On the way there though, I am thinking, thank goodness we do not live in the heart of rome.
At first I was disappointed because I expected to be smack in the city and see
cobblestones like in the pictures and such.
But it is so touristy in the heart.
You see tour buses everywhere, and it is more dangerous for pickpockets there and a ton of people just packed taking photos...smoke everywhere.
In fact some guy was like snooping around near our group.
He was so...gross. He kept staring at us as if waiting for one of us to
make a mistake and give him the opportunity of stealing from us.
Thankfully, he finally went away after waiting because we were taking too long and we all kept
giving him random looks of "da eff? we see you. can you please just...move.."
This MASSIVE monument represents the unification of Italy in 1870
and it has all these sculptures of Victories (mythical woman representing victory if she were to fly over you and such) flying above as well.
The marble is so precious and white and it was also infused with yellow and red marble which are more expensive and had to be imported.
They represent wealth and prosperity.
We were not allowed to sit on the steps or lean against any of the building.
I took a few videos, but since it was in class and because we could get arrested for having a tour guide/tour in the sacred building, I did not take too many.
we walked to the main Farmers' Market and there I bought my first produce!
It is so confusing because I did not know which stand to buy from, but I chose
one because the man seemed friendly and I bought some apples from there.
At another one I bought tomatoes.
But the lady was so cute: she was trying to help me and was asking me if I was going to cook or just eat them. We did like this whole body language while I was saying random Spanish and Italian words hehe
Me: Voglio pomodoro per favore. Voglio mangiare questos...
What I love about the produce is that you know that is fresh and organic for sure.
You do not find pesticide-ridden produce there.
...
DROP DEAD GORGEOUS!
...
There were bodies buried underneath us so you could see the tombs on the marble floor.
You could see that the church was in the shape of the cross (layout).
Pictures would suffice more than I could ever say...
We chatted about the difference and symbolism of the bare bricks of the church
and random buildings throughout the street with the new.
It basically represents how there is the history and to not forget it and such.
I thought that was pretty cool as it provided as a contrast whereas in America, we
only are obsessed with making everything maintained and beautiful.
At least in my city...
We then walked over the Pantheon and on the way
we saw the "Cat Sanctuary" (where cats somehow love to come) or where
Julius Caesar was stabbed to death.
Note: The Romans pride themselves in their water, so there are fountains literally everywhere where you can just drink from, fill your water bottle, etc.
It is not like the ones in America AT ALL.
Depending on the building, you can drink the tap water too.
We all drink the tap water from our apartments literally all the time.
That is literally what the name means.
There was an original side door (refer to pic of just a brown brick wall) that was sealed shut
and a new one was made.
There are holes in the brick walls that show where there used to be
adornments hung.
The circles and square pattern marble on the floor represent the circle of life and ...something else.
The marble was red and yellow representing the wealth.
The open dome ceiling would let in the rain that would never flood the Pantheon due to the way it was structured and built at a slight slant.
The time that could be told by the way the light shone...
The intricacy of everything was and is just amazing.
The only annoying thing about it is that it is packed with tourists and you see people with selfie sticks everywhere.
Note: The selfienator apparently hahaha
...
Saw some random horse roller backpack that was apparently £729.50 "discounted" to £99.00.
The heck? I was commenting like "wth who would buy this" and the lady passing by
snorted a little. So I guess she was also a tourist who understood my English.
...
AND I SERIOUSLY UNDERSTAND NOW
why people say not to go shopping when you are hungry.
And trust me...we were all like super hungry.
This place kept reminding me of my dad because he and I love places like Trader Joe's, etc.
Just little niche places where you can see a huge selection of flavors and things for wine, butters, chocolate, biscuits, bread, cheese, etc.
...
This whole country in fact reminds me of my dad.
He loves Italian food and he loves to try out different wines, cheeses, chocolates, and biscuits.
...
I am just like him.
Miss you dad
...
And then I saw it.
Chicken.
Oh my glorious chicken.
Chicken.
Come.
To.
Me.
Long story short, bought the chicken, pesto, cheese, chocolate, and stuff like that.
Took it home.
Devoured it like a hungry ***
You have no idea.
You would think I would be eating a lot here and I guess I am.
But
...
chicken.
not pasta.
not bread.
not gelato.
not crackers.
not pastries.
chicken.
So that is how I am with chicken and fruit here literally.
Soooo on that note, ciao. (hahaha yeaaaaa went from some deep history to..chicken.)
Deuteronomy 5:16 - "Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
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