So much to say about Rome. It truly is a beautiful city. My first day there I was by myself because my family was coming the next day, so after I had checked into my hotel I decided to leave my camera in my room and just wander around. I ventured to the Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, Pantheon, and then to the Colosseum area. It was so amazing to see these structures. After I had been walking around for a couple of hours I wandered into some random pizza place and got some pizza. It was so delicious. I met a guy who worked there, Giovanni and we talked for a little while. I love the way Italians talk. They wear their hearts on their sleeve and talk with such emotion. When they talk it’s like a song. If I wasn’t already learning French I would start to learn Italian. Hell, I might anyways.
After I talked to Giovanni, I decided to head back to my hotel and call it a night because the next day my family was arriving!
My family was a little late arriving due to their flight being delayed so I decided to have gelato for breakfast. My God, Italian gelato. It is heavenly. I am glad I didn’t study in Rome because if I had I would have lived off of pasta and gelato and probably would have gained a ton of weight. So while Liz Gilbert in Eat Pray Love had her “No carb left behind” act in Italy, I decided I was going to have my “No gelato left behind” act of my own. I had gelato at least once a day when I was in Rome, and I don’t regret a single, sugary calorie of it. But back on track…
When my parents and brother got there we headed off to our hotel to check in, and from there we headed to the Colosseum. There are not enough words in the English vocabulary to express how truly astounding that experience was. We toured the inside, and the entire time I was in there I imagined 50,000 people screaming and yelling with two men fighting for their lives. And then when one of them had fallen, the still standing gladiator went up to the emperor and asked if this man should live or die, and then the emperor motions to the people, letting them decide his fate. God, the atmosphere in that place must have just been electric. I mean aside from the fighting for your life part, it really isn’t different from the giant boxing matches we have today. People paying money to watch men beat the crap out of one another.
After the Colosseum we went to the Roman Forum, which again was just so amazing. The history that happened in these places is truly astounding. After that, we went to the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain again and I got some gelato with my parents. But they were feeling the time change, so we called it an early night and went to bed.
The next day we went to Palatine Hill, and the ruins there are impeccable. From the roof of the ruin of one house you could see the basilica and the colosseum. Just imagine living there in this time, hearing the people roaring from the colosseum, and then seeing the gorgeous basilica. What a time to live. We then went to the Mouth of Truth, which I was super excited about because it was in the movie, Roman Holiday aka one of the best movies ever made. I got to put my hand in it, just like Audrey and Gregory did! Ahh...made my day! When I was done experiencing my Audrey moment, we ventured to the Vatican. St. Peter’s basilica was gorgeous, but I am sorry I am not one for applauding churches and basilica’s for spending atrocious amounts of money to make their buildings pretty. I think that money would be better spent going to the people who actually need it or to other charities. That is all I am going to say on the issue. When we were done at the basilica, we went to the Vatican museum where we saw the Sistine Chapel. One of the most amazing things I have ever seen. The entire inside in this painting, which took Michelangelo seven years to complete. We entered the chapel, which is dimly lit, most likely to preserve the paintings, and I took a seat and just stared. You could spend all day in there not notice it all. It is truly a masterpiece. Since it’s a holy place it is supposed to be silent, but honestly I think it should just be silent so people can get lost in the paintings. I mean just look at the detail of his depictions and you won’t want anyone to talk to you. No pictures are allowed, which is understandable, but I don’t need a picture to remember this. Although, one ignoramous jerk tried to take a picture with his phone, but security was on him like a hawk and kicked him out. It’s called respect, some people need to learn it.
When we were done with the chapel we went to a restaurant for lunch/dinner. I had gnocchi, by request of Deepa, and man it was delicious. Italians really do know how to make pasta. I was so sad when I had my last gnocchi. When we were done we walked on to the Spanish Steps, and along the way we passed various high end fashion stores. I saw Louis Vuitton and Tiffany’s. The Christmas lights were also gorgeous. It made me miss Paris though. The Spanish steps were cool, but it was dark so my brother and I decided that we would return the next day when it was light out.
We headed back to the hotel. My dad and I decided that we wanted to see the Colosseum at night, so me and him went off on our own little adventure. I loved seeing the Colosseum at night because the lighting is done so perfectly. It kinda makes it feel like it is haunted, which is a fitting feeling since the first 100 days that the Colosseum was open over 2,000 men died. I then took my dad to the Trevi area for gelato and to see the fountain at night. I had a pretty good understanding of Rome now, and therefore a map wasn't necessary. We enjoyed our gelato before heading back to the hotel. My parents left tat morning and so it was just me and my brother. We went to this piazza, the Spanish steps, the Pantheon, the Piazza Navona, and the Trident Fountain. Rome is tiny so it didn't take long for us to walk to all of that. But it began snowing, which was quite a sight. I am guessing it doesn't snow often in Rome because there were Italians taking out their iphones to take pictures of the snow. We still had time to kill before the shuttle came to take us to the airport so we went shopping at tourist shops. I got Jake a present and Mark got himself a hat. We then had pizza and gelato for lunch. It was a nice way to say bye to Rome.
Our airport experience was horrible. Our plane was an hour and a half late taking off, but of course they didn't tell us that our flight was delayed so we stood in line for forty minutes waiting to board. But as soon as we landed in Paris all I could think was, "Man, it's good to be home." But I was also like a kid in a candy store. I couldn't wait to get off and show my brother the Eiffel Tower. We got there and the first thing I did was take him to get a crepe. The same guy who took my first order in Paris was there. Even though I ordered my meal in French last time, this time I greeted him, ordered and had a little conversation with him in French. The light show was amazing, and the snow just added to the enchanting effect. Mark liked it, and I cannot wait to show him around tomorrow.
Well, until next time.
No comments:
Post a Comment