When in Rome...

Do as the Romans! Right? I absolutely love Rome! It is one of the most moving and inspiring places I've ever been. There is just so much history in everything you come across on the streets. On my first full day, I did a lot of tourist things such as the Vatican Museum, Colosseum, Forum, and Palatine Hill.

First, the Vatican Museum is just amazing! I love the history of Catholicism and everything that goes with it. The art and statues were awesome. And the Sistine Chapel, although very crowded, was beautiful. Close to the Vatican is St. Peter's Basilica, but I chose not to go in until today because I wanted to go to mass. From the Vatican, I wandered the streets for a bit, passing the many piazzas and fountains of Rome. I headed toward the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine Hill (which seem to be across town from the Vatican), so it was a pretty long walk. But, like everything else I've seen in Rome, these ancient monuments were... unreal. I am absolutely amazed at the history of these ruins and what all went on back in those days. It was so cool!

Next (by this time it was about 6:30pm), I headed back to the hostel for my FREE dinner! I started talking with some people in the hostel, heard about things they had seen, stuff they had done, and whatnot. I was planning on going on a night walk through Rome, since most of the buildings, fountains, and monuments are lit up at night, and invited a few people to come with me. There were four of us in all, and it was just fun evening. We walked pretty much all over, drank a bottle of wine, ate some gelato, and enjoyed the warm night air of Rome. It was simply magical.

Today, I got up early, along with another girl who wanted to go to mass at the Basilica, and spent the entire morning there. Mass was really cool. Extremely crowded. And in French?!?! I was a little surprised at that, too. But it was quite an interesting experience. Next, we climbed the dome of the Basilica and saw the amazing views of Rome. It was awesome! From there, we grabbed a quick bite to eat and walked the streets of Rome, seeing some of the smaller things that are off the beaten path. It was just a wonderful day and made me fall completely in love with Rome. I can't wait to come back and see more!!!

Tomorrow I head to Greece and am meeting a friend there for the week! I'm really looking forward to it!!!