Italia! - Rome

We decided to fly with EasyJet to Rome because it was the cheapest and quickest way of getting there. While I did have to pay 27 euro to check my back pack (because you're only allowed one piece of luggage on the plane and I had a purse...) the flight itself was around 15 I think. It actually was a very nice plane and big too, the only weird thing was that you chose your own seats, so it's kind of a free-for-all mélée once we all got off the bus that took us to the plane from the gate. We got there in the early afternoon and found the hostel quickly (since we had stayed in this same place the first night we got to Italy). We had our own room of 4 this time so it was really nice to not have to worry about our stuff getting stolen or disturbing someone. We dropped off our stuff and went to find lunch. After that, Jenna and Julia really wanted some gelato so we searched for one. There was not one, but three places that had a giant ice cream cone outside their store and yet had NO gelato. It was really bizarre and actually quite frustrating. Shouldn't there be some kind of rule against false advertising like this?? So we decide to just stop at an Italian pastry shop (can't go wrong there!). Jenna got a gigantic cannoli that turned out to cost 5 euro and then proceeded to flip out about how much money she had been spending this trip. But then she decided that the cannoli was really delicious and she calmed down.

After we got settled in the hostel, we met up with Leigh, Molly, and Jesse again to see the spanish steps. By this time it was raining, so we decided to take the subway. Rome has 2 subway lines that are extremely overcrowded (at least at peak times) and stop at really obscure places. I was not impressed. But it did get us closer to the spanish steps, so I guess I shouldn't complain too much. Once we got out of the subway, it was pouring! I just had my rain jacket so unlike the other girls with umbrellas, I was accosted by creepy umbrella salesman lining the sidewalks. On our way there, we saw signs for the Trevi Fountain so we changed course and decided to go there instead.



Right after I throw my "penny" (i.e. the euro equivalent of a penny) into the fountain, my french phone starts to ring. It turns out to be Amanda, my best friend from high school, who is currently studying in Rome! I had told her I was coming but I kinda doubted my organizational/planning skills that we would actually get together. But sure enough, she was on top of it and we made plans to meet at the campo di fiori later that night. We headed back to the hostel after that because we had had enough of the rain. So after figuring out where campo di fiori is, we realized it was pretty darn far from our hostel but of course, the subway didn't go anywhere near there. So we had to figure out the Roman bus system. It actually wasn't that bad but there were no bus maps or lists of stops or time tables so it could have been much worse I suppose. We finally find the place and Amanda!



I rarely see the girl when we're home from school and then I get to hang out with her in Italy! Who would have thought? Her family is visiting her at the same time so her sister Nicole is with her, as well as one of Nicole's friends. We have a nice relaxing time at "Sloppy Sam's" just talking and enjoying the ambiance. We got to meet some of Amanda's friends who are also from Northeastern studying architecture and they all seem pretty cool. She lives in refurnished monastery apartment thing with 17 other students! 17! It's getting pretty late so we decide to head back and on the way, we find a gelateria so Jenna and Julia can finally get their gelato. We weren't sure if the buses were still running (we didn't see any at least) and we didn't know where the bus stop was for the direction we needed so we decided to take a taxi. That day, I'm pretty sure we took every form of public transportation possible: bus, plane, train, subway, bus, taxi. Boats don't count.

The next morning, we got up (relatively) early to meet with a tour guide that Kelsey had arranged for us. We met in the Piazza Navona and he took us to 4 churches in the area. The artwork was pretty impressive, as well as the actual structures and ages of the churches but after a while, they all started to kinda look the same. It reminded me of when I was applying to college and took so many tours at so many different schools. Then he took us to "the best gelateria in Rome." While I support that statement because I (unfortunately) haven't been to every gelateria, this place was pretty darn good. My favorite was the Kinder Bueno flavor, which is from the amazing candy bar that basically tastes like nutella. Then he took us to the Pantheon, which was definitely one of my favorite sites the whole trip. It's still standing ~2,000 years later and it's monstrous! People STILL don't know how they built it! The dome is a perfectly symmetrical hemisphere and if it were to continue, the sphere would fit perfectly inside the square base. Plus, there's a giant opening in the top of it so you get the sunlight (or rain, but don't worry, they were experts in drainage systems too).



Anyway, I really liked it.

So we had some lunch and decided to make our way over to the coliseum. But it took us a while to get there. Rome has this amazing "turn the corner" effect. You'll be walking down a tiny side street, window shopping or getting attacked by streetwalking salesmen, when you turn the corner and suddenly you're standing in front of the Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele, for example. We found some ancient ruins and a bunch of other sites. It's really bizarre to see something so old just chillin' right next to modern cars and street signs.



We finally make it to the coliseum but it closes at 4 pm so we couldn't go inside. While I love it here, in America, this would never happen. It would be open 24/7, constantly shuttling people in and out, making the most money possible. USA USA USA! It was still great to see of course, so I can't be mad, especially since I had been there once before with my family when I was younger. We headed back to the hostel to what had become our daily siesta (or I guess I should say: pennichella). Later we took the subway to meet Amanda for dinner at a great Indian restaurant she loves. We had some Kamasutra wine (that was the name of the brand) and thoroughly enjoyed our food (as always). Julia even loved it, and she used to work at Shalimar, so you know it must be good. Then we got to see her apartment and meet some more roommates before we headed out to a club. It took us a while to find it but we made it! Amanda has 2 Italian friends with connections so we were able to get in for free (saved us 15 euro each!). Amanda had never been there before so none of us knew what to expect but it was a nice club. It was "très chic" and they played good music most of the time. Not to mention that collectively, the group of people at that club was probably the most attractive bunch of people I've ever seen. It was a little intimidating at first, but I like to think we blended in haha. That was really fun but we had to head back since we were getting up early for another tour.

Actually, the reason we had to get up so early was because there was a planned strike of public transportation from 9 am - 12:30 pm. That's right, they plan when their strikes will end. In my opinion, this is just a really long coffee break, but whatever... Anyway, this tour was specifically for the Vatican. We also got to take a quick tour of a small university that the tour guide's wife is studying at, so that was an interesting perspective. We got to go inside St. Peter's Basilica and our tour guide seemed to know anything and everything about all the different paintings and sculptures so we were there for a while.



Not to offend anyone or anything, but the whole time I was in there I was thinking, "Isn't this just a bit extravagant? Can't this money be better spent doing one of what I gather to be the main goals of the Catholic Church: helping people?" Anyway, we went to buy some souvenirs and get some lunch nearby. The rest of the group wanted to see the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel, but I wasn't really feeling it (or the 12 euros it costs to get in) so I broke off from the group. As I was walking down a random side street towards the center of the city, who do I run into but Amanda's parents?!?! I haven't seen them in at least a year but yet I run into them in ROME?!? weird. Especially since I had just recently talked to Amanda and made plans to go out to dinner with her family. So after getting over the shock of seeing them, I went on my merry way. I went to check out the Pantheon again (it's just so cool!) and then I went to see the Trevi fountain in the sunlight! I people watched (one of my favorite, albeit creepy, activities) for a while and then headed to Piazza del Popolo. The other time I was in Rome, I stayed with my family in a hotel really close to this Piazza so I kept having random déjà vu moments. Then I walked through a park that's on one of the 7 hills of the city so you can get a great view:



Then I ended up at the Spanish steps and did some more people watching. I was exhausted by the end so I headed back to the hostel. I got to rest for a bit before I headed out to meet with Amanda for dinner. We went to a cozy little italian restaurant. Amanda showed off her italian skills since the waiter didn't really know any english. It was really nice to catch-up with the Bakers, Karen's always good for a laugh. Amanda, Nicole, her friend and I then headed to campo di fiori again to meet up with my friends. The bars were much more crowded so we got a drink and then enjoyed them sitting on the fountain in the middle of the square since it was a pretty nice night. We were at the end of our vacation and we were all pretty darn tired, so we didn't stay out too late but we still enjoyed ourselves.

Our flight "home" was pretty uneventful... well it was for me at least. We were on a small plane and hit a bit of turbulence, so Jenna thought we were gonna die, but it all worked out. When we finally got back to Aix, it was so nice to be "home." While all I wanted to do was sleep, I went to the grocery store (because they're all closed Sunday) so I'd have something for dinner. I was planning on staying in the night but my new polish friend Dominika convinced me to go out. We hung out at a friends apartment and then went to a bar and dance club. I was having a great time and surprisingly wasn't feeling too bad even though I was kinda sick at this point in time and hadn't gotten as much sleep as normal in the past week. But I'm not used to European time when it comes to going out... by 4:30, I was a bit tired of dancing, and by 5:30 I was having trouble walking cause I was so tired. When I finally got home at 6 in the morning (woah) I just fell into my bed. But I had all day Sunday to do nothing, so I recovered well, don't worry.



So now I have to start planning what I'm going to do for my 2-week break in April. Surfing in Morocco perhaps? Soaking up the sun in Athens? ... What a tough life I have.