Peace & Love

My dad and my sister went to see Ringo Starr and his All Star Band a while back in Vienna, and they had only good things to say about the concert! I knew Ringo would come to Rome too, but first, I couldn’t find anyone who’d be interested in going with me (no Beatles fans amongst my Italian friends?!) and second, the affordable tickets sold out crazy fast.

Anyhow, yesterday was the day. So I decided I’d go there anyway, perhaps grab some pizza and hang around, waiting to maybe hear them play. BUT: when I checked out the location online, I saw that they had a flash sale and released another bunch of cheap-ish tickets! That was a sign! I bought a ticket and left home in a hurry. 🙂

I never went to a concert that last-minute and I never went to a concert on my own before! 

I arrived at the Parco della Musica just in time and was at my seat at 8:55, giving me just enough time for a cheeky concert-selfie, as the concert started punctually at 9:00. (Most of the audience was late. The seats only filled up within the first two songs – noted also by Ringo, who jokingly told off the Italians.)

It was a open-air concert, in a rather small amphitheatre-like venue. The band was lovely, it was basically a bunch of elderly men having a good time on stage, joking with the audience and between them. The audience itself was also mostly composed by, as I’d call it, mature music-connoisseurs: mainly men, around my dad’s age, sporting t-shirts of the Beatles or previous Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney or Rolling Stones (why?) tours. For illustration: I’ve never been to a concert before, where the women’s bathroom had no queue at all, and the men’s went out and almost around the building. Next to me sat two guys who sang along euphorically, “played” all the instruments and did the background chorus too. I think they had a good time!

The concert was amazing! All the songs they played were well-known classics and it was simply fantastic to hear them live! One of my favourites was Black Magic Woman, it was very sexy. But the highlight was definitely to sing along to Yellow Submarine with Ringo! I mean, I sang with 1/4 of the Beatles! ❤ Ringo himself gave the impression of a humble guy who enjoyed being on stage with other great musicians. The atmosphere was really great! They finished off the concert with With A Little Help From My Friends and Give Peace A Chance – which many people kept humming and singing on the way out of the venue.

So I went to a concert all by myself – a thing I never thought I’d do. But it was an exciting experience! It being a last minute decision definitely made it easier, I didn’t have time to reflect on it properly. And despite missing someone to nudge and sing and share those moments with, I had a great time! I shouted and clapped and sang along to some of the most well know songs ever!

Hare Krishna,
Angie

A very female dilemma…

And what that might be, you may ask? Well, shoes obviously! (Nah, I’m totally not writing my thesis about gender roles and stereotypes, and this is ab-so-lutely not sarcastic!)

Let’s start at the beginning: On the day it snowed in Rome, I noted that my winter boots were giving in. After I went on what one might call a little Photo Safari of snowy Rome, my feet were soaked. “No worries”, I thought, “it’s the end of February, spring is basically around the corner. And after all, I still have my trusty Chelsea boots.” However, they turned out not to be too trustworthy either. On the next rainy day they gave up on me too.

My dilemma was thus composed by two factors:

A) I do not own waterproof shoes and rain-sun-rain season is still going on.

B) A holiday in Galicia is coming up.

If the point about Galicia is confusing you, let me tell you that it comprises the fact that Gonzo pointed out to me – on numerous occasions – that in Galicia it will rain – not sizzle, drizzle or sprinkle, but rain. Properly.

But never fear! I set out to fix my problem.
Last weekend I roamed the whole centre of Rome in search of some wintery shoes – without any success. The sales are long over and now the shelves are filled with sandals, high heels and the occasional fashion statement-boot with very intriguing yet frightfully unpractical cut-outs in the ankle and toe area. Obviously the few shoes I did find were in ridiculous sizes (such as 36 and 42) or of very typical Italian fashion – with lots of studs and rhinestone applications.

Eventually I got lucky in a cheap shoe outlet a bit further out, where I managed to find what seemed practical and comfortable shoes in my size without any useless and very disturbing fashion statements attached. (The bus ride there and back would make up for its own story though)

From now on, a wonderful pair of mint green trainers will accompany me on my adventures and will put an spring in my step. (Oh yes, and I got a pair of boots too.)

XX, Angie

 

 

The day Rome stood still

The forecast of arctic temperatures has been in the news for a few days now, but since yesterday evening there’s been a straightforward prediction of snow in Rome. Whereas everyone else seemed to freak out (including the mayor and my flatmate), I was really looking forward to it!

Today I woke up early and left house at 7:00 am in order to have a walk in the snow. It has been snowing all night and still kept on going; there were about 10 cm of snow to trudge through. Busses weren’t running of course, but the metro did. And who minds a bit of a delay anyway?

As uni was suspended for the day, I was free to explore the city. I chose the classic tourist route: Vatican, Castel Sant’ Angelo, Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Piazza Venezia, Colosseo – it was magical! St. Peter’s Square was covered in white and a bunch of young priests had a snowball fight. The snowflakes were big and heavy and I was actually struggling to take pictures. I walked on, past the Castle Sant’ Angelo and crossed the Tiber. The narrow streets near Piazza Navona were deserted and someone shouted “buon natale” from a window as I passed underneath. By the time I reached the Pantheon, I had to stop in a coffeeshop to dry my gloves and wipe my glasses; I was freezing, but I couldn’t go home yet – I wanted to see the Colosseo in the snow. By the time I got there it stopped snowing, but it wasn’t any less impressive. I circled it once, took pictures of strangers in the snow, had my picture taken and watched poorly equipped tourists getting that Insta-shot.

When I finally decided to take the metro home (my water-proof shoes turned out to be not as water-proof as I thought and I was getting really cold), lots of people started to emerge from the tube. It was about half past 10, the tourists started to swarm out to marvel at the frozen city, it kinda started to get crowded. So I happily got on the train back home, having done my bit of sightseeing for the day. Back home, I had a hot shower and a second breakfast.

Rome in the snow was absolutely stunning! I am happy I had a chance to see the city in the early hours, without too many people about. It looked so quiet and peaceful. But the funnies thing was to observe how people tired to cope with the snow. From sheer pleasure to absolute desperation – I’ve seen it all today. And much more. Here’s my ultimate Snow in Rome-Bingo Sheet:

Yours happily, an Austrian girl.
XX, Angie

PS: a friend of mine just called me: apparently there’s people skiing at Circo Massimo!

Hej Jansjö!

Recently I’ve been telling myself two lies:

1: I don’t need a reading lamp.

2: I don’t need to go to Ikea.

Well, the first one is truly a blunt lie. I love to read before going to sleep – but I also love to turn off the ceiling lamp and enjoy the half-light of candles and fairy lights. So obviously I needed a bedside lamp.
Regarding lie number 2… it’s completely true. It didn’t have to be the Swedish amusement park (aka furniture outlet) but where would I have bought all the glasses, plates, plants, candles, cinnamon cookies and candy-coloured sponges I brought home along the lamp?

Also, there’s nothing quite like a cinnamon bun for merenda on a Sunday!

XX, Angie

Christmas is all around us

Hollaroh lovely people of the internet! It’s been a while! ^^

(Well, it might seem like I’ve posted more frequently, but that’s just because I intend to write up all the entries I’ve missed and backdate them. After all, they’re lovely memories and I don’t want them to go amiss. For the record, this is the first proper post since June. Everything in between has been entered later)

Anyhow. It’s Christmas! … Well, it’s almost Christmas! This Year I had a bit of a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit. Rome is just not a very Christmas-y city. I miss the proper cold and the snow. Also, I’ve had a bunch of group projects and presentations to do at uni and we wrote the last exam yesterday; so I’ve spent most days of December at my desk studying.

But since last Sunday, I’m ready! I got the last presents and I bought a bunch of pasta and Italian sweets to bing home and even though I still had to study, the scented candles and the cheesy Christmas songs kept me going.
I’m actually writing this blogpost in the library of my uni right now. I should get some reading done for my masters thesis, but it’s the last day of class today and I don’t feel much like it. ^^

I’m not gonna lie, this Advent was everything else than slow and peaceful, but it had it’s quiet moments. And while it seems to have passed in an instant, now I’m so looking forward to go home for Christmas, relax, charge my batteries, spend time with my family, see my friends, eat all the traditional food and most of all: cookies! 😀

That’s the current fairy light situation in my room. Needless to say I am more than pleased.

Happy holidays, merry everything and happy always,

XX, Angie

Sunset in the eternal city

My uni timetable is rather weird this semester. It leaves me with a lot of free hours between courses, which I usually spend at the library, killing time and pretending to study.
On Wednesdays I finish “globalisation and new media” at 3pm, only to have to wait until 5pm for the last class of the day. To be honest, I rarely get any work done in those hours. As it’s the time for merenda, most of the times I am confused wether I crave a piece of cake, a double espresso or a nice cuppa tea. And usually end up chatting with my colleagues in the mensa.
Anyhow, today I decided to go for a walk. I crossed the ponte dei angeli and made my way to Piazza Navona, where I found a little café in one of the back streets and had a piece of cake and read a bit before I headed back to uni.

The views on my way back confirmed my love for this amazing and beautiful city. Look at that wonder full sky!

XX, Angie

Eine Wucht!

Wuchteln are the ultimate comfort food! They are basically little yeast buns stuffed with marmalade, served with warm vanilla custard. Heaven!

I have been talking to one of my flatmates recently and tried to explain this traditional Austrian dish, which is actually served as a main course. So I decided to give it a go and show her what I mean.

I never made Wuchteln before. Usually my grandma makes a huge quantity of them and then the whole family’s having a feast. But I consulted her 24h-telephone service for grandchildren abroad and used the homemade marmalade I had saved for a special occasion, so essentially nothing could go wrong.
They turned out just as they are supposed to: fluffy and absolutely amazing. I got really nostalgic when I tried them, they tased just like home!

Now I’m really proud of myself, as I’m one step closer to being a really good grandma, but I’m also kinda food-induced homesick.

XX, Angie