Day 16: Is this real life?

I just finished my second week of classes... (No Thursday or Friday classes) and they were all awesome. Will go in to more detail, but first I have to recap the weekend:

Saturday Sept 7:

On Saturday, Danielle and I went to the store and got cheese, wine, grapes, proscuitto and a baguette for our roomie picnic at the Trevi Fountain. Our goal was to make it there by 'sunsetty' time, which didn't quite happen. Still totally worth it though. 

From there we wandered to the Coliseum to check it out all lit up at night. Not bad:

By the time we made it back to our place, it was close to midnight and I decided to go to bed. Mistake.  3 of my other roommates went out to GBar 2 blocks behind our house and met a pro Basketball player and his entourage AND scored a date with an Italian man. I told my roommate she's not allowed to let me say no. Ever. Again. Grr. 

Sunday Sept 8:

I knew I was going to be doing homework all day on Sunday so my roommate and I thought we would go on a run. We went down to the Tiber River and just started going South. Down on the river there is a bike lane/running road that is only there during the summer months when the river is low. Even though we have been walking to the point of exhaustion, running totally works different muscles. By the time we thought we should turn around, we found ourselves wayyyyy farther than we thought. We mapped it out when we got home: 3.5miles. Not too shabby. 

Monday Sept 9:

Nothing cool happened. Haha. 

Tuesday Sept 10:

Art History and Food and Wine. The two best classes in the existence of the world. 

In Art History, we had an on site lecture AT the Colosseum, followed my Trajan's market and Trajan's Column:

Afterwards, our Food and Wine class was also on site. We met up at CEA then took the Metro (um, yuck) to a small market next to Termini Station. Our assignment was to take notes of the kind of market , prices, goods and population and compare it to the next market we were going to: Eataly.

This first market Esquilino was in what I can only describe as the Chula Vista of Rome. Mostly made up of Bangledeshi people and Asian minorities, this market was on the smaller side with vendors in booth selling different types of food. This picture I just found on google images gives you a good idea of what it looks like:

Definitely not Ralphs

The food was cheap, but the people made it a little uncomfortable. There were plenty of Gypsies creepin around and the vendors immediately peg you as American and say things to you that are a little uncomfotable. Being a tall blonde doesn't help so much either. 

"Ohhhhh you so beauuuuutiful" 

"No grazie"

I did manage to snap this pic of an Octopus for sale:

From there, we got on the Metro again (yuck, again) and got off at Piramide to go to Eataly.

Foodie. Heaven.

I walked in and fell in love. Eataly is the Nordstroms/Neiman Marcus/Ritz Carlton of Grocery Stores. Talk about a 180 from the last place. I was DYING. 4 Levels of specialty food products with Bistros in each corner of each floor. Not kidding. 

All pasta, gelato, desserts, mozzarella are made on site. Incredible. The only thing I could say while I was in there was that I could die happy inside that place. I literally wanted one of everything that they were selling. The one thing I had to get was obviously in the dessert case. 

Chocolate.

Covered. 

Tiramisu.

Pop.

A Very Well Documented First Bite thanks to Rachel 

This was probably the best thing I have eaten this whole trip so far. It was so so so so delicious. Then it was gone... Wahhh

I want to live in Eataly. Seriously. But we were on another foodie mission after class. Our roommate Ali turned 20 yesterday and we had to go hunt down the cookie factory that my cousin referred us to on Via Della Luce to get bday dessert. 

 Biscottifico Innocente:

Looks completely irrelevant from the outside, but once you get within 10 feet of the door, you can SMELL the amazingness coming from inside. We ordered a box of at least 20 cookies (tutti cioccolato) for only 9 euros. 

Happy Bday Ali!!!

We had dinner at La Carbonara at Campo di Fiori, (Kinda a tourist trap) and then enjoyed all of these great cookies! Yesterday was a great day for food.

Wednesday Sept 11:

Only one class today, (New Testament and Catholicism) on site in the Roman Forum. Since I have heard this information at least 3 times already, I brought my good camera along and took photos during the 2 hour lecture in on and off cloudy/rainy-one-minute-then-blistering-hot weather.

Enjoy. :)

Roman Forum

Lookin' like a bag lady

Vestal Virgins

Arch of Titus

Devotissimo Suo,

M