Just a Note

The day before our Philosophy mid-term, Jacob and I decided to go into Rome to study. We first went to the Borghese Gardens, which were lovely (and where this very...motivated...Indian fellow tried for five minutes straight to get Jacob to buy roses - FAIL). After that we went to Trastevere (a section of Rome meaning literally "across the Tiber"). It is a beautiful place, full of lovely little bars and cafes and restaurants. Before finding a good place to study we dropped into Santa Maria in Trastevere. The church was very lovely (nothing surprising there), but what I especially loved was a statue of St. Anthony that was surrounded by about a foot high pile of small papers with prayer intentions written on them. He also had them in his hands and put where ever they would stay. Those little demonstrations of piety are so beautiful to see. After our little visit, we went to a wonderful bar called "Bir e Fud". We studied Plato and Aristotle over some delicious beer* and chips with (amazingly yummy) ketchup. The good news is that we both did well on our mid-term. I'm pretty sure that alcohol helps one retain information. Cheers!

*I ordered this incredible beer called "Black Out", which is a chestnut beer. It was one of the best beers I have tasted in my life. It was a dark, bitter beer, with an incredibly smooth taste and a smoky taste of chestnuts while being just a hint sweet. It was prime!