Wednesday, February 23, 2011
We arrived in Rome yesterday. We checked into our hotel (2-star and still nicer than our dorm room) and then explored the area for some food. We checked out the market where we each bought a bottle of wine to prepare for the week, and tasted some Limoncello, the drink of southern Italy. After getting a slice of pizza, we met for a tour of central Rome. Our hotel is in what Rick Steves considers the heart of Italy. (I’ve become a personal tour guide for my friends, reading what Rick Steves has to say about everything). We had a tour guide named Eva, and she was very cute! She had a sparkly purple scarf tied to a stick, so we officially looked like all the tourists we make fun of.
We went to a bunch of churches, saw some paintings, saw a lot of the political buildings, including the house of the President of the Senate, the Prime Minister’s office, and the building where Parliament meets. Then we winded through all the tiny confusing streets of Italy, turned a corner, and ta-da! There was the PANTHEON! My personal favorite building we’ve studied. Except for Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, which is designed with the Pantheon as a precedent. (Montecello is also designed after the Pantheon). We stood outside, where there was a band playing, accordion included, and admired the giant solid stone columns. Then we moved in closer, and I might have hugged one of the pillars. We walked (ran) inside and looked up to the amazing dome. You’ll have to look up the Pantheon if you don’t know what I am talking about, because no picture can give it justice. It was breathtaking. I could just sit and stare at that huge dome for hours. There is an intentional hole in the top of the dome, and it was a beautiful day, so the blue sky and sun only made the experience more wonderful. This was the highlight of my life.
We saw a lot of other things, included the Trevi Fountain, and ended at the Spanish Steps. At the Trevi Fountain, I tried another one of my gelato combinations – this time, coconut and chocolate. This was in honor of my mom, who has an obsession with Russell Stover’s coconut clusters. It was quite successful! The chocolate was actually called “Melting Chocolate,” so it was very rich, and the coconut was refreshing.
It was getting dark when we got to the Trevi Fountain, so we’ll take pictures another time, and throw our coins in. Eva said the first coin you throw in is so you will return to Rome. The second one is so you will find a good man/woman, and the third is for a divorce, so she said to throw as many as necessary. Rachel told me she couldn’t stop throwing coins in, so when I told her about this, she said she’s going to end up with 12 divorces. I’ll just throw one coin in!
At the end of the tour we followed the boys back to a place that had a pizza and beer deal for dinner. I don’t know why we let the boys lead, we had already learned our lesson on the Milan trip. We walked in lots of circles with stubborn boys not listening to the girls. The thing is, us girls pay attention to every store and street vendor we pass, so we used landmarks to lead everyone back to the restaurant. We got a table for all ten of us, and our waiter was Pascualo. He is AWESOME! He gave us a free pizza, free beer, and then we tipped him so much he gave us each a beer for the road and a keychain and told us to come back tomorrow night for free drinks! He told us he was the password to the city. We saw him later at the place he told us to go to, Sloppy Sam’s, where all the drinks were extremely overpriced. There were waitresses there that are students in Rome from Minnesota, so they gave us some pointers on discoteca’s we can go to for a dance party.
Today Kelsey and I followed Rick Steve’s advice and relaxed, because Rome can wear a person out. We’re about to go get lunch before meeting the group to go to the Vatican! I’m excited to see everything, and hopefully we will have time to climb the 323 steps to the top of the dome. I’m not sure what else we have planned for today, but yesterday was a great day, so hopefully the rest of the Rome trip will go just as well!
Cara Marie
Thursday February 24, 2011
Yesterday we had a terrible tour guide at the Vatican, worst one we’ve ever had. He was from Pennsylvania, a history major, and married to an Italian woman. He kept talking down on the Catholic church, while we were at the Vatican….a little odd. He talked way too much about things that we didn’t care about, like tapestries and random sculptures (including a giant toe). He took two hours to get us to the Sistine Chapel, and we only had 15 minutes there. And some girls got yelled at for laying down and looking up at the ceiling – the guards were really mean. He talked so much that by the time we were done, the stairs to the top of the dome were closed. Hopefully we will have time to go up in the dome today, but we’re supposed to go to the Colosseum, Campidoglio and the MAXXI. When we were finally free from our terrible tour guide, I had time to walk around inside St. Peter’s Basilica. I saw Michaelangelo’s Pieta, some dead saints in glass boxes, and was lucky enough to see Cardinals putting on a Mass. They were all singing and the organ was playing and it made the atmosphere wonderful. Also saw St. Peter’s tomb.
Hopefully today will be better, because the more I think about how much time that tour guide wasted the more sad I get. We will be going to Hadrian’s Villa, in Tivoli, in April or May, so if all else fails I’ll try to come back then.
Cara Marie
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Thursday February 24, 2011
Today was a long and tiring day, but we saw a lot of fascinating things. We began this morning at Capitoline Hill. Michaelangelo…
Past She-Wolf, Romulus Ramus, prostitute…
Old Roman Forum. Ruins. Treasury. Four arches. Lots of stuff, learned how Rome developed over the years…
Colosseum. Triumval Arch. Didn’t go inside, went to San Clemente. VERY COOL. Quote Rick Steves and discuss.
Went on our own, very happy, went inside Colosseum, took pics, saw lots of ruins, saw Russell Crowe.
Took a bus to Vatican City, climbed up 221 steps to the roof, then 323 steps to the top of the dome. Steps were crazy, chlostraphobic, angled, walked at a slant. Last flight of stairs was a spiral with a rope to hold on to and hoist yourself up.
Went home, to dinner, back home and passed out for a couple hours. Tomorrow we go to Pompeii, then we’re free for the weekend in Sorrento and Capri!
Cara Marie
So my favorite gelato shop was one by the Trevi Fountain. If you were looking directly at the Trevi Fountain, was the shop on your right, at the corner?
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