Why are archaeologists always doomed to failure?

Their career lies in ruins from the start!

Okay, that was terrible. But archaeology was definitely the theme of my trip further south along the peninsula- I headed down to Naples for a couple of days, and then hopped over to Pompeii for a daytrip. Before going to Naples I had been warned so many times about how it was a terribly unsafe city, full of pickpockets and trash, but I have to say, it was one of my favorite cities. Perhaps I was just really lucky - I caught the weather during warm spell so people were out in the streets, grandmas were taking their grandkids out for a stroll in the park, lots of people were chatting in cafes (bundled up in coats, but still) and walking through the pedestrian part of town, and there was an ice-skating rink set up next to a HUGE castle. Lots of awkward teenaged hand-holding going on there too, it was really cute and reminded me of middle school awkwardness.

For dinner, I had an ENORMOUS pizza margherita - when in Napoli, right? This thing had to have been at least sixteen inches across, it was ridiculous. And I had a terrible stomachache after I finished it (eating an entire pizza, and only an entire pizza, for dinner will do that to you), but it tasted soooo gooood ... I'm never going to be able to look at Domino's the same way again.

The best thing about the pizza though, was that they made it right in front of me. I placed my order, then the guy pulled out a big chunk of dough and rolled it out, then spread the tomato sauce and the basil (?) leaves and mozzarella. There was this groove that had been cut into the edge of the counter, and another guy who had been stoking the fire in the wood-burning stove put a paddle up to this groove and in one smooth motion transferred my pizza from the counter over to the paddle and shoved it into the oven. He turned it around after a while, so the other side could cook, then pulled it out, boxed it up, and sent me on my way! I couldn't resist how good it smelled, and snuck a bite before I got back to the hostel ... mmmm, delicious!

The next morning, I got up bright and early to catch the train to Pompeii. Walking through an entire Roman city is SO WEIRD. It was really easy for me to imagine daily life there, and really difficult at the same time - the buildings are all still standing, and much better preserved than most Roman ruins, but I can't even imagine an entire settlement being covered in ash. There were a couple displays of the plaster casts of the hollows made by people's bodies in the volcanic ash/rock mixture, and one of a dog. I could see the imprint of their shoes' straps, and even the folds in their clothes - it was sobering, yet completely surrealistic.

The Farnese Group is an ENORMOUS sculpture in the National Archaeology Museum in Naples. It was described as a "mountain of marble" back when it was first commissioned ... and I'd say that's pretty accurate. I also saw a small exhibition of the Farnese Cup and the jewels and cameos in the Farnese collection!

Hands down, THE sexiest Aphrodite I've ever seen. I don't really like the Aphrodites in the Capitoline style, I think Aphrodite should and can be much more badass. Yay goddesss of sexiness!

Oh Europe, with your enormous old castles next to parking lots. I love the juxtaposition of Olde and new.

And here's the beginning of my pizza: rolling and flipping the dough ...

Tomato sauce and basil ...

And into the oven!

The restaurant smelled AMAZING. I was about thisclose to drooling the entire time my pizza was baking.

The most delicious 3.80 euros I have ever spent.

The buildings in Pompeii are all VERY well preserved; many still have their original frescoes!

And here's me, on a Roman crosswalk!

Roman Holiday

The next stop was Rome! I arrived on a day with absolutely awful weather - it was pouring rain and freezing cold - and my hostel was hands down the WORST I have ever had the misfortune to stay in. Whatever you do, stay AWAY from M&J Place Hostel if you are looking for a dorm! It has NO redeeming qualities whatsoever - the dorms are tiny and cramped, the showers are filthy, and the entire floor shares two bathroom stalls. Their only redeeming quality was their location - it was just around the corner from Termini train station. However, the lobby area was clean and the lobby bathroom was really nice - it might be worth a look if your budget stretches to private rooms.

After that downer of an introduction to Rome, though, the rest of my time in Rome was fantastic. I went to see the Coliseo, the Forum Romanum, and the Ara Pacis. It was really interesting to compare what I had learned about Roman arquitecture with the monuments and ruined buildings that I was seeing in person! I also went ot the Pantheon, and of course to St. Peter's Basilica. Now I can add the Vatican to the count of countries that I've set foot in, too!

However, the highlight of my time in Rome was definitely meeting Julien by chance. The top of the Pantheon isn't covered, so the floor has a series of small holes to drain the rainwater. I was walking along and keeping an eye out for the holes, to see how many I could find, and I noticed a guy doing the same thing. We smiled at each other and got to talking, then found out that we were both on Couchsurfing.org! It's a networking website dedicated to connecting "couchsurfers"- travellers on a budget who want to stay with a local - and hosts who have an available couch and want to show their city to a tourist. Julien was couchsurfing with Roberto the next night and invited me along to meet him. Of course, I agreed!

The next day, I wandered around the old part of town for a while, then met up with Julien, Roberto, and Lan, a girl from Malaysia who was also couchsurfing with Roberto. Roberto took us on a walk through Trastevere, then invited us back to his apartment for dinner, even though he was busy studying for his finals. Julien cooked a delicious tuna-pepper pasta and Roberto shared some delicious Italian cheese. Sadly, I had to leave before midnight to catch the last train back to my hostel, but that night was one of my favorite memories of my trip and a great introduction to the couchsurfing community.

This niche on the outside of the baths needed a statue. ;D

The Temple of Saturn in the Roman Forums!

The central statue group in Piazza Navona.

I was just going to take a picture of this lovely fountain, when a cocker spaniel puppy ran up and sat down expectantly in front of it. Then its human picked it up and helped it take a drink from the fountain! So cute! I had a smile on my face for the rest of the day.

Here's me with Julien, a French dude who's currently working in London and wandering Europe every chance he has.

Yay Couchsurfing!

The Tiber River is so beautiful at night.

As is St. Peter's Basilica.

We hung out on the steps for a while ...

Julien was trying different angles and exposure times for his camera, but eventually the security guard came over and yelled at us for sitting on the ground while the Pope was talking, or something like that. Whoops! None of us really understood what was going on, as we didn't speak a word of Italian.

Julien and Roberto, the makers of our delicious dinner!
"Do you have any onions? This recipie needs an onion."
"No, I don't. You French, always cooking with onions! Here, try using this garlic instead."
"... *chop chop chop*"
*pour*
"AHH that's twice as much olive oil we need! You Italians!"

Paris, je t'aime

We got back to Paris just after New Year's, and just in time for me to spend an entire day at the Louvre Museum. Happily for my wallet, the first Sunday of each month is free for everyone at the Louvre! I saw the Mona Lisa and was completely underwhelmed. They covered the painting with a reflective glass case (which I can understand, to control humidity and such, but still), then cordoned off the floor in front of it in about 20 feet in each direction. And it's already such a small painting, in comparison to the others in the same room! Oh well. There was still an enormous crowd gathered in front of it and snapping pictures, though.

I really enjoyed the next gallery over, of large-scale French Romanticism paintings. I recognized Raft of the Medusa, The Coronation of Napoleon, Liberty Leading the People, and Napoleon Crossing the Alps, among so many others. And of course, the Nike of Samothrace, Venus de Milo, and my favorite statue ever, Psyche Revived by Cupid. It was like walking through my AP Art History textbook all over again!

Some dudes practicing their rollerblading skillz outside the Louvre.

This was where the line to see the Venus de Milo usually started. Ridiculously long lines.

After the museum closed I hung out in the lobby under the Pyramid for a while.

The glass and metal grid makes for some interesting effects on pictures!

I played around with the timer setting on my camera for a bit.

The pyramids and the pools also made for some cool pictures.


The Seine is beautiful at night.

The Eiffel Tower lit up at night.

"The more I see, the less I know ...

... the more I'd like to let it go."

I'm sitting in the kitchen/basement in my dorm in Paris right now, listening to Red Hot Chili Peppers and wondering exactly how the hell I got here. It seems like just yesterday I was worrying about my presentation on Piedras for my Spanish film class, practicing sevillanas, and getting ready for the Féria in Córdoba at the end of May. And of course, neglecting my poor blog ... A lot has happened, so I'll break down the time by the places I went and what happened before and after that.

So as I recounted at the end of the last post, my winter break grand tour of Western Europe began in Brittany with delicious food, incredibly generous family that I didn't know I had, and a perpetually hungry dog.

My uncle's family lives in Landerneau, a lovely little town 20 minutes outside of Brest.


Me with a bunch of cousins-by-marriage I had just met.

And the sweetest old gentleman I have ever met. I want to learn French just so I can go back and actually communicate with him!

We went to see my uncle's ranch one day, where the horses took a liking (and a munching) to my hair.

Bubeau (sp?), the most ravenous black lab I've ever seen. He'd be about a mile wide if he didn't have so much energy.

Crepes and apple cider - my new favorite comfort food.

Me and my uncle at a creperie in Nantes.

We went to see the castle in Nantes a couple days later. The glass on the window had really cool air bubbles!