roman hobbit houses

i think my favorite part about rome was actually something 30km outside of the city (or maybe that's not true... there's so much here to like). in any case, ostia was absolutely amazing. i suppose it's the kind of find that archeologists dream about, and for some reason the 4 euro, 20 minute train ride is too much for most tourists. the ruins are huge, and far from ruined. pretty much a small town still stands, sans most roofs and floors, and large parts of walls. but you get the idea, with the added bonus of wild flowers and grasses winding their way across the remaining mosaic floors and stone walls, creating a sort of roman secret garden feel. as with everyone who came before us, the romans were small, so the few intact houses and shops are tiny, forcing alex and me to duck into them and get the full experience. i kept thinking about chaco canyon while we were wandering through - passively checking out the remnants of a multi-thousand year old civilization. since i can't yet upload my own pics, here's one of someone elses to give you an idea of what the place looks like:

this doesn't really do it justice though - it was much more beautiful. in any case, to make a lovely day even better we hopped back on the commuter train for 4 more stops and got out at the beach. second week in october and the weather was perfect for a swim. it was the first really sandy beach we've been to, as croatia is apparently entirely made of rocks, and it was exactly what we needed. all tension of rome was washed away as we swam and dozed while listening to the lilting voices of our fellow swimmers - about 30 german high schoolers. soo, it wasn't exactly perfect beach-side company, but there's really no escaping the germans in italy, so it wasn't too bad.

tomorrow it's off to stay with gretchen in san ginesio - off we go!