When we first flew into the city, I was so excited, my first time in a different country. Once we were on our way to Castel Gandolfo, I was instantly changed. I wasn't sure that Rome was what everyone made it out to be. The next morning, we went to Termini. I was worried about being in the way, someone pick-pocketing me, or just losing the group. Once we got on the metro, I was thinking what I have got myself into. Then we got off the Metro and I saw the Colesseum and everything changed. It was amazing!
I never thought that, first I wasn't going to like the city, and second, I could change my mind that fast. Once we were at the Colesseum, I started falling in love with the city. After walking around the city that day, I just fell in love with it. Around every corner there is something historically siginificant and beautiful.
In the Smiles of Rome, one of the essays, Such is Rome, Natalia Ginzburg says that "Our feelings for cities, like our feelings for people, are always rather confusesd, with all sorts of things mixed in." (271) I completely agree with that. We feel homesick, kind of lost, and out of our comfort zone, but we love the city and everything about it.
Today we took a bike ride on the Old Appian Road. I love riding a bike and the Appian Way just made it better. It was beautiful outside and all the tombs along the way just made me love it more because there was a lot of history behind them.
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Andrea--
ReplyDeleteI felt the same way at the Colosseum. The excitement and an overwelming feeling about what happened in the Colosseum. It made me sad and excited at the same time. Man's cruelty to man and to God's other creatures always amazes me. I am out of my comfort zone, but I can honestly say that I am not homesick at this point; and I am enjoying the sites that we visit.
Andrea, Well done. Your best blog so far. Keep up the good work! Glad you enjoyed the bike ride.
ReplyDeleteAndrea I agree with you about being overwhelmed by the city! everything here is so different from home I am even feeling homesick but there is so much going on here that it is...overwhelming there is not another word for it!
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