MPD

Well, today’s been a little hectic.  I woke up at 5:10 am to get ready to catch the airport bus with Irene.  She met me outside the house at 5:35, still in her formal dress from the night before.

Thankfully, I was able to sleep pretty well on the bus and the plane, so by the time I got to Rome, I was ready to go (12:30).  I have to recommend Ryanair here to anyone who might be flying in Europe.  My flight actually went very smoothly.  Somehow, I accidentally bought priority boarding online, and boy was it worth $4!  Priority boarding lets you get on the plane first, and because Ryanair does not assign seats, you basically get any seat you want.  Thus, I had tons of legroom in my emergency exit row aisle seat that I got for $50.

Once in Rome, Irene fell asleep at the hostel (I can hardly believe she made it that long on no sleep), and I headed out to get some pizza and see the sights.  I stopped at the first pizza place I found and had the best pizza of my life.  I think they may have ripped me off a little because I’m a tourist (the server cut out a huge slice, but the owner made her cut it in half before she gave it to me), but it was still great.  After that wonderful meal, I headed off to the Coliseum.  We’re about two kilometers away, which really isn’t a bad walk at all.

Rome is really hot, especially for being at the same latitude as New York City.  I’m actually a little worried now about how hot Barcelona will be next month.  By the time I made it to the Coliseum, I was burning up, but still happy to be there.

I decided not to tour any sights right then, but instead to see the outsides and tour tomorrow, when I have a whole day and can get a day pass.  Still, the Circus Maximus was free and open, so I went down and walked a lap.  The forums were also free, so I walked around in there as well.  By then, it was nearly 5:30, so I headed back to pick up Irene before meeting her friend, Ili (Ee lee).

Since we were meeting Ili at 7 in the Piazza Navona, we had a little bit of time to wander around (not lost…), get some gelato, see the Pantheon (free!), etc..

Ili was a foreign exchange student with Irene’s family during their junior year of high school, and they’ve remained close friends since then.  Now, she is pursuing a masters (what they call second-level) degree  in International Relations at the University of Rome.  Ili says that masters degrees are pretty much required of all Italian students (but then again, it only takes three years for undergraduate work).  I hope Laura and Diana stay as close as Irene and Ili.

For dinner, Ili took us to a restaurant where she and Irene always go.  They have make-your-own pasta and “Inventa Pizza” kind of like Macaroni’s Grill, but more authentic.  I got the ravioli con <something Italian> carne with quattro formiggio sauce.  It was surprisingly just ok.  I thought that the ravioli would have beef, but instead it had some sort of ham, and the four cheese sauce was a bit too thick for me.  Still, ate until I was stuffed and left a third of it on the plate.

Ili needed to leave at this point so that she could continue studying for her finals, so we said goodbye.  I think that tomorrow, she is going to show an authentic Naples-style pizza shop that she pointed out tonight.

This entry was posted on June 19, 2007 at 10:48 pm and is filed under travel.