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They all went to the market outside of town but I didn't feel like shopping. The sky was moody and the day was new. I walk toward the caffe at the end of the block. The clouds broke and the streets were wearing a new layer of rain. My shoes filled with rain and the drops falling got bigger and bigger the farther I walked. I ducked into the caffe and watched the city move in the rain. Italians have this remarkable skill of never looking awkward. They hold their newspapers over their heads and move through the heavy rain with grace.

Mass didn't start until a half hour later. The sun broke through the top of the Pantheon and onto the wall, the cylinder of bright light showing the dust in the air. I sat in the pews amongst old women donning their Sunday shoes, skirts, and eyeshadow. A beautiful man stands behind the microphone to say, 'it's now time for holy mass; all of the tourists need to exit. the pantheon is now closed' The noisy dome slips into hums and whispers as the fanny packs and tennis shoes make their way through the giant double doors.
The priest in green holds the podium for dear life. His gold rimmed glasses fall to the tip of his round nose. The microphone moves his voice around the giant dome. A couple dressed in black held hands standing in front of a beautiful woman playing her accordion with her eyes closed. The couple filled the pantheon with their big voices carrying ancient song.
Peace be with you, I said. Pace sia con voi, they said.

I tried to sleep on the plane, Marissa, really I did. I dozed off at one point, but when there are flight attendants who smell real nice walking up and down the airplane handing you coffee, tea, and cute little chocolate bars, sleep loses place on the priority list. After staying awake for 20 and some hours (6 of them in the Frankfurt airport), we stumbled off of the plane and onto a bus toward the center of the city. Roman streets are a phenomenon; the confident, well-dressed bodies sitting on mopeds with shiny, black helmets on their heads zip around and in front of the giant buses and tiny tiny cars. The roads move at a mad pace that makes it clear that everyone knows whats going on but me.

Everything I see deserves all of my attention. Overwhelming is an understatement. I rest my head on my seat and hear my illustration professor in my head saying, "Just let it all wash over you, Rani. You'll know what to do with it later." So I glance at the temple of Hercules and say hello to the Panteon and we squish our way through the streets and pull in front of Hotel Primavera- our new Roman home. A nice man in a lavender shirt says hello and helps us drag our suitcases the size of Italian cars across the cobblestone. The stairs are dark and beautiful, the floors are marble, the doors are heavy. The beds are covered in a pretty gold fabric that touches the floor.

I woke up to the sun this morning. I walked and drank a capuccino that would embarass any Seattle capuccino. I ate Nutella out of the jar and sat to watch people walk by.

They sent us off today with a map and a set of clues hoping we'd get to know the city. Having absolutely no sense of direction and a very small bladder, I almost pitied the humans that would call me their teammate in this city-wide scavenger hunt. Maybe we didn't win, but we rode the metro (jump out quickly or the door will try to eat you.), we made a friend named Bashir who is really good at making salads, we ended up in incredible cathedrals and walked and walked and walked.

Mig- it smells like ancient dirt here. Like cold, old dirt mixed with the way sun smells on skin and old cigarette.