I was awoken on Saturday morning by Erica bursting into my room, poking me, and blaring some song on her laptop. I think it was her attempt at retaliation for my usual peppiness in the morning (it runs in the family, my brother is sickeningly chipper in the morning *cough* bitterly sarcastic *cough*). I digress. After coffee, a necessity, even for the most morning of morning people, we walked to the bus stop where we boarded our double decker bus tour.
The beauty of this particular bus tour is that we are not kept like caged animals during the day. This company gave us the freedom of "hopping on and hooping off" so we could take our time soaking up the historic nature of these sites.
First stop: Vatican City. Somehow, it is much smaller in real life. I always imagined that it was some huge grandiose city with lots of nuns and perhaps a siting of the Pope. Alas, no such luck. Despite it being smaller than I thought it would be, it was amazing. The piazza was crowded with tourists waiting the get into the museum (the line wrapped all the way around the piazza). Not having the patience to wait in the line, we decided we would come back later when all of those pesky American tourists had left.... Despite the crowds we were still able to get some amazing picture of the colonnades and the Basilica. That being said, I can't wait to go back and actually get to see the things that Vatican City has to offer.
Second stop: Trevi Fountain. The bus dropped us off a block or so away from the fountain. We knew we were getting close when we could hear the cascades of water. And when we walked around the corner, there it was. This thing is massive! Pictures and movies just don't do it justice. We quickly scampered down the stairs and maneuvered our way through the swarms of people so we could get up close and personal. Before you ask, yes we through coins in the fountain. It is basically required. We did not, however, take the tacky tourist picture to commemorate the moment. I did take note that not all people throw coins in the fountain. In fact, it appeared as though one elderly tourist threw their teeth in the fountain. No joke. I saw the pink gums under the water and quickly asked my roommates if I was imagining things. I was not, they all confirmed my suspicions.
After these two stops it was around lunch time. Originally, I was not going to publicize this, but I have nothing to lose (dignity is already gone). We ate lunch at McDonald's (hence the missing dignity). After a month with no greasy food or burgers, it actually tasted quite good. The restaurant was packed (with Italians, surprisingly) and we had to struggle to find a table. Odd factoid, in Europe, they charge you for catsup packets. Thank goodness for my world traveling roomie Erica.
Fortified after our American lunch we headed off for stop three: the Colosseum. This was by far, my favorite of the three stops. It was so amazing, my words just won't do it justice. Thanks to a European holiday, the entrance was free (as broke college students we rejoiced in this fact). We took our time walking around the structure before going in. Part of the inside of the inside of the building has been converted into a museum. It shows some tools they used to build it, skeletons of animals the Gladiators fought, sculptors, and mosaics.
A nice bonus of this stop is that it is two monuments in one. We were also able to see Constantine's Arch, as it is located right outside the Colosseum. Despite all the wars, this was heavily guarded and preserved as it marked the conversion of Constantine to Christianity (shout out the the Bosch's: thought of you guys when I saw this). I stood rooted in my spot pondering the significance of this arch and what life would be like today if it had not been for the Edict of Milan. I looked around as people breezed past it or only saw it for its artistic value (it is quite beautiful), sad that not everyone cared about its historic significance. Alas, not everyone loves history as much as I do, a fact I must learn to embrace *dramatic sigh*.
This concluded our bus tour and tour of Rome for the day. We trudged home happy that had not walked the whole thing (poor Molly during orientation...) yet too exhausted to cook. Kelsey managed to scrounge up enough energy to make pasta for the clan and we hunkered down to watch Sleepless in Seattle. Yeah for Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks marathons (Friday consisted of You've got mail with freezer pizza)!
All in all, it was a great weekend. It was nice to stick close to home and see some of the sites that Rome has to offer. It really is an amazing city, and I am so blessed to be on this adventure. Erica, Molly, Kelsey and I frequently look at each other with wide eyes and proclaim, "Guess what? We live here, in Rome, for FOUR MONTHS!" Its hard to believe that I am a quarter of the way done with my semester abroad. Time truly does fly when you are having fun, and I will continue to enjoy every moment of it.
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