Last days, Roma

Judas & Jesus

 Ciao tutti!

I'm back in the USA!  I've been back for a week, it's crazy!  I am staying with my dad in Springfield Illinois for a bit & let me tell you, it's different!  It feels so different from the life I left in Italy that the whole Italy experience seems like a dream.  Seriously.  It is so midwestern here.  Everyone speaks english & dresses like a... midwesterner.  Despite this mild culture shock I am doing great, adjusting to being back, etc.  I am grateful to be able to stay with my fam for a bit while I figure things out.  I've been researching career changes/options, places to live, hiking around Springfield, all that good transition stuff.  It is nice to have a comfortable, non-stressful place to stay while I ponder my life.  It has been great spending time with my dad & stepmom, whom I've seen rarely over the past 15 years.

I passed my last days in bella Roma catching up with friends, taking care of errands & walking around visiting all my favorite spots.  I had been stressing about my baggage because I had so much of it but, it turned out to not be such a big deal.  Well actually, one of my bags broke and had to be wrapped up in tape & plastic and another bag was lost for 3 days when I returned...   But at least I had to pay fewer fees than I had anticipated, I was pleased about that.

Not a ton going on in Springfield, we are prepping for the holidays as only Americans can do.  :)  I am hoping to start teaching some yoga here shortly as well as possibly finding some other temporary work to keep me busy.  Also, I'm planning a trip up to MN to visit my family, friends & MY CAT!

Enjoy these pics, I might have gone overboard with photo editing...

memories of these crazy souvenir stands full of mini colloseums & mini Davids

ancient bronze doors of the cathedral of San Giovanni in Laterano, used to be the doors of the senate house in the Roman Forum!

i like this because it looks like the facade of a greek temple

such pretty ceilings

a favorite painting of the Annunciation by Filippino Lippi

a favorite sculpture, Bernini's elephant outside of  Santa Maria Sopra Minerva

Diana in the piazza of the Pantheon

columns of the Pantheon

delicious Macchiati....

some favorite Caravaggio paintings

more Caravaggio

one more, love that chiaroscuro

piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere, near where I used to live

amazing mosaics!

the bees are a symbol of the Barberini family

the Campidoglio on Capitoline hill

spanish steps

my favorite gelato place, Giolitti!!!!!!!!!

 castel sant'angelo

piazza San Pietro

climbing up St. Peter's

Rome @ sunset

mass in St. Peter's

St. Peter's

Castel Sant'Angelo

went to this awesome Stanley Kubrick photo exhibition, did you know he was an amazing photographer before he started up with movies?  

Piazza Navona

Piazza Navona, La Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, by Bernini

I was loving this night time black & white :)

chiostro del bramante

 And here's a few shots of my last pizza night with my best pals.  I miss you ladies & plan to see you again one day in bella Roma!!

Paula ( & that fabulous pizza... :)

Emma

Diana

And then, I packed my life into these bags & hit the road!  I had my last conversation in Italian in the cab to the airport & have not spoken it since, ugh!  I have to find some conversation partners ASAP!  I plan to write another blog posting pretty soon to give an update on my re-immersion and to show photos of my lovely time in Ireland.  I LOVED Ireland!!  I'd like to go back & explore more.  Really, I'm trying to drag this blog on as long as I can, I'm going to miss it!  It has been such a fun activity & It will be so fun to look back through it one day & think... remember that one time I lived in Rome???  Good times!

Hope your holiday season is going well so far, I helped to make a bazillion spritz cookies yesterday.  I hope to see you all one day soon now that I am back in the motherland!

ciao
xo

my cute luggage family!  that small silver one busted open because i had packed 50#s worth of crap into it.  sorry little guy!