time flies

Wow, is week two over already? My time here in Roma is really flying by. I'm already realizing how much I've come to love the city, and how much I will miss it when I leave. But for now I am still enjoying it to the fullest!

On Saturday night we had a great 4th of July party at Doug's apartment. He is a professor for the CHID (Comparative History of Ideas) program going on at the UW Rome Center right now, and has a great apartment overlooking the Campo de Fiori. Our whole group, plus some CHID students, brought food to share and had a nice big BBQ complete with hamburgers, potato salad, and watermelon. Doug and Lisa even managed to find some fireworks, so we all lit some sparklers and set off some bottle rockets. I felt very American.

Today we went to SPERLONGA! It's a quaint little beach town on the Italian coast, a bit south of Rome. We took a train from Rome to Fondi and then a bus from Fondi to Sperlonga. I really enjoyed seeing the Italian countryside-definitely different from Rome! Anyways the beach was amazing! We swam in the Mediterranean, played beach volleyball, layed out in the sun, and ate some delicious mozarella sandwiches. It was so relaxing and we all had a really great time.

Yay beach!

The lovely town of Sperlonga

Miles of beach

The Mediterranean

This upcoming week will be very busy... tomorrow we have a test in Gifts and Sacrifice class, then in the evening an Italian chef is giving us a cooking demonstration and preparing a 5-course, traditional Italian meal for us at Mona's apartment. I can't wait! Then Tuesday we have a busy day of class, and then Wednesday we leave for Florence bright and early! So I may not have time to post a blog for a while.