Roma!

Soo. Rome. It’s still kind of surreal that I actually went there. It’s amazing that I got to travel there for the weekend, how blessed am I?!



I feel like words aren’t enough to describe the beauty, atmosphere, or adventures I discovered in Roma. And the Vatican City is absolutely breathtaking, pictures can’t do it justice. It is so full of history and beautiful art, if you ever have the opportunity to go, DO IT.



So 5 other lovely ladies and I started out bright and early Friday morning, ready for pasta, gelato, and any other Italian delights we might find. We arrived in Italy at about 1:00pm, only to discover that there was a transportation strike throughout the city (later we figured out why, public transportation is practically free, no one EVER checked your ticket, and tons of homeless people just chill on the buses and trains). There was over a 2 hour wait for the one bus that was running, so we decided to take a taxi to our hotel, and then from our hotel into the city (about a half an hour drive, and a 65€ cab fare!). And thus began the adventures…



I thought Italian bad driving was a stereotype. It’s not. We drove down the highway at least 90mph at all times, dodging cars, people, bikes, motorcycles, you name it. Just in case you wondered, there is no need to slow down when going around sharp turns or roundabouts. Ugh. We had no idea where he should drop us off, so we just said “The Colosseum” like good American tourists. He nonchalantly drops us off on the side of the road, while we stood there bug eyed, with our mouths open. Here, in the middle of a crazy, busy, cosmopolitan city, was the Colosseum. The construction of this beautiful and massive amphitheater was finished around 80AD, to give you an idea of how old this is. 80AD. Waaay older than our country. Whoa. Awe struck, we stopped at a ristorante (it means restaurant...one of the few Italian words I picked up along the way :). We got to eat some delicious food with the view of the Colosseum!


PIZZA :) Gelato!



We spent the day strolling around Rome, eating more pasta and pizza, enjoying gelato, touring the Colosseum, going to the Trevi Fountain, and soaking up the warm sunny weather. We also encountered some very interesting people… the homeless men on all the public transportation, the mean lady selling Colosseum tickets (we have our International student IDs and we tried to get a discount because we study in the European Union. She pretty much scoffed at me, asked my nationality, laughed when I said “American,” and said “12 Euros, please.” Rude.), the restaurant workers that compliment you and promise discounts and free appetizers if you eat in their restaurant, and, of course, the random entertaining groups of tourists from around the world.

The Colosseum The Trevi Fountain... amazing!!



The next day we went to the Vatican City, after a bit of a work trying to figure out HOW to get there. We asked this man, who told us to get on a certain bus. As it turns out, the bus just makes a loop, not even getting near the Vatican City. It was hard to know if some people just didn’t understand our English or Spanish or just wanted to see us fail at navigating the city. We finally reached the Vatican City, and Katie, Rachel and I paid for a tour, which was a great idea because then we knew everything we were looking at. Some of it I had learned about in Art History but it was a great reminder. We got to see some great Raphael frescos, Michelangelo’s Pieta, and of course the Sistine Chapel. There is just such a vast collection of beautiful buildings there, it really is incredible! Although we were very close to his house, we did not run into the Pope. Ah, well, maybe next time.





Our last day, Sunday, there was supposed to be another transportation strike and Katie, Rach, and I thought we might be stuck at our hotel, unable to pay a taxi to get into the city center. Thankfully, there was no strike so we could take the train. We spent the day outside again, enjoying the sun, the many gorgeous fountains, and outside cafes in Rome.



Although Rome is gorgeous and I loved it, the three of us were very ready to be home in Alcalá, back in a country where we can (sort of) speak the language. We knew we missed Spain when this lady at the train station came up to us, asked if we spoke English, then started babbling random questions to us in Italian. How do you even react to that? Just shake your head and repeat “no hablamos italiano” (which happens to be Spanish, but, hey, whatever works!)? Laugh hysterically? Well, we did both and she continued to talk to us in Italian for 5 more minutes. Landing in Barajas airport and hearing Spanish all around you in the greatest feeling in the world, after that.






We had an amazing, relaxing, beautiful trip to Italy, it was so worth all the money and time! Now, it’s back to the grind of school and work! But my lovely Miss Steph Becks is visiting me from England this week :)


Ciao!
Besos,
Ana