Today was my last full day in Italy.

I got a new bellybutton ring. I got my bellybutton pierced when I was 17, but I probably haven’t worn a bellybutton ring since I was 19. I saw some cute ones and they were only 6 Euros!

I took the subway to Flaminio and walked to Piazza del Popolo. I sat and watched people for a while and then walked down Via di Ripetta to Tavola Calda da Simone e Mirella.

I got 2 pieces of pizza, a water, and a beer for 6,50! I walked back to the Piazza and sat on the steps of Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Miracoli and ate my pizza, but I felt weird about drinking beer on the steps of the church, because I’m a weirdo, so I walked into the Piazza and sat and watched the street performers and finished my drink. I took some cool pictures and video and then I walked back down Via del Corso. I got some gelato: coconut and chocolate and walked down a little bit and found a place to sit. I ate my gelato and go some sun and then I stopped back into Alcott. They had a sign that said they had new arrivals, but those new arrivals didn’t include my shorts…sad face…I almost got a t-shirt, but changed my mind.

I kept walking up Via del Corso and went into a couple of churches, including a church with a HEART in it. One of the little chapels had all kinds of pamphlets about life as a Catholic and Catholic doctrine. I took a few because since I am a convert there are lots of things that I didn’t learn in RCIA or topics that I was never told the official stance of the church. I gave a donation since I took several pamphlets and saint cards. I took some pictures of the church and then left.

I walked down Via delle Carrozze to Piazza di Spagna. I stopped and bought some more postcards and souvenirs for friends, but I couldn’t find a post office ANYWHERE. I am praying I see one tomorrow on the way to or at the airport. If not, I will have to mail the last 3 postcards I have from the U.S.

After walking around Piazza di Spagna trying to find a post office, I walked down Via del Babuino and stopped at Difronte A to have a couple of glasses to Prossecco and just relax and enjoy the afternoon. I walked into a couple of shops and wanted to buy some stuff, but refrained. I made it back to Piazza del Popolo and took some more pictures. I wanted to go up to the top of the hill bordering the piazza, but there were tons of people and tour buses up there, so I just walked around some more. I started walking back toward the metro, but then I found an awesome little shop under the portico of the arches leading into the piazza. It had lots of souvenirs and typical stuff like that, but also awesome cool books and PUZZLES! I got two puzzles-one of one of my favorite paintings by Gustav Klimt and one of my mom’s favorite paintings. I wanted to get some books, but it’s already going to be hard enough to get these puzzle boxes back.

After getting my puzzles, I went back to my apartment. I wanted to go back to Blind Pig or get dinner somewhere, but I still had a crap ton of groceries to eat that I bought earlier in the week. I ate some cheese, tuna, crackers, and salami. I won’t lie and say it was delicious, but at least I didn’t waste all the money I spent on food.

I had a little wine, packed my stuff, bagged up my trashed, got the food I was going to eat for breakfast, threw out all of the trash I’ve accumulated, and laid out my outfit for tomorrow. I have to check out of my apartment at 10, but I don’t have to be to the airport until 1:45, so I might stop at a cafe or something. If not, I will go straight to the airport and check in for my flight and check my bag, but then leave and go eat or do something before I go through security.

Thank y’all so much for reading. I will reveal my next series tomorrow…be READY, it’s going to be CRAZY! 🙂

Today I woke up and paid the bill for my hotel. I highly recommend Aurora Green B & B! It’s a reasonable price for the location, cleanliness and quality of accommodation! As I was leaving the guy that runs the place was getting in to a MAJOR argument with someone on the phone and I was laughing so hard…he was going HAM on whoever was on the other end of the phone!

After all that, I went back to Via del Corso to try to find those shorts I saw at Alcott in Naples. Earlier this week I went to Men’s Alcott on Via del Corso, but today I went to the coed store.

I can’t wear their women’s clothes–it’s basically Hollister/Abercrombie & Fitch for Italians. They have CUTE women’s stuff, don’t get me wrong, but I have too much cellulite to wear their shorts or pants…MERP. They had a Brooklyn basketball jersey that was really cute, but I didn’t get it.

I didn’t find my shorts at the coed store on Via del Corso.

If you are going to Rome, I suggest two things for sure: Vatican City and Via del Corso. The Vatican is beautiful and overwhelming, and Via del Corso runs from the Spanish Steps to Mussolini’s “palace.” It’s store after awesome store. The luxury brands are closer to the Spanish Steps and the cheaper stores are closer to Mussolini’s “palace.”

After failing to find my shorts, I walked back towards the Steps and got on the subway. I stopped at the government library and bought some excellent primary and secondary sources for my future research. The cashier acted like she had legit never rang anyone up before (as in didn’t know what buttons to push on the register), but she was SO sweet and told me about an exhibit happening right now regarding the liberation of Italy in WWII and she told me how to order books online from their store-which will be AMAZING for my future studies of Italian political history. After leaving there I went into the Italian parliament building and got yelled at for taking pictures. I saw something today about them having a parliamentary meeting today, but I went into the “public entrance” and got in trouble, so I don’t know how one would go see a meeting of the parliament. I know you can go in for tours, but once again I’m not sure how.

After leaving parliament some man stopped me in the common area in front of the building and was being really weird. He had pamphlets for some kind of art thing, but never gave me one. He asked how long I was in town and where I was staying, but it wasn’t like a flirty type of thing, it was just weird. I played it off and after about 5 minutes he walked off and I started back towards the Spagna stop. I made an uh-oh and went into a book store…I wanted ALL the books! I might go back tomorrow and get A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, since I was in Bassano del Grappa and part of it is set there. I didn’t buy anything there since I bought books earlier and I started back toward the station.

I looked up the locations of Alcott and saw that there was Alcott men’s store on Tuscolana, so I just stayed on line A a couple of stops past my building and checked that store with NO luck…I should have just bought the damn shorts in Naples when I saw them…

I saw that there was another store near the Bologna station so I decided to try. It was almost 5 so I was worried it would be closed. I got back on Line A, went to Termini, switched to Line B and rode to Bologna. The store was literally right in front of the station exit, so I went in and couldn’t find the shorts I wanted…:(

They are khaki burlap, with an aloha print–help me find them!

After leaving the store I realized I had lost my metro pass! Yesterday I bought a 16 Euro, 3 day pass, so I was freaking out! I bought a one-time ticket for 1,50 Euro and went back into the station and patrolled the floor, picking up every pass I saw (a lot of people drop their tickets). It turns out that I either found mine or another one that expired tomorrow at midnight, so I picked it up and got on my way.

I decided to try to find a Korean restaurant called Hana that was advertised on a sign in Vatican City yesterday. I got off at Termini station and started walking around. I had taken a picture of the map printed on the advertisement yesterday, but I got confused. I walked all around and my phone was dying, but I couldn’t find it. I walked past one Korean restaurant called Arirang and ALMOST went in, but decided against it because there were NO customers and the proprietor was standing outside trying to get people to come in. I used my iPhone and finally found Hana Korean Restaurant. It was kind of expensive and the service wasn’t great (just a man and his son running it and cooking), but the food was great and I didn’t get food poisoning-so 4/5 stars!

I got the chicken bulgogi entree which included rice and banchan. I ordered soju, but didn’t get it (they didn’t charge me-so, no harm, no foul). The entre, water, and cover charge came to 22 Euro, which isn’t bad, considering how much I’ve been charge at other places I’ve been in Italy. They also have free Wifi and my corner table had an outlet!

SN: I highly suggest carrying a converter and charger everywhere you go.

After dinner I walked the short 20 yards back to Termini, hopped back on the train and decided to stop at Re di Roma to go back to the super market. I ran right in and picked up some yogurt, wine, water, and an ice cream cone. They have AWESOME yogurt flavors at Punto Simply. The Muller brand is so delicious. I’ve tried white yogurt with chocolate crunch and coconut with lime crunch.

SN: I think I’ve seen this brand, but different flavors, at U.S. stores…

Today I bought white yogurt with truffles, so I will update you when I eat it. Also, I bought a liter of red table wine for a little over a Euro!

I was able to walk from the grocery store to my building since I’d already been there and it was only one subway stop away (maybe a 10 minute walk).

Today, I shopped and got to take some awesome pictures.

I can’t believe tomorrow is my LAST day in Italy. After that difficult 12th-14th day hump, it  FLEW by. I’m already packed up, so I don’t know what I’ll do tomorrow, but it will definitely include one last visit to Blind Pig and hopefully something fun and memorable.

🙂

It was clear this morning, but clouded up again around noon, unfortunately. I made it down to Vatican City right after the first round and right before the second round of storms.

I, once again, forgot I had a knife in my purse so I stashed it behind a water fountain and got in line for the x-ray machines and metal detectors. I went to the Vatican souvenir shop, book shop, into the Basilica, and to the post office.

I bought stamps for all of the postcards I was going to send (13) and it cost 28 Euros. Stamps to the U.S. are 2 Euros each O__0. After buying some souvenirs, browsing books (there were so many I wanted to buy: the catechism, a Bible, and a Latin dictionary, but they were 30 Euros each, so I had to skip them), and mailing my post cards, I went into the Basilica and took some pictures. I didn’t stay too long because it was SO crowded and it started raining again. I went to another souvenir shop outside of St. Peter’s Square and then went back to get my knife. I found the water fountain and made sure no one was looking, bent down to grab it and it was gone :(…I am hoping that the police or Vatican security saw me drop it and took it, but I bet it was just some rando…Which sucks because that knife has come in handy during this trip! I just used it yesterday morning to open my UHT milk…and now if I get kidnapped I can’t go out BAMF style and save myself…

After losing my knife, I made my way back to the subway.

I got on the subway around 7 and it was SO crowded. I seriously can’t even describe it. It was like a sardine can. I got some good pictures of passengers though…there was a nun going through the rosary and a couple going HAM on each other…it was interesting to watch everyone.

I went one stop past my building and got off so that I could go back to the bar I visited with my friend on Friday, Blind Pig. I ended up stopping at Gran Cafe Alberone on the corner of Via Gino Capponi and Via Appia Nuova to have a spritz and watch people. I got an Aperol spritz, which is a bitter orange mixer with sparkling wine or prosecco added. I sat at a table and they gave me two types of chips, salsa, and my drink for 6 Euros. I talked to an old man and watched people for about an hour, before walking down to the Blind Pig. I walked past and it was empty, so I decided to walk around the neighborhood and take pictures for a while. After taking pictures I stopped at another bar and ordered another spritz, but they didn’t understand what I was saying, I guess, because they gave me an espresso. I drank it and then went back to Blind Pig. I got two pints of Apollo beer and some lemon pepper fries for only 14 Euros (I ordered a hot-dog, but they were out of them apparently) and they were playing Johnny Cash, so I took some more pictures and just sat outside for a bit. I don’t know if they were really out of hot-dogs or just really didn’t want to make them because once again I ordered in Italian to try and practice, but then homeboy waiter thought I was fluent and started talking to me rapidly, in complex sentences, so I just said “ok” and ordered my fries…

I left around 9 to go back to my place to watch Mexico v Brazil.

I saw a sign for a Korean restaurant today, so I hope to go try it tomorrow or Friday since it’s right near Termini station.

Holy crap! I had no clue that it could storm so hard in Rome.

I didn’t go to bed until 6 this morning, but around 8:30 I was woken up by a crazy intense storm. It was windy, raining, thundering, and lightening so heavily.

I went back to bed and woke up around noon and got ready. It had stopped raining, or so I thought, so I decided to go out and find some food since it was Sunday at 2 and I knew I would be SOL if I waited any later.

I left my building and walked up the main street to see if I saw a grocery store, but I didn’t have any luck. I saw a billboard for a grocery store about a block and a half away and decided to see if it was open. About the time I turned around to head for the store, it started pouring. It was so windy that my umbrella turned inside out and then it started hailing! The stones were small, but it was still crazy. They don’t service the storm drains in Rome either, so all of the street are like rivers. It’s gross to have to walk through all of the dirty water, but I think it’s somewhat good that the streets are cleaned since it smells like pee so much here.

I was wearing leather shoes and they got SOAKED. So much so that they created suction around my feet and kept almost being pulled off when I would step in the torrents of water.

I braved the rain and made it to the store, only to see that it was closed. I went back towards my place and ducked into my building for a minute to get out of the rain. It let up a bit, so I just started walking around until I happened upon a Punto Simply, about 5 minutes from my place. I went in and started shopping. I got breakfast foods, stuff to make two lunches, wine, water, UHT milk (I don’t have an oven or microwave, only a toaster and mini fridge), alone with some snacks. I did really well planning out some meals for the week and buying stuff on sale, so in the end I got two bags of groceries for 48 Euros. Yes, it’s expensive, but it’s a hell of a lot better than paying >12 Euros a meal, 3 meals a day, for the next 4 days.

I’ve been to several grocery stores here and there are a few things you should know: you pay to rent a shopping cart, you pay for each bag you need for your items and cashiers don’t bag your purchases. Food and drink is very expensive compared to the U.S., but you can definitely find deals if you shop around and I HIGHLY recommend buying your own groceries, especially if you are staying in a location where you can cook!

I was soaking wet and freezing, so once I got back to my place I made some hot tea, had a yogurt, and watched the rain from my balcony. Around 7 the storm picked up again, so I decided to repack my suitcase (that way I can enjoy my trip down to the last minute, without worrying about having to pack and get ready to leave).

After repacking, I ate some tuna and crackers for dinner and took a shower. Tomorrow I need to buy a metro pass and then I am just going to wander around. I might go explore one of the big universities here, or go to a movie, or the zoo or something!