Roma, Pt. 1

I have spent one night in Roma, with two more to go.
I am already thinking of what I want to do when I get back.
Thus far, my time here has been simply awesome. Although my parents get on my nerves now and again, traveling with them has been really nice (and, you know, its always nice to have someone else say "Oh yeah sure, we should take that guided tour! Ill pay!"). Our first day, we arrived at 8:30 AM and, without having slept, I somehow stayed up until 2AM. We didnt really do much of the obligatory sightseeing that day, just taking care of logistics. Checked into the hotel, found the closest ATM (scusi, Bancomat, gotta get used to that again), and I got an Italian mobile phone! Then we had dinner at a wonderful Pizzeria called Dar Poeta on a recommendation from a friend. It was a bit of a walk (4 km maybe?), but well worth it. The house wine was pretty good...and €4 per half liter. The pizza was delicious, and equally affordable....I hate to say it, but Il Calesse, the wonderful pizzeria I went to in Venezia with Josh and Matt, might come in second after Dar Poeta; sorry Veneto, Lazio FTW.
After about 2/3 of a bottle of wine at dinner, I was feeling pretty good. But it was the night that was to follow dinner that I really will never forget. I called someone I had messaged from Couchsurfing and we agreed to go out for a drink after he finished eating, around 10:30. He came to pick me up on his motorbike and we rode aruond the city for a bit. It was both thrilling and enthralling, like a bikeride I didnt have to bike! He pointed out some of his favorite spots and we got off to walk around and chat for a bit. Finally, he took me down to one of his favorite areas on the banks of the Tiber and we had a beer.....yeah, I had an Affligem Rouge, again, if anyone but me cares what kind ^__^ I truly enjoyed having a drink with Roberto, we talked about everything from Italian hitory, to medical school, to (naturally following medical school) health carei in Italy vs. America, to the future of the European Union. Afterwards, when he was bringing me back to the hotel on his motorbike, he paused at an intersection and said "I have an idea." He showed me how to jump the fence around the Basilica of Maxentius (well, or Constantine, since he killed Maxentius at Milvian Bridge and finished the job himself), then we climbed the scaffolding, and finally we ascended the 1700 year old spiral staircase up to the roof. Looking out at Rome at 1:30 in the morning, on top of the massive temple that Constantine finished after he ascended to the throne of the Roman Emperor was something that I will never forget. We chatted for a little while longer while admiring the view (or rather views, as every direction offered a different, but equally stunning visage, though the view of the Roman Colosseum was probably my favorite) before finally climbing down.
Today my parents and I did a lot of the obligatory sightseeing which, despite its obligatory "if you go you have to see____" nature, was still astounding. We saw the Colosseum up close, the ruins of the Roman Forum, The Pantheon, St. Peters Basilica at the Vatican, and the Trevi Fountain. Though they were certainly breathtaking structures (ha, while looking up at the Roman Colosseum, my dad remarked, "it certainly illustrates the aesthetic notion of 'the sublime' perfectly," and my mom just scoffed at him ^_^), and there are tons of more beautiful buildings to see, the few minutes I spent atop Maxentius/Constantine's Basilica was doubtless the most remarkable moment of the trip, and one which I think bodes well for my future couchsurfing experiences in Europe.
Now, I'm going next door to shop for wine.