ROMAAAA!

Day One

We left at 4 am to head to the coach park at Victoria station. After a long day at Stonehenge the day before I was exhausted. We headed from Victoria to Stansted which took an hour. However, it must have been shorter since our crazy bus driver was going frighteningly fast. It was wet and I think he thought we were on a party bus. He was playing some Rihanna/top 40 station and had the blue tube lights on the whole time. After we checked in at the airport and Caity got her bag searched for small container of toothpaste not being in a separate plastic bag, we hung out waiting for our flight. I almost puked about 5 times. I figured I was sick from the day before but I realized I was nervousss! I dont usually get nervous but I did that day. At take off I gripped the seat in fear. So weird, especially since I love roller coasters. I tried to sleep the whole flight and managed to for a bit. When we landed in Rome it was gorgeous! There was real sun, like we see in the summer. I practically broke a sweat. After hopping a bus to the train station we found our hostel and checked into our six person private room. I should probably introduce my traveling buddies: Tom, Nick, Desiree, Caity, Megan, and myself. For our first day we explored Rome a bit and hung outside the Colloseum. However, I was startled when informed zombies were headed my way. I am still not exactly sure what the deal was but it freaked me out. They didn't stop if you or anything was in there way. After seeing the zombies we walked to the Trevi Fountain to meet up with my flat. This was the one night we were going to be in Rome at the same time. So we met up and hung out for a bit before I headed to dinner with my friends. I unfortunately wasn't hungry at this restaurant and I regret that. The menu was a book and the food smelled amazing! I toured my way through Rome via food. After dinner we went back to the hostel to get much needed sleepppp.

Day Two

We had a touristy day on Monday. We bought the Roma Pass which included free admission to two museums/sites and a three day travel card all for € 20. We decided to hit up the Colloseum, Palatino, and Roman Forum all for one admission. The Colloseum was gorgeous and surreal on the inside. To be walking around in a place filled with such history was extremely weird, but then again I felt like that throughout Rome. The Colloseum looked the same, yet different from all the different angles walking around. The Pope speaks every Good Friday at the Colloseum which is really cool. Tom attempted to listen in on a tour and got scolded which doesn't make sense because when he got in trouble he wasnt even listening. He was genuinely standing with us looking around. I also don't understand why you couldn't listen. The tour is walking around the same space as you are. You can't wear earplugsss. After lunch we headed to the Palatino and Roman Forum which had a ton of ruins. Walking around we got a ton of different views of the city. In one area it looked straight out of a movie set. It was just incredible. That night we went to a Pub Crawl for € 20. It included a ton of free booze and entrance to 3 pubs/bars and a club. It was a crazy night with a lot of funny memories and a sick t-shirt (I came I saw I crawled). After an interesting trip home (ie two hours and two buses) we passed out at 5 am.

Day Three

After a rough evening last night, 930 came veryyy early. After finally getting to breakfast before it closed and out of the hostel at lock out hours, we all sluggishly headed to Galleria Borghese. The art museum housed paints and sculptures from the 16th and 17th centuries. My favorite piece was a statue by Bernini of Apollo and Daphne. The statue depicts the myth of Daphne being turned into a laurel tree after Apollo has confessed his love to her. It is a sculpture of a story from Ovid's Metamorphoses. The museum was a perfect size. We could complete it in a few hours and not be more exhausted than we already were or getting bored. We walked around the Villa Borghese, but the day was rainy so it wasn't much fun being outside. We headed home around five after trying to find canolis and being forced into a cafeteria style cafe while it downpoured. At the hostel we napped for a bit and met up with Megan F. & her friend who is studying in Prague for dinner nearby. The restaurant was called Mama Angela's and had some delicious food. I order Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli with a butter and sage sauce. Mhmmmmm.

Day Four

This morning we woke up bright and early to head to the Vatican. When we arrived we saw a security line, so we assumed this was to get into the museum/Vatican City. However, we soon found out the Pope was speaking later that morning...no big deal. We decided to go to the museum and to see the Sistine Chapel for a few hours while we waited to see the Pope. Every inch of the ceilings walking to the Sistine Chapel were painted with beautiful depictions of events and stories. The Sistine Chapel was even more breathtaking. One wall was The Last Judgement and depicts the Second Coming of Christ and the Apocalypse. The side walls depict The Life of Christ and the Life of Moses. The ceiling contains stories from Genesis, ancestors of Christ, and prophets. Being in the room was surreal, especially seeing famous paintings in real life, such as Adam and God. I still can't believe I was there. After the Sistine Chapel we headed back to St. Peter's Square to find a spot to see the pope. He spoke and gave blessings to the countries and families represented. Again it was another surreal experience, even for someone who isn't Catholic. By this time we were all starving so we headed to a cafe for a leisurely lunch before heading off to see the Pantheon. The Pantheon was a really cool building with a giant hole in the dome ceiling. When it rains the water pours in and empties out through the drains all over the floor. It would've been so cool to see during the rain. Nick left around four and we picked up Deanna and Chris at about the same time; a trade off. For dinner we decided to go somewhere fancy for our last meal. Choosing a place close to our hostel we thought we were in a for a treat. However, the waiters didn't seem to think a group of 9, twenty-somethings were their idea of a good evening. Placing us in a room with 2 other parties when the restaurant was empty and watching our every move were the first bad vibes we got. The American couple dining didn't acknowledge we existed, and an Italian woman sat and watched us for about 20 minutes after she had finished. When we ordered the waiter was in shock we wanted a pasta course and that's all. "So you don't want all 5 courses?" After eating in silence in fear to speak, we got the check. Lucky for us they charged for bread and the refill they brought us (€ 10) and another € 1o for service. How nice of them. Let's just say we got out of there really fast.

Day Five

Realizing today was our last day we did our best to pick up some souveniers. I bought a few things for people, and never got anything for myself. I decided to make up for it in Paris. After a long flight home with more Ryan Air theme songs and pushers for flight attendants we got home in London and headed to New Cross. Once I was home and ready to pass out, I needed to pack for Paris. On top of being exhausted I had caught a second round of Fresher's Flu...not fun.

GELATO TALLY

- mango & nutella

- biscotti

- tiramisu

-raspberry & fudge