Upon arrival into the airport in Rome, we launched immediately into a bus tour of the city. This was crucial in gaining one's bearings on the historical-overload that is such an impotent city. Bursting with excitement of sites to visit, we took to the streets at the hotel in an effort to cover as much ground in the remaining Friday evening.
This was my first adventure outside of Spain since my arrival in Europe. Immediately I recognized the similarities between Spanish and Italian, but also recognized the inherent differences between the two countries. The men were bigger and hairier. The fashion styles are bolder. However, Rome is a special place within Italy, so I'll save Italian observations for my subsequent trips to Italy.
Although one would expect a 2000 year old structure so have experienced some wear, I had not expected the iconic symbol of Imperial Rome to have been quite so "holey." Even after many centuries of earthquakes and stone-robbers, the Colosseum still stands mostly-strong today. I did not enter the structure, due to my lack of finances, however, in circling the building several times I had seen a large enough portion of the interior to be satisfied. It once held 80,000 spectators, which is more than the Lane Stadium of 21st century Virginia Tech!
Absolutely everything in Rome is historic for one reason or another, and for this, getting lost in Rome is not a pity in the least. Wandering around the streets only leads to more and more finds. There is a minor subway system in Rome, however, they are struggling to expand it since every time that they begin in a new tunnel, some major archaeological remains are found. The interesting thing about Rome is that the city was built literally upon itself. 10 meters (roughly 30 feet) below the modern city, much of Ancient Rome is still to be excavated.
For the first time, Friday night I had both gelato and real Italian pasta. It was strange to be able to order a bottle of wine to split with friends, as I am under-age in the United States. As much fun as it was to enjoy such a privilege, mostly I found that anything alcohol-related was far too expensive for me to blow my precious budget on drinks when I could buy a train ticket to another country. That being said, everything is delicious in Italy. The gelato is to die for. One day years from now I'm going to find myself pregnant and all I will be craving is Italian gelato. It's going to be an unfortunate craving. Its just simply delicious and beats regular ice cream several times over. Obviously, the pizza and pasta was equally unmatched.
On Saturday night, my girlfriends and I had a great time when we had a very flirty waiter who was "playfully" pursuing my friend Anna. This progressed throughout the night, and it was the classic example of flirtatious Italian men. As the night continued we eventually learned that he was engaged which is why he wore a silver ring (a European tradition for some men) and he showed Anna a video of him kissing his fiance. Everything is very open in Italy we had learned. He even gave her a kiss on the cheek goodbye when we politely turned down a trip out with him that night. All around it was a hilarious evening as the other four of us watched in on the interactions. The joke was that Anna had cheated everyone else by throwing extra coins into the Trevi Fountain earlier that day. The food was delicious as was the tiramisu.
All kinds of good stories came from the API trip to Rome. We were a group of around 50 students. Two kids found themselves lost in Rome, only to be offered a ride by an older couple in their car. Hesitantly they accepted the offer only to realize as they closed the door that the car doors were locked. The couple, who barely spoke English, immediately tried to explain "child-proof" locks. Thank goodness, no one was taken that night and these people were genuine. Another friend was "blessed" enough to become sick inside the Vatican. Fortunately, in a restroom and not in the Sistine Chapel.
Roman water is said to be quite good for the body. Fontanelle (little fountains) are placed all around the city for drinking water, which is one thing that Rome certainly does not have a shortage. After just recently recovering from my mono escapades, I decided that it may be best to not drink the water. I will just have to return to Rome. I threw a coin into the Trevi Fountain after all.
In attempting to do all of the "classic" Rome things, my friends and I also made our way to the Mouth of Truth, which by rumor was used as a lie-detector centuries ago as the mouth would close down on those who told a lie. We also sat on the Spanish Steps, walked down the streets of shops such as Burberry and Gucci, and journeyed along the Tiber River.
Perhaps another absolute must of any visit to Rome is a stop in the Vatican City. We were fortunate enough to enter the city the last day before it was closed in the decision process for the new Pope. Although, I am not catholic myself, from simply a historical as well as religious standpoint, the Vatican was interesting. It is first off not a part of Italy at all but rather an independent sovereign city-state with a total of 110 acres and a population of 840 people. Without even entering the city, the outside is truly remarkable.
St. Peters Dome is surely the most eye-catching of the Vatican City. It is the tallest dome in the world and was designed by Michelangelo himself. Like everything else in the Vatican, elaborate is to say the least of St. Peters. I found that the interior of St. Peter's Basilica was even more outstanding that the Sistine Chapel, which was surprising as it cost money to enter into the Sistine Chapel but not the Basilica. Gold and other fine metals and jewels are everywhere. It is truly an impressionable building inside and out.
Vatican City
To be completely honest, I was sickened by the Vatican, much as I was often sickened by many famous catholic cathedrals. It is nothing against Catholicism (as protestants were still united at such a point in history), but such wealth and spending is unimaginable in a world where peasants were likely to die of disease or starvation before they were 30 years old. The church seems to have had far too much greed. Today, we are blessed with impressive historic buildings as a result, however, at their time of construction the amount of resources necessary could have improved the lives of thousands of villages and millions of lives. In my trip to the Vatican I took with me an impression of the power of man to create and build unbelievably beautiful buildings and ornaments. I also took it as a prime example of the greed of the church in the early part of our history, and as a strong Christian myself, this was disappointing as it served as a strong tribute as to why many other religions despise us as a culture for our hypocrisy.
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