Well this weekend has been exceptionally busy. Saturday we had a tour and site visit at Ostia, which is the old Roman Port we took a train out there and walked around in 105 degree weather, definitely my idea of a good time ;) It was mostly old ruins and there was not a whole lot left, but the history was rather cool and the tour emphasized that this is likely where most of the peasant class lived. Fortunately the big draw was that there was a beach just one train stop further. I did not stick around for the beach because of the mountainous load of work that got dropped on me. Just my luck all the work that we are suppose to spread over the 4 weeks here happen to come due on Tues and Wed (thats tomorrow for those keeping track). Thats right I have to crame 4 weeks of work into 2 days AHHHHHH! But after words I will have little to nothing due until the final 3 days. Sunday we went on a 6 hour walking tour again in the 105 degree weather. Someone ought to tell these people it is the middle of the summer. We visited many old churches and some of the historic market sites. Then we went to the coliseum and were rather rushed through I thought, but I still got some really cool pictures. We then had lunch at palatine hill and walked through some of the tunnels down to the roman forum. From there we went in to the capitol museum where we took particular notice of the room in which the European Union originally signed its first treaty, of course I was so sore I could barely pay attention. Other then that I have been mostly reading and writing trying to some how get through the next couple of days. My first class was today and I felt a bit overwhelmed having little to no knowledge about European politics, though I am sure that will change in the coming weeks. I have just finished my paper due tomorrow though I am not sure how good it is, I pretty much just took the bulk of the argument from another paper I had written for the same professor last quarter. I ended up doing pretty well on it first time around and since this is suppose to be a short paper with little chance to get really deep I am hoping the prof doesn't notice what I have done. I think that I am going to take it easy for a couple of hours, perhaps start on the reading due for my paper on Wednesday. I finally got my appetite back today and ate a huge lunch, I had some left over pizza (completely unlike its American counterpart) and a panino (sandwhich). Lasat night was our welcome to Rome dinner, we went to the restaurant and it felt like the food just kept coming and coming. The owner lady was really funny, she only has one menu a night and says "when you come into my house, you eat what I serve) I had pasta, veal, and some kind of fried rice ball, but I was of course way to out of it (from the tour) to really notice whether it was any good or not. That's all I have. Ciao!

P.S. Gelato is Great!!