When In Rome...

I have finally had enough time to rest and recuperate physically and mentally after our amazing weekend in Rome. We left Montepulciano early on Friday morning via bus and caught a two-hour train ride from Chiusi to Rome. Ken said that our train was probably the slowest train he had ever been on. Our two-hour ride seemed more like two and a half. Lucky for me, I was able to sleep even longer than I would have been able to otherwise.

We dropped off our bags at the hotel once we arrived in Rome and headed off to Ancient Rome for our first day of sightseeing. When we got out of the metro station, it was absolutely pouring rain. Many of us bought ponchos, and it wasn't long before the rain subsided. We looked around the outside of the Coliseum until our tour guide came to start our tour. Our first stop was the Roman Forum. Once we were done with that, we would circle around and finish at the Coliseum. It was amazing to see all of the ruins of ancient Rome. That was at one point the pinnacle of human society and seeing it first hand was an amazing experience. Once we walked through the Forum, the guide took us to the top of a hill where we could overlook basically all of Ancient Rome. We could see everything in the Forum that we had just walked through and even see the Coliseum off in the distance as well. By this time the rain was long gone and the clouds had almost entirely disappeared.

I took this beautiful panorama that shows the Roman Forum and the Coliseum in the background

After we were done taking pictures and enjoying the view, we started our trip back to the Coliseum. It was even more amazing than I ever could have imagined. Cale told me how lucky we were with the line to get into the Coliseum. Apparently, he had to wait much longer to get in during his last trip to Rome. Our experience getting into the Coliseum was relatively painless. Once we got inside, we all split up and had plenty of time to see everything we needed to see. It truly is breathtaking.

My selfie from the Coliseum

Ken led the majority of our group on a walk back to the hotel from the Coliseum. Noiset rode the metro with one or two students that were tired of walking. I am so glad I decided to walk with Ken instead of taking the tram. We saw so many beautiful buildings and statues that I would not have seen otherwise. But the highlight of the walk back to the hotel was seeing Italy's version of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I have been to the one in Washington DC, and this was much different. Not much security here and in America you basically have to be silent as a sign of respect. The only rule I really observed of this one is that you are not allowed to eat on the steps, which I completely understand.

Tomb of the Unknown Solder

The next day was designated for the Vatican. We waited for what seemed like hours in line to go to the top of St. Peter's Basilica. It was well worth the wait. Honestly, it was probably my favorite thing that we did the whole weekend. The view was breathtaking. Once we finished up there, we went back down to the bottom and headed over to our tour at the museum.

You could honestly spend weeks and weeks in that museum and not run out of things to look at. Endless paintings, sculptures, statues, etc. You can feel the significance of the history all around you. It was truly breathtaking. I am looking forward to coming back with my parents in a few weeks and seeing everything I couldn't see the first time around.

I got a kick out of this

On our way back to the hotel that night, we stopped by other famous places like the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain. I got a few good pictures of the Pantheon before my phone died. And I only got one or two pictures of the fountain on my GoPro before it kicked the bucket as well. I feel as tho the Pantheon is severely underrated. It was a beautiful building that I knew next to nothing about before I got here. I also got an amazing video of a man who was singing outside the Pantheon. That was the decision that ultimately killed my phone for the day. His beautiful voice was worth the last two percent of my phone's battery.

Outside the Pantheon

We finished the trip the next day with stops at a beautiful park to play frisbee and also the Spanish Steps. I decided to keep my phone in my pocket as much as possible this day and just enjoy my surroundings. As a result, I did not get very many pictures. Shortly after eating lunch at the fanciest McDonalds I have seen in my life, we headed back to the hotel to grab our bags and head home. Ultimately, I would consider that weekend as pretty close to perfect. It was a lot of walking and my feet felt like they were about to fall off, but the pain just made the trip that much more meaningful. I will remember this for the rest of my life.