Auf Wiedersehen Salzburg!

I am now in Roma. It's nice, but it really makes me miss Salzburg. I knew downtown Salzburg like the back of my hand. I knew which bus to get on and when the next bus would be arriving. It was hot when the Fohn was in town, but there was always a guaranteed breeze by the Salz River. Almost everyone spoke some English, and I knew enough German to get by.
When I left Salzburg at 4:30 AM I slept the entire way to MUC. I said my goodbyes to folks and then found the AirBerlin counter. The goodbyes were nothing emotional. I don't know if I'll really miss anybody all too much. I'll miss Lindsey. Otherwise, I didn't really get to know anybody else that well. The dynamic of the group this year was very different from last year, or so I hear. It was definitely less talented and there were lots of cliques. There were also a number of dramatic people. When at Cafe Republic with Lindsey, Stephen, and Chelsea we talked about how we won't miss and are glad to be leaving dramatic people. Stephen said that when he gets back to Boulder he's going camping with his straight friends who aren't musicians.
After walking all the way to the other terminal, I finally made it to AirBerlin. The Munich airport had no moving walkways to help with the distance. Apparently My blue carry-on could not be a carry-on since I already had a backpack (which I later learned to be rucksack in German while I listened to Dora the Explorer- instead of teaching spanish, she teaches english). In the US I'm always able to pull off the backpack as the one personal item because it can fit under the seat. I could have done the same thing on this plane but the lady wouldn't believe me. So, I ended up having to pay 40Euro for the extra weight (it could have been worse, but I just bought a membership and then got the service for free).
I ate breakfast at an overpriced cafe in front of my gate. It was my last chance to indulge in the Nutella stuffed croissant and espresso that comes from a machine. On the plane I sat next to a young Italian boy, Frederico. I think he was probably almost 2 years old. He was so cute, but very fidgety. He thought it was fun to lower the tray table multiple times.
My first thought of the Rome airport was that it was like the U.S. It was definitely not as well kept as the German airports, people are noisier, like Americans. The cab driver the hotel sent me, Emiliano, was gorgeous. The cab was a Mercedes mini-van, I wonder if they sell those in the U.S.? While driving, I was very discouraged. It was very bleak looking and reminded me of a mixture of Southen California and Mexico: smog, heat, graffiti, and no vegetation. It is also a huge city. So it was like moving from Corvallis to LA.
My room is very small, but all I need is a bed (and it comes with a firm pillow, yay!) I have to leave my room key at the front desk everytime I leave. I got to the convent at 4 in the afternoon and headed for St. Cecilia's at 4:30. I didn't think I would be able to get much done, but I got back by 9ish and pretty much saw the majority of Trastevere on this side of the river.
I took the bus because I wasn't sure how far S. Cecilia's was. But it ended up not being that far away so I walked back and saved my 2nd bus pass.
I didn't have enough money to go to the cript, well actually I had 100E but she couldn't break it. I'm finding that I really like sculptures more than the other visual art forms. I got to see one of my favorites: St. Cecilia as she appeared when pulled from her tomb (don't worry, it's not gross, she was an incorruptible). My other favorite I will see tomorrow (Pieta by Michaelangelo). I spent some time in St. Cecilia's. It wasn't that fancy of a church and the organ was incredibly out of tune, I hope my 40 cent donation will help pay for tuning.
I then decided to head to the more signifcant church in the area: St. Maria. It is believed to be one of the oldest churches in the city (220 AD). The dome above the altar is and incredible gold mosaic and it is believed that a fountain of oil miraculously appeared on this site.
The square in front is a nice place to take a break, so I chilled out and ate some gelato. The gelateria also was unable to take my 100. But we didn't realize this problem until after they had scooped up my scoops of soy hazelnut and soy chocolate gelato. They were very nice and just gave it to me for free. Anna was right, Italians know how to do ice cream better than the germans.
I then looked in my guide book and they said that if i was willing to take the climb to Paul's Fountain that I should. They build it up to be something steep, or atleast that's what the Austrians mean. It was not that bad and again surprisingly close. The view was great and the sun was setting, so I got some good lighting for pictures. I also thoroughly enjoyed taking pictures of people hanging out at the fountains and in the parks. I was so joyous for the rest of the evening. I felt like my legs were invincible. I eventually made my way down the hill and just wandered. I ran into the college that my friend Matt goes to (he's gone to Torino for a few weeks, so I can't hang out with him). I found that you can only go down one side of the hill (the side opposite of my convent). Then I got lost wandering around a parking garage trying to figure out how to get the the 5th level the signs kept taking about (restuarants, etc.) Just below the garage is the tunnel that I came through on the bus, but I wasn't sure if I could walk through it. So I just walked further and looped around by St. Peter's.
I wasn't able to use my cell phone (you have to dial 00 then country code), so I called Lydia from a payphone to wish her a happy birthday and left a message.
I then grabbed a late dinner from one of the 5 pizza places right at the end of the street. Finally, somebody was able to take my 100 Euro note. Then I headed back to the convent for a night of trying to sleep. It's so hot here. I'm learning to just live through the sweat.

So my pictures aren't always that thorough. I don't take pictures of the breath-taking moments. They can't be recreated, therefore why try. I'd rater just remember them in my mind than some photo. They will be up soon...