I am not a snow-eating Viking, not at all

I want to go out and run. But I have a sore throat, so I am sitting indoor. And it is freezing cold. The locals tell me not to complain, as I am from Sweden and we are supposed to be tough Vikings eating snow for breakfast. But I have never had snow for breakfast, and in Sweden we keep it warm and comfortable indoors. In Rome, insulation and double pane windows are unheard of. Heating is only turned on a few hours a day, and the kitchen is placed on the balcony. So even if it is 10-15 degrees and sunny outside, I am cold. And I feel I do have the right to complain about it.

I am happy to announce that in a week my cousin David will pay me a visit. He will be here for a few days due to a school project. He is studying architecture. I hope he will show me the important and famous architecture of Rome. And I will show him the best pizza places. Then, on February 26, my girlfriend Anna-Maj will visit me, along with her sisters. I hope she will come again during my Easter vacation. As that wasn’t enough, my friend Saman will come to Rome in the beginning of March. We will probably go and see AS Roma – AC Milan. I suppose Serie A is a must when living six months in Rome. Hopefully the weather is warmer during these visits.

Below are some photos from a night out last weekend. Courtesy to my fellow WFP Swede Christopher for letting me use his high definition mobile photos. I did bring my Nikon, but the battery was exhausted. Too bad as I was hoping to use some newly acquired photography skills. I have been reading about exposure compensation, white-balance, ISO equivalency and shutter-speed. I have no idea what these words actually mean, but I know a little bit about how to change them to improve the photo. Or at least I know how to change them, and if I'm lucky the photo improves.


A hole in the roof. Pantheon.
People waiting in line. And they are not Swedes.
Pizzeria da Baffetto serves the best pizzas in Rome.
To the left you see a little bit of my 4 cheeses pizza. It was pretty good.
After Pantheon, Spanish steps, Fontana di Trevi, Pizzeria da Baffetto and an Irish pub, the night ends and the happy Swedes say good bye. I am the tall guy, the shorties are Jens and Ida. They are volounteers at FAO and WFP, respectively. In the background you can see the enormous Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II.