Rome-ing Around

This weekend was our first full weekend in Rome with no definite plans: no travelling, no school functions, nothing. So what did we do with all that free time?

After spending most of Friday plugging away at some schoolwork, Amanda and I decided to check out a Picasso exhibit at a nearby museum since it was closing on Sunday. I have to admit, I'm not a huge art museum kind of person - I can appreciate it every so often, but after about an hour looking at art I start to get bored. The Picasso exhibit, however, was absolutely amazing! Of course, the entire exhibit was in Italian, so it was difficult to grasp the full meaning of everything and understand more about Picasso's life. It was exciting, though, to realize that I understood some of the signage with the little Italian I knew!

On a side note, I was looking at one particular painting for a while...it was called Guitar, Table, and Bottle - or something like that - but Amanda and I couldn't find the bottle. An ederly woman came up beside me, and after looking at the painting for a bit turned and asked me, "Dov'e la bottiglia?" I didn't know how to respond...not because I couldn't understand her, but because I immediately understood what she had asked me! I was so caught off guard by the fact that I understood her that I completely forgot how to say "I don't know." I probably looked like an idiot, but I was so pleased that I had understood what she asked me! Definitely a confidence booster. :)

Afterwards we decided to make our way back toward the apartment and do some exploring along the way. We had so much fun just seeing what was around! There are a lot of areas that we know, but we thought it would be a good idea to familiarize ourselves with the roads that connect them. Luckily, the rain held off for most of the afternoon too.


This is the Castel Sant'Angelo, just down the road from the Vatican. Carey, Amanda, and I actually found it on Friday night when we went out for gelato...there's even an ice skating rink next to it!

The Vatican...again. :)

Just being goofy...we were so glad the rain had stopped!

There is grafitti everywhere in the city, and though I'm starting to get used to it there's always one that catches my eye. This one says "The future is no more than a face." Not sure what it means, but it looks cool.

On Saturday night, Carey, Amanda, and I went to a concert at the Auditorium. We had heard about from a flyer at school and thought it would be cool to check out. There was a percussionist and a guitarist - it's hard to tell from the picture, but he had altered his guitar so that he didn't even play it like a guitar, but almost more like a stand-up bass. It's not a concert I'd go to again, and it's definitely not a CD I'd buy, but I had a good time. Although I didn't fully understand his music, I really enjoyed watching him enjoy creating music. Just like with the Picasso exhibit, I realized that I may not understand it, but that form of art is how those individuals express themselves, and that I can understand. It was one of the first times that I've been able to see how art truly does transcend culture, despite the fact that it is so influenced by it.

Overall, it was a great weekend of just exploring the city and culture...can't wait to "Rome" about a bit more this weekend!

Ciao for now!