The first day

June 22nd

After arriving at my apartment on Sunday, my first priority was sleep, and I got a good 4 hours. At this point, it was 8:00 pm (11:00 am PST) and I was starting to adjust, although my body had no idea what time it was. That night, I didn't go to bed until 2:30, and then, Surprise! I woke up at 6:30, wide awake. Never fear, I looked on the positive side of things and decided to do a bit of exploring (map in hand) before most people were even thinking of waking up. I went straight to the river (the Campo de' Fiori, where our apartment is located, is about 3 blocks from the Tiber) and went on the search for St. Peter's. I knew you could see it from the river, I just had to find the right bridge. I walked up and down the river (both on the upper level, and down at the river edge) and crossing the Ponte Giribaldi, I got my view. It looked beautiful in the early morning light. Taking a few more pictures, (I don't think there is a single ugly place in this city) I headed back to the Campo, where I made my first (of many, I'm sure) stop at the daily outdoor market.

After the solo adventure, a large group of my fellow Oregonians went out on a tour of the major hot spots: The Pantheon, The Trevi Fountain, and The Spanish Steps. It was still morning, so these spots are not as crowded as later in the day. We consulted our maps many times, but winding through the narrow streets, we came upon the back side of the Pantheon. Mind you, it only took us about 10 minutes to walk there: amazing! I knew what it was (because it is so huge, and so old -> 27 BC) but I realized I had never seen an image of the back before. Then we came around the front, admired the HUGE columns (made of one piece of stone) and beautiful fountain in the piazza, then stepped inside. It was so beautiful, it seemed like a painting. There is no way this could be real! Despite the single light source: the overhead oculus, it was just bright enough to see and explore. However, it was nicely shaded and we kept thinking this would be a good place to come back again and again.

From there, we set out for the Trevi, and once again, it sprang up out of nowhere. I walked around the edge of the building, and all I could say was, "Wow." It was also quite a surreal experience. We went down to the water's edge, where a local taught us how to correctly toss a coin into the fountain. It includes throwing a coin with your right hand over your left shoulder, while you wish to return to Rome. I figure if I do this frequently enough during my visit here, I will surely come back again and again.

The Spanish Steps were not quite as exciting, but when we went all the way to the top (I ran the last few for the "Rocky" experience) we had a tremendous view of the city. On our way down, we stopped on the steps and sat for a while in the shade. I think this is the beauty of this place. It acts as a place for people to gather and just relax, and, of course, watch other people.

Heading back to the Campo after our morning adventure, we stopped by a well-reviewed gelateria (for my first official gelato). Sooo good! I'm vowing to eat this every day. It might add up quickly, though. That afternoon we had our orientation, which was uneventful, as orientations always are, but that night, I had my first official Italian dinner. The guy who owns our apartments treated us to dinner out in the Campo in his cafe. He went all-out with a full course meal, including gelato at the end (that's #2 for today). If I eat like this everyday, I don't think I'll be able to fit in my airplane seat on my way home.

Pics:
#1: First view of St. Peter's! For those who know my laptop's desktop image, this may look familiar.
#2: Brace yourself: it's the inside of the Pantheon (I promise it's real)
#3: Tossing a coin into the Trevi, because I'm coming back!
#4: Hanging out on the Spanish Steps
#5: Dinner on the Campo