Random Indian guy at our hostel...once again lucked out with the hostel- it worked out well!
First thing on our list was of course the Colosseum...what an incredible place. We bought a Roma pass for 30E, which gave you free admission to two places, able to skip the lines, and free transportation for the weekend. I felt like it paid off. The Colosseum was one of my favorites... you walked out of the metro station and literally BAM it's right there. So much history.
If you read my previous blog that had my english paper regarding the Colosseum, you will understand how overwhelmed I was- so many things have taken place here. For example...the middle part used to be filled with water and they would practice naval battles- pretty cool eh?
If you can't tell, the weather is absolutely beautiful. It was a great day for sightseeing.
After the Colosseum we headed across the way to the Palatine and the Forum. This is a picture of the Arch de Constantine and the Colosseum.
This was at the Palatine and the Forum...most beautiful fountain I have seen thus far... there were orchids growing out of the top- see the white things?? They also had goldfish- so cool!
The Forum! It would have been an incredible place to see a thousand years ago... I can't even imagine.
After the Forum we headed to see the Capital building- man it was MASSIVE. Notice the flower bed is made to look like an Italian flag...I thought that was cute lol
On to the Pantheon! I thought this was one of the coolest buildings EVER. It is extremely well preserved, and is really right smack in the middle of things. We were wandering aimlessly (well I think in a general direction but all the same) and then there it was!
After the Pantheon we decided to follow our trusty guide Rick Steves and do his "Heart of Rome" walk (on the way to Trevi Fountain). We saw these nuns walking in front of us, and I was fascinated with the colors they were wearing. I thought nuns usually wore all black, but these wore mostly white with a bright blue sash... any clue what that means? Ya, me neither....
Trevi Fountain! It was PACKED.
I made a wish!
On to the Spanish steps.... although I couldn't really see them...they were covered in people.
Some festival was going on honoring the 160 years of the Italian Police force... no clue what that was about, I just loved this car!
At the end of Day 1, Friday, we were all EXHAUSTED. By the time we got home from dinner, we had been touring for 12 hours! There is so much to see and do in Rome! We all went back and passed out, and when I woke up at 10 pm my eyes were ridiculously itchy and on fire. I am super allergic to Italy, and I was looking pretty bad....really puffy and really painful =/ I tried to suck it up, but I caved and Ashley and I went to a pharmacy at 11pm....it was pretty sketch, but I got eye drops and they seemed to help!
The next morning we decided to get to the Vatican area early just to check everything out. This is the Castel de Saint Angelo, a pretty cool castle/fortress thing. We opted not to go in, and headed to the Vatican instead. You can see the dome in the background!
Saint Peter's Basilica! They were actually holding some kind of service while I was in the square...notice I am rocking the glasses (stupid allergies). I actually had to buy the hat because the sun was super intense and my glasses were only magnifying the rays.
In total to see the Vatican, I believe I spent close to 30 E...but I would say its worth it. I spent 19 E to reserve ahead of time and skip the line (totally worth it) then 7 E on an audio guide....I would say take it only if you are a history/art buff. I did enjoy it, but at some times it was a bit much.
I thought this ceiling was pretty beautiful. I took tons of picture of statues and paintings, but I was afraid those would bore you....the highlight was the Sistine Chapel of course, and no pictures are allowed in there.
After 3 and a half hours in the Vatican, I needed a pizza. And man, I got a good one. Those are fresh salami slices on there- delicious!
After fueling up we headed back to Saint Peter's Basilica to try to tour the church before it closed. After waiting 45 minutes, we were in! It was well worth the wait...look how ornate the alter is!
Then we paid 8 E (notice how the money disappears in Rome) and climbed the billion stairs to the top of the Dome. It is said that after it was constructed they made a law that no building can be taller...and none appear to be! This is looking out over the city...notice the ominous clouds in the background...
Example of the super tiny and sketch stairs we had to climb- man they made me DIZZY. Can't figure out how to rotate the picture once it is uploaded. Oh well.
After touring for 9 hours that day, I decided to go on my first pub crawl that night...I mean, when in rome right?! I had a BLAST! This is my new friend Lonneke from New Zealand, and Helen from Brazil!
On Sunday we had a few hours to look around some more, and we decided to go to the Museum Capitolini... I just really liked this statue.
View from the museum overlooking the Forum... WOW.
Everything circled in blue we went to.....23 hours of touring, I would say we did work!
This is kebob...at first I was thinking of our version, but this is actually very similar to a greek gyro, except with spicy sauce. It was FANTASTIC.
We stocked up on fruit at the supermarket for the 8 hour bus ride home, and I just had to take a picture of these shopping carts...They actually have wheels on the bottom- so crazy!
This past week I had papers and tons of reading, as well as planning for this travel weekend and two day trips. My next blog will be about the two towns I visited on Monday and Tuesday, and then about this weekend. Today my group went to Venice, then tomorrow we head to Verona, then to Florence for the rest of the weekend. I am sure lots of pictures will be up by Sunday. Next week is my finals week- the program is coming to a close! Ciao!
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