Italy is by far the most amazing place I have ever been. The combination of food, people, architecture, history, and culture is unreal. I flew in on Thursday morning with about 50 other Syracuse students to Rome. They were all taking the school organized tours of Rome but me and my two best friends decided to make our own schedule and explore Rome on our own. Our hostel was a borderline hotel room, the nicest one that we have stayed in so far. After checking in, we stumbled upon a great little restaurant around the corner from the hostel where I had the best pizza EVER. Our hostel was close to the bus station but far from the main hub of the city so we decided to walk from our hostel and see some sights. After getting lost, as usual, we saw the Pantheon, the Spanish steps, and the Piazza de Popolo. Along the way we had to ask for directions and despite the language barrier, the Italian people were extremely friendly and willing to help us. After walking for about 5 hours non-stop we ventured to a plaza with a few friends to hang out for the night. The next morning we woke up and took the Metro to the Vatican which was breathtaking. First we started at St. Peter's Basilica, the huge church in the Vatican. The photos I took do not do this place justice but the comparison of the church services going on, the people praying while we were in there and the interior gave me goosebumps. Before heading to the Sistine Chapel we stopped to have lunch at an outdoor cafe. I got spaghetti with pesto and salad...and although we got scammed by them (they charged us for the bread that they GAVE us and 15 percent on top of that for "service") it was good to sit down. After we went to the Vatican Museum/Sistine Chapel. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take photos inside of the Chapel but not taking photos made me appreciate it more in the moment. The work that Michelangelo did was unbelievable. That night before dinner we were in the plaza outside of the Pantheon and we saw an opera singer performing on the street, which made me feel like I was really in Italy. I had delicious vegetable lasagna at an outdoor restaurant on the street and then headed to a pub crawl that took us around to different bars/dance clubs in Rome. The next day we woke up and found a place with a sign that read: "Homesick? Hungry? Hungover?" and we had to look at the menu. They had OMELETS! I haven't had an omelet since I left America and my first omelet with homefries was heavenly. Not Italian but definitely noteworthy. We were then on our way over to the Colosseum when we saw smoke in the distance and about a hundred policemen. We weren't sure what was going on but we walked towards it. The SWAT teams and helicopters were intimidating but we made it through and asked the first man on the street what was going on. He said something about a protest because of the police and the soccer stadium?? We still aren't sure but it was quite the experience. We took a tour of the Colosseum and also the Roman Forum, the ruins. It was incredible to be in a place that was so old and has so much history. After we went to the Trevi Fountain and threw money into the fountain which is supposed to mean that we will be coming back...something I would love to do. After we had a leisurely 3 hour dinner where me and my friends reflected on the trip and the other trips we've gone on and our time in Europe. Only 18 days until I'm back in America...
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