Arrivederci Roma, Bonjour Paris

This is a bittersweet good-bye.

Today I am leaving Rome and beginning a new adventure. I am flying to Paris, a city I have dreamed of going to for practically my entire life. I will spend 5 days there, then my uncle Paul will meet me and we will start driving. Right now the plan is to make our way north to Denmark/Norway/Sweden. All we know for sure is that we have to be in Frankfurt by the 18th to catch our flight back to the U.S. Other than that we don't really have a plan. We are just going to take it a day at a time and have an amazing adventure!

I have spent three and a half months in one of the most amazing cities in the world, but more than the beautiful buildings and awesome food, I'm going to miss the people. I made friends that I will have for life and will miss dearly. I took a leap of faith, stepped out of my shell, and embraced life in Rome. I laughed, I cried, I sweat a lot (thanks to the oppressive Roman summers), and I made memories that I will cherish forever. I look forward to seeing what will come next!

A dopo.

BVLGARI

From History to Eternity. 125 Years of Italian Jewellry

One of the most famous names that comes to mind when you say exquisite jewelry is Bulgari. And, for 125 years they have been designing the best.

As a jewelry designer I am constantly looking for inspiration, so last Sunday afternoon I wandered to a part of town I spent little time in and found a quaint museum with an extraordinary BVLGARI exhibit. I have never seen anything so fantastic, I think I walked around for 2 hours with my jaw dropped.

I have to say it was one of the most pleasant Sunday afternoons I have had yet.

Where has all the time gone?

I woke up yesterday morning and realized that I have exactly 4 weeks left before I move back to Auburn. I have no idea where the time went. It seems like just yesterday I was scrambling around Auburn trying to take my finals early, pack for 4 months, and build up my jewelry inventory. I now feel a slight sense of urgency to see and do everything that I was putting off because I thought I had so much time.

The Daily Commute

Oh the joys of public transportation. I came to Rome with a romanticized view of public transportation--how eco-chic it would be to take the train every day. That idea lasted about a week.

Today for example, a seemingly normal Friday morning, turned into the commute from hell. I leave the apartment at 7:45 to catch the 8:06 train. I walk down the street and around the corner and see that the tram has just left. No worries though, there is usually one every 5 minutes or so, plus the #3 bus that can get me to the Trastevere Station. Not today though...I wait for 15 minutes--no tram, no bus--then finally at 8:03 the #3 bus pulls up, still no tram in sight, I hop on. The bus is hot and crowded, and there is no way I am going to make it to the station in time for the 8:06. I arrive at the station at 8:12, get to platform 5 and notice there are a ton of people. It turns out the 8:06 train is going to be 5 minutes late, which if you do the math, by the time I get there it is already at least 6 or 7 minutes late. At 8:25, the 8:06 train finally pulls up. For a second I contemplate waiting for the next train because this train is so unbelievably packed. I decide against it--a decision I will soon regret--and squeeze myself in the doorway, thinking if I am against the wall it will be fine. And what might you ask happens next? Someone shoves their hands against my back, nearly making me fall, shoving me into the middle of the train while about 6 more people managed to cram themselves in the doorway. The not so sweet smell of un-showered, non-deodorant wearing Italians is something you just don't quite get used to. And, the fact that the a.c. is either not on or not working doesn't help the situation. 3 stops later, I fight my way off the train--sweating, annoyed and feeling slightly violated after being a sardine for 20 minutes. I walk the final stretch to HQ, swipe my badge, look at my phone and it is 8:45. That's right, 1 hour door-to-door. I am so looking forward to the 17:28 train back to Trastevere.

A note on traveling...

I think it is more important to get an intimate feel for a city and not see everything, than rush around checking off the tourist hot-spots. You have to put aside your guide book, walk as fast as you can away from the tourists, and most importantly relax. Go were the locals are and soak up the environment. I am convinced that by doing this you will get the most out of every place you travel.

La Biennale di Venezia

53. Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte: Fare Mondi

"A work of art is more than an object, more than a commodity. It represents a vision of the world, and if taken seriously must be seen as a way of making a world."

"Victory over the Future" by Anatoly Shuravlev, Russia/Photograph by Emma Jane Keller

The Anatomy of a School Feeding Operation