Welcome

I was completely out last night. Slept 8 solid hours without interruption. This morning, I ventured out with David to get some fresh bread, mozzarella, and salami. Ordering these items was a bit of a challenge with the language barrier, but we managed well enough, and most of the shop owners are helpful enough.

Afterward I did a bit of reading while Daniel and Shurui made a large batch of spaghetti for lunch. They had quite the adventure cooking it (see video), but it was in fact quite good. And much cheaper than eating out. I’m hoping that we’ll be able to get groceries and cook most of our meals. I found that at least one of the local bakeries sells packages of gnocchi… I’ll definitely be investing in those.



In the afternoon a group of us took a trip to the Pantheon. It really is smack in the middle of unremarkable buildings – you just turn a corner and ‘oh, there’s the Pantheon!’ The structure is far grander than I’d imagined from pictures; I can now appreciate the lifting nature of the immense height of these buildings. There were mobs of people inside, taking thousands of pictures of the Pantheon, and just as many pigeons outside, picking up the crumbs of careless visitors.

This evening we enjoyed our group welcome dinner at Trattoria Moderna. The four-course meal was quite diverse. We began with an assortment of appetizers which included fresh mozzarella with tomatoes and balsamic vinegar, sliced octopus and swordfish, an octopus salad, and cantaloupe with prosciutto. For the first course, we each had the option of an asparagus risotto or vegetarian lasagna, while for the second course we chose from lemon-roasted chicken with potatoes and a sliced pork dish with vegetables. The desserts included stuffed peaches, tiramisu, and some other sort of chocolate cake. (I wish I could remember the proper names for all of these dishes…)

All of the food was of high quality, and I particularly enjoyed the fresh mozzarella (per usual) and the risotto. I even enjoyed one of the stuffed peaches – which is saying something, since I don’t usually eat desserts. The good food and good company made for quite a memorable meal. Oh, and I had the pleasure of sitting across from Profs. Kasaba and Friedman’s daughter, Melis. She is quite the energetic child. Among an assortment of Melis’s antics, she found by swinging her legs that she could reach mine under the table. For at least fifteen minutes she proceeded to playfully kick me in the shins.

Dinner lasted a good three and a half hours, what with the measured courses and conversation. We were even offered a (very) small coffee after the desserts. Following, a large number of the group went out for the night. I decided to tidy up and turn in until Sunday.