sotto il sole romano

Rome may not be home anymore, but it will always have my heart. Besides, all roads lead to Rome anyway...I'll be back! Currently based in Washington D.C. and loving being in a city that makes travel so easy!

[runningroman]

Beignets (& more!) in the Big Easy

Last month Brandon & I spent a week in the city that literally never sleeps...New Orleans. Okay so I know that reference is meant for New York City but when bars never shut down and you can buy alcohol at bars at 7 am, New Orleans really doesn’t sleep! 

It was his first time in the city and thankfully we had my friend Kelli (who’s from Louisiana) and her husband there to meet us an show us around a bit. Kelli & I went to New Orleans together a couple of years ago just the two of us so having the men in tow was a fun change! 

Brandon took about 100 photos of us eating gelato. We asked for one. He thought he was funny!

It was SO good to see her! Even though we don’t see each other often (maybe only once a year) it’s so easy to pick up where we left off like no time has passed. Unfortunately they could only play tourist with us during the weekend so once the week rolled around we were on our own and we certainly stayed busy.

One day we took a bus out to Slidell to go on a swamp tour with Cajun Encounters. When they tell you that you’re going to get up close and personal with some alligators, they are not kidding.

They fed the gators hot dogs and they loved it!

Just came to say hello!

The tour took us through some very picturesque swamp land (which sounds funny but it really was pretty) and we got to see lots of gators, birds, and even raccoons. 

We did several walking tours around the city too including a “ghost” tour which was fun for what it was but not sure I’d recommend it. The stories were just that: stories, and the guides seemed a little desperate to make you believe. One story that I’d always heard about from movies and TV was that of the Lalaurie Mansion which we got to walk by. It’s a creepy tale about a crazed woman who killed her servant staff in the 1800s so it was eerie to see the mansion in person. Whether or not it’s haunted, I’ll probably never know!

We also toured several of the famous cemeteries, including St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 where Marie Laveau, the “Voodoo Queen” is buried. There is so much history in these cemeteries and we both really enjoyed walking around and listening. I had no idea that when individuals were buried in these above-ground tombs they only stayed there until another family member passed (but the tombs can not be open for at least one yer and one day). Once it was time to place another individual inside the tomb, the current resident’s bones are placed in a sack and put either in the bottom of the tomb or in the back of it. Some of these tombs have hundreds of people in them! 

Inside St. Louis Cemetery No. 1

Also inside this cemetery is a (rather obnoxious) pyramid tomb that the actor Nicholas Cage built for himself to one day occupy. Apparently he did so to rid himself of the evil spirits that consumed him during his brief tenure as the owner of the Lalaurie Mansion. Take that with a grain of salt if you ask me!

In addition to walking (A LOT), popping in and out of bars on Bourbon St. and Frenchmen St., and people-watching, we also took an evening jazz cruise down the Mississippi River. I wasn’t too sure about it at first (I fully expected a tourist trap) but it was probably one of the best things we did! It was relaxing, the drinks were good, the weather was nice, and the band (The Dukes of Dixieland) was phenomenal. 

On the Steamboat Natchez before pulling out of the city.

And what would a trip to New Orleans be without eating everything we could put our hands on. These are only a few of the many food pictures I took!

Crawfish Etouffee

Boudin for Breakfast

Beignets at Cafe du Monde

While I don’t have pictures of our hotel, it was pretty awesome. It was the site of the old jazz museum so every room was a tribute to a jazz legend (ours was B. B. King). The hotel was right in the French Quarter so it was super convenient to get everywhere, I’d definitely go back - if only for the free milk and cookies they put out every afternoon! I have to give Brandon credit for this part of the trip, the hotel and logistics were all him. It was nice not to be the planner! 

Hanging out in Jackson Square

New Orleans never disappoints! xo

[runningroman]

Boots & BBQ: Weekend in Nashville!

Back in March one of my best friends turned 30 and we had to do something big so we celebrated by going somewhere none of us had ever been - Nashville, TN!

As is typical for us, we didn't want to burn too much vacation time so once again this was a sprint through the city! We started out with a crack-of-dawn flight out of Baltimore and didn't waste a minute once we landed. Our first stop? The famous Pancake Pantry!

Cornmeal pancakes with jalapeños & bacon inside

Loaded down with carbs and coffee our next stop was just outside the city to visit Belle Meade Plantation. This 19th century plantation home is situated on a beautiful piece of land that is a fraction of what it once was. While we couldn't take pictures inside the home, we did do a walking tour that was probably one of the best guided tours I've ever done. The guide was well-informed and quick witted. We learned all about the lineage of the home, how the plantation fell out of fortune (and became what it is today), and about all the different horses that were bred there (including the lineage that would ultimately produce Seabiscuit!). Admittedly, we were motivated to visit this plantation because it's also a winery.

Relaxing with a bottle of Iroquois Red

Nashville's famous Broadway Street is home to a slew of bars, shops (yes, we ended up with cowboy boots at the buy one get two free shops), and street musicians. It reminded me a lot of Bourbon Street in New Orleans! Every bar and restaurant was multi-story and each level had live music. There wasn't a single bad musician in Nashville.

Live music at the famous Tootsie's Orchid Lounge

We learned that Nashville has become the number one place in the country for bachelorette parties and I'm pretty sure we saw them all. There were women everywhere and as one Uber drive told us, they tended to travel in "gaggles." It was true! While we weren't exactly looking to party like we were at a bachelorette party, we were looking to eat. And we were quite successful!

Gumbo and fried okra at Southern Steak & Oyster

Hot chicken from Hattie B's

Chocolate hazelnut mousse from Etch

Inside Jack's BBQ on Broadway, the lines never stopped!

When we weren't eating or drinking we managed to visit the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry. I'm not sure I would need to go back to the Country Music Hall of Fame, it was very nice to see but aside from a few key pieces (like Elvis' Cadillac!) it wasn't something I'd need to see again.

Shania Twain's outfit from "That Don’t Impress Me Much". My inner child was super excited to see this!

The Grand Ole Opry would definitely be worth a return visit, especially to see a show.

Hanging out in "Little Jimmy's dressing room. Please note the sparkling couch!

Front and center!

We also got to walk around Nashville's Centennial Park...

It was windy!

And explore Antique Archaeology, the shop from the TV show American Pickers.

There was so much to look at in here!

I really enjoyed Nasvhille and while I'm not racing to return (it was more expensive than we thought!) I definitely wouldn't mind if ever ended up here again. If anything just to take in the people-watching and eat more BBQ!

xo

One of the best moments from the trip outside Antique Archaeology. We have no idea who this guy was but he was very entertained by our "photo shoot." We chatted with him after and he was cracking up at how well this turned out!

[runningroman]

Spring in Colorado

A few weeks ago, I made my own adult spring break from work and went to Colorado for a week. Before this trip, I had never been (outside of an airport layover) to the Midwest. Actually, I don’t think I’d ever been to state that doesn’t border a major ocean before this (except Pennsylvania!) so I knew it was going to be an experience from the start. I did pretty good at planning out a lot of this trip in advance so we hit the ground running from day one...

The first day in Denver was spent inside the Walker Stalker Convention. If you’re not a fan of The Walking Dead TV show, move on to the next section because this was definitely one of our highlights! I sat through three different panels with various actors and got to do a few meet and greets. The actors who play Abraham, Rosita, and Eugene were there along with many, many others from both TWD and FTWD. There was also representation from other TV shows and movies that involve zombies/zombie make-up - the one and only Freddy Kruger was there as well as one of my favorite characters, Gus, from Breaking Bad. (Compilation of some of the panels we went to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4D4q_HCJnE)

Hanging out with Michael Cudlitz, aka “Abraham” from ‘The Walking Dead’

Giancarlo Esposito, aka “Gus” from ‘Breaking Bad’

The next day, I went for a bit of a road trip outside of Denver....to go skiing in Vail! Vail was always a place I heard about but had never really though I would go. Fortunately for us, one of my fellow AUR alums is a ski instructor there (Thanks again, Liz!). 

A funny side story during this trip happened during morning coffee just before leaving Vail. I’m just minding my own business and down through the square walks Kris Jenner and her camera crews. She was decked out in a plush, purple, fur jacket and shouting orders at her crew. Typical Kardashian. I moved on! 

The pictures speak for themselves. I’d go back tomorrow if I could (and if the slopes were still open). 

The next stop was to Estes Park. This little town is nestled in the Rocky Mountains and is famous for one very special novel - The Shining. I spent the night at the infamous Stanley Hotel in the hopes of catching an experience with a ghost. And while others on the hotel tour may be convinced we felt something I don’t think anything happened. It was still fun though - the hotel is beautiful, the bar where Stephen King drank as he wrote is stunning, and the ghost tour was certainly entertaining and made everyone a bit jumpy by the end of the night. It was very windy and of course everything creaks so I had a hard time getting to sleep that night. Fortunately, if you can’t sleep, the hotel has a channel that does nothing but play “The Shining” film on repeat!

Once upon a time the hotel was painted yellow because that was the most expensive pigment available. I’m glad they changed it to white!

The door to Room 217. This room is so haunted that it inspired King to write The Shining. 

Other big highlights of the trip included a jaunt into Wyoming just to say that I did & having lunch at a trucker stop there, touring the Ft. Collins, CO Budweiser Factory, climbing around Red Rocks Amphitheater...

...seeing real dinosaur bones, eating a flight of pancakes in Denver...

 ... hanging out on modern art downtown...

...making it to the top (barely) of one of the Flat Iron mountains in Boulder...

... and of course the people. I got to spend a lot of time with my hosts (some friends from Rome) and their kids, hang out with my cousin all day in Denver, and just take in the city. I’ll be back one day just to ski and hike some more!

See ya later, CO!

P.S. One of my favorite signs I saw in Boulder, CO, I think it will be my new life motto!

[runningroman]

December on Broadway

Until December 2015 I had never been to an actual on-Broadway show, and then I got to go to TWO! 

The first was “Finding Neverland” starring the one and only Matthew Morrison. This show was very special because not only was it my first show, it was starring one of my favorite actors, and it was on my 25th birthday! I was totally blown away by the talent on stage. The theatrics of the whole thing were incredible and there were many moments things could have gone wrong if someone moved just an inch the wrong way and they never did. Matthew Morrison is undoubtedly one of the most talented human beings on this planet and to compliment him were some of the most talented children! The kids who sang alongside him were phenomenal (and of course made me question everything I’ve ever done in my life!). 

(Sadly, Kelsey Grammer was not at our show to play Hook, but the individual who played Hook was equally hilarious!)

From imaginary pirate ships to singing in a park to hilarious servants at a British manor, this was one of the most fantastical shows. I wish I could see it again (I’ll just settle for listening to the soundtrack over and over)! Lucky for me, I did get to meet Matthew Morrison and get my playbill signed. Totally worth the wait! He was lovely :)

The second show was a Christmas gift from my boyfriend Andy since he knew I had such a good time at Finding Neverland and he had never been to a show either. We opted for one that was a bit more fun than Neverland (that show literally left me in tears!) and went to see “School of Rock, The Musical.” It. Was. Hilarious!

The show did a really great job of taking elements from the movie and incorporating it with the original work of Andrew Lloyd Weber. Some jokes I knew the punchline to and and some were brand new - all super funny though! The star of the show, Alex Brightman, did a great Jack Black. He was definitely his own character but paid perfect tribute to his predecessor. The kids in this show, however, gave the kids in Finding Neverland a run for their money. They were so unbelievably talented! The show makes a point of letting you know before it starts that the kids are actually playing their own instruments and they really, please forgive the pun, ROCK. The girl who played the bass was smaller than the instrument itself but she totally owned it. By the end I was so proud of these kids and I don’t even know them! 

Again, we stalked the stage door and met up with the cast and got our playbills signed after the show. Andy even got a nice handshake from Alex Brightman since it was his first Broadway show!

No matter which of these shows you opt to go see, you’ll be glad you did!

[runningroman]

Weekend in ATL

Two weekends ago, I hopped a plane to Atlanta to meet up with two friends I met in Rome. Kat was presenting work from her University at an archaeology conference in Atlanta and since she is from the west coast of Canada it seemed like the closest she would get for quite to either me in Baltimore or Kelli in Louisiana for awhile. Any excuse to travel is a good excuse for me!

The weekend wasn’t about sightseeing quite so much as it was about catching up with old friends and even older friends. After Kat’s presentation on the Friday morning we headed into town. Our goal was to get to a neighborhood known as “Little Five Points.” Unfortunately, none of us examined the map carefully at first and we all thought the metro stop “Five Points” was where we wanted to go. Not the case. Don’t go there. Just take my word for it. After realizing our mistake we grabbed an Uber and finally landed at this Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives featured restaurant...

Folk Art

Pork shoulder and potato salad...YUM!

After eating our weight in good southern food we walked around Little Five Points. It’s an eclectic neighborhood with lots of wall art. Check out this not-so-inviting bar that boasted top rate burgers. We didn’t try it cause we were stuffed, but maybe next time!

The Vortex 

As nice as Little Five Points was, we didn’t want to spend our whole day there so we made our way into the Midtown area. One of my best friends from our Mississippi days now lives in Atlanta and she had some great suggestions for bars and met up with us once she finished work. We may have drank a little too much but it was fun!

Me, Kelli, and Kat out in Midtown Atlanta

My friend, Imani, suggested we meet at the Publik Draft House attached to the Fox Theater. This place had everything, including a live musician playing acoustic covers. He was great!

Me & Imani

The next day we were all just a little worn out from staying up too late the night before so we opted for a calmer day. We headed out to Piedmont Park for a walk and to meet up with another friend that Kelli & I knew in Rome, Kiana. 

Atlanta skyline and Piedmont Park

After our lazy walk (filled with couples and families doing photo shoots, seriously, I counted close to 20!) we grabbed a drink and a photo before saying goodbye. 

It was a great, but all too quick, weekend of reunions and fun! 

xo

[runningroman]

The Golden Gate City

In mid-October I spent 8 days in San Francisco. Everyone has told me how beautiful, endearing, perfect, (and outrageously expensive!) this city is so now that I had reason to visit, it was about time I was re-acquainted with the West Coast. 

Eight days is too long for me to write a moment-by-moment recap of the trip so I will just say this - the weather couldn’t have been better, the people are nice (but not the forthcoming nice I expected, if that makes any sense!), the general attitude is much more relaxed than the east coast (reminding me a lot of our days in Hawaii!), the public transportation is good and the city is WAY bigger than I ever thought. I had some of the best food I’ve ever had in the United States (as well as some really bizarre dishes too). There were a couple of things that really surprised me though - the shocking amount of homelessness and the political activism that met you in literally every store and home window. I never expected there to be an almost designated street for homeless people to spend their time on and while I knew the west coast felt strongly about their politics, I didn’t expect to get hit with it every time I turned. Interesting, to say the least! 

The Ferry Building 

The Golden Gate Bridge

 The Painted Ladies

Lombard Street

San Francisco’s Beach

Alcatraz Island

Muir Woods

The view from Andy’s roof in the Sunset District

And now, the most important part, FOOD!

Sand dabs at The Old Clam House

Avocado ice cream at Mitchell’s 

Wine and hummus spread at Banshee Wines

And of course, an In-N-Out burger!

Until next time, SF!

xo

[runningroman]

7 Hours to Salem

7 hours. Exactly how long it takes to get from my house in Baltimore to Salem, Massachusetts. And what better way to spend the first weekend of October than in a town that spends the whole month saying “Happy Halloween!”

Day 1 [10/3/15]

Since neither myself nor Chelsea or Olga had ever been this far north, we spent our first afternoon/evening in the lovely city of Boston. We didn’t get into town until about 3 PM, it was already getting dark and chilly!

[Trying not to get blown away off of Long Warf]

[Clam chowder at Legal Sea Foods on State Street]

[Swordfish, roast asparagus, & polenta at Legal Sea Foods]

The clam chowder and swordfish were amazing. Asparagus and polenta left a bit to be desired. And parking was $40+. The lesson? Stick to the seafood, Boston!

Our one night in Boston couldn’t end with just dinner so we made our way to the main downtown stretch, walked through the lovely Christopher Columbus Park and stopped to have a few drinks in some of the oldest bars in the country. The outdoor shopping area was adorable and the bars very pub-like and cozy. No pictures, but they were great!

Day 2 [10/4/15]

After a lovely breakfast at our Holiday Inn, we hit the road bright and early for Salem. We were only 20 minutes from the small town and wanted to make strategic decisions in terms of parking in the town and making sure we saw every Hocus Pocus film spot we could. So, before getting into town we drove to Marblehead to see film location no. 1 - Old Burial Hill!

[Old Burial Hill - Chilly, windy, but a beautiful view over the town’s harbors!]

Next, we headed back into Salem, parked, and headed for the House of the Seven Gables made famous by author Nathaniel Hawthorne!

[The House of the Seven Gables]

[The Witch Trial Memorial in Downtown Salem]

[Around the memorial was a stone bench for every individual killed in the witch trials, this one was for one of the more famous “witches,” John Proctor.]

[The Ropes Mansion - Hocus Pocus film spot no. 2, complete with ghost stories and free tour inside.]

[Salem Town Hall. Currently under renovation so it’s not as glamorous as it once was, but it was Hocus Pocus film spot no. 3 for us!]

[The Joshua Ward House - One of the most haunted spots in Salem. It will be opening soon as a hotel, not sure I’m brave enough to stay in it!]

These pictures don’t do justice to everything we did in just one day in Salem, looking back on it I still can’t believe everything we did do! We explored a tall ship at the Salem Maritime National Historic Site, had some amazing coffee at Jaho Coffee & Tea, walked through the street fair that Salem has every weekend in October - the fair, by the way, is complete with fall-themed foods, people dressed up in their Halloween best, and every witch-themed souvenir you can think of. We ate a lunch of Tripadvisor-suggested chicken salad and hot tea at Gulu-Gulu Cafe, attended a slightly-painful mock witch trial at the Witch Dungeon Museum (but still entertaining!), chatted with over-priced psychics, and ate (even more!) clam chowder at Rockafellas before going on a “Scary Stories” night tour of Salem. 

I think it is safe to say we didn’t waste a minute! 

[runningroman]

[Painted sign on Rose Island, Bahamas]

[runningroman]

Beachin’ Bahamas

Last week, we went to the Bahamas!

[Sandy Toes, Rose Island, Bahamas]

[The Cloisters, Paradise Island, Bahamas]

[Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas, New Providence, Bahamas]

This trip will probably be the last of my Bahamas trips, at least for awhile, as Andy is getting ready for his next adventure. We made the most of the trip and spent a whole week soaking up the sun with our friends (& roommate!) Chelsea & Ryan. 

Naturally, I wasn’t about to go to the Bahamas and not dive - I’m just happy that everyone else joined me too! Chelsea & Ryan got to experience their first SCUBA dive and, unless they are just really good at fooling me, they loved it!

[All three of us - it was a bit hard to get a picture of all of us considering they were just trying to grasp the skill of being in the water, but we got it!]

[While Chelsea and Ryan spent the morning in the classroom learning skills for their first dive, Andy and I went off on our own, and well, this happened...]

[Sea Turtle & Caribbean Reef Shark on Mike’s Reef]

[Stingray]

[Spiny Lobster]

Another one of our days was spent at the fabulous Rose Island. On Rose Island there is nothing but a beach bar and the ocean. It is semi-private too considering you either have to pay for the boat to get to it or have your own boat. It keeps everything relaxed and not overcrowded - aka, perfect.

[Chelsea & me at Sandy Toes, Rose Island]

[Playing model while Andy took pictures!]

I didn’t take pictures of everything we did, I was having too much fun just enjoying being there but we did have several great meals. We ate at my favorite place on the island, Goodfellow Farms, which is farm-to-table style meaning the shrimp and microgreens salad I had was incredibly fresh and delicious. We took Chelsea & Ryan to Twin Brothers in Arawak Cay to let them experience eating conch and drinking sky juice (gin & coconut water) for the first time. I think they liked it! We had a giant bucket of mojitos at Compass Point and drank more daiquiris than we needed at Fat Tuesdays. The best though had to be the sushi at Seafront Sushi near Andy’s house. All in all, a very successful trip - good food, good weather, good people! 

[Mojitos at Compass Point]

[Daiquiris at Fat Tuesday]

[Sushi at Seafront Sushi]

[Me & Andy at Seafront Sushi]

See ya next time, Bahamas!

[runningroman]

These are the quieter symbols of New Orleans....

In a city covered in fleur de lis flags and images, the water meter covers are popping up in the souvenir shops as well. Apparently these 9-pound meter covers are something of a hot commodity for thieves looking to take home a souvenir or sell on eBay, especially after Hurricane Katrina, so if you can find one in the ground it’s something special!

[runningroman]

48 Hours in New Orleans

Over the weekend I took a (very!) quick visit to New Orleans to visit with one of my best friends who lives not far from the city in Baton Rouge. We haven’t seen each other since December 2013....

(K & me in Piazza Navona in Rome the last time we saw each other.)

...so it was a long overdue reunion!

Since the last time I was in New Orleans I was about 12 or 13, so I didn’t know much. Thankfully, K pretty much had the trip covered. Her first stop suggestion was amazing, just look at these beauties!

(Crawfish at Frankie & Johnny’s off Magazine St. on the west side of New Orleans.)

With stomachs full, we took a walk down Magazine Street, a street full of adorable vintage shops and boutiques. Also, it is apparently Mardi Gras there ALL THE TIME. Check out the beads!

We didn't get far before stopping at both a chocolate shop and a French bakery for snacks and coffee. Needless to say, I do not think I ever successfully “walked off” anything I ate this weekend because we just kept going. That evening we asked our Air B&B hostess for recommendations for dinner and drinks and she sent us into the French Quarter to the Marigny Brassiere on Frenchman Street. We also happened to have a friend from Rome in for the weekend so she stopped by too!  

One of the most interesting things that happened that night though was that someone, we honestly have no idea who, paid $40 of our bar tab before we left. I wish we could have said thank you!

As the night went on we wandered around Frenchman Street (supposedly the local’s “Bourbon Street”) and explored the art markets and saw lots and lots of street performers, these guys were great - they deserve way more than a set of steps to perform on!

After a late night K & I still managed to wake up the next morning early enough to snag seats at the famous Cafe du Monde for beignets and cafe au laits. I have no words for this breakfast other than YUM.

Our afternoon adventure took us out of the city. We drove about an hour west to the Houmas House Plantation. Once upon a time this was a a 35 acre sugar cane plantation. It sits right on the Mississippi River (which, too my disappointment, you cannot see because of how high the levy is) and felt like a step back in time. The house and the grounds were just beautiful.

With barely 48 hours in New Orleans, exhaustion was not about to stop us so the second we got back into the city we did some more walking around the French Quarter and began our evening at the Carousel Bar, supposedly one of the top 10 bars you have to see in the world.

(St. Louis Cathedral)

(Art vendors in Jackson Square)

(Carousel Hotel Bar - The bar stools spin around the bar!)

We ended the evening at bar considered to be the oldest building ever used as a bar in the country. Apparently there were lots of smuggling and spy operations working out of this “blacksmith” shop.

(This picture was taken the next morning while walking around.)

For our last day in New Orleans, K & I decided on Pierre Maspero’s for brunch. This was probably the best meal of the whole trip. Of course, I couldn't do bacon and eggs in NEW ORLEANS so I went with the sampler - crawfish etouffee, gumbo, and jambalaya. Not very breakfast-like, I know, but I had a mimosa with it so that works, right?

(The crawfish etoufee was the best.)

For our final afternoon excursion, K & I headed over to the Garden District to “ooh” and “ah” over the stunning 1920′s mansions and visit the iconic Lafayette Cemetery No. 1.

(This mansion actually belonged to author Anne Rice at one point.)

(Anne Rice even staged a fake burial for herself in a glass coffin to promote the release of her book Memnoch the Devil.)

And for our final act in New Orleans before K had to get me to the airport for a flight that would be incredibly delayed and unorganized, we had snowballs!

Until next time!

[runningroman]

Baltimore

It should be a surprise to no one that Baltimore has been in the news lately and with that comes a lot of negative publicity. While you may or may not agree with everything that has happened and you may have developed opinions on whether or not Baltimore is a great city to be in, I am not going to use this post to comment on the politics of the city or the issues that caused these events to unfold, I am going to use it as a space to document what I got to see as a resident of the city. The internet equivalent of “Amanda was here” etched in the wall...

I’m not going to go into the events of Freddie Gray’s death. There is far too much information and I do not want to get it wrong. Please feel free to do your own research! My perspective starts shortly after his unfortunate death...

After the news unfolded on Monday night (April 27) that the riots in the city over the death of Freddie Gray were turning violent we spent the rest of the evening anxiously watching the news. There were reports of riots being instigated in both the inner-city and more suburban areas. My roommate and I spent that Monday night sitting at an Applebee’s bar watching buildings go up in flames and police respond to protestors. It was one of the quietest bars I have ever been in. Everyone was silent, unsure how to feel about what was unfolding. It truly seemed that the city was burning. That night the mayor announced the city would be under curfew from 10 pm to 5 am for the rest of the week. Then, the governor announced the National Guard were to be deployed. The first time since 1968 that the Guard would be sent to the city.

We steered clear of inner-city throughout the week and abided by curfews. The University shut its doors at 1:30pm on April 28th out of concern for safety. Even Towson Town Center shut early for a couple of days. Fortunately, nothing severe happened this far north in the city. 

By Friday, peace had resumed as much as could be hoped in a four day span. The National Guard were still in the city and there were still constant demonstrations taking place at City Hall and at North & Penn. Ave. While I had told myself I would stay away from all of this, I couldn’t help but be curious to feel what the city was like during a period of “history in the making.”

And so, on Friday afternoon, my roommate and I drove down to the city...

The streets were eerily quiet, except for law enforcement. We ended up following these guys into the world’s safest Starbucks for a few minutes. Not kidding, this Starbucks had 20+ National Guard and at least 5 police officers inside.

After becoming properly caffeinated, we made our way to City Hall. I had an old friend from Rome working on assignment with CNN so we made our way to their tents and hung out for a bit. Not a whole lot was going on. Definitely far more media and law enforcement than general civilians. 

Although, there was this guy taking up a crosswalk that was already blocked by police vehicles. I think he made his point though...

The next evening we headed downtown to meet some friends. The city was still under curfew so it was still fairly quiet. We did have a lovely escort on our way into the city though! 

I will say, every interaction we had with the National Guard was wonderful. They were all friendly, considerate, and weren’t above waving or throwing a “thumbs up” at us when we said “hello” and “thank you for your service.” Thanks again, guys! 

One of the most bizarre experiences though was sitting at the bar, in downtown Baltimore, on a Saturday night, and being kicked out at 9:30 PM. (Last call was at 9:00!). It was  very strange. Needless to say, that didn’t end our Saturday night. We just drove out past the county line to Towson and found ourselves at Applebee’s, yet again. Their menu was strangely appropriate.

By Sunday, the mayor of Baltimore had lifted the city curfew. 

All in all, this was one of the strangest and most surreal events I have ever witnessed. To see the city you call home lined with soldiers is one of the most disconcerting sensations I have ever had. Of course, I am thankful they were there and that nothing worse happened. Baltimore has only been my home for a year but I still see it as one of the best cities in the world and I, for one, believe in it’s future. 

[runningroman]

First Annual Friend-cation!

First off, I fail. I fail at blogging. I fail at Tumblr. And in some senses, I have failed slightly over the last 10 months considering I haven’t written down a single thing that has happened. Don’t get me wrong, Maryland & Baltimore are great but “ living in Baltimore, MD” doesn't quite have the same ring to it as what this blog was originally created to document. With that said.....I need to start living (and writing!) like I did when I was “studying abroad.” It’s my own fault that I lost the “study abroad” attitude and now, I’m bringing it back. One adventure at a time!

A little over a month ago, one of my best friends from when I lived in Rome was stateside (YAY!) for work. Fortunately for me, she had a weekend to kill and there were mountains and wine in driving distance of us both. So where did we end up? The Poconos!

I know what you’re saying....”You two went from the Eternal City to the Poconos?! Why?!” While I really can’t explain it (which stands for a lot of the things that we do together!) it ended up being one of the best weekends I have had in quite a long time. 

We stayed at a cabin designed for actual couples much older than us and got lots of strange looks...

We did have a romantic trail ride through the woods though...

We drank lots and lots of wine! Somehow, this didn’t get documented. I think we were a bit busy....you know...drinking wine. For future reference the vineyard we fell in love with was in New Jersey, called “Brook Hollow Winery.” I’d love them more if they shipped to me. 

The best part of the weekend though was just getting to spend quality time with one of my best friends who I do not see nearly enough. We stayed up late talking about everything from Disney movies to our childhoods to the best and latest gossip from across the pond. We bonded over the strange looks we got when we showed up (showered and well-dressed, might I add) to a casino filled with individuals who probably couldn’t point out Italy on a map as well as the ridiculous couple that wore nothing but workout gear to breakfast but had also probably never seen a gym in their lives. We laughed about the freak snowstorm (and how we probably shouldn’t have even been driving) and the waitress at the brewery that asked if we wanted tomatoes and onions in our Caesar salad (Sidenote: Food was crap, beer was GREAT!). We even spent one night wandering around the cabins and snowy woods at 2 o’clock in the morning just because we could. We identified animal tracks, “ice skated” down the frozen roads, and stumbled through a foot of snow to see what was behind the tree lines. None of this was wine induced at all. None ;) 

These trees and this field were MUCH scarier in the dark...

Basically, it was a great weekend. Time to start planning next year’s trip! (Maybe somewhere a bit warmer?!)

[runningroman]

Mickey & Manatees

Clearly, it's been a little while since my last post. A LOT has changed since I wrote about my time in Malta. I'll come back to Malta soon in another post....there is a lot to be said for what happened between then and now. This post though is just a little re-cap of what me and Andrew did a couple of weeks ago during a long weekend in Florida...

Andrew's been off in the Bahamas for the last (is it really here already?) year and I've been off doing lots of other things but we found some time to meet up in Florida and visit with my aunts. They were awesome and got us into Disney which was a total blast, especially for Andy since he hadn't been there since he was really little. 

(Not too sure what's going on behind me....)

We were tempted to stay in Disney all night because Magic Kingdom had their 24 hour party night but we had to go home because we were scheduled to be out the door at 5 am the next morning to drive west to Crystal River, FL to do a cavern dive and snorkel with manatees.

Yes. Manatees. Look!

These guys were amazing. We spent the morning with them (thanks to American Pro Divers in Crystal River) and loved every second. Visibility was pretty low so I'm pretty sure we all ran into each other, but seeing as they're twice the size of me I don't think they cared too much. (FYI, that picture is the baby! He was huge, but mom was even bigger!)

Disney & the manatees were of course, wonderful, but really the best part of the trip was just hanging out with my aunts, getting them to meet Andy, playing with all their lovable animals, and everybody just being together (especially when the mango martinis came out!). 

Can't forget these guys either....(didn't take nearly enough pictures of all the animals but at least I got these two!)

Love them!

xo

[alohaamanda]

Bahama Mama! Decompressing after my first Bahamian dives this morning. (at Compass Point Beach Resort)

[runningroman]

A Month in Malta

It's been quite awhile since my last post and while I'm not one for excuses, I have been extraordinarily busy in this past month - I moved to a new country! 

While the title of my blog doesn't really apply anymore, I'll be keeping it. I like it and let's face it, Rome has a special place in my heart and I have no intention to never return to the Eternal City. With that said, it was time to move on, at least temporarily, from Italy. I finished my degree in May, I wrapped up my job over the summer, and said goodbye (or rather, "see you soon!") in August to my boyfriend as he embarked on his own new adventure. In late August I hopped on a plane and made the move to Malta, specifically a town called St. Julian's. I'm here to do my PADI Divemaster course and, fingers crossed, do the IDC (Instructor Development Course) as well in November. I should be leaving Malta in the beginning of December and heading to the Bahamas via a holiday stopover in the States to see friends and family. We'll see! But anyway, this post isn't about my travel plans it's about, go figure, diving!

Since I arrived in Malta (exactly one month ago to the day!) I have completed 47 dives which has pushed me well past the minimum requirement to become a Divemaster. I've dived close to every single day that I've been here. I been working at a dive shop six days a week for close to 12 hours a day so needless to say, my "day off" is generally just a movie marathon! I'm loving it though. So far, this has been one of the most amazing experiences I've had the opportunity to be apart of. I'm learning a lot, not just about diving, but about small businesses and customer relations. This small internship will no doubt come in handy when it comes time to apply to other jobs. I can already tell the skills I'm using and learning here will be priceless to me in the future.

The diving here is brilliant - some days I'm just working in the center doing "Discover Scuba Dives" and check dives on our local house reef and other days I'm paired with an instructor to take customers out on pleasure dives or courses at sites around the island. While I won't bore you by recounting every dive I've done, I'll just name a few of my favorites so far!

About a week ago we did a night dive on the HMS Maori in Valletta during which we saw seahorses, flying gernards, crabs, eels, and so much more. In a place that is famous for it's wrecks, it's wildlife sure comes out at night! Another great dive took place on the P29 wreck (a German patrol boat) in Cirkewwa. This is one of my favorite wrecks but one particular dive on it was quite memorable because a storm rolled in during the dive and we could see lightening from underwater! (Don't worry, the storm wasn't a problem. We made it out without issue!) At another point in time I was fortunate enough to be able to go dive again in Cirkewwa with some one on one coaching from a truly fantastic diver and while we were there, we dived not only the P29 but the nearby Rozi tugboat wreck as well. For various reasons, not many people manage to do both wrecks in one dive but we did and I've never felt to excited underwater when we did it! 

I could go on but the point is, so far Malta is amazing and the day to day activity that goes on at the dive shop is just incredible. From dealing with technical divers to brand new divers and everything in between (including a couple of paraplegic divers!) we see a bit of it all here. What's more amazing, I've only been here a month! I can't wait to see what the next few months bring.

[runningroman]

Finally, Florence (& Pisa too!)

Florence has always been on my "to do again" list since I went there with my family in the summer of 2005. I remember it being a magical city filled with interesting history, architecture, and art and that we just did not have enough time to spend there. Looking back, I also most definitely did not have the understanding of Italy and it's history to truly appreciate it either so I am so glad I could go back again. During my most recent two years in Italy, I always told myself I would go back there but it continually got pushed farther and farther down the list and replaced by new adventures to new places. I have recently made the decision to leave Italy for the tiny island of Malta to better my diving skills and qualifications for a few months and while this decision is filled with positives, the short-timing of the decision meant that I almost didn't get back to Florence! 

Andy & I fortunately managed to put two days together and make a trip out of two things we wanted to do: I wanted to go back to Florence and he (who has lived in Italy for seven years and never been to Pisa) wanted to see the Leaning Tower. Easy!

Our first stop was Florence via the super-fast frecciarosa train. Less than an hour and a half, comfy seats, & free wifi. Definitely the train to take!

Il Duomo di Firenze

Replica Statue of David outside the Palazzo Vecchio

View over the city from Palazzo Pitti 

Me & Ponte Vecchio

Andy rubbing the boar for good luck

Beautiful view, delicious gelato, and a perfect evening

We spent the night in Florence and were up early the next morning to hop a train to Pisa. It's only about an hour between the two cities on the regional train so we were there in time for a nice breakfast and to see the sites before it got too hot. What we did not beat were the crowds, although, I'm not sure if that's even possible in Pisa. The monuments were absolutely packed but the adjoining museums were not. We spent the morning wandering through the museums learning about how the cathedral was constructed and how the frescoes inside the complex's camposanto chapel & piazza were created, then damaged, and then restored. When we finally went inside the cathedral, the crowd was overwhelming and we only spent about 10 minutes inside the church before ducking back outside. The baptistry as well was crowded but was nothing compared to the church. We opted against climbing to the top of the leaning tower. Not only was it hot and we were carrying bags, the cost of just entering the tower was €18 (somehow everything else we did was €9!). Once we finished seeing everything we could we began our wander back in the direction of the train station and managed to find a decent place for lunch that was slightly off the beaten track. We made it back with plenty of time to spare to the train station and hopped on the afternoon train (that unfortunately took four hours since it was a treno regionale!) and made it back to Rome by 5:30. All in all, a great couple of days together!

The Leaning Tower

The Baptistry

The Piazza of Miracles in the Camposanto

I am so happy to have been able to go back to these two places and especially to go back to them with Andy! I have no idea when I'll be back but I'm confident that this is not the last time we'll see these beautiful cities.