Card Carrying Member

Ottobre 9, 2010

This morning I went to check out Biblioteca Europea, a European library "nearby". Nearby means it is about 2 miles... but not bad really, an easy walk or quick bus ride. Speaking of buses... I don't remember if I mentioned or not, but I'm a much bigger fan of the metro than I am of the buses. The buses get so crowded so fast, sometimes smell bad, and are often hot and stuffy. The metro can be crowded, but it's much easier to find an empty car in a metro than it is to find an empty 10-14 cubic feet of space to stand in on a bus. Anyway, I went to the library and asked to use the internet and was told I needed a library card. I don't know when the last time I had a library card was, but I know I had one when I was about 9 or 10 because if I recall correctly, I spent a good deal of time at the San Saba Public Library... if nothing else playing checkers on a big rug with red and black pieces of plastic by myself. ;) So, for 5 euro, I bought a year worth of internet, books galore, and (as Willy Wonka would say) "A World of pure immagination". I'm excited to start reading some new books because I like using the Sherlock Holmes stories as in between book stories, but I'm almost finished with the next mystery, so I need a new book. :) I was thinking rereading Dante Alghieri's "Inferno" because there is a play here "La Divina Commedia", and I wanted to go and not miss TOO much. ALSO! Speaking of the theatre, I am planning on making an announcement after class on Thursday then again next Tuesday to see if anyone wants to go with me to see... wait for it... "La Bella e la Bestia"!!!! I KNOW!!!! DISNEY! IN ITALIAN!!! Even if I couldn't speak ANY Italian, I know this movie/play/story so well I could narrate it for them! I'm so freakin' excited... it's on the 22nd of this month, that's a week from this Friday, oh my, so close. Anyway, enough of that train of thought (jumping tracks), after the library I was near Villa Borghese (Middle-class Garden; literally) so I thought I'd go see what everyone talked about so vehemently. Let me tell you, no one lied. It is beautiful! and HUGE! I covered about 1/2 of it, maybe... there's a zoo, a castle, a lake, several restaurants, a few bars, a Shakespearean Globe Theatre, a modern theatre for concerts, 2 museums, and lots of hills and trees and runners and bikers... Mamma mia... I decided to eat at the ristorante, Casina del Lago, a mediocre tuna sandwich and a fanta later, I was 8.20 euro poorer... the fanta was SO not worth the 4 euro... stupid table charges. ;) As I was SITTING and eating (I could have saved about 3-4 euro standing at the bar) I could hear some music coming from another part of the park, just a little further down the path. I heard the Eagles, "Desparado", and Abba, "Take a Chance on Me"... When I walked by I HAD to give the guy some money because he was rockin' out and the music was great! I wanted to make a request, the Beatles, "While my Guitar Gently Weeps"... maybe next time. I think if he played it, I'd give him all the euro in my pocket. (Usually about 1-5 euro).

I headed back to the flat for a recharge, water, nap etc... then called Sasha to see if he had any plans for the night because he had texted me the night before asking if I wanted to go dance, and I would have, but I was watching Nic while Mom and Pop were at the movies. He texted back and we decided to meet at the Colosseo at about 21.30 to figure it out. I got there then we walked around the Colosseo for a bit (It was in red lights with Chinese writing in lights on it and Chinese lanterns hanging from street lamps, interesting and cool) trying to figure out what we wanted to do. He said he didn't really feel like dancing, he was still tired from the night before, so we decided facciamo un passaggiata, we'd take a walk around. This is becoming one of my favorite things to do. I'm getting to know the center of Roma fairly well, and I like it more and more everytime. We walked and talked, and talked and walked. In Italian because he doesn't speak English, but when I come to something I don't know how to say, if I say it in English, he can usually help me put it in Italian. I think it's helping me learn faster, maybe... We went all over, he showed me a new Piazza I hadn't been to before behind the Vittorio Emmanuele monument and it was quaint. Small, but intruiging at the same time. No one there at the time and a beautiful fountain to top it off. We went by Trevi, and Piazza Navona, he showed me his building (near the Colosseo) then we ended up back at the Termini where I departed eventually. I say eventually because as we were waiting for my bus, I didn't reallize it had come and then we saw it, but it was leaving so I ran after it... banging on the door shouting "Aspetta, aspetta" (Wait, wait), but to no avail. What kind of bus leaves at 00:57? That is NOT a departure time?! But another bus came in about 3 minutes and then left at about 1.15. The passaggiata was great, I logged about 5-6 miles for Mom's "Walk Across 'Texas'", got to know a friend a little better, practiced some Italian, and learned more about "La Citta' Eterna", the Eternal City.

*Side note* There was a large group of German tourists on the night bus and one drunk Italian that apparently did not like Swedish people. He also thought they were Swedish. He was loud and rude and thankfully another Italian man (who had a beer in his hand) was telling him to turn around and leave well enough alone. Oh drunks... not just college students anymore, but the world 'round... you baffle me...

Ciao ciao.

*word of today* - ambasaggiata= embassy