Week 2...already

Ostia Antica (our first venture outside of the city) was completely amazing! It had all the intensity of other abandoned structures we have seen (the Colosseum for instance) with the added benefit of the quiet that other tourist hot spots lack. In most places of the park you could quietly reflect and study what you were looking at without the constant attack from tourist noise and the threat of having to play photographer. We ended up making a complete day trip out of it. After we finished the tour led by Matt with the rest of the group I think everyone was tired and hungry since most of us headed straight for the cafe in the park. My adventure buddy (Crystal) stayed with me for the rest of the afternoon. We made it through the park more thoroughly and the whole museum, the highlight being the real statue from the Mithraeum that we only saw a replica of. The way they display it was very interesting, the niche in the wall very much mimics where it would have been had it remained in its original place.

   We also did more exploring through the rest of the park taking a lot of photos and doing a few sketches. I was able to attempt my first complete observational watercolor sketch on site. I fumbled through it but now I have the first one out of the way and look forward to practicing and improving now that I got my feet wet (no pun intended). It was difficult but exciting to attempt.

We left the park around 6:15 pm took a quick stop by the castle and got back on the train and walked the rest of the way to be back in Trastevere around 7:30. It was a great day! This place has definitely made an impression.