Rome

What can I say? This is ROME. Think about how long ago the Roman Empire existed. Now, think about how long ago the States began. BIG difference, right? That is not nearly as impressive as some of the structures that exist in Rome. It is not the simple fact that they exist which is so neat, but the fact that these things are HUGE that makes the difference. I'll get to that, however. First, let me start from the beginning.

I got to Rome, and I had been warned by at least ten people to keep my wallet and camera close, so of coures when I got off the train I was clutching my stuff like a mother holder her baby. I felt like I fell right into the middle of a Godfather movie. The guys had their hair slicked back and looked like Rico Suave and the women were beautiful. Also, like in Berlin, there was lots of graffiti, but it wasn't very good. After I found out how to get to my hostel, I took the trains and such, and actually met a Japanese girl waiting for the shuttle bus like me. Who knew that I would go to Rome to speak Japanese all day?

Anyway, after checkin we went to the Vatican. There I saw just about everything except for the Sistine Chapel. I went into St. Peter's, saw the tomb of the Popes, and climbed to the top of St. Peter's to the cupola, which gave a gorgeous view of Rome (I will upload the pics when I get back to the States). I then tried to go to the Sistine Chapel, but they close at 3:00, so I just moved n to the St. Angnes' Castle, which was a bit of a waste of time. Just an old castle with some art galleries inside. After that, we just made our way back to the hostel, and I hung out with a bunch of people I met there and we stayed at the bar all night.

The next day was a day that I spent travelling alone. I started by trying to get into the Sistine Chapel, but the line was ridculously long because all of Vatican City was packed due to the Pope giving an address. So, I decided I would try again the next day. Next, I headed to the obligatory Colosseum, which was really spectacular in my opinion. This was the first of many very impressive structures throughout Rome. It is just really cool to think about all the battles and such that have taken place there hundreds of years ago. Next, I walked over to Palatino, which is a large garden with all sorts of ruins throughout. I have no idea what the ruins were previously in history, but they were still really neat to see. There was also a castle that was absolutely falling to bits that was ENORMOUS (momentarily forgetting the name), so I had a visit (I was in a world of pain from walking so much that day, but I went anyway). I just returned to the hostel after that.

The third and final day in Rome I decided to start by getting to the Sistine Chapel when it opened in order to beat the crowd. Good idea, right? Well, since Bush was in Rome, the thing was closed for the day, so I didn't ever actually get to see the Sistine Chapel. That was really a bummer for me. But, I trekked on to the busy part of Rome to see the Pantheon, another church (don't know the name), Vittoriano, and a very popular fountain known as Trevi Fountain. The Pantheon is a church with unique architecture, and it was cool to see, but nothing too special. The second church was pretty, but again, nothing special. Vittoriano is a war memorial to Romans, and it was also known as the Memorial of the Unknown Soldier. It is absolutely GIGANTIC! They have all sorts of war relics and statues and such, and even a modern art museum for some reason. Trevi Fountain was absolutely awesome. This was not only massive, but it was beautiful too. I noticed a bunch of people throwing change backwards over their shoulder into the fountian, and I later found out that it means you shall return to Rome, so I guess I'm never going back (though I want to, because there is a lot of stuff that I missed). Anyway, I spent the rest of the day at the pool at the hostel enjoying a beer and relaxing (something I haven't done too much of).

Overall, Rome was very impressive and beautiful, not as expensive as I had anticpated, and defintely worth another visit. Take a gander at some of my pictures.