Late post- my internet has been pretty scarce… I think this was the weekend of 6/11-12.

This past weekend, I went with some new friends to Sardinia. Sardinia is the largest island off the west coast of Italy. This was a totally spontaneous trip- since we decided to go last minute, no one had any time to research. We decided to go at 1pm on Thursday and we had to leave to catch our train at 6pm. Classes were over at 4pm, so there was very little time to pack.

We took a train from Rome to Civitaveccia, the port city. From there, we barely caught the overnight ferry to Sardinia. Although it was expensive, we booked private rooms, which was a great idea. The ride was about 9 hours, from 10pm to around 8-ish. We arrived in Olbia, the main port on the north end of the island.

We were staying in Orosei, which was supporsed to be about a 1.5 to 2 hour bus ride away. Told the bus driver where we were going and got on the bus. The bus ride was over 3 hours long and ended up in a town called Nuorto all the way across the island. We figured that this was our fault- that we misread the bus sign or something (more on this later). So we found another bus in Nuorto and got to Orosei.

The beach was great. Instead of rocks like Capri, Sardinia has lovely white sand beaches and gorgeous water. Sardinia is kind of rural- a lot of people are farmers and we saw tractors heading down the middle of the town streets. We kept getting asked if we were German. It turns out that it is a relatively popular German tourist destination. Many of the Sardinian hotels have agreements with German travel agencies to advertise.

The next day, we rented a car and drove to Bidderrosa, a nature preserve. They only let a certain number of people in per day (like Island Beach State Park back home). The woman who sold us tickets said we were the first Americans who had ever come to Bidderrosa. So that was really neat. Bidderrosa was even more gorgeous than the beach by the hotel. There were olive trees and cactus everywhere. We drove down a dirt road and the beach appeared out of nowhere. We had a great picnic lunch and then explored and played in the water all day. There were barely any people there. We saw a film crew making a movie.

Later in the afternoon, we hiked up a small mountain (in flip-flops!) to see a lovely 360 degree view of the island. We took tons of pictures (including one of us spelling out our school name). That evening, we got dinner and had some interesting conversations with the hotel manager. Sardinia has a really neat type of flat bread that they serve, almost like a cracker. Other specialties include a liquorish liqueur, limoncello, fish, and certain types of wine. All in all, it seemed like an awesome trip so far.

I hope you didn’t forget about the bus fiasco getting to Orosei. Because it’s not over yet. We woke up at 6 to catch the first bus out of town at 7. Our ferry was at 12. 7 rolls around with no bus. Same at 8 and 9. By this point, we are relly worried. The travel agency in town had sold us the bus tickets and given us the bus schedule. We were going to go talk to them but they were closed (stuff in Italy closes randomly. It’s so hard to go places). While the others were thinking up a plan, I made a sign that said “Olbia, per favore!” (Olbia was where we were headed, per favore is please). I just did it to amuse myself while we were waiting. My wild hope was that a tractor with hay bails in the back would stop and we would get a ride somewhere with a bus.

Well, the sign sort of worked. A car pulled up. It turns out the woman ran a transportation business. She said the travel agency had a history of ripping people off. The bus line had been closed for 6 months, due to some ongoing construction. One of the guys on the trip who spoke Italian had a long discussion with her. He turned around and said “It’s okay, Francesco will be here in half an hour in a white truck to pick us up.” This struck us as really funny.

True to the word, Francesco showed up in an official vehicle right on time. We told him we needed to get to Olbia within an hour. He said no problem, he usually gets there and back within that time! We made it to the port and got the day ferry home. But it’s not over yet. The ferry was late. By the time we got back (around 9 on a Sunday) the only train to Rome was at 11. We bought tickets for Termini Station (the main station), the announcements said Termini, and the signon the train said Termini.

Well, at about 12:30am, the train stops and powers off. We are not in Termini. It turns out that after a certain time, the trains stop running to the main station. At this point, we figure we are a few stops outside of  the main part of the city. We grab a taxi and negotiate a deal. We told the driver, Alessandro, our long story on the ride back. His comment after hearing all that was “That’s a sad story!” So we made it back around 2 am and got up for class the next day. Ours was the best story of the weekend.

The Friday before last, we had a class trip to Pompei. We left at 7 am for a 2-3 hour bus ride south of Rome. We had an art history professor as a tour guide. He was from Belgium and was kind of crazy. He would shut his eyes and sway as he was describing ancient Rome. He also told us that there would be no bathroom breaks. We had 15 minutes for lunch standing up as he continued to lecture. He memorized all our names (at least 70 people) by the end of the 6 hour tour.

Pompei was blazing hot and dusty. There was no shade within the city because most of the houses’ roofs were destroyed. All the artifacts were taken out and brought to Naples to put in a museum, so only the buildings remained. The whole city is on a hill, forming a primitive sewer system by letting water and waste run down the roads (there were elevated sidewalks for pedestrians). Wooden wagon wheels had made ruts in the stone roads. There were about 6 or 7 casts of bodies that had formed pockets in the lava behind a plastic case. They were chilling- mothers curled up with children who were instantly killed. By the end, everyone was totally exhausted.

At the end of the field trip, we had the option of staying in the area instead of heading back to Rome. 3 friends and I took the train to St. Agnello, which is right outside Sorrento. We stayed at a cute hotel. Sorrento had gorgeous turquoise water that you could see clear through to the white rocks at the bottom. There were amazingly lush flowers everywhere- bougainvillea and orange blossoms just dripping from walls, cliffs and rooftops. There were little geckos on the walls and the lemons hanging from the trees were as big or bigger than large grapefruits (seriously). The oranges were smaller than a fist but absolutely delicious. The cliffs dropping into the sea were absolutely breathtaking.

We took a ferry for a day trip to the island of Capri. It took about 1/2 an hour. Capri was busy, touristy, and beautiful. Unfortunately, it was too rough to get to any of the famous grottoes by boat, but we had a wonderful time anyway. The beaches were made of white rocks about the size of golfballs. There was tons of sea glass in the rocks. I have never seen such pretty water. The Mediterranean Sea is very salty- it left white residue on my skin.

We took the tram up to the city of Capri from Marina Grande, where the ferry had dropped us off. In the town of Capri, there was amazing shopping. Apparently Capri is a playground for the rich and famous. Prada, Armani, gigantic pearls and coral jewelry. We saw 11,000 euro necklaces and bracelets.

After (window) shopping, we took a hair-raising bus ride down to Marina Piccolo on the other side of the island. The roads were only 1 bus-width at some points but they were two-way. So buses would race towards each other, slam on the brakes, and then one would back up hair-pin turns until it reached a place where the other could pass. Our bus driver was cursing everything- the other buses, the roads, us, life. It was so scary.

We headed back to Sorrento for dinner, then picked up some limoncello for souvenirs.

I’m still working on pictures, but they should be up on Flickr or Facebook soon. I’ll post links as soon as I can.

Time has been flying by since I got here almost two weeks ago. Rome is faded, worn, hot and dusty. It’s busier than I expected- most people drink and eat standing and then rush out the door. Traffic is horrendous (yes, worse than New Jersey). Everything is so old and beautiful. The marble steps have huge grooves worn in them from millions of footsteps.

The first weekend we went on a trip to Todi and Titignano for a meal. It had some great courses and some pretty good ones. I wrote down some of them later- started with fresh juices, pizza and crostini as appetizers, prosciutto and pepperoni, a cheese pastry, asparagus risotto, lasagna, pasta bolognese with wild boar meat, stewed meat (venison?) and green beans, roast chicken and potatoes, salad, tiramisu, grappa, espresso and biscotti, and finished with a fresh peach. It sounds like tons, but they were smaller portions and I ate only half of each dish, so I managed to finish. It was all served with very new red table wine. The Italian countryside is just like an impressionist painting (even though these are of France, they look similar).

On Sunday, I went to an A.S. Roma soccer game at the Olympic Stadium. Although it wasn’t close to sold out, it was really noisy. Everyone was taunting, chanting and singing. The opposition section was surrounded by security guards. Let’s just say Italians are especially inventive at taunting gestures. People were decked out with flags and scarves. There was no clock or score board and the electronic display only showed goals from other games going on at the same time.

It rained the next day and I first realized how filthy the streets are. It was an absolute mess.

I’ve been sick since the day before I flew out with a cough and cold. It wasn’t going away, so I went to a German doctor. It was the weirdest experience- he stuck tongs up my nose and poked around. Then he vaccuumed my nose (yes, really) with a suction tube and sprayed medication and anesthetic up there! It was so odd feeling. He wrote me about 10 prescriptions for different medications for symptoms (which I didn’t fill) and finally agreed to give me an antibiotic. Apparently Italy has been having some problems with over-prescription that they are trying to crack down on. I’m finally starting to feel better though. Nothing worse than a summer cold :P

I’m taking my time visiting the sites. So far I’ve been to Piazza de Popolo, Via del Corso for shopping, Basilica of St. Ambrose and Charles, the Spanish Steps, and the Church of Trinita Del Monti.

Shopping is weird. Many of the shops have only one size of clothing and if you don’t fit, too bad. Somehow, I fit the clothes, which I am thrilled about :) The shoes are still another story.

The food has been pretty good. I’m getting used to amazing pastries and cappuccino in the mornings and very late night gelato runs as a study break.

This past Friday, we took a class trip to Pompei (the English spelling is Pompeii). Our tour guide was a professor from Belgium for the undergrad art program. He was a total hardass- we were told we were there to learn and not enjoy. He told us there would be no stopping for the bathroom or drink breaks! Mind you, it was at least 90 degrees out and Pompei has very little shade and is on a hill. He generously allowed us 15 minutes to eat standing up while he continued to lecture. He walked at a blazing pace from building to building, only stopping to close his eyes and imagine ancient Rome every once and a while while he talked. Although he was very knowledgeable, I feel like I couldn’t appreciate Pompei. The tour was 5 hours long, with no time to see things on our own. Now that I look back on the pictures, there was some really neat stuff- but I’m still not clear on ancient Roman history/politics/law.

After the death march was over, we were on our own to spend the weekend. I went to Sorrento with some friends. Sorrento near the Amalfi Coast, about 4 hours south of Rome. It’s famous for lemons and limoncello. The lemons were- no kidding- the size of my head. At least a very large grapefruit size. They were amazing and almost sweet. The oranges were small compared to regular navel oranges, but I never tasted any orange so delicious. Sorrento was very lush with flowers and geckos all over the place. During the day, we took the ferry to Capri. It was absolutely gorgeous. The sea was turquoise and the beach was white rocks about the size of golfballs. The water was very clear and salty- great for swimming. Capri is famous for the Blue Grotto (and the White and Green Grottos too) but we couldn’t go that day because the sea was too rough to enter the cave. Capri was touristy and crowded. It is a famous spot for celebrity beach vacations, so there are super expensive stores in town. We saw an 11,000 euro necklace cut out of a huge aquamarine. It was crazy. The island of Capri is a giant conical mountain sticking out of the sea. We arrived in Marina Grande, swam, took the cable car up to the town of Capri at the top of the mountain, then took one of the scariest bus rides of my life down to Marina Piccolo on the other side of the island for more swimming. The bus driver was cursing everything- us, the other drivers, the road. The roads were only 1 car width at some points with stone walls on both sides. So the drivers had to back up over hairpin turns to let others through. We were less than one inch away from other buses at some points. Yikes.

I’ll have to update about my roommates, room, and school next time. Buona notte!

having some technical difficulties with the pictures. Trying to resolve as quick as I can. Stay posted.

I’ll be in Rome from May 28 until July 13. I can’t believe I’m leaving in 2 days. I’m still worn out from exams and the write-on competition. I’m trying to get everything ready to go but it’s been a bit of a pain. I should have ordered a lot of stuff online earlier because I’ve had to pay extra shipping charges to get things here on time. Memorial Day weekend was great but everything was closed on Monday, so that threw off a couple of deliveries. I won’t be getting my contacts or microSD card for my cellphone in time. Oh well. I’m crossing my fingers for my Eurail pass and plug converter set to arrive by tomorrow.

I’ll be living here: (My mailing address is different, so don’t try to mail anything here. Email me if you want that address.)

Residence Medaglie d’Oro

Viale Medaglie d’Oro, 73

00136 Rome, Italy

The residence is a hotel/dorm. I’ll be living in a triple with students I don’t know, so that will take some getting used to. The residence is right next to the Vatican and about 40 minutes away from the main campus by foot. The school is in the Villa Caproni on the Tiber River . The first thing I’m going to do is buy a cheap bicycle.

I’ll be taking two courses: "Intellectual Property and the Internet" and "International Business Law." The classes are from 9-10:10am and 1-2:10pm. The classes are Monday through Friday, but some Fridays we are going on field trips. The first weekend, we’re going to Titignano for a welcome dinner. On the 5th, we’re going to Pompeii . I might try to go to Capri that weekend, since we will be close. The other field trip is up in the air right now- I’m not sure where we are going yet. There is an Internet Law & Music conference going on that we might go to.

I’m not sure where I want to visit yet. I haven’t had time to plan out where I want to go or when. I was listening to podcasts to learn Italian but that got put to the wayside during the weeks leading up to exams. So basically, I’m flying by the seat of my pants on this trip. I haven’t even packed yet! Ack.

I’m still figuring out the cheapest/most convenient way to contact me by phone, so I’ll update when I figure that out.