We're Not in Oregon Anymore

Last evening ended with a lot of noise, as the Madonna of Carmel festival continued, with parades and loud singing all around us.  Scott expected quiet streets this morning, when he set out early to meet a Delta Sig, Will Ratliff, with whom he had attended the fraternity's national Leadership Academy a few years ago and who connected through Facebook after discovering that both of us were in Rome at the same time.  Despite expectations, the streets were surprisingly busy this morning, with yet another procession underway--a bunch of elderly ladies following the omnipresent St. Agata priest and his bullhorn marching through the Trastevere carrying the madonna on a pole, while all the church bells rang.  A little farther up the road, prayers gave way to noisy American students, heading to various tourist sites, recounting their activities of the night before.  This is probably more Americans than we have usually seen.  Apparently, the Americans start early and knock off before the heat sets in--about the time we tend to be setting out.  The composition of the tourists has been changing lately.  When we first arrived, most of the tourists were German and Chinese.  In the last week, that group seems to have given way to Brits and Japanese.  The French continue to provide a light background presence.  Interesting how the different cultures move in groups.  While Scott was out, Laura, Meredith and Cecily were getting ready to go out just as Scott returned, while Olivia elected to sleep in.  Thus, four of us (minus Olivia) ended up at the "American breakfast" place, having a decidedly un-American breakfast again, including the yummy fresh squeezed orange and fresh-squeezed apple juice.  We did a bit of shopping at the OVS, and then headed back to the flat to pick up Olivia and pack up for day.  On the way, we stopped in a Roma Rentals for advice from Kyle, our rental agent, about how best to access the beach from Rome.  He guided us to Santa Marinella, about 40 minutes by train outside of Rome.  Kyle also told us that we had "dodged a bullet" today as a transportation strike had been scheduled but failed to materialize at the last minutes. However, he advised us to beware of the continuing slowdown being pursued by transportation workers--as a result of the demands of their employer that they punch a time clock. (How unreasonable!)  Kyle's advice to try Santa Marinella turned out to be great.  The train departed from Trastevere Station and zipped to the station in Santa Marinella.  A five minute walk and we were on the sand, renting an umbrella and two chairs. A few minutes later we had acquired a bucket o' beers, and we were relaxing on the Mediterranean coast with just 500 or so of our newly acquired closest friends.  We all swam in the ocean, enjoyed the breeze and the sun and generally found the experience of communal beaching to be wildly different from Oregon's "layer on, button up and find your lonely place" approach to beachgoing. Post beach, we zipped back to Rome and had frozen pizza from the supermarket.  The girls noted that it tastes just like American frozen pizza.  Meredith, Cecily and I headed to St. Maria Trastevere square to take out the trash and get gelatto.  Cecily took a moment to greet her new friend, Sgr. Marcello in perfect Italian, and even managed a short conversation with hiim.  Meredith said he looked sad when she walked away to pick up her ice cream.  Tomorrow we start early--for Venice!