When In Rome

Rome,Italy
March 2-6, 2011





Italy is amazing. Here are some fun things about Italy before I start to write about what we did:

Rome has beautiful architecture.
The rumor about good food is true...pizza, pasta and gelato are all we ate.
Italians are warm people that are so welcoming and are easy to talk to.
Yes, Italian men are gorgeous.
There are a dozen historical, famous places in one city.
Italian is easier to understand because it is a lot like Spanish.
Everywhere we go we it is an adventure...especially in Rome.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011


Our flight left at 6am. What we were thinking when we booked our flights I am not really sure? To make matters worse, we had to leave at 2:30am. Sounds a little early huh? Little did we know it takes almost 2 hours to get to the airport. We left the house at 2:30 after sleeping only a couple hours. Usually when we wake up in the morning, everyone in the USA is fast asleep. When we woke up, it was early evening in the United States. That made it feel really really early. We took a city bus to Victoria Station where we went to catch a coach bus to the airport! The morning had gone very smoothly until we got off the bus and started walking towards Victoria Station...this is where the adventure began.
Emily (my bunk mate) suddenly stopped and started laughing/explaining that she had forgotten both her bus and airplane tickets at home. (oops) At this point everyone started to stress. So Em and I tried to calmly find a place where we could buy tickets so that she could get on the bus with us. It was a balancing act of keeping everyone calm and finding tickets so that she wouldn't be left behind. The task was a little more difficult seeing that it was in the middle of the night and no where is open. We ended up having to buy here a whole new ticket so that she could board the bus. But we all breathed a little easier when we sat down and could sleep on our hour and a half ride to the airport!
Once getting there things got crazy. Our bus had smelled like we were sitting in a "porta potty" and the driver left the lights on leaving us not able to sleep. So the early morning we had began to hit us as we arrived. The airlines we were flying with is called Ryan Air. It is a cheap way to fly, but they are sticklers on every other aspect of your flying experience. We checked in showing them our passport and boarding pass. Emily had to find a way to print hers off before checking in, which was tricky because after tons of searching we realized that it is impossible to do online within 4 hours of your flight leaving. Meanwhile, Blake realized that he had printed his returning flight's boarding pass and was searching as well. The rest of the girls got really nervous about time. The gate closes at a certain time and they were worried about security. A group left to go to the gate while a few of us stayed behind to help the 2 still in need! There is nothing more stressful than being crunched for time and in need and having everyone leave you behind...it only makes the time factor worse. So we felt it was important that they stay with several of us so we made sure to all stay together...
They went and talked to employees at the counter and Emily got her boarding pass all figured out and checked in. Blake on the other hand realized that he had accidentally booked his flight for the previous day! Yikes! He was really frazzled and upset, but with the time running short, we made plans, handed him a phone to call us once he made it and headed for security. Poor Blake! It was awful leaving him behind. His ticket ended up being 290 pounds which is the equivalent of almost $500 for a one way!
As we headed for security we waited in line and I wasn't worried because we had read about all the stipulations: only 5 liquids per person, your bag can only be a certain size (I took a backpack), and they had to be under 3 oz. check, check and check. What I did not read was that your liquids had to be in a certain size zip lock bag! (a little ridiculous I know). I got up to the front...jacket off, boarding pass in hand, liquids out when I was stopped by a very rude woman who explained to me that my gallon size zip lock bag was too big. I realized that I now had to go out of security and buy a bag for a pound. I had no money on me (I had exchanged it all for euros) and the line was huge. We were down to 10 minutes to get to the gate!
At this point the stress level began to rise. The money thing is tricky over here with euros/pounds and this kind lady behind me handed me a pound to run and get a bag. As I was running winding through the security line (you can totally imagine how ridiculous I looked, another kind soul handed me a bag in the middle of all my distress so that I did not have to leave security. The changing out of liquids into a different bag was a wonderful experience with a different woman asking me questions about where I had just come from and what I was doing. By the time I was through security I was exhausted and so worried we were going to miss our flight! I thought of my dad...he would have been really stressed out at this point! Our friend Kaylee was having trouble with her liquids being to big and they were going through her bag. Everyone else had moved on to get to the gate in time, and we were the last 3 left. Kinsey and I went to check and see the gate number. We were gate 56 and it said on the screen two very horrifying things: it was the final boarding call AND it takes 12 minutes to get to all gates. Result?: Kinsey and I running a marathon through the airport with our bags and stuff everywhere. Up and down escalators, past people, and up and down stairs. They were right...signs after sign kept coming directing us a different way to get to gate 56! Kaylee was even farther behind us and I was skeptical if we were going to even make it.
We ran down to the gate and collapsed when we saw that there was still a long line to get on the flight. A few minutes later, Kaylee comes running into the room where our gate was and she was the cutest thing...she came running in, saw us, stopped, and burst into tears. She was super frustrated and frazzled and her tears expressed how we all felt on the inside!...The adventure had started! Luckily, it gets better from here...
The flight was over 2 hours to arrive in Italy. It wasn't super pleasant! It was early and the flight attendants weren't the nicest, but I was able to sleep on my own row seeing as the flight was not full. I was grateful for the sleep!
Once we arrived in the airport we got in line to exchange money. It took forever because there were 5 Asian men trying to communicate with the lady at the desk. Funny part is we saw them three different times throughout the trip (exchanging money, eating, and on a bus). If we had seen them again I would have asked for a picture with them!
We then grabbed a taxi to our hotel which was a half hour away. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza just outside the city. This semester I have taken a bus, the tube, the metro, a train, and airplane, but I have not been in a car since the taxi I took to the center the first day! It was so weird being in a car again and made me want to drive. We pulled up to our hotel and it was drop dead gorgeous. We were so excited to stay here for the week! The people at the front desk were so nice and accommodating and it was clean and comfortable.
Once we got to our room, Kinsey and I laid down and took a nap. We were exhausted and it was only 10am. After getting up, Kinsey, Emily, Jayneann and I all took the bus into the city! After getting off the long bus trip we walked into the first place we saw for lunch due to our empty stomachs and it was raining pretty hard. Lunch was AMAZING! It was when we were sitting there at the table that it hit us that we were in ROME. Rome, Italy! We all had spaghetti which was incredible!
We then grabbed gelato down the street and were tickled pink after we finished dessert. The people were so nice, we had just eaten authentic Italian food, gelato and we were in downtown Rome! How life gets better than that I am not really sure...





Our afternoon/evening consisted of walking downtown and seeing the things close by! The first thing we came across was the capital. It has an official name, but we ended up calling it the Monument! It was gorgeous, both during the day and at night! It was at the center of the city and we loved seeing it every time we went anywhere.





Just down the street is the Colosseum and the Arch de Constantine, which are right next to each other. It was such a neat experience seeing the Colosseum!! I never ever thought it would be something I would see in real life. If you had told me a year ago that I would be in Rome seeing all these amazing places while on a study abroad, I wouldn't have believed you. My plan for my life was very different a year ago, and I thought I would be in Jerusalem! But Heavenly Father had a different plan for me, and Rome is where it took me. :)








Our plan was to meet up with everyone at 5 at on the east side of the Colosseum for dinner. Not everyone was staying at the same hotel so we decided to have a meeting time! On our way over there, we had our first scamming experience since being here in Europe. Three men pulled us in for a picture. It was fun, but little did we know they would beg us for money after they took pictures. They were dressed up and we thought it was just for fun...little did we know they wanted money for it! We gave them five euros and moved on laughing at what had just happened. All part of the adventure...





We met up with the whole group and found out that Blake had arrived in Rome safely. We got dinner together at this little pizza place. It ended up being the worst meal I had all week, but the company was great! Those of us staying at the Crowne Plaza went our separate way and we walked to the bus in the rain to get home! I was proud of us for navigating through the city back to our hotel safe and sound.
The evening ended with baths for each of us. We don't have baths here at the center, just showers. It was great to soak after a day in the pouring rain!


Thursday, March 3, 2011

We went to bed Wednesday night exhausted from our long day, so the decision to sleep in was a good one! We got up at noon (yes, we were that tired) and took a bus back into the city. I know you are asking yourself why on earth we would sleep in while being in such a great place, but we wouldn't have enjoyed our day if we were tired so the fact that we were rested made our day most enjoyable.
It was raining on Thursday too, so we headed to find food inside. It was so much fun eating Italian every day! We were so happy to be warm with good food...or so we thought. We were all eating food and chatting when Kinsey found a bug in her food...wings, legs and all. We were dying laughing! It made our lunch all that more interesting and was something we had to just laugh about. Luckily we were almost done, so we paid the bill and left to get more gelato at what became our favorite spot to get cheap, yummy ice cream.
After eating and sleeping (so important to the 3 of us), we walked to see both the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish steps. Both are AMAZING places to see! We stopped at the Trevi fountain first. You could hear it as we came up on it. It exceeded my expectations... the whole trip did! Most of the things we have seen here seem much larger in pictures than they actually are in real life. I was worried the Trevi was going to be the same way. but it is just as big as you see it in films and pictures, and its drop dead gorgeous! I loved it so much. It was definitely my favorite thing we saw! The water is clear and blue and the architecture and design of the fountain itself is stunning. It is amazing to me how they created something that has lasted so long and is now a fountain that people come from all over the world to see.








The three of us then walked up the road a ways to get to the Spanish Steps. It was perfect timing because we arrived right as the sun was setting. We arrived at the top of it by the monument so we got to look down over the steps in front of us and see the whole city. The skyline was all different colors. We had fun taking pictures before we had to head back to the central part of the city for dinner with the group.
We ate at an outdoor sit down restaurant that had a cover to keep it warm.









After dinner we went back to the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain to see it at night. We arrived at the Spanish steps and a street vendor offered me a rose. I refused not wanting to pay for it, but Blake was standing next to me and the man thought we were together. He told me to kiss him and handed me the rose giving me a compliment. It was funny to see Blake's reaction. He is the sweetest and just turned his cheek for a kiss. It was fun to see the man's reaction to our "moment"! SO funny!
We then went to the Trevi Fountain... it was even better at night. You can only imagine how excited I was! We ate dessert and all enjoyed the fountain at night before turning in for the night...









Once we got back to the hotel Kinsey was craving something salty. It was after 11 so the only thing open was room service. We ordered french fries. They came to the door and this tiny plate was 9 euros!! Some expensive fries...never doing that again!! In Italy instead of having Ketsup, they have a sauce called Mato Mato. It is a tomato paste with a vinegar after taste (gross). But we got a good laugh about it so it was all worth it and a great end to a wonderful day in Rome!





Friday, March 4, 2011

We woke up early and caught the shuttle from the hotel up to Vatican City! We got off the bus starving and I had woken up this morning with a cold...bad combination. So the minute I could fix those two issues, I took the opportunity. We walked towards Vatican City and found a pastry shop. We picked our a pastry and found out quickly that Italians should stick to spaghetti, pizza, and gelato. Pastries are just not the same since I went to France! Next stop? An Italian "farmacia". I had to talk to the Italian woman at the counter and explain to her that I had a cold and needed some kind of medicine for it. Luckily she spoke broken english and found me just what I needed. After our two stops we continued in what we thought was the right direction. But leaving navigation up to 4 girls can sometimes have its drawbacks, like getting lost. We walked way too far the wrong way and had to go through a tunnel twice! We got all turned around and it took us a while to figure out that we had to go under a bridge the opposite way in order to get into the city.
Vatican city is the smallest state in the world. It is a small small community type city that has so much history in one little area! Our first stop: St. Peter's Basilica. We only had to stand in line for a few minutes. It was interesting to see how sacred they treated everything. While in line there was a sign that showed that no shorts or skirts were allowed. None of us were dressed inappropriately because it was cold and we had pants on, but I am sure in the summer they have some problems with clothing. We got inside and there was mass going on. It was neat to see that it is still used for services even today. The most famous thing we saw inside was a statue of St. Peter. People line up to touch his feet. They say it is good luck!









Outside the courtyard is beautiful with a tower and fountain. We thought it would be easy to navigate to the museum with the Sistine Chapel, but the chapel was around the corner and we had to be directed to it after eating lunch.
The museum took us several hours to go through. It was FILLED with gorgeous ceilings, statues, textiles, and of course, the Sistine chapel. I had to sneak a picture of the ceiling even though I was not supposed to! I had to document that I was there. Once we got to the Sistine, we grabbed a seat on the outer wall to just look up and take it all in. I am amazing that Michelangelo was able to paint the room with that much detail! You were constantly seeing something new. I am also so impressed that he got proportions right being so up close on his back painting it. It is right on and took some real talent! It made me appreciate his skills and his work. It was neat to see the different sections of it and read about the symbolism that is all over. It was a very quiet place and gave us time to take it all in and think about the history behind what we were seeing...an unreal experience.






After the museum we had several hours before meeting again for dinner so we took some time to shop. We went down a street that had tons of designer stores. Naturally, I did not buy anything, but it was fun to see shops in Italy.




Dinner was a great spaghetti place where the portions were huge for the price!! Spaghetti with meat sauce never got old...
We then went to the grocery store to get some fruit. On the way back to the shuttle to the hotel we got lost and missed the last one home! So we walked to the other side of the city and took the bus home.
When we got home, we had a fun experience with the front desk asking for something we needed (feminine products) and the man not knowing what we were asking for. Language barrier! He finally figured it out and it was hilarious to watch him laugh out of embarrassment. We were laughing so hard in the elevator we could barely breathe. I loved staying in the hotel with Kinsey and Emily. We had so many funny moments that made the trip even better! Rome is great, but it is the company that makes your experiences memorable.


Saturday, March 5, 2011

Saturday came and went with so many funny memories. We slept in a little bit then went into town to eat at what became our new favorite pizza place. It was so yummy! In the afternoon we went back a little bit early to the hotel. Things were busy and get kind of crazy on the weekend and it was pouring rain so we decided to go swim at the hotel. Problem? We didn't bring bathing suits. Our solution? Sports bras, a tank, and shorts. We ran down to the pool and found out that in order to enter their "Roman Bath" we had to be wearing slippers. We made our way back up to the room to grab our free slippers and robes. They then handed us a key and we had to go through the locker room to enter the pool. As I walked down the steps and into the pool area I stepped into a pool of water that stopped me in my tracks due to the cold and soaking wet, heavy slippers. Apparently there was a shower at the bottom of the stairs and it was mandatory that we shower off before getting in. Kinsey then proceeds to slip down the stairs into me and we died laughing trying to be quiet because the walls echoed. We were then handed shower caps to wear in the pool. Everyone had them on!! The man swimming laps in the pool was wearing one. Everyone around the pool had hardly any clothes on, but everyone was wearing a shower cap. Funniest thing ever! I have never had to swim with a shower cap on, but I guess there is a first time for everything!
When we went back to the room, we swung open the bathroom door to find a cockroach on our floor! The girls made me put a cup over it and flush it down the toilet! We were laughing the entire time with the girls half screaming. Kinsey whipped out the camera to capture the moment!





We got dressed and decided to eat at the hotel for dinner so that we didn't have to go out. The menu was not pricey and we figured it would be good, but we were wrong! It was the worst meal ever. The meals were cheap but when the bill came, the girls' diet cokes ended up being 6 euros! It wasn't funny at the time, but now we get a good laugh out of it...out of all our funny moments this trip!
We were craving a good soda so we got directions to the nearest McDonald's and walked to it. I haven't been to McDonald's in months if not years...but we were desperate for a cheap, large soda! McDonald's was just the place for it, but we felt so funny walking down the street just for soda. With our craving satisfied we headed back home for the night.


Sunday, March 6, 2011

Check out day!
We woke up early to get ready and check out of our hotel. We were lucky enough to have the hotel hold our bags for us so that we could go into the city without them. It was a beautiful day with lots of sun! So after lunch we went to the Pantheon. It is so neat to think this was the first dome built without arch support or any pillar support at all. Back then, people came from miles around to see the Pantheon because it was an architectural phenomenon!






Walking downtown we realized it was a holiday. There was a parade with confetti and kids everywhere dressed up! We walked up and down the main street enjoying the shopping and making some returns before we headed for the airport. We took a taxi to the airport from our hotel after picking up our things. We were in no sort of rush, but the taxi driver decided to go 160km which we looked up later and its almost 100 mph. We were afraid for our lives. Italian drives not only speed, but are all over the rode weaving in and out of traffic all the time! We were so happy to step onto solid ground when we arrived.
The trip home was quite the adventure as well. We stood in long lines, our flight was delayed making us miss the bus in England, and we missed the city bus by 2 minutes so we had to wait another half hour in the cold. All of us finally arrived home at 3am and as you can imagine, fell asleep immediately.


Our trip to Rome, Italy was one of the best trips I have ever been on. Rome is easily one of my favorite cities in the world! It is filled with so much history and beautiful Roman architecture. I still cannot believe that I went to Rome! It was an unreal experience, one that I will never forget, and