Roaming Rome

I had a wonderful time in Rome, as evidenced by the pictures I took. Please excuse the 9 million pictures of Flat Stanley in front of the Fontana di Trevi - but it is one of my favorite places in the world.



Anyways.

I got in on Saturday night and headed to the hostel - the Village Roma. Having done my crazy research - I am a little obsessive compulsive - I knew that it was quite a trek out to the grounds, but I figured it was worth the extra commute to pay 20 bucks a night. The location sucked - there's no way to put it nicely, but for the price, it was a great place. There was a nice swimming pool and the "hostel" was really 3-person trailers with bunk beds and an ensuite bathroom. For the first two nights, no one showed, so I had the whole place to myself. On the third night, a girl named Lucy made it into the room, and we had a nice conversation about American politics - being from the UK, she was as enthusiastic as ever about Obama.

The first night, I ventured back into Rome and had a fantastic dinner, where I got quite the hook-up on the food, given that the waiter wanted to have drinks later - which I did not go to. . .but flirting for free appetizers, dessert and wine is always worth it. :) I then made my way down to see the Forum and Colisseum at night - both spectacular, as always.

The next day, I went to the Vatican because it was "Free Sunday." I have never, ever seen so many people waiting in line in my entire life - but it was worth the two hour wait to get in for free to see the Vatican Museum, Sistene Chapel, and St. Peter's. I've been to the Vatican before, but it never ceases to amaze me. Flat Stanley is also a great buddy for making friends, and I met several people from all over the world - from Australia to Saudi Arabia to Figi. It was pretty cool.

Flat and I then made our way to the Canadian Ambassador to Italy's villa, an amazing house Mussolini had built for his Minister of Foreign Affairs. The Ambassador and his wife had me in for dinner, and we had a wonderful conversation about our shared family histories, public service, and their experience in Rome. I can't say enough good things about Ambassador Himelfarb and his wife - they were incredibly kind and upbeat, and I hope that this visit was the first of many for me and my new friends. I especially enjoyed spending time with their dog, Guido, who helped show me around the grounds of the villa. The Ambassador's son, Jordan, has a great mp3 blog - www.saidthegramophone.com - which I highly recommend you check out. I'm hoping he might come visit us at the Clinton School to talk about the success of the blog, often listed on the top ten list of independent and music blogs in the world.

The next day, I went back to the Colisseum to see the inside, and progressed through Rome to see everything I could possibly see in a day. The pictures will speak for themselves, but let's just say that by 4 pm, I couldn't walk another step and made my way back to the hotel to relax by the pool, before heading out for more sightseeing that evening.

Finally, on Tuesday, I made it to the Villa Borghese for my alloted time for the viewing of the Correggio exhibit. Given that you have to make reservations in advance, I did not think I'd be able to go, but the Ambassador was kind enough to set it up for me, and I felt so lucky to get to see these amazing pieces of art. The exhibit included "The Education of Cupid," which I have always loved.

I also managed to make it to see "The Dark Knight" (a totally different type of art) because I couldn't take it anymore. It was great.

So after a week's worth of sun, cobblestone, art by all of the Ninja Turtles, gelato, lasagne, Italian men, dirty streets, and wine, I am completely and utterly exhausted. I have my final meeting and hand-off of the "Big Burma Project" tomorrow, packing to do, and I leave on Tuesday. I will definitely write one more time with my thoughts, and I may even blog a little from Portland and Vancouver. A big shout out to Amanda - I'm glad that we became friends this summer and that you were here to share these experiences with me - it would not have been the same without you! See you in New York!

As always, my love and thanks to everyone else. . .especially my mom for her help with the trip to Rome. I am so lucky to have such loving, supportive friends and family.