peace, love, and chocolate.

Umbria.

Rome was on fire yesterday. A bunch of morons decided to protest capitalism or something, and it got violent - riot police were firing tear gas, buildings and cars were on fire, people were generally just going crazy. It's all incredibly stupid. It actually pisses me off a lot, but what can you do? Luckily we already had plans to take a day trip to the chocolate festival in Perugia yesterday, so we weren't even in town when all this went down. The festival was fun. It was a good last day of Ian's visit, even though I already miss having him here. I guess I have to get back to reality now, even if my reality (being in Rome, traveling every weekend, etc.) still doesn't feel real.

 Perugia is about three hours away by train, and Italian transportation is stupid, so even if you paid for your ticket and followed all the rules, you may still have to stand for the entire three hours like we did. Contrary to popular belief, I am a very patient person most of the time, so it wasn't actually too bad. The region of Umbria is beautiful and the weather was windy and cold. It was kind of a nice change from Rome, which is just beginning to cool down a little. The festival was a lot bigger than I had expected. There were vendors and tents everywhere selling and giving out samples of chocolate in every form imaginable. We tried everything from chocolate-covered fruit and chocolate muffins to chocolate cream cheese and chocolate salami. We headed back to Rome around 2:30, and it took us a while to get back. We thought we'd just jump on the next train we saw, which we did, and when the conductor checked our tickets and saw we were on the wrong train, he gave us the option of staying onboard and paying the difference and getting kicked off at the next stop and waiting for our actual train. For some reason, we chose the latter option, so we didn't get back until around 9:30. Oops.

Not that I would know or anything, but these were delicious.

Disappointed Bentley. Free muffin = tiny muffin.

Truffles. 

Sausage and grilled vege sandwich - the perfect antidote to a chocolate OD.

Thursday night starts the weekend.

It's really strange not having Friday or Monday classes this semester. Strange, but incredible. (Makes me wonder why everybody doesn't just establish the three-day work week.) I was in such a good mood yesterday afternoon. Done with classes for the week, three more days to spend with Ian, and an amazing weekend coming up. We went out for yet another incredible meal last night at a place in old Trastevere, by far the best neighborhood in Rome. We walked around for a good half hour, browsing menus and peeking into restaurants before we found a winner. They had a "menu turistico," which included bruschetta, prima piatti, secondo piatti, and dessert, all for 14 euros. Add a liter of the best house red wine I've ever had and a liter of still (not yucky sparkling) water, a great waiter and a sassy gay couple sitting next to us and you have one hell of a dinner. The food was perfect. A garlicky tomato and arugula bruschetta followed by way too much of the best spaghetti carbonara ever, then the main course of perfectly roasted chicken with side salad and bread and topped off with creme caramel for dessert. This was the dinner I've been wanting to have since I got to Rome. When we finally left, Ian and I were both amazed to realize we had been there for almost three hours. Time flies when you're having fun I guess.

Anywho, I have many exciting things coming up this weekend. Tomorrow we take a day trip to Perugia for their chocolate festival and Sunday (after I get over the sadness of Ian leaving), we go to the Derby. Roma vs. Lazio. One of the craziest - if not the craziest - soccer matches in the world. I'm stoked.

On an afternoon in Roma...

Today has been a good day. Who would have thought that Wednesdays would become one of my favorite days of the week here. We got up this morning, got our stuff together (sketchbook, pencils, boyfriend), and headed out to the Gesú Church, which is the most important Jesuit church in Rome. Like every other church I've been to, it's absolutely beautiful. One interesting fact I learned was that Michelango's design for the church was actually turned down, and the commission was given to another man instead. Fancy that. The place was lovely, but I could not find anything in there I could draw. Everything was either too complicated or too far above my head (in the literal sense). I finally settled down to sketch this book sitting on a stand, but then my batty old professor came over and banished me to drawing grapes. Grapes. So much for my newfound artistic confidence. Just kidding. I drew the best damn grapes ever.

Afterwards we went for a nice walk down Via del Corso and did a little window shopping by the Trevi Fountain. We got gelato at San Crispino, which I've had once before and wasn't super impressed with. Apparently it's famous from being mentioned in Eat, Pray, Love, but I think it's a tad overrated. They have really grown-up flavors, but they're also a little pretentious. You can't get your gelato in a cone because it supposedly dilutes the flavor of the ice cream. I mean, come on. Lighten up a little. I only ate half of mine because it's just so rich. I couldn't handle it.

Ian and I then parted ways with Alex and headed off to have a late lunch at a place he'd found in his guidebook, whose name escapes me right now. It's in Campo dei Fiori, and it's this little restaurant with a very big menu. Except you don't get to choose because it's a fixed menu, which I absolutely loved. It's so much fun eating your way through an eight course meal (seriously, eight) and having no idea what the adorable old Italian waiter is going to bring out next. The place is owned by an Italian grandmother who pinched Ian's cheeks more than once - it's the dimples - and cooks like only an Italian grandmother can. We had bread, antipasti, fried cheese, fresh cheese, homemade potato chips, pasta, pork, three kinds of vegetables, wine, water, and dessert. I really thought Ian was going to have to roll me back to my apartment. Overall, great day. Fat day, but great day.

Manly man eat whiskey-flavored gelato. 

Rome + Liz = Diabetes.

Sorry for the lack of posts this week. Ian arrived safely Saturday afternoon and we've been running around Rome for the past two days. Alex took off for Amsterdam on Friday (JEALOUS.) and gets back tonight. I'm incredibly excited to hear about her weekend, but even more excited about the fact that WE GOT TICKETS TO SEE THE ROMA VS. LAZIO MATCH ON SUNDAY. Get ready for that post next Monday. It's going to be crazy. Anywho, you're probably wondering about the title of my post. Well, Ian and I decided to go out and have a little coffee/snack before I cooked dinner tonight, which turned into a pre-dinner dessert. I ordered viennese coffee without knowing what it was (I was hoping for something like a melange), but it turned out to be more like whipped cream and chocolate shavings with a shot of cold espresso. I also gave in to boyfriend pressure and ordered the tiramisu. This was simultaneously the best and worst decision ever. It was the best tiramisu I've ever had, but combined with my already sugar-loaded "drink," it was a lot of sweetness. It wasn't just your average sugar rush. I actually had the shakes. 

Drawing, Rome-ing.

I'm really starting to like this city. It's dirty. It's crazy. It's loud. The people certainly aren't that friendly. But dammit, I like it. I'm finally starting to learn my way around, which is awesome. Although every time I say that, Roman streets decide to move around and I get lost again. I swear they're like the Hogwarts staircases. You think you're headed straight back to the Gryffindor common room and before you know it, you're on the freakin' third floor corridor. The last two weeks, though, we've made it to our on-site art class on time or even early. 

Last week we met at the Church of San Ignazio, which is near the Pantheon. Given that it took us over an hour to find Piazza del Popolo the previous week, we gave ourselves an obscene amount of time to get there. We arrived forty minutes early, so we cruised back down the street (which was quite peaceful in the early morning) to have a cappuccino at a café we'd seen. This was a momentous occasion for Alex and me. Not only did we order in Italian, but we stood at the bar like real Romans AND had exact change. Romans love you when you have exact change. They yell at you when you don't. True story.

Anyway, this is exactly why I love my drawing class. It forces me to go out into Rome - usually to places I wouldn't know to visit otherwise - and try do as the Romans do. At first sitting in a public place and drawing for five hours was intimidating. I truly believed that at any minute a passerby was going to see my drawing and laugh at me. Now, though, I'm very much over that fear and really starting to enjoy drawing. I'm not very good, obviously, but I'm getting better every week. And the people who walk by are actually really nice. They always look at what you're doing - funny how predictable us humans can be sometimes - and a lot of times they'll show their approval in some way. The other neat thing is how universal an appreciation for art is. I've had every kind of person imaginable stop to look at what I'm doing. From a shy Italian girl a few weeks ago to the chubby middle-aged Englishman and the young Chinese couple at Piazza Navona yesterday. I am so glad Alex talked me into taking this drawing class. It's given me the opportunity to experience Rome on a much more personal level. Oh, and last night I had a burrito and a margarita. Overpriced and on the other side of the city, but worth it.

Philosophy and Mexican food.

My day is pretty much summed up by those two things. The latter is my reward for surviving the former. I've never written a philosophy paper before, and it sucks. Reading and understanding Plato is one thing, but trying to unravel the logic and jargon of an academic article on Republic is a different story. Give me another two hours and I might actually know what I'm writing my paper about. At least I have tonight to look forward to. We're going to a restaurant tonight called La Cucaracha, which is rumored to be owned by actual Mexicans. If this is the case, I will be ecstatic. I've heard the cure to philosophy-induced headaches is a margarita. Okay, I made that up. But it has to be true.

Back to the salt mines.

My nose is going to be all up on the grindstone this week. Ian gets here on Saturday, so it's safe to say I won't be getting much work done next week. Wish me luck. Alena and Virginia left a little while ago. My parents left this morning. I miss them already, but I have a feeling the rest of this semester is going to fly by. I have so many fun trips planned and so much to look forward to. I think my biggest challenge now is trying not to gain fifty pounds by the time I get home. It's gonna be an uphill battle.
Speaking of hills, I took Alena and Virginia to the overlook at Janiculum Hill this afternoon. You probably noticed my new banner; that's where I took that picture. (Do you like it?) It makes for a pretty picture, but it's even more spectacular in person.

Anybody up for more food pictures?

This is what I had for lunch on Saturday. It's a ball of fluffy yellow rice filled with mozzarella, tomato sauce, and basil and then fried until it's a golden and crispy and delicious heart attack pill. 

My lunch today. On the other side of the health spectrum, but still delicious.