When in Rome...

I left Florence at 5am on Saturday for Rome. It was a two day trip with LDM, jam packed with famous sights to see, "When in Rome". 

First on the itinerary at 9am was a visit to the Coliseum, Roman Forums and Arch of Constantin, ill explain what those are later. The line to get into the Coliseum was HUGE but since we were with a group we got to skip the long lines and go right in. In front of the Coliseum were a lot of cheap souvenir booths and men dressed in cheesy gladiator costumes taking pictures with paying tourists. I wouldn't expect anything less from the locals! The actually structure of the Coliseum wasn't quite how I pictured it. Very little is completely preserved, so it was challenging to picture what it could have looked like during the Gladiator games.

Next we took a walk around the Rome Forums which was essentially a huge outdoor sports complex. After that we hoped back on the bus to go to the Vatican City. The Vatican is a walled off city in Rome. Inside is the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and Raphael's Rooms. We also saw San Peter's Square and Basilica where Popes are buried. We saw a lot of famous art and beautiful architecture inside the walls of the Vatican City.  The Church of Saint Peter is the biggest of it's kind, and of course absolutely over whelming to look at. Our local tour guide told me that in 30 minuets the choir would be singing... I begged him to let us stay! He then told me that he got to sing with an American choir in the church many years ago!! I was so jealous!! Unfortunately we couldn't stay an extra 30 minuets, instead we had to go below the Basilica to look at the bones of old popes... yippy!?!

The next stop was The Sistine Chapel! It was even more beautiful then I had imagined it to be. I tried to snap a quick picture on the way out even though we weren't allowed! *see my photo bucket Michelangelo made it clear that he was a sculpture and not a painter when forced to paint the ceiling of the Sistine. His passion for sculpting was apparently by the 3D effect and life like qualities of the characters, who seemed to come right off the ceiling at you!

Day two started with a walking tour of Piazza Venezia where we saw 4 of Romes most famous fountains including the Trevi Fountain near by. The tradition is to throw a coin into the water over your shoulder with your back facing it.

Next we saw the Spanish Steps which in Italian translates to " The steps of the Spain Piazza." This is simply because the Spanish Embassy used to be the most important embassy in Rome and is located near the steps. I wasn't to impressed but, It was neat to be there non the less! After climbing up the Spanish Steps we walked to the Pantheon which was originally built with the purpose of worshiping pagan gods. The buildings unique architecture is what makes it so famous. The last stop on our walking tour was the Vittoriale a memorial built to commemorate a prominent leader in Roman history.

Next we visited one of the most important churches in the History of Christianity. The Church of Saint Paul know as the Church San Paolo Fuori le Mura to Italians. It is said to be the place were Saint Paul was martyred and buried.

After that we went for our traditional Roman lunch. First course was bruschetta and grilled vegetables. Then we got pasta with a spicy tomato sauce. The main course was a white vial with grilled potatoes and tiramisu for dessert. I was RIDICULOUSLY STUFFED! I had to help the vegetarians eat all there extra food because the waiters kept bringing them random foods from the kitchen because they didn't know what to do with them since they didn't eat meat! 

Painfully full from lunch we went on a tour of the Catacombs of St. Domitilla. 
*let the history lesson begin! don't worry i think its pretty interesting stuff and i ll keep it brief! ;-)
There are approx. 63 Catacombs under the streets of Rome that stretch for many kilometers. The soft volcanic "tufo" rock under Rome is highly suitable for digging and made it the perfect area for such elaborate tunnels to be constructed.The Catacombs of St. Domitilla, the oldest and one of the most preserved catacombs of Rome was the burial place and secret meeting spot for Christians beginning in the second century. Upwards of six million of the bodies of the early Christians were deposited in the Catacombs. Believe it or not people STILL meet done there for services! The catacombs have 4 different levels of which we explored 3 with our tour guide. Thankfully for us, there are no long any bones or body's remaining in the catacombs shallow graves dug into the walls. This is due to many years of deterioration, grave robbers and explorers. It was a slightly creepy end to the trip!  Obviously out of respect pictures and videos were not allowed. This time I strictly followed that rule!! 

In 2 days I saw pretty much every major historical sight in Rome! After a ridiculous amount of walking, I was exhausted and I am glad to be home. But now, I must go dedicate some time to my school work. Can you believe finals are just around the corner which means ill be home in less then 39 days! Wow!

Field Trip to Pompeii

Sorry for the length of this blog entry but trust me its worth the time and patients to read!;-)

 Last weekend I visited Pompeii, Sorrento and the Island of Capri with LDM (Lorenzo de Medici) We loaded the bus bright and early at 5:30am on Saturday and took off for Pompeii closer to 5:45am. Cruising along the highway we passed a few gas stations, which I hadn't even notice existed before then. Once we were out of the city, the first few minutes of the drive sort of made me feel like I was back in the states, but then we'd pass a goofy looking semi truck and id remember where I was.

After an uncomfortable few hours of sleeping upright on the bus, we stopped at our first rest stop. Rest stops in Italy are called AutoGrills and take my word for it, THEY ARE A NIGHTMARE! I'll explain more about Italian rest stops in another Blog entitled Auto"hell". If your interested in the full story just read that, it's a good story especially if you ever plan to travel around Europe in your life time!
So aside from the ridiculous rest stops the field trip was great!

Saturday we visited the ancient city of Pompeii. It was a surreal and fascinating experience to see the devastation Vesuvius caused so many years ago.

That afternoon we drove to our little hotel in Sorrento called Hotel Michelangelo and the evening consisted of complementary dinner, cheap table wine, tasting the famous Lemonchello (lemon liquor, NASTY stuff!!) and watching fireworks by the shore with a small group of girls. 

 Sunday morning we loaded the ferry for Capri Island (case number two, feeling like herded cattle!). Looking back at Sorrento from the boat was cool to see, but hard to capture in a picture.

We arrived at the blue cave expecting to wait just a few minuets in line. We waited over an hour for our turn and honestly, I didn’t mind it one bit! I was relaxing on a boat, in the beautiful blue waters of the Mediterranean, soaking up the warm sun, while most everyone else one the boat was either; impatient, seasick or hungover from the night before! The main reason we had to wait so long for our turn was again some impatient Italian who cut us in line. We couldn’t understand what he was yelling but we were certain that he was extremely, impatient and rude. Lol Our boat captain blared a siren over the loud speaker impatiently to get someone’s attention and the first rowboat finally pulled up alongside our boat. In groups of three we disappeared into the Grotta Azzurra (Blue Cave) only after coughing up another 11.50 euro for the entrance fee that is. 

To get in to the 60meter-long, 25 meter-wide cavity, you had to be taken in one of the small rowboats by an experienced rower. The opening is so narrow, that you have to lie on the bottom of the boat when you enter and if the waters are to ruff they will close down the entrance of the cave all together. We got lucky and were the last group aloud inside that morning. Jumping out of the little rowboat to swim inside the cave was an extra tip of 5 euro or so depending on how much you had in your wallet. After hearing about the jellyfish my friends swam with earlier I kept my 5 Euros and decided not to risk it! 

The cliffs of Capri towering into the sky were breathtaking and I didn’t think water could get any clearer or more blue then in Hawaii, but I was wrong! I was fascinated by the house on the highest and farthest peak of the cliff that has to be one of the most valuable properties in the world.

 look closely at the picture, above the sea cave entrance you'll see a house!

We passed under the arch of love to hug or kiss our friends + loved ones as tradition calls

Capri was a beautiful little town but a very expensive one!

I rod the cable car to Ana Capri and paid way too much for some ravioli and bread at a fancy pansy restaurant. Then I found the famous geltaoria Lucca recommended and treated myself to some chocolate gelato on a cone. Mmm that stuff NEVER gets old! After dessert we stopped in the little shoemaker store and a few people bought custom hand made sandals! I took a little nap on the stone beach before meeting Lucca at the boat to leave, and then it was back on the ferry to meet the bus in Sorrento.

All in all it was a great weekend and I am glad I got to experience Pompeii, Sorrento and Capri. Who knows were will my next adventure take me!