Monday we arrived at about 3:30pm. We all met Martin in the lobby for our Rome debriefing at 4pm. Martin's favorite city is Rome and he knows so much about it that he always takes the students around Rome himself. Unfortunately, Martin broke his foot right before we left for Florence so he had to hire a tour guide for a day to show us around. Monday afternoon, though, we had to ourselves. Our hotel was in an area called Porta Maggiore which is close to the train station. It is also close to St. John Lateran Basilica and the Holy Steps. Right before the 5 girls left for the church it started pouring rain. It really wasn't what we needed when we were already "Europed out." Somehow we found enough energy to find the church in the rain. It was worth it because the church was pretty. It was the first Christian basilica in Rome and is one of the main churches in Rome. Right across the street are the Holy Steps. When Constantine was Emperor, his mother, Helen was a strong Christian and ordered that Pontius Pilate's stairs be brought from Jerusalem to Rome. They have been in Rome ever since. These are the stairs that Jesus walked up when we was arrested. The marble stairs are now covered by wood and you can only see the real stairs from openings. The stairs, though, are only to be walked up on your knees. It was a bit painful but it was a cool experience. To think that those were the stairs that Jesus walked up before he died for us was hard to wrap my head around. After that we walked back to the hotel looking for food as we went. Since it was only 6pm we had to wait until after 7pm to sit down anywhere. Ginny, Molly, Emily and I ate at a small place right down the street from the hotel. It was decent food but a better atmosphere. We stayed there for a good 3 hours. I have to say that long meals are something that I really enjoy about the Italian culture. Once we were basically kicked out of the restaurant, I headed back to my room and read before I fell asleep.
Tuesday morning we awoke to rain. It put a huge damper on the day. It rained off and on the whole day- and of course it was the day we had a tour guide to show us around. We met in the lobby at 9:30 and we weren't done with the tour until 4. It was a long day but we saw a lot. There are a lot of cool things in Rome- my favorite being the Coliseum. It’s amazing how it was built and that it has lasted this long too. The ruins and the Roman Forum right next to it are cool too. We saw the famous Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon. We also walked on Capitoline Hill to see Michelangelo's architectural work. We walked a lot that day and learned more about Rome's history. After we finished at the Coliseum Emily, Tricia and I found a great place to eat. I had another great pasta dish and we got waffles for dessert. We didn't get back until after 10pm so we were tired from our long day of walking and sight seeing.
Wednesday morning a few of us woke up and walked to the train station. A few of the girls had to train back to Verona to either meet with family or fly home. After they bought their train tickets we walked to St. Mary Major church. It was another gorgeous church. The ceiling is covered in the first gold that Christopher Columbus brought back from America. The artist Bernini and his family are buried there. Also, there are relics from Jesus' manager there as well. Who knows if it really is but its cool to think that it might be that old. From there we walked through town to the Vatican City. It took awhile but it was a pretty day and great weather. Finally we caught a break in the weather! When we got to Vatican City the Pope was speaking- apparently it happens on certain Wednesdays. That was pretty cool though. Then we walked all the way around to get into the Vatican museum. We had a tour guide in the museum but it was hard to hear her so I just did a lot of wandering and viewing. The Raphael room was really cool- I like the School of Athens painting the most. At the end of the museum is the Sistine Chapel. It really was incredible. I'm not really sure how to describe it except that it was amazing. After we were done admiring his work we walked over to St. Peter's. It, too, is a gorgeous church. The tour guide told us that nothing else can be built taller than the St. Peter's dome so you can always see it. Michelangelo's Pieta is also in St. Peter's. This was my favorite Pieta that Michelangelo sculpted. After we saw the whole church we continued to walk around the Vatican City area. We grabbed a bite to eat and explored more of Rome. We ended up at the Spanish steps and rested our legs and people watched. I liked that area and I liked soaking up the sun too. We stayed a little too long and had to walk very briskly back to the hotel. We decided to have our farewell dinner Wednesday night instead of Thursday which worked out much better. My feet were killing me though, from all of the walking we had done. Our dinner was at the hotel because Martin couldn't really do much searching with his broken foot. It ended up not being as lame as I had anticipated since we were all together- which is really all that mattered. The dinner was pretty decent too. Once we finished our meals and all talked about our favorite memories we headed out. We didn't stay out at the bar too long since we still had one more day in Rome.
Thursday we all met downstairs at 9am for a bus tour with Martin. This way we could see things that were further from the city and we could have all the historical stories from Martin. The bus tour was good. Martin showed us St. Paul's basilica. It was yet another gorgeous church and it was located where Paul was killed. Our tour was over around noon and he dropped us off in the downtown area. Ginny, Tricia and I walked with Jake to another church where Peter's chains are. Unfortunately the church was closed when we went so we left to go to the Borghese Gardens. It was going to be a long walk and Tricia had to catch a train back so we had to say goodbye then. As you may know, I'm not the best with goodbyes but its nice knowing that I will see everyone again. I am already looking forward to seeing everyone in Athens- and the other places we may meet up! After Trish left, the 3 of us walked to the gardens. Jake and Ginny took a nap while I read my book. It got a bit cloudy but otherwise it was another gorgeous day to just lie around in the park. After an hour or so we left. Jake went on his way and Ginny and I met up with Molly at the church to see Peter's chains. The chains were used on Peter and as the story in the Bible explains, while he was chained an angel appeared and freed him from them. Also in this church is Michelangelo's Moses statue. It, too, was incredible. So much detail, so many feelings from what used to be a block of marble. From there we walked back to see the Trevi Fountain in good weather and also to the Pantheon. Then the 3 of us walked back to the Vatican area where we met Emily and her boyfriend for dinner. Ginny went to this restaurant with her mother in February and she wanted to take us there too. It was another great dinner! We all rode the metro but Molly, Ginny and I stopped at the Spanish steps to see them at night time. We all got our last serving of gelato and ate it on the stairs. Ginny somehow got a cone of gelato and it ended up being 12 euro- which is about 15 dollars. There was nothing she could do so we all laughed about it. Around 10pm we rode the metro back towards our hotel and finished packing everything up. I said my goodbyes and caught as much sleep as possible. Rome was one of my favorite cities! I really liked it! I am not sure what it was about it but it just had a lot of history and charm.
Four girls got a private car to take us to the airport and it was an adventure. There wasn't enough room for our entire luggage so it was in our laps in the back seat, oh and the driver was flying down the streets. That was a time I was legitimately scared in a car that I wasn't driving. Both of the flights were smooth! My parents met me when I came up the escalator and all my roommates surprised me by running at me while I waited for my luggage! It was so sweet and great to see them all!
Tuesday morning we awoke to rain. It put a huge damper on the day. It rained off and on the whole day- and of course it was the day we had a tour guide to show us around. We met in the lobby at 9:30 and we weren't done with the tour until 4. It was a long day but we saw a lot. There are a lot of cool things in Rome- my favorite being the Coliseum. It’s amazing how it was built and that it has lasted this long too. The ruins and the Roman Forum right next to it are cool too. We saw the famous Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon. We also walked on Capitoline Hill to see Michelangelo's architectural work. We walked a lot that day and learned more about Rome's history. After we finished at the Coliseum Emily, Tricia and I found a great place to eat. I had another great pasta dish and we got waffles for dessert. We didn't get back until after 10pm so we were tired from our long day of walking and sight seeing.
Wednesday morning a few of us woke up and walked to the train station. A few of the girls had to train back to Verona to either meet with family or fly home. After they bought their train tickets we walked to St. Mary Major church. It was another gorgeous church. The ceiling is covered in the first gold that Christopher Columbus brought back from America. The artist Bernini and his family are buried there. Also, there are relics from Jesus' manager there as well. Who knows if it really is but its cool to think that it might be that old. From there we walked through town to the Vatican City. It took awhile but it was a pretty day and great weather. Finally we caught a break in the weather! When we got to Vatican City the Pope was speaking- apparently it happens on certain Wednesdays. That was pretty cool though. Then we walked all the way around to get into the Vatican museum. We had a tour guide in the museum but it was hard to hear her so I just did a lot of wandering and viewing. The Raphael room was really cool- I like the School of Athens painting the most. At the end of the museum is the Sistine Chapel. It really was incredible. I'm not really sure how to describe it except that it was amazing. After we were done admiring his work we walked over to St. Peter's. It, too, is a gorgeous church. The tour guide told us that nothing else can be built taller than the St. Peter's dome so you can always see it. Michelangelo's Pieta is also in St. Peter's. This was my favorite Pieta that Michelangelo sculpted. After we saw the whole church we continued to walk around the Vatican City area. We grabbed a bite to eat and explored more of Rome. We ended up at the Spanish steps and rested our legs and people watched. I liked that area and I liked soaking up the sun too. We stayed a little too long and had to walk very briskly back to the hotel. We decided to have our farewell dinner Wednesday night instead of Thursday which worked out much better. My feet were killing me though, from all of the walking we had done. Our dinner was at the hotel because Martin couldn't really do much searching with his broken foot. It ended up not being as lame as I had anticipated since we were all together- which is really all that mattered. The dinner was pretty decent too. Once we finished our meals and all talked about our favorite memories we headed out. We didn't stay out at the bar too long since we still had one more day in Rome.
Thursday we all met downstairs at 9am for a bus tour with Martin. This way we could see things that were further from the city and we could have all the historical stories from Martin. The bus tour was good. Martin showed us St. Paul's basilica. It was yet another gorgeous church and it was located where Paul was killed. Our tour was over around noon and he dropped us off in the downtown area. Ginny, Tricia and I walked with Jake to another church where Peter's chains are. Unfortunately the church was closed when we went so we left to go to the Borghese Gardens. It was going to be a long walk and Tricia had to catch a train back so we had to say goodbye then. As you may know, I'm not the best with goodbyes but its nice knowing that I will see everyone again. I am already looking forward to seeing everyone in Athens- and the other places we may meet up! After Trish left, the 3 of us walked to the gardens. Jake and Ginny took a nap while I read my book. It got a bit cloudy but otherwise it was another gorgeous day to just lie around in the park. After an hour or so we left. Jake went on his way and Ginny and I met up with Molly at the church to see Peter's chains. The chains were used on Peter and as the story in the Bible explains, while he was chained an angel appeared and freed him from them. Also in this church is Michelangelo's Moses statue. It, too, was incredible. So much detail, so many feelings from what used to be a block of marble. From there we walked back to see the Trevi Fountain in good weather and also to the Pantheon. Then the 3 of us walked back to the Vatican area where we met Emily and her boyfriend for dinner. Ginny went to this restaurant with her mother in February and she wanted to take us there too. It was another great dinner! We all rode the metro but Molly, Ginny and I stopped at the Spanish steps to see them at night time. We all got our last serving of gelato and ate it on the stairs. Ginny somehow got a cone of gelato and it ended up being 12 euro- which is about 15 dollars. There was nothing she could do so we all laughed about it. Around 10pm we rode the metro back towards our hotel and finished packing everything up. I said my goodbyes and caught as much sleep as possible. Rome was one of my favorite cities! I really liked it! I am not sure what it was about it but it just had a lot of history and charm.
Four girls got a private car to take us to the airport and it was an adventure. There wasn't enough room for our entire luggage so it was in our laps in the back seat, oh and the driver was flying down the streets. That was a time I was legitimately scared in a car that I wasn't driving. Both of the flights were smooth! My parents met me when I came up the escalator and all my roommates surprised me by running at me while I waited for my luggage! It was so sweet and great to see them all!
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