The weather is warm, the flowers have bloomed and my semester is coming to an end.
Since my last blog, I have gone to the beach in Ostia, a small town about an hour away from Rome. Here I was able to enjoy the Tyrrhenian Sea and dip my toes in the water (it was still a little cold for full submersion). It was beautiful!
Later in the week, Sarah, Auriel and I were invited to attend the Pope’s weekly Wednesday blessing. We were invited by a student studying to be a priest at the Pontifical North American College. Although he will not be officially ordained until October, we call him Father Matt. Fr. Matt was able to get us special seating in the Papal Audience area which is on the stage that the Pope gives his speech. He does his blessings in many different languages. His English is better than my philosophy professor’s. Afterwards, Fr. Matt gave us a tour of the American seminary. To many people’s surprise, Fr. Matt was both personable and funny. We enjoyed his company and have plans to return for dinner after finals before returning home.
Pope Benedict XVI
The following week I attended my first cooking class. This class took place on a terrace on top of our campus building. I learned to make Ratatouille, Bucatini all’Amatriciana (Bucatini pasta with bacon sauce), Hunter’s Chicken (chicken cacciatore) and my favorite, Nutella filled cookies. Sadly, I was full from ‘sampling’ the cookies before we even sat down for dinner. The meal was delicious and I can’t wait to come home and make more!
This past weekend, I traveled with my roommate, Auriel, to Cinque Terre. “Cinque Terre” translates to “five lands”, or five villages. This tourist attraction consists of five small villages on the northwestern coast of Italy. The beautiful views, sandy beaches, and adventurous hiking paths are what draw people to these cozy villages. After a long day of hiking, we finished our day with a characteristic seafood dinner. Here are some pictures:
