An Easy Day
Italian time: 3:55PM
On Thursday we went to Villa Guilia, which houses the Etruscan art. After Hadrian's Villa and Villa d'Este....I wasn't impressed at all by it. It was interesting to see the pieces of art (they had actual dolls, doll tea-cups, figurines, jewelry, etc.), but overall a pretty bland experience.
Friday was St. Peter's. It was impressive inside, but I think I would've enjoyed it more if not for the tourists overcrowding the place. It was definitely an interesting contrast between Hadrian's/Villa d'Este, both of which were mostly devoid of tourists and St. Peter's, which was practically bursting with people.
I didn't see the tombs, but I heard it was pretty uninteresting so I feel like I didn't lose too much. But I did go up to the dome/cupola. A person could either take the lift and cut the number of stairs you had to take down to 320, or walk the entire way. I walked the entire way. First we entered the dome, which opened to the inside of the church itself (I didn't dare look downward). We then took even more stairs to get to the cupola. There was a stairwell which forced us to lean at an angle, stairs that were wide at the base but grew narrower, stairs that turned tightly, and even stairs with no railing except for a rope hanging down the middle. The view was amazing, though. But you were forced to really work for it.
Today was mellow. We only sat through talks and one hour-long workshop which was kinda tame. I went to the "traditional forms" for poetry one, because I felt I should work on my poetic form more. It was okay, but definitely could've been more engaging.
Now I have the rest of the day off. Yay!
I came home from the workshop and obviously our apartment is hot. There were even more people in it, which made it hotter. I don't mind the people thing, it's totally cool. Especially since I knew who the people were.
But when you turn on the fan, and aim it solely at your little group of 4-6 people instead of letting it swivel and reach the rest of the apartment (2 of whom do live in the apartment), that's a bit selfish. Not to mention ineffective at air circulation.
I let you have it that way for a bit. When people not a part of your circle were complaining about being hot, I felt it was time to end it. But you, person who does NOT live in our apartment, do not have the right to glare at me when I told your group you couldn't monopolize the fan. I'm not sure if the look was meant as a joking "Oh, hey, we were so totally using that, lol" or a snotty "how dare you trespass on our private party." But either way, it's not your fan or apartment. Sorry.
And to 3 of my other apartment-mates: Have you never heard of air-circulation? Ventilation? It is not spontaneously created in dead air. You need a fan or an air-conditioning unit if you want artificial movement. Or, you know, you could try something revolutionary. You could try opening two windows and leaving them open.
I'm sorry. I probably sound really bratty and anti-people, but...seriously. Some of the things these girls do and say.... "I have no idea how I spent $1100 already! And everything here is so expensive! I had to pay $11 for orange juice!" They complain about this constantly, but what do they do about it? They go out to eat. Every. Single. Night. At expensive places, even. And when myself or 2 other roommates try and explain to them how they could maybe conserve a little money, it's one ear and out the other.
I'd just like logical, or at least sensible, roommates, please. Is it too much to ask?
We go to San Clemente and some other churches on Monday, Tuesday is the Vatican, and from July 2nd (is it the next month so soon???) to July 6th I have my midterm vacation. I'm not sure what all I will be doing then. Pompeii seems pretty set in my mind, and maybe the Cinecitta where they filmed bits of Doctor Who *squees* except the Cinecitta isn't open to the public *sighs*. Probably the catacombs, too. But a really awesome part about the break is that I will have the apartment all to myself! Tommi is going on the Capri trip, 3 of the other girls are going to Barcelona, and another is going to Vienna, I believe. I feel sorta like I should be planning on a more extravagant trip, but...really? I'm okay with exploring the nooks and crannies of Rome. Maybe I'll head north and see Pisa, or Milan, or something, but I'm okay with sticking to where I know.
One last thing before the pictures...Gelato is Fantastic. Especially Coconut Gelato.
Pictures of Hadrian's Villa, Villa d'Este, and...some other random things, since I have the time for it....Or at least I will post them later this evening when Photobucket stops being idiotic....
Edit 6/29 12:23PM: Okay, sorry, I only got to this now. Photobucket wouldn't stop being a pain. These pictures are slightly out of order, but you can still plainly tell what is Hadrian's and what is d'Este.
Here is Hadrian's and Villa d'Este.
This is San Pietro/St. Peter's.
Because I could not stop for Death-
He kindly stopped for me-
The Carriage held but just Ourselves-
And Immortality.
We slowly drove - He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility - Emily Dickinson, Because I could not stop for Death-
On Thursday we went to Villa Guilia, which houses the Etruscan art. After Hadrian's Villa and Villa d'Este....I wasn't impressed at all by it. It was interesting to see the pieces of art (they had actual dolls, doll tea-cups, figurines, jewelry, etc.), but overall a pretty bland experience.
Friday was St. Peter's. It was impressive inside, but I think I would've enjoyed it more if not for the tourists overcrowding the place. It was definitely an interesting contrast between Hadrian's/Villa d'Este, both of which were mostly devoid of tourists and St. Peter's, which was practically bursting with people.
I didn't see the tombs, but I heard it was pretty uninteresting so I feel like I didn't lose too much. But I did go up to the dome/cupola. A person could either take the lift and cut the number of stairs you had to take down to 320, or walk the entire way. I walked the entire way. First we entered the dome, which opened to the inside of the church itself (I didn't dare look downward). We then took even more stairs to get to the cupola. There was a stairwell which forced us to lean at an angle, stairs that were wide at the base but grew narrower, stairs that turned tightly, and even stairs with no railing except for a rope hanging down the middle. The view was amazing, though. But you were forced to really work for it.
Today was mellow. We only sat through talks and one hour-long workshop which was kinda tame. I went to the "traditional forms" for poetry one, because I felt I should work on my poetic form more. It was okay, but definitely could've been more engaging.
Now I have the rest of the day off. Yay!
I came home from the workshop and obviously our apartment is hot. There were even more people in it, which made it hotter. I don't mind the people thing, it's totally cool. Especially since I knew who the people were.
But when you turn on the fan, and aim it solely at your little group of 4-6 people instead of letting it swivel and reach the rest of the apartment (2 of whom do live in the apartment), that's a bit selfish. Not to mention ineffective at air circulation.
I let you have it that way for a bit. When people not a part of your circle were complaining about being hot, I felt it was time to end it. But you, person who does NOT live in our apartment, do not have the right to glare at me when I told your group you couldn't monopolize the fan. I'm not sure if the look was meant as a joking "Oh, hey, we were so totally using that, lol" or a snotty "how dare you trespass on our private party." But either way, it's not your fan or apartment. Sorry.
And to 3 of my other apartment-mates: Have you never heard of air-circulation? Ventilation? It is not spontaneously created in dead air. You need a fan or an air-conditioning unit if you want artificial movement. Or, you know, you could try something revolutionary. You could try opening two windows and leaving them open.
I'm sorry. I probably sound really bratty and anti-people, but...seriously. Some of the things these girls do and say.... "I have no idea how I spent $1100 already! And everything here is so expensive! I had to pay $11 for orange juice!" They complain about this constantly, but what do they do about it? They go out to eat. Every. Single. Night. At expensive places, even. And when myself or 2 other roommates try and explain to them how they could maybe conserve a little money, it's one ear and out the other.
I'd just like logical, or at least sensible, roommates, please. Is it too much to ask?
We go to San Clemente and some other churches on Monday, Tuesday is the Vatican, and from July 2nd (is it the next month so soon???) to July 6th I have my midterm vacation. I'm not sure what all I will be doing then. Pompeii seems pretty set in my mind, and maybe the Cinecitta where they filmed bits of Doctor Who *squees* except the Cinecitta isn't open to the public *sighs*. Probably the catacombs, too. But a really awesome part about the break is that I will have the apartment all to myself! Tommi is going on the Capri trip, 3 of the other girls are going to Barcelona, and another is going to Vienna, I believe. I feel sorta like I should be planning on a more extravagant trip, but...really? I'm okay with exploring the nooks and crannies of Rome. Maybe I'll head north and see Pisa, or Milan, or something, but I'm okay with sticking to where I know.
One last thing before the pictures...Gelato is Fantastic. Especially Coconut Gelato.
Pictures of Hadrian's Villa, Villa d'Este, and...some other random things, since I have the time for it....Or at least I will post them later this evening when Photobucket stops being idiotic....
Edit 6/29 12:23PM: Okay, sorry, I only got to this now. Photobucket wouldn't stop being a pain. These pictures are slightly out of order, but you can still plainly tell what is Hadrian's and what is d'Este.
Here is Hadrian's and Villa d'Este.
This is San Pietro/St. Peter's.
Because I could not stop for Death-
He kindly stopped for me-
The Carriage held but just Ourselves-
And Immortality.
We slowly drove - He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility - Emily Dickinson, Because I could not stop for Death-