Rome by Robert Hughes is first on the list to chat about, and I, specifically, will be talking about a few quotes from one of the most interesting, I believe, prologues I’ve read. It’s even better considering it’s a history novel. Hughes makes his reader crave the beauty of Rome, and therefore more interested in learning about its history.
One quote in particular, from the prologue, struck a chord with me, a familiar chord I had only felt during my beloved trips to German country sides.
“Nothing exceeds the delight of one’s first immersion in Rome on a fine spring morning, even if it is not provoked by the sight of any particular work of art. The enveloping light can be of an incomparable clarity, throwing into gentle vividness every detail presented to the eye. First, the color, which was not like the color of other cities I had been in. Not concrete color, not cold glass color, not the color of overburned brick or harshly pigmented paint. Rather, the worn organic colors of the ancient earth and stone of which the city is composed…” -Page 5
I believe that there is a moment of clarity for anyone with a dream to travel, a moment where all of the waiting, dreaming, and hours of a screaming child at 35,000 feet becomes worth it. For Hughes it was that moment, for me it was on a back road on the border of Austria and Germany. I was standing on the side of the road, beside green hills, trees, and a sparkling blue river. I realized in that moment how much these hills had lived through, how much life this river had hosted, and how I could feel the history in the earth around me. I knew in that moment that I would do whatever it took to feel that again, to travel to places I dream of, and experience things most people only talk about.
An American Jumps the Pond: A Study Abroad Experience 
Greetings from London, Lizzie!
I like your phrase–and now, your philosophy–that one can travel to places one dreams of. I hope this trip provides moments for these kinds of experiences. In Four Seasons in Rome, there is a passage toward the end of the book where Anthony Doerr sees a young Italian girl look out on a sweeping view of Rome; “Ecco, Roma!” she exclaims. Here, is Rome! What will these moments in London and Rome be for you? A moment where we are surprised and yet sense something beautiful and essential.
Looking forward to your posts on Doerr and the reading packet! See you soon.
Meg