When I first arrived there from Aix, I asked the lady at the counter what was the fastest way to get to Termini Station. I had made ticket reservations for the Vatican Museum and the only time left was for 3pm on the day I arrived. Well my flight was supposed to arrive at 1:30, but of course it was late and it was closer to 2. The lady told me to take the bus and then get on the metro at the last stop and then get off at Termini. I did this and it ended up taking about an hour, which put me at Termini right at 3. Then once I was at Termini I had to find Alex and of course, our phones wouldn't work so I couldn't call him or anything. Luckily I was able to find the McDonald's in Termini and since I was late, we just went to the hostel so I could drop my things off.
The hostel I picked was called the Yellow and it was really a place for American students who wanted to party while in Rome. They tried to be clever with the witty names for their drinks you could order at the bar and they also had some really clever things on the rule sheet. Overall it was a nice hostel and I think the showers there were actually bigger than the one at my apartment. We were in a four bed room, so we weren't sure who our other roommates would be, but since it was Easter weekend we knew there would be people in there eventually.
Once settled, we headed back out towards the Vatican. We weren't able to get in because by the time we did get in, the museum was closing. Honestly it wasn't a big deal because we went back on Saturday, got right in after a short wait (not three hours like the people selling tours were telling us) and we got to see everything we would have wanted and not be rushed. I loved seeing the Sistine Chapel and honestly it was a little smaller than I had originally thought. The way I had always thought it was, was this big open room with this huge mural on the really high ceiling. Well the room was a pretty good size, but much smaller than I had thought, but the artwork was astounding. I could have probably stood in there for hours just looking at the mural. The whole room was painted from floor to ceiling and it was just gorgeous. You couldn't take pictures, but I honestly think that is something that's hard to capture in a picture. You really need to see it all to even attempt to appreciate that kind of work.
While we were in Rome we also went to the Colosseum, the Forum, the Trevi Fountain, the huge monument where the unknown soldier is buried, and St.Peter's Basilica. Everything we saw was huge, really old, and beautiful. We had amazing weather so that made everything even more enjoyable and exciting. I loved seeing all of these ancient sites and realizing how long they have been there. All of the history in this city is just amazing and I loved every minute of it.
On the first day we happened to see a sign for Hard Rock Cafe and Alex really wanted to go. We thought we knew where it was on the map and so we were trying to find it and we probably spent about an hour looking then finally asked someone where the street it was on was. Well we learned that we had been looking at the wrong spot on the map the entire time and we were no where close to it. We gave up that night and just went to the Colosseum. On Saturday night we decided to try again and we were walking and walking. We asked some men where it was and they said it was a little ways away. We walked some more and then asked someone in a hotel where it was. We eventually found it and discovered that it wasn't on Via Vittoria or Via Vestra (or whatever it was), but it was on Via Vittorino Vestra or something like that. Once we found it we were so ecstatic and we went straight in. I was so excited once I saw the menu because it was all American food and I mean real American food. I was so torn about what to get, but I finally settled on a side salad with RANCH dressing and a delicious veggie burger with fries. I was in complete heaven and I don't think I've ever eaten so fast in my life. I was one happy girl!
That night when we were at the Trevi Fountain, one of the many annoying men trying to give you roses or take your picture came up to us and said something. I just smiled and nodded and then he said congratulations and began to shake our hands. He asked us where we were from and then said he would take our picture. We said no over and over and he said that it was a special occassion and he would do it for free (yeah right), and finally he got the picture after we said no I don't know how many times and he left. When he walked away he said something about no money no honey. Well when he left I realized that he thought Alex and I had just gotten engaged. I was adjusting my class ring when he had spotted us because Alex had just looked at it and so this guy thought we were engaged. Oops!
On Friday, Alex and I took the train to Florence. I was super excited because I was going to see part of the Tuscan countryside and finally make it to Florence. I wasn't 100% sure about what there was to do in Florence, but I was pumped to go. We were going to meet up with Liz while in Florence, but due to poor communication and inability to call each other we weren't able to. Alex and I still managed to make our way around the city and we saw the Duomo, David, the Gold Bridge (Ponte Vecchio), and the street with all of the designer stores. It was a nice relaxing day and it was great to go for the day. The city was beautiful and so was the countryside. I would love to go back and be able to just stay in a lovely tuscan villa for a week or more.
We also had the chance to go to Easter Sunday mass at the Vatican. We were able to actually get seats and see the Pope. Our seats weren't that close, but we knew he was there and we could see him on the big TVs. It was so cool to have the chance to experience something like that and to see all of these people from around the world gather for this one event. There were people there from Croatia, Germany, France, Poland, America, and many more places. I didn't really know what was going on during the mass, but Alex explained it as it went on and I just loved being there for the experience. Plus we both dressed up in our Easter best, so that's always a plus.
I think I really fell in love with Rome and I have even more of a desire to spend more time in Italy. Rome at night was one of the most beautiful places ever. It's so amazing to see the Spanish steps lit up, the Colosseum, St. Peter's Square, and the Trevi Fountain in lights. I think the Trevi Fountain was one of my favorite places in Rome (minus the soliciters) because everyone there was smiling (except the girl that was arrested/caught by the police for climbing into the fountain, she was bawling) and almost everyone had gelato in their hand. It was just a nice carefree place where people come to just enjoy the view. I loved it!
I highly recommend Rome to anyone and everyone. It is so beautiful and rich with history. Oh and I think everyone should watch Under the Tuscan Sun as well :)
Do you remember playing the fountains in orchestra?! Maybe you could play it now since you understand it... I just remember hating it!
ReplyDelete