For my last weekend abroad, I decided to go to the most cliche place in all of Europe... Roma! I had been once before when I was 13, but I was so excited to go back again. This weekend we got 4 days off which was perfect because there is so much to see in Rome. We ended up staying at a new hostel called Mr.
Rome. It was by far the best place I have stayed at in all of Europe! The owner
is amazing, accommodating and friendly. And the hostel is more like a bed and
breakfast. The bedroom was beautiful with a fireplace, high ceilings, and
complimentary breakfast. Also, the location is only ten minutes from the Colosseum.
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| Roman Forum |
The first day we decided to pack as many of Rome’s
tourist spots as we could! First, we went to the Roman Forum and took a guided
tour. The tour was extremely informative because I would have had no idea what
I was looking at without being told. In the Roman Forum there were ruins,
palaces, and temples. The forum used to be a marsh but then became a market
place for the imperial capital.
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| Colosseum |
After the Forum, we went across the street to the
Colosseum. The sun was shining perfectly and even with all the people everywhere,
it was beautiful. The arena used to have gladiators fight to the death or
against animals like lions! The arena used to hold 73,000 spectators. If you
need to know anymore about the Colosseum, the movie “The Gladiator” will teach
you a lot. While I was taking fake gladiator pictures, a choir began to sing in
the middle of the Colosseum. Their voices were beautiful and carried all the
way through the amphitheater.
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| Trevi Fountain |
Our third stop on our tourist adventure was the
extremely cheesy Trevi Fountain. The area was filled with every person visiting
Rome. The tradition is to toss the coin with your right hand into the fountain,
so you will return to Rome one day. I had done this when I was 13 and ended up
back in Rome so I knew this had to be true! The fountain was beautiful and we
were able to take “candid” coin toss pictures right in the center of the
fountain.
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| Pantheon |
After a quick gelato break, we ventured on to the
Pantheon. I had no idea what the Pantheon was, to be honest I thought it had
something to do with the government. It has been called on of Rome’s best
preserved monuments. The building is actually a temple for all the Gods. It is
perfectly circular and had beautiful paintings throughout. I’m glad I now
understand what the Pantheon actually is.
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| Spanish Steps |
Our last stop on our first tourist packed day was
the Piazza di Spagna or the Spanish steps. As I looked from the bottom of
stairs and looked at the horizon, I knew I had about ten minutes to run to the
top to see the sunset over Rome. With that in mind, I sprinted past all the
tourists and gypsies to make it to the top of the stairs. The view of Rome from
the top of the stairs with the sunset over the city was just beautiful. It took
my breath away and I was so happy to end my day in a beautiful place.
On the second day in Rome we decided to spend our
whole day in Vatican City. Our first stop of course was Saint Peter’s square
and Saint Peter’s Basilica. There were hundreds of people in the square. I
loved seeing all the saints that surround the square and the massive Basilica
in the center of the square. After waiting in line for only 20 minutes, we were
in the most beautiful church in all of Europe. There were so many people in the
church taking in all the art, mosaics, and stained glass windows. My favorite part
was the silent prayer room. In there you cannot take any pictures, although it
was the most beautiful room in the church. It was extremely peaceful and it
gave me time to reflect on how lucky I have been these last four months and all
the incredible places I have been.
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| Saint Peter's Square |
After we were done in the Basilica we climbed 591
steps into the dome on top of the Basilica. The top of the dome gave us a birds
eye view of the alter and the outside of the Basilica including Saint Peter’s
Square.
The last stop on our full day Vatican adventure is
the Vatican Museum. Obviously the best part of the museum was the Sistine
Chapel. It was so beautiful and grander than I had remembered. My neck hurt so badly
by the end of admiring the ceiling because I had been looking up so long. My
favorite part of the ceiling is obviously the most cliché part which is God
reaching out to man, touching his finger. It is actually a very small part of
the whole work but we have it hanging in my house at home.
Overall, Rome was everything I could have imagined and
more. The sights were amazing, the weather was perfect, and I couldn’t have
picked a better place to end my semester abroad.
