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April 9, 2009

Ashley's Time In Rome & Heading to Barcelona

Hey Everyone!

It’s been a little while since I last posted a blog. I haven’t spent much time on the computer because I’ve been so busy the last few days. For anyone who’s wondering…I’m fine from the earthquake that happened Monday morning outside of Rome. I didn’t even know about it until a few people texted me to see if I was okay. So I obviously didn’t feel it and I was sleeping at the time. The death toll is up to 278 now, very sad. I hope the numbers don’t keep growing and the town can get back up on their feet as soon as possible.

As I mentioned in my last blog, Lindsey Pereira was coming into Rome to visit. I left Latina on Saturday afternoon and met her at the airport in Rome. By the way that airport was extremely difficult to get to from Latina. There are two airports in Rome and I hadn't been to Ciampino before which is the one she flew into. I don't even want to get into it all, I'm just glad I made it to the airport before she landed. We stayed at a “Bungalow” fairly close to the city; Lindsey found it online for a great price. Little did we know that it was actually a RV Camping ground! Our room was like a tiny mobile home. It didn’t have a TV and my suitcase could barely fit anywhere in the room, but we did have our own bathroom which was good. I’m glad we were out doing things all day and only needed a bed to sleep in. It was hilarious. There was a really nice tennis club next door that we tried to get into, but it was a private club and they wouldn't let us play on the courts which was a bummer. So instead we hit on the soccer field which was interesting and had to use a little imagination. It was also a good spot to do some fitness and sprints. We were excellent sightseers! You name it and we probably saw it. On Sunday we saw the Pope, The Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, many Piazza’s, and went to a Roma soccer game which was really cool. We also had dinner at Baffetto which is known as one of the best places for pizza in Rome. On Monday we visited the Colloseum, Palantine Hill, Roman Forum, Trastevere, and the beach at sunset. On Tuesday morning we went to the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica. By that time we had seen more than enough sights and ancient ruins so we decided to take it nice and easy for the rest of the day. We had some great coffee at the famous La Tazza d’oro and found our new favorite bakery shop. We covered lots of ground and walked everywhere, but it sure was tiring at times! Over all those days I'm going to say we walked over 20 miles. Lindsey flew back to Dublin on Tuesday night. I’m so glad she came to Rome and we were able to do so many things. I hope it’s not too long before we do something like that again together, we had a blast!

I spent Tuesday night in Rome and flew into Barcelona yesterday afternoon. I made it here safely and to my hotel easily. This tournament hotel is really nice and in a great area called L’illa. There is a huge mall next door with lots of shops, tapas bars, and restaurants. It’s also close to the F.C. Barcelona Stadium where they play all of their soccer games. I’m about to head over to the tennis club and try to find someone to practice with. Sign in is tomorrow from 1-4pm. I’m still pretty far out of qualifying so we’ll see what happens. Talk to you guys soon. Adios,

Ashley

Posted by Jack Newman at April 9, 2009 6:48 AM