Friday morning we left for Rome pretty early. We arrived in the city in the late morning and went straight to our hotel to check in. After we were all settled we had a few hours to grab lunch and explore the city. The five of us girls ended up at this place Mojito Tres right on the water to just sit and relax and have a drink. At 3 we headed back to the hotel to meet our guide Frederico. He was one of the most energetic people I have ever met. We first went to the Roman Forum and saw ruins that dated back to the time of Julius Caesar. After that we went into the Senate. Next, was the Colosseum. It was unreal! The architecture of that time period was unbelievable. However, as Frederico told us stories about the types of things that went on in the Colosseum it made the place a little less appealing. Once we finished up there we headed for the Pantheon. The drainage system in this magnificent building was absolutely astounding. There is no glass or cover over the dome so when it rains it comes into the building. The floors are crowned with tiny drains running along the outside. We then were set free for the rest of the evening. Some of us went to this small pizza place across from our hotel. It was so good! Then we headed back to the hotel to shower and get ready for our first night out in Roma!
That night one of the girls on the trip was turning 21 at twelve so we all pregamed together then headed to one of the main squares. There were tons of people out! Not only people from Italy but from Austraila, England, America etc. We ended up at a really crowded bar, waited until 12 and sang happy birthday to her. Then we called it a night since we had to be up and ready for a 7 hour tour starting at 730 the next morning!
730 came WAY too quickly Saturday morning. We had a small breakfast at the hotel then were off with Frederico once again. We headed straight for the Vatican Museum, trying to beat the line! Frederico told us that 25,000 people enter the Vatican everyday! We waited for a little bit and Frederico made sure no one got in front of us in line. Once we were in it was worth the wait! First, we went through the museum where we saw all sorts of amazing mosaics and rugs. Next was my favorite part of the trip, the Sistine Chapel. I still cannot believe that I was in the Sistine Chapel. I have spent so much time learning about it in school and looking at images of it but nothing will ever compare to the feeling I had the second I stepped in there. To be able to see all the amazing frescos painted on the ceiling by Michaelangelo and his breathtaking painting along the back wall of The Last Judgement is something I will never forget. I am so grateful for such an amazing experience. After we spent enough time in the Sistine Chapel we headed for St. Peter's Basilica. Once again, I felt so lucky to be able to see such a place in real life. There is so much history and art there it is unreal. I don't know how anyone could not appreciate such amazing places.
So we all survived the 7 hour tour but were starving! A small group of us grabbed some pizza right on the water. It was probably the best pizza I have had so far. Once we finished some of the girls went home for naps but Alex and I decided to walk around the city a bit more. We ended up going to this gelato place where the owners made us taste pretty much every flavor they had. Once we tested all of them we walked into this square where there were all these break dancers. They were really good and so entertaining. It's so strange in every city when Alex and I venture off we always find the most bizarre things or weird things happen to us. Then we returned to the hotel only to leave again to go play football with Brendan and Lauren Onastack for awhile except once again we got side tracked by the same square where we saw the dancers. This time however there was a magician. He literally ate a balloon. I still have no idea how that happened. He also got himself out of a straight jacket that was chained. It was incredible. Once that was over we decided we were in desperate need of a shower. We got ready and decided to try an appertivo for dinner since we love them so much in Firenze. The appertivo we went to was awesome! It seemed like a very local place and very artsy. It was so much fun! We came back to find pretty much everyone on the trip hanging out in the common room pregaming before we went out. It was the first time everyone was together just hanging out playing drinking games. It is definitely a night I will never forget.
Sunday morning was a lazy start. We had to bring our bags down at 10 so we slept until the last possible minute. We grabbed breakfast then went to see the Pope. We actually made it on time and were all blessed by him! The it started to downpour and we got stuck in the middle of it! Once it subsided we made our way to the Trevi Fountain. We threw a coin in over our shoulder and made a wish! Then we headed to the Spanish Steps and sat there until it was time for us to meet at the hotel to depart for the train station. All in all Roma was such an amazing time! It was nice to hang out with everyone and see so many cool places. I cannot believe I was in the Sistine Chapel! It did make me realize how quickly time is going since it was our last scheduled trip with the group :( TIME PLEASE SLOW DOWN!!
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