Chapter 10: ROMA.

For our first self-guided trip away from Florence, Dana and I picked Rome, or Roma in Italian. WOW. WOW. WOW. I don't even know where to begin talking about Rome. It was the most impressive, exhausting, chaotic, surreal city I've ever seen. We took a train from Florence on Thursday morning, which was an adventure in itself. Yes, we were THOSE people running at full speed through the station, knocking innocent bystanders out of our paths to make our train, after a tumultuous experience figuring out which was ours. There are different kinds of trains in Italy that go at all different speeds. There are very fast, very expensive ones that get you to your destination immediately, and in style. I happen to prefer the "dreadfully slow" trains that linger in the countryside and cost a fraction of the price. A train of the latter sort brought us to Rome, and into another world.

I was so proud of myself for researching, booking, and then finding on foot, our first hostel (called the Freedom Traveler, which I hope makes others laugh as much as it does me), and also for using the Rick Steves guidebook to plan out a two and a half day trip with a full itinerary! I'm such a grown up! That is, if grown-ups are allowed to prefer slurping multiple scoops of chocolate ice cream per day. The first thing we did was take a double-decker, open-top tour bus ride around the city. We did one in Florence too, and they're great! We can see all the major sites, and orient ourselves as to where we are among them and how far apart they are from each other.

The next morning, we walked all over the Roman Forum, where Rome itself was born (including the spot where Julius Caesar was assassinated), and as if our minds weren't already blown, then we walked all over the inside of the Colosseum! The craziest thing about the Colosseum was that there are glass cases of excavated animal skeletons that were used to fight gladiators for entertainment. Later that day, we walked to the Spanish steps at dusk, and ate gelato in front of the Trevi fountain after dark! Being the shameless tourist that I am, I of course tossed a coin into the Trevi, which is supposed to grant you a wish and ensure your return to Rome..

The next morning we went to Vatican City. It's actually it's own separate state, not part of Italy at all! We went to the Vatican museum, the amazing Sistine Chapel, and of course, St. Peter's Basilica. These were the most beautiful and exhausting sites in the world. So much walking, so much waiting in line, so many people trying to cut in line... but it was all worth it. The Sistine Chapel ceiling really is breathtaking. The colors have been so carefully restored and are so vivid that it's easy to imagine Michelangelo painted them yesterday, not 500 years ago! St. Peter's is honestly the richest, grandest, most ornate buildings I will ever be in. It's feels impossible to describe it or capture in a picture how HUGE it is. HUGE. Huge. Incredible.

With a broken subway (while we were on the opposite side of this huge city from the train station where we were supposed to be catching a train) and an impossible bus system to bring our adventure to a traumatic ending, we said goodbye to Rome. It was the most exhausting and exhilerating city I can imagine. I wanted to cut my poor feet off and sleep for days, but never forget the way everything looked and sounded and smelled. We arrived in Florence indescribably relieved and grateful to feel like we were coming back to a familiar home after such chaos, but somehow counting the days until our return to Roma..