Last Saturday was a disappointment because of my boo-boo belly. Missing Lake Albano at the Castel Gandolfo was a huge blow, because it was something I wanted to do the whole time I've been over here in Europe.
I mean, who wouldn't want to swim in this kind of weather? Battling 95° days without a cloud in the sky is nice, but I mean, come on, I could use some shade and a nice dip every now and then.
The urge to swim was quelled on day ten when some of the group and myself set out for the coast. The Tyrrhenian Sea was my first taste of the ocean—literally and figuratively. The water was a beautiful green-blue with small rolling tides and a smooth sandy beach.
We couldn't have asked for a better spot.
The sand was almost as hot as the sun overhead, and if you looked far enough you couldn't see where the sky started and sea ended. For a moment I felt myself wishing we would never leave. The water was perfect, and if we weren't swimming and splashing around we were juggling a volleyball in the waves or playing keep away.
The persistent gypsies couldn't even stop us from the enjoyment of the day.
You can only put on so much sun screen to battle the sun... eventually the sun wins, and all good days must come to an end. Plus, we had dinner plans with the entire class, and a late night escapade to the roman club, Bosco Delle Fragole (Strawberries of the Woods).
So we had to save some energy.
Before we decided to start making our way back we had to gas up. Gas of choice: ice cold Fragola pop and a glass of Coke. The sun will drain ya, so you gotta hydrate with plenty of water, but there is something special about an ice cold strawberry popsicle that can not be matched.
That little bit of sugar was extremely refreshing. We showered off on the beach to rid ourselves of the salt, took our pictures and left our mark on the beach of Italy.
It was an amazing 5 hours of my life, and something I will never forget, despite how simple of a time it was. Memories were made and I'm glad I could walk away with a nice picture to remember it by.
Until next time Italy.