Rome - MLK Weekend

The Arch of Titus and the Colosseum - the joys of my new camera that allows me to do panoramic pictures!

At the colosseum

Roma era Magnifica!

The first trip to Rome proved to be a resounding success... I was able to see the Forum, the Colosseum, the Capitoline Museums, St. Peter's, the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, Trevi Fountain, and so much more... and of course, had gelato to eat, even though it was cold outside, we still had our cones of gelato while clutching it in our gloved hands. I came away completely amazed by the sense of history that exuded from the city. If only there were some way to travel back the thousands of years to see Rome in the heyday of Caesar, it must have been quite a splendid sight.
My favorite memory was probably climbing to the cupola on top of St. Peter's and being rewarded with an exquisite view of the city. The sun was shining, it wasn't too crowded, and I spent at least half an hour just drinking in the scenery. After my grumbling stomach finally forced my retreat from the cupola, I was surprised to find that on top of the basilica were a souvenir shop, a cafe, and a postal box. So, while enjoying the sun and a cup of cioccolata and a granola bar, I was able to write post cards. It was absolutely amazing, there's just no way to describe in words the experience.

Rubbing St. Peter's foot - supposedly this will wash away your sins, so it can't hurt!

At the forum in Rome

The Importance of Good Communication... or Why I'm Going to Rome Twice

I should know better. After all, communication is stressed as important in a lot of things at West Point. So you would think I'd know to make sure I've go my facts straight. Well, obviously that lesson hasn't gotten through, because I find myself tonight sitting with not one, but two tickets to Rome. Oh no, I didn't double-book on purpose (and they're not for the same day, so all is not lost), but apparently there is quite a big difference between Martin Luther King weekend and President's Day weekend... okay, I'm being sarcastic, I know there is a difference. But especially now.
So Jayme, one of my old roommates at West Point, tells me she's coming to Rome. I thought she said President's Day weekend, and fixed the date of the 18th in my head. So after a couple of weeks of burying my nose in textbooks and burning out my remaining brain cells writing mind numbing papers on game theory and contrasting organizational theories... I decided to book my ticket to meet up with her when she's over here. So today, I excitedly bought my tickets, and told myself that I'd done well, to actually pull this off, and I couldn't wait to see her in February. I was quite excited this morning.
Then, I read her IM away message about seeing me in Rome this weekend, and the painful reality that is the difference between MLK weekend and President's Day weekend came crashing down on my head, or rather, on my credit card. It turns out it would cost the same to either change my ticket to this weekend or buy a new ticket altogether and still keep the other one. Actually, it was 8p cheaper to buy a new ticket. And that's why I have two tickets to Rome.
So now, I will be in Rome on both weekends, with Jayme and some other WP'ers this weekend, and with my mother in February. After all, this is about making the best of my mistakes, and turning them into something positive, so my mom and I decided that then would be a good time for another visit. And to make things even better, looks like we're going to do Paris the following weekend for good measure. So I'll ramp up my Channel crossing in the next month and a half.
But I think I'll remember to double check my commo from now on.

New Year's Day Parade in London

New Year's Day I went to the parade in London. I didn't really know what to expect, but figured that since I was going into the city for the fireworks, I might as well stay the night and check out the parade the next day. After the payoff for waiting outside for the fireworks the night before, I figured I'd better be early for the parade also (remembering hearing stories of people camping out over night for good seats for the Rose Bowl parade). Sadly, I could have slept a lot longer, because the parade didn't seem to have nearly the draw, although the BBC commentators were saying there were about 4 or 5 hundred thousand people along the route, but it really didn't seem that crowded. I think there were more US high school marching bands than anything else in the parade, although there were hundreds of cheerleaders who signed up for a camp for the week and got to march in the parade. Most of the other floats were sponsored by the various London boroughs, which meant that they ranged from decent to absolutely hokey. And naturally the morning started out lovely, with decent temperature and even a bit of sun peeking through the typically overcast London sky. But about halfway through the parade it turned really cold and even started to rain, but after talking to a woman who had moved to the UK from Brazil eight years ago and who had gone to the parade every year since she moved here, there has always been rain for the parade, so at least we didn't miss out on that tradition (haha). Still, I can now say I've seen the New Year's Day parade in London, and I am glad that I went.

Blurry (hey, I took it myself) picture of me across from the London Eye after the fireworks (and yes, I'm wearing my skullcap, sad but true)

New Year's Fireworks in London

New Year's Day I woke up around 2 in the afternoon and took a shower, still largely jet-lagged from arriving back in the UK on the 30th of December. After I'd showered I realized that none of my friends were back from their vacations yet, so I was going to have a big fat nothing to do for New Year's Eve. So, in a marvel of last minute planning, I bought a bus ticket, booked a hotel for the evening, and headed into London to see the fireworks and the parade. I figured that it wasn't every year that I'd have the opportunity to see the display in London, and I knew I'd kick myself if I missed this chance. Looking back, heading into London on my own may not have been the absolutely safest thing to do, but I figured with the massive police presence for the celebration, I'd probably be safer there than anywhere else.
So I arrived in London around 8 o'clock at night, went and checked into my hotel, (which was luckily right across the street from a tube stop, so I wasn't wandering the streets at night, I just had to walk across the street), made myself a cup of tea, a cup of instant soup, and watched a few minutes of BBC. Deciding that nothing was on TV, I headed out just past 9 figuring at least I'd get a good spot for the fireworks. When I arrived at the Embankment tube stop, I was wishing I'd skipped the TV time and left sooner, there were already people queuing up all along the river front. The advantage of being by myself was that I was able to squeeze into a small space, and had a front row view right across the river from the London Eye where the display was going to be. At least the weather was nice, otherwise I don't know if I would have made it, but I did.
Just before midnight, there was a 2-minute silence in honor of the victims of the tsunami, and then a display on one of the buildings lit up with a massive clock counting down the final 40 seconds. At midnight, with Big Ben in the background tolling 12, bottles of champagne were uncorked, dousing all of us in the spray and the fireworks began. I don't honestly know if I've ever seen a more impressive display. They were incredible!!! And of course, not having to strain to look over anyone's shoulder made it that much better. I think everyone had their jaws hanging open the entire time. When the firworks ended, the Tube was having free transportation, and everyone started to make their way to the nearest stop, but they'd closed that one fearing a mob scene and injuries, so we all had to walk down to the next one. I made it back to the hotel without incident, and chalked this up as a marvel of procrastination paying off, now if only my papers would write themselves....