On Tuesday morning we left for the region of Veneto. Our first stop was Verona (home of Romeo and Juliet). Its a gorgeous and quiet town. Like Rome except smaller and with a lot less cars. Its probably one of my favorite cities that I've seen in Italy. However, apparently it has a VERY rich population so I won't be living there any time soon. We saw a bunch of old stuff as usual but we also saw a bunch of new stuff! They actually took us to see a modern architect who had modernized a few buildings in Verona.
That night was St. Patrick's Day and there was no way I wasn't going out. We somehow found a Scottish Pub (at least its celtic) in town and piled all 30 of us into it. The poor patrons that were already there were basically shoved out. Met some cool people *wink wink* and ended up wiling the night away talking to them. My roommate has a long term boyfriend and was an awesome wing-man. We've actually been getting really close lately. She and I have the same lifestyle of not going out every night. We like to have fun but it doesn't always involve getting drunk, sometimes its just better to enjoy the company of some cool people. I'm really glad she's here otherwise I would feel really out of place.
And the next day they took us to see more new stuff! Hah. You can't imagine how exciting it is to see a building that was designed and built after the turn of the century. Revolutionary idea! Take architecture students to a place where they might actually gather ideas for their own designs. Anyway, we saw a really cool Grapa (Italy after-dinner liqueur) factory that was shaped like a bubble. The architect had no budget and definitely took advantage. No one knows how much it cost to build except for the architect and the owners. Crazy. Then they took us to another old building (a Palladian Villa). Blah.
On Thursday and Friday we were in Venice. I really love Venice but I went this summer with my family and Aunty Nikki's family and, honestly, there's not that much to see. The canals are definitely a sight. And the lack of cars give it a very safe feeling. But I can't help but get island fever with all the really tall buildings, tiny alleyways, and lack of a way out. Its almost like claustrophobia. The school took us to a couple of really interesting Modern art exhibits and I actually found myself understanding the art. Who knew that college could actually make you smarter. I spent longer in the exhibits than they forced us to. Wow.
After Venice, most of my classmates stayed for the weekend. I knew that there wasn't much as far as night life during the winter so my roommate (Erica) and I came back to Rome for a weekend of leisure.
Saturday was spent laying bed, literally, all day. The only break I took was to go the gym and the grocery store. Oh and big news! I ran! on the treadmill at the gym, I ran for 20 minutes. There was a slight twinge in my foot once or twice but nothing like I felt before. People were staring at me because I just had this huge grin on my face. Haha. Who knew that Ashley Hopwood would EVER be smiling while running. Its those damn triathlons. I caught the bug.
Erica and I didn't go out Saturday night, instead we stayed in and cooked dinner and watched a movie. No alcohol involved. You maybe have your mouth hanging open staring at the computer, but I needed a little recovery time after my parents' weekend here.
Sunday I got some menial homework done while everyone else was gone and then Erica, Lisa (another roommate), and I ventured to the Parco Degli Acquedotti (Aqueduct Park) on the outskirts of town. It takes about an hour to get out there on the metro but its well worth it it was a really gorgeous sunny day and we spent it lying in the grass, drinking wine, and talking amongst two sets of aqueducts. Its a really humbling sight and its like the huge structures just promote activity. I've never seen such a vast open space of land before and there were people scattered all around playing games and lounging. Definitely a must see for anyone in Rome for longer than a week.
Anyway, its Monday morning and I should start getting ready for class. This is our second to last week before they focus us solely on design. I need a lot of work in that department so it could be an interest last month in Rome. I'm starting to mentally prepare myself now.
Love you all and miss you (the homesickness is pretty bad)
Ash
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