Day 76 & 77: Final Week Entertainment

Sunday - August 1, 2010:

Where did July go?  I felt like I was just saying "Happy July!" yesterday... time really does fly when you are having fun.  And that is what we've had in July -- a month chock full of fun field trips, exciting weekend vacations and irreplaceable memories. So it was an extreme change of pace when Sunday left us with absolutely. nothing. to. do.  NOTHING.  I finished my paper (I really don't even remember what I wrote -- just words on paper), I had cleaned my living area, cleaned out the pantry... Nothing to do.  With this free schedule, Caitlyn, Emily and I decide to go to Lake Albano for the afternoon.  We put on our swimsuits, pack our bags and are about to walk out the door when Shellie says, "Hey, did y'all check the train schedule? It's Sunday, remember?"  SHOOT.  The train schedule on Sunday is different than every other day of the week... we looked at the times it ran and, unfortunately, it didn't run until 1:45. We were ready to leave at 12:00. There go our plans... so we decided to stay in the Palace, out of having no other options left.  So we stay in the Palace.  And we stay in the Palace.  And we stayyyyyyyyy.  I go outside to read for a while, trying to get some sun for the day.  We go over to the festival across the street and look around.  We get Pizza Maxi and eat it at the overlook of Ariccia.... we tried to keep ourselves entertained, basically.  There were a few spots of stir-craziness throughout the day, but we powered through it.  Everyone ends up being done with dinner and done with their Capstone Projects around 9:00, so we put the movie Australia on the projector in the common room and all gather around to watch it.   I hate for it to sound like I'm counting down the days, because I'm not -- but it is nice to be one day closer to returning home to America!  Today was another lazy day, but we are trying to embrace the boredom before we are thrown in to the craziness of life when we get back to school.   Hope y'all enjoyed your lazy Sunday :)

Monday - August 2, 2010:

[caption id="attachment_1806" align="aligncenter" width="287" caption="Photo Via http://bippityboppityboo.tumblr.com/"][/caption]

Big plans today -- big plans!  A few of us have decided to use our completely open schedule to venture to Lake Albano.  I haven't been yet, and we always pass it on the train ride to Rome, so I'm excited to see what it looks like.  We walked to Albano, got on the train and rode it literally 10 minutes to the Castle Gandolfo stop.  We got off the train, then walked the long 15 minutes down to the lake. Incase you are wondering, "How is there a lake in Italy?"  This lake was formed by the fusion of two ancient volcanic craters. So the lake wasn't quite like the beach at Anzio -- it was really a lake.  Black sand and murky water.  But it was still a place to lay out and get some sun.  We laid our towels down, lathered up on the sunscreen and had a good 3 hours on the "beach".  We took a sun break for lunch and Emily, Katelyn and I had the best sandwich -- salami and mozzarella.  Then we decided, what the heck, let's get gelato!  And I had some of the best gelato -- lemon and forest fruits (berries).  So we walked back to the "beach" with our treat and let me paint you this picture:  laying on the "beach" of Lake Albano in Italy, reading Breaking Dawn and eating some of the best gelato I've tasted this summer.  Sounds perfect, doesn't it?  It really was :)  We were very pleased with our decision on how to spend our last Monday.

At about 2:00 we decide to head back to Ariccia, so we marched up the hill and waited on the train.  It took us another 10 minutes on the train to get back to Albano and then we walked back to Ariccia from there.  I snapped a few pictures along the way, so I will upload them when I get back home next week.  BUT, on our walk to the grocery store, I did get a new memory card -- yyaaayy!! So I can upload pictures from this afternoon.  Unfortunately, that doesn't include the pictures of the Lake... so you'll just have to wait until I get back to see those.

Since it is our last week and we are all getting very sentimental, I'm snapping pictures everywhere.  On the train, in the Palace, even at the grocery store.  So here are some from, quite possibly, our last trip to the grocery store.









We got our groceries, walked back to the Chigi and rested during the afternoon.  Yes, we think all of our walking has given us the privilege of an afternoon nap.  Plus, the sun drains you -- perfect napping time.  So, I get my computer, put on a movie and let the morning activities take a toll on me.

It was around 7:30 when I realized we had dinner plans at BBQ at 8:00... oops.  That wasn't going to be happening for Sara Kate -- I just didn't feel like getting ready.  Is that so bad?  It was 7:30 and I was still in my swimsuit... if you remember me writing after our trip to Anzio, I love staying in my swimsuit.  I love the scent that a day at the beach (or lake, in today's case) leaves you with -- a mixture of Coppertone Sunscreen and sea spray from the salt water.  So I was going to let this scent stay with me as long as possible, meaning no BBQ for me.  Instead, I venture to the kitchen, make me a delicious salad and pour myself a glass of Coke Zero (getting a little craaazy in the Chigi).    After dinner I wander upstairs to see what Emily is up to (we're practically the only two people in the Palace -- I don't know where everyone else went) and she is on her computer.  So I join.  Time passes and WE ARE SO BORED.  SOOOOO we go outside, wander around Ariccia for a while.  Decide there is nothing out there for us to do, so we trek it back to the Chigi.  We have mastered the art of putting a movie on the projector screen in the common room, so we put Baby Mama (hysterical) in and all watch it.  That passes some time (that has gotten to be the main goal of our days here recently -- "how can we entertain ourselves?" "how can we pass time?").  It's about time for me to call it a night, so I shower, read my book (I'm almost done with Breaking Dawn) and call it a night!!