After class Friday (Feb 11), and after taking a bus an hour outside of London to Stansted airport, I flew into Milano to meet my friend Rachel. I don't mind flying so the flight was fantastic until we got over the alps and I realized something. I forgot something, and it was probably the worst thing I could have forgotten (besides my passport.) When in Italy, it had been decided the cheapest way to get around would be to take trains and instead of buying individual tickets I ordered a Eurail pass to save about $100. I forgot this pass in London. I felt so stupid. I tried not to let it bother me, but it wasn't the ideal way to start my trip. Life is full of lessons, and this just happened to be one of my more expensive lessons. When I arrived at Milano Centrale (the train station), I purchased a new rail pass so I could get to Roma the next morning. After a proper Italian dinner (GNOCCHI and some salmon), I retired for the night. In the morning we headed back to Centrale to board our train to Roma. The bullet train got us there in 3 hours. Those trains are amazing. They cruise along between 120 and 130 miles per hour, but decelerate well too (I'm a nerd). When we got to Rome, thankfully someone wrote down directions to the hotel from the train station, and finding it was a breeze. The hotel was nice and cheap with free breakfast (with cofffeeeeeee) and the people who ran it were very nice and accommodating. After unpacking and getting settled, we took a little walk around northern Roma before finding a metro station and heading to the Colosseum. As soon as you exit the metro station the Colosseum is BAM! right in front of you. It was amazing. To see something that has been standing since the Roman empire, especially something so big and unique, was really spectacular. We strolled around it, took pictures, and took everything in before heading next door to the Roman Forum.
The Roman Forum was mostly ruins, that had been excavated due to Rome's many years of flooding. The ground that Caesar walked on is now 15-20 feet (or more) underneath present day Rome. I continuously tried to imagine what this would have looked during the golden years of the Roman Empire, but I was unsucessful. Oh, what as sight that would be. It will probably be one of the first places I visit after time travel is invented and made affordable (that will be in my lifetime, right?). The sun was setting in Rome and this made the Forum quite a sight to see.
The next day we started at Piazza del Popolo, where there was some kind of women's movement thing going on. They were doing skits, but they were in Italian so I had no idea what was going on. The weather was fantastic. Sunny with no need for a coat. We walked around, sat in piazzas, and I took pictures of people taking pictures.
(how many people taking pictures?)
We also saw Fontana de Trevi, a huge, magnificent fountain into which (it is estimated) 3000 euros are thrown every day. We continued to walk around Rome, explorin'. We saw the Pantheon, not to be confused with The Parthenon. Built in 126 AD, The Pantheon is old, and that makes it all the more incredible. The architecture of some of these older buildings is truly amazing There is so much history in Rome. I kept thinking "this place has been around thousands of years before the US was even discovered." Aside from the history, there are lots of pizzerias, gelaterias, cafes, tourists, and people on the street trying to sell you weird stuff (like miniature tripods and crawling army men). It's a busy city. I can't even come to imagine it in the summer with MORE tourists.
The following day was dedicated to Vatican City, and turned out to be one of my favorite days of studying abroad thus far. We got an early start on the day, excited for what it would hold. Turns out it was lines. There were epically long lines for both St. Peter's and Musei Vaticani and the Sistine Chapel. We actually took a tour of the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel, which I was skeptical about at first, and felt very touristy. I understand that I am a tourist, but going all out tourist is not really my thing. I like trying to fit in more than stick out, but in the end I was glad we went on the tour. Our guide was british so I felt at home! I learned a LOT more about the history of Rome, the Vatican, Michelangelo, a lot of the artwork, and much more due to the tour and we got to skip all the lines. The Vatican's collection of artwork seems limitless. There are many priceless pieces, including The Sistine Chapel which, of course, was breathtaking. After the tour, we took some time to relax before heading into St. Peter's Basilica. Fortunately, the weather was once again gorgeous. We sat on the steps around the piazza for a little more than an hour, watching people, avoiding killer pigeons, and enjoying the sun.
After grabbing some vitamin D, we headed into St. Peter's. This is easily the most spectacular church I have ever seen. The Vatican knows how to do things up, that is certain. Once again, the architecture and just the sheer size make it one of a kind. It's hard to explain so here are a couple pictures.
That was our last full day in Roma. The next day we checked out and killed some time walking around (unfortunately we had to carry our backpacks.) before taking the train back to Milano. I felt like I saw what I needed to see and had a really wonderful time, but my italian adventure was only beginning. Next up was Milano and Venezia, but that post is for another day. Thanks for reading. I appreciate each and every person that reads my long rambling posts and I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them. Sorry this one is so long!!
Currently listening to ANYTHING BREAKBOT.
