tomorrow will be better I believe. We are going to Asisi.
I think we will be able to explore on our own terms. Should be nice. Im so tired!

Day Six: 144 photos

Today was not a very busy day to plead my case, and it has been raining these past
few days so I cant take pictures outside very much. Today was really good. We
went to Assisi. It is a cute little town in the country. The countryside is beautiful,
and the city was beautiful. It has a lot of really cute shops. We didnt do a lot of
walking today. That was nice. The final soccer game between Florence and Naples
was in Rome today. We had an adventure getting back from Assisi. People are crazy
about there soccer here. Tomorrow we go to Tivoli. I am excited. I present my
project tomorrow too. I am also really good friends with my roommate now, which
is awesome. I do really miss home and cant wait to get back though.

Day Seven: 292 photos

Im catching up. Today was a really good day. We started off at the catacombs.
They are not that interesting. There was a shepherd and his sheep in the field next
to it. They were more interesting. I think that sums up our group. There is a
monument to our left and we are all staring at the sheep to the right. We then went
to see the great baths. I did not expect the ceilings to be as tall as they were. Then
we went to Tivoli. I think the best description we can come up with for the Italian
country is fake. There is no way these mountains and cypress trees and olive trees
and endless blue sky is real, no way, but it is! It is so beautiful! I had a really good
sandwich for lunch, and I swear you can find at least five gelato shops in a one-block
radius. They are everywhere! The Villa dEste was stunning. I would like to spend
like five hours there. We had an hour and a half. I tried to document everything, but
there is so much. It is beyond beautiful in person. It is definitely my favorite thing I
have seen so far. When we got back I took an hour nap. It was really nice. We then
got dinner in a really nice square. It was really good and really fun. I really love
some of my friends here. Tomorrow I am going shopping with Bridgette, Erin, and
Logan. Im really excited.

Day Eight: 0 photos

I want to tell my family about Italy and be with them but I want to stay here! I love
it! Today we just went walking all day, nowhere in particular. We went to the
market, and I bought gifts for everyone. Im not sure how well I did, but I did get
some balsamic vinegar that I am very proud of. I also wore my dress today because
it was very hot. I love it. My feet are a little tired, but I am very familiar with Rome
now. I think I have been to every inch of the city by now. I think I could navigate it
without a map. There is also a major monument every 2 blocks so that helps. I have
packed most of my suitcase now and surprisingly, it all fits. We all had dinner at an
AMAZING restaurant. It was the best food EVER. It was so good. When we come
back it would definitely benefit to have restaurants already picked out, and we are
eating right next to the coliseum. We have done that with so many restaurants.
Like, this cant be real. I already miss Rome. I want to travel more. I want to go to
Istanbul with my brother, Jeremiah. That is the first thing on my list. Im going to
make it happen. I had no idea how important travel is until now. I miss Rome.