[almost as old and lame as 'Czech me out']
It feels great to be sitting in my bed right now. I'm enjoy Prague as my home base. But, nevertheless, Rome was incredible. It has been so long since Robyn, Ali and I have been together and had a sleepover for three nights in a row. Honestly, I couldn't think of two better people for me to explore Rome with! After all, we were part of the Latin cult in high school. For real though, being able to see and touch the Coliseum, the Forum, the Pantheon and other ruins was such an unreal, yet very real experience. I have been learning about ancient Rome since I was in 6th grade and now I finally was able to actually see its physical presence. The fact that the Coliseum is still standing so that I can touch what was in existence over 2000 years ago is amazing to me. I asked Robyn whether or not we should give the gladiator thumbs up or thumbs down. She opted for down, but I didn't know if I wanted to see something that gory.
Robyn was a terrific tour guide this weekend - we were never lost and were always heading to another wonderful spot. We were also fortunate enough to have the most incredible weather all three days. 65 degrees and sunny. Friday night we went out for an authentic Italian dinner with a bunch of people on Robyn's program. Homemade pasta, delicious bread, and some vino was a great way to start off my trip to Italy.
On Saturday morning we woke up early to get to the Vatican by 10 am, only to find out that about 500 people had the same idea. We eventually made it into the Vatican museums which were absolutely stunning. I've never seen a building decorated so ornately. The museum itself was huge- so huge, that at one point I didn't think we would actually get out of the building since it had been so long since I saw an exist. One of my favorite rooms was the Hall of Maps-- which was one of the many long hallways which led from the museum to the Sistine Chapel. Talk about a sensory overload...Walking around the museum I honestly didn't know which way to turn. After the Vatican we walked to St. Peter's Square where coincidentally the Pope was speaking. Regardless of your religious values, seeing the Pope speak is such a spiritual and important event (and I can vouch for that).
Robyn wanted to show us the Trevi Fountain in the evening before dinner- so after a nice power nap, we walked over to the fountain and the Pantheon. The Pantheon is much larger than I imagined. I kind of wished it was raining outside because there is a large hole in the center of the roof of the Pantheon- so as to resemble some sort of invisible column (says Rick Steves). All three of us threw coins into the fountain- no worries.
Campo di Fiero: definition: basically the frat row of Rome, consisting of a square of bars and Americans studying abroad-- what a great place, especially The Drunken Ship. That might be all I'm going to say about that night.
On Sunday, tour guide Robyn brought us to this huge market right behind her apartment building. It was pretty similar to the market in Berlin, except it wasn't freezing. We purchased some pashmina's for 3 euro- some of which smell like fish and others which are fabulously soft. After the market, I couldn't wait any longer. I seriously needed to see the Coliseum. I'm pretty sure the Coliseum was my favorite site the entire weekend. I couldn't believe how the labyrinth-like floor underneath the stage of the Coliseum was still relatively in tact. I wonder how many prisoners were held captive down there.
On our walk from the Coliseum to the Forum, we really tried to imagine what it would be like to live in Ancient Rome. Good thing something funny almost happened on the way to the Forum...[robyn fell]-- she didn't really, but she almost did. Robyn, Ali and I chose a lovely patch of grass to lie down on in the Forum and read about its history. I could not believe that we were actually in Rome. This whole experience is becoming more and more surreal the farther along it goes. I just can't believe I am actually traveling this much.
In general, the main difference I observed was that while sight seeing in Rome, you are completely struck by awe. Everything is just absolutely amazing to see since Rome was such an advanced society. Whereas in Prague, many of the remaining historic sites remind us of the destruction that occurred.
[Quick and last side note: Traveling TO the Rome airport is not an issue, but BEWARE, when traveling FROM the Rome airport, arrive VERY early because the airport is a complete disaster. Ali and I made it though, whew.]
Here is a link to all of my pictures from Rome:
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| Rome |
1 comment:
you are so cute! I miss you!
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