Finally: it’s Saturday. All week we were looking forward to visiting Ostia Antica and its nearby beaches. We first entered the ruinous city through its necropolis and headed toward the central forum (which had an ampitheatre). Ostia had a great bathing complex that was operated by the Ancient Romans. Back then, public baths were a social norm; women would bath in the morning while men bathed in the afternoon. There were multiple chambers, floored with mosaic tiles, dedicated to cold pools, hot saunas, sun rooms, etc. The baths were their version of a modern day gymnasium; it was a place where Romans conducted their social business.
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| Public bathing chambers of Ancient Romans. |
The highlight of the day was the time spent at the beach. Before heading out to swim, students changed into their swimming gear and spread out their sunbathing towels along the very hot sand. Having been in Rome for over a week, everyone has become considerably tanner. During our beach relaxation, we were constantly bombarded with the beachcombing hustlers who kept trying to sell us merchandise. I managed to get a nice pair of aviator shades for half off—I was finally able to put my haggling negotiation skills to practical use. After half an hour of soaking up rays, I decided to jump right into the water—it was refreshingly cold. A small amount of the very salty water burned in my inner nostrils, but swimming in the waters of the Mediterranean was the perfect end to a busy week.
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| Relaxing on the Mediterranean coast. |
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