Roma roma roma!! was nothing short of amazing! First off, it was gorgeous! I arrived Friday night so I didn't get to see the sun that night, but once I stepped off the plane it was already 15 degrees warmer than dear old Strasbourg. We were met at the airport by some BCers and they brought me to Lindsays! Her apartment is soo cute, and when I say cute I don't mean it in the small quaint way, I mean it in the "we live in rome with 6 girls so everything is girly and roman, light and airy" way. I met her roomates, toured the apartment and scarfed down a bowl of good old american rice crispies (no where to be found in strassy) before running out the door to meet up with the 60 other BC students either living in or visiting Rome. Lets just say, BC invaded Rome to the point that we filled every bar and club we went into. Every night in Rome was like going to a party with everyone you ever wanted to be there, except in a foreign country. Not a bad life! We went to a bunch of different American and Irish and Roman? bars and clubs and had a blast! I won't bore you with the details of the nightlife in Rome, but I will tell you all about the touristy sightseeing stuff we did during the day!
First we went to the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. This picture is of the Forum which is basically where everything in ancient Rome happened. Lindsay took us to the top of some other building so we could see this great view, but we're saving the 15 euro visit to the inside for when mommy and daddy come! Same situation with the Colosseum we didn't go in but we saw the outside. It was soo huge, and soo cool! How in the world those ancient Romans got those stones up so high to build the pillars and stuff is something that I will never understand. I couldn't even figure out how to do that now with modern technology!
Next stop was the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain. These monuments kind of snuck up on us, because you're simply walking through a random ally in Rome and all of a sudden there is the Pantheon! in all its glory! Just sitting in the middle of this little piazza with normal apartments around it. That was pretty strange, but the building itself blew me away. It is 100% marble and granite designs, and it is complete with Rapheal's tomb and a big hole in the ceiling for something that has to do with the gods and the people.
The Trevi Fountain was probably one of my favorite parts of Rome. Another casual monument in the middle of a bunch of random buildings, but a really spectacular fountain. Apparently is you throw a coin over your left shoulder, using your right hand you are guaranteeing you will return to Rome. (we looked this up to make sure we wouldn't do it wrong). Considering I only had one coin, I only threw one (and I will be back in April!) but the story also says that if you throw 2 coins you are wishing for love, and if you throw three coins you will either get married or get a divorce! Fun fact about he Trevi Fountain: 3,000 euros a day are thrown into it and the money is all put towards feeding homeless and poor people. Way to go Rome to use your monuments for good!
Day 2 we went to Vatican City. All I can say is WOW. The Pope really has it pretty good, I mean the man owns his own country. I wonder if his passport say Italy or Vatican City? Anyways, we went into Saint Peter's Basilica and witnessed how beautiful and huge everything is. The dome is so high that there is a 10 story structure on the inside of the basilica. Seeing Michelangelo's Pieta wasn't too bad either. I could have sat in front of that statue for hours, it was so mesmerizing. To put it into perspective, the Pieta is the only piece that Michelangelo ever considered good enough for him to sign. Then we climbed to the top of the cuppola, the place around the dome. Getting to the top of that Basilica is not for the faint of heart! Holy moly, I felt like I was in Alice in Wonderland! The stairs were mini, and the walls were slanted and the spiral staircases were so tightly wound you couldn't see the person in front of you. It was not the holy experience I was expecting but an adventure all the same and worth the amazing views from the top. Then I bought a little rosary bracelet from a shop across the street for a momento and that was the conclusion of our day at the Vatican.
I only have one more thing to say about Rome and that obviously the food was unbelievable. I would live off their gorgonzola pizza and soupis if I could. And the carbonara, which I had for dinner, was amazing. yummy yummy rome, I can't wait to be back!
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