The past four days were a whirlwind of adventures in the beautiful city of Rome!
On Thursday, all 140 kids studying abroad with Gonzaga piled onto three buses for a four hour trip from Florence to Rome. The bus ride was fairly uneventful besides the fact that the bus driver was actually psychotic. I feared for my life as well as all of the other drivers and pedestrians on the streets.
Once we got to Rome, we had a couple hours to kill before our first group activity so a couple friends and I navigated our way around the city to find The Pantheon. First things first, can we just acknowledge the fact that I led the group through the streets and alleys of Rome to find The Pantheon? Thank you Dad for passing down the good navigation skills. Secondly, The Pantheon is absolutely beautiful - including the minion balloon floating in the top of the building. I mean, I think just about everything in Europe is breathtaking, but The Pantheon is one of the coolest sights. I could spend hours taking in the beauty of it all if it wasn't for the constant flow of party promoters preying on tourists.
After our own little adventure at the Pantheon, the entire GIF group was split up into little sub-groups for a three hour walking tour of the city. Besides seeing the major museums and statues, we also got to see the famous Trevi Fountain! Anyone who thinks of Rome most likely thinks of the Trevi Fountain - especially the children of the Lizzie McGuire generation. The Trevi Fountain was magical - it was everything I expected and more. In fact, my friend and I were so caught up in its beauty that we lost our tour group completely because they went on without us... Oops. So, we joined a random other group to finish off our tour.
At the end of the tour, everyone in the program regrouped for a four course dinner (God bless the restaurant that hosted all 140 of us obnoxious American college kids). During the meal, I stayed true to my promise to my boss and parents and tried everything that was put in front of me - well, everything besides the veal... This isn't to say that I didn't gag a few times, but I held everything down and live to tell the tale. Anyone who knows me will know that this is a huge deal. At dinner, my friend Carly and I sat down at a table full of Gonzaga kids who turned out to be friends with one of my best friends from middle and high school. Besides finding small world connections, I also ended up making some new friends. After dinner, my new friends and I wandered around the streets back to our hotel and made an obligatory gelato stop before heading to bed.
The next day, we got to enjoy the ruins of the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. Besides the Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum was probably one of my favorite parts of Rome. The Colosseum is jaw-droppingly amazing. It's mind-blowing to think that someone built something like that that has been able to survive as long as it has. The whole thing is just absolutely stunning. While taking in the sights, I couldn't help but hum "This is What Dreams Are Made Of" as we were waking around. Thank you, Lizzie McGuire for never failing to influence my views on Rome.
After a day full of exploring, I went over to none other than the Bulldog Inn Pub with my new bulldog friends. The food was mediocre, but the experience will not soon be forgotten. First of all, the restaurant must have forgotten to pay their electricity bill or something because the lights kept going out throughout our meal. The first time it happened, we all kind of stopped talking and looked around confused, but by the fourth and fifth time, we were not phased. Throughout the poorly lit meal, everyone kept passing me their drinks, encouraging me to try them. At one point, one of the boys handed me a beer that had a abnormally gross aftertaste. No one took my word for it since I'm not really an alcohol connoisseur, but all of the other girls tried it and agreed that it tasted kind of funky. The boy ignored our opinions and continued to down his beer - not a good idea. Before we left, his face went white and he ran to the bathroom to purge his bad beer... Guess I know more about alcohol than people give me credit for…
Once we were done with our less than great experience at Bulldog, we decided that we couldn't end our night on a bad note, so we went out to the famous Ice Club. Now, the Ice Club may not be on the same level as the Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain, but it was still pretty cool - haha get it? Okay, that was bad, but nonetheless, it was still really fun. You pay a cover charge to get a parka and gain entrance into the igloo of a club. Everything inside is pure ice - the walls, the seats, the bar, and even the cups! I don't know who thought of making a club out of what is essentially a meat locker, but good for them for the clever business venture. Besides the fact that I couldn't feel my toes, I did have a lot of fun and probably some of the best orange juice that I've ever had.
The next day, our group made the trek over to the Vatican. The Vatican was absolutely breathtaking. I mean, I would expect nothing less for Papa Francesco, but it really exceeded all of my expectations - except for the Sistine Chapel… I thought it would be much cooler than it was. I guess I might have been able to appreciate it more had we not been herded through like cattle in a matter of three minutes. Even so, I still enjoyed it - regardless of it not meeting my expectations. Since I wasn't very enthused by the Sistine Chapel, I would say that my favorite part of the Vatican was probably St. Peter's Basilica - it was incredible!
After our tour of the Vatican, my friends and I decided to pay a few euros to climb over 500 stairs to the top of St. Peter's Basilica. That was probably one of the most beautiful views in the entire world. From up there, you could see all of Vatican City as well as most of Rome. All of Europe is stunning, so being able to see such a huge part of it all of it at once was just magical. Not only was it a pretty view, but it was also quite a work out. Those 1000-something stairs had all of our legs shaking by the time we got back to solid ground. All in all, the Vatican might have been my favorite part of Rome- er well I guess it's technically its own country, but you know what I mean. I only wish that it weren't just a place for cardinals and popes because I would drop everything and move there in a heartbeat.
Later that night, after another group dinner, all of the Gonzaga kids wanted to watch the Seahawks game, so we found a random Roman pub that was screening the game. Even though I don't necessarily care about football, I still had a lot of fun. The whole pub was full of kids from different study abroad programs - and even some random Italians - who were all cheering on the Hawks. It was cool to see how even in a different country, people can still find things in common with each other. My only issue with the whole experience was that one of the kids were literally bullying me to drink. Even at school, I have never felt so much judgment for not drinking and pressure to drink. Granted, the guy was pretty hammered, but I still felt uncomfortable. If I don't care that you are drinking, you shouldn't care if I am not. Okay, done with my rant.
The next day, we all checked out of our hotel and headed back to the Vatican for the pope's weekly blessing. If you are ever find yourself in Rome, make sure that you attend this - even if you are not religious. This was probably one of the coolest experiences I've ever had. All of the courtyard outside of St. Peter's Basilica and the surrounding streets were flooded - I mean people were packed together like sardines - all congregating to hear the pope's blessing. Right when the pope stuck his head out of the window, the crowd went wild. Everyone cheered and applauded for a solid few minutes before he had the chance to speak. Once he started speaking, the crowd fell silent and listened in awe to their leader. Even though I had absolutely no idea what he was saying, I still found myself mesmerized by this man. It was really such a cool experience.
One of our tour guides had some in-depth explanations for how all roads lead to Rome, and I can only hope that it's true. I can't wait to go back eventually. But as for now, it's back to "reality" (if you can even call staying in this beautiful place reality) and time to put the whole "study" in study abroad.
Ciao for now!
Sincerely yours,
Just Another Original
After our tour of the Vatican, my friends and I decided to pay a few euros to climb over 500 stairs to the top of St. Peter's Basilica. That was probably one of the most beautiful views in the entire world. From up there, you could see all of Vatican City as well as most of Rome. All of Europe is stunning, so being able to see such a huge part of it all of it at once was just magical. Not only was it a pretty view, but it was also quite a work out. Those 1000-something stairs had all of our legs shaking by the time we got back to solid ground. All in all, the Vatican might have been my favorite part of Rome- er well I guess it's technically its own country, but you know what I mean. I only wish that it weren't just a place for cardinals and popes because I would drop everything and move there in a heartbeat.
Later that night, after another group dinner, all of the Gonzaga kids wanted to watch the Seahawks game, so we found a random Roman pub that was screening the game. Even though I don't necessarily care about football, I still had a lot of fun. The whole pub was full of kids from different study abroad programs - and even some random Italians - who were all cheering on the Hawks. It was cool to see how even in a different country, people can still find things in common with each other. My only issue with the whole experience was that one of the kids were literally bullying me to drink. Even at school, I have never felt so much judgment for not drinking and pressure to drink. Granted, the guy was pretty hammered, but I still felt uncomfortable. If I don't care that you are drinking, you shouldn't care if I am not. Okay, done with my rant.
The next day, we all checked out of our hotel and headed back to the Vatican for the pope's weekly blessing. If you are ever find yourself in Rome, make sure that you attend this - even if you are not religious. This was probably one of the coolest experiences I've ever had. All of the courtyard outside of St. Peter's Basilica and the surrounding streets were flooded - I mean people were packed together like sardines - all congregating to hear the pope's blessing. Right when the pope stuck his head out of the window, the crowd went wild. Everyone cheered and applauded for a solid few minutes before he had the chance to speak. Once he started speaking, the crowd fell silent and listened in awe to their leader. Even though I had absolutely no idea what he was saying, I still found myself mesmerized by this man. It was really such a cool experience.
One of our tour guides had some in-depth explanations for how all roads lead to Rome, and I can only hope that it's true. I can't wait to go back eventually. But as for now, it's back to "reality" (if you can even call staying in this beautiful place reality) and time to put the whole "study" in study abroad.
Ciao for now!
Sincerely yours,
Just Another Original
Hey Jules! Looks like you're having a fabulous time already. My burning question is did they ever find your luggage?
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Yes yes yes! They did find my luggage - finally! It was waiting for me in my room upon my return from Rome (can you say best welcome home present ever?)!
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