This past weekend was one of the most incredible weekends of my life. Rome was absolutely amazing. You are just walking down the street, and then BAM! there's something you've been seeing in textbooks your entire life. While we didn't actually go inside every building due to the limited time we were there (I would have loved to go inside the Colosseum and the Sistine Chapel, but they both had three-hour lines), I was thrilled with the amount we did get to see.
Caroline and I got to Rome early Friday afternoon after almost missing our plane! The bus that goes from Barcelona to Girona airport is supposed to run every 15 minutes. Our flight was at 11:30, so we got to the bus station at around 8:35, knowing it was a one-hour bus ride. However, there was a random break, so there had been a bus at 8:30, and the next one wasn't until 9:30! We freaked out the entire way to the airport that we were going to miss the plane. Thankfully we got there fast and the airport was practically empty, so we made it with time to spare!
Our friend Dara and her friend from home Jennifer were already there, so they came and met us at the bus from the airport and brought us to our hostel. It smelled REALLY bad, but other than that it was fine. We were barely there, anyways.
Our room in the hostel
We went to see the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, and a couple other sights then found a restaurant for dinner (which was delicious, of course). That night we hit up a couple of bars the girl at the hostel had recommended, which were really fun.
Me at the Colosseum
In front of some Roman Ruins
The next day we were planning on getting up early to go to the Vatican before it got really crowded, but that didn't happen as we got home after 3am. So instead we slept in and went to see St. Peter's Basilica, which had much shorter lines. Good choice, because it was absolutely AMAZING.
After that, we went to lunch and walked around for a bit. We had signed up for a tour that afternoon where we saw a bunch of the piazzas, Trevi Fountain again, the Pantheon, and some churches. I really liked learning the history behind everything, especially about the sculptor/architect Bernini. He was really smart and really crazy!
The Spanish Steps
Trevi Fountain
The Pantheon
We went back to the hostel after almost 8 hours of walking and took a nap before dinner. I had the most delicious pizza ever! We then went out with this group called the Colosseum Team who organize parties for international students in Rome. They took us to a bar and two clubs and we met a lot of other students (some from Spain, the States, South Africa, Poland, and Italy of course) and it was SO much fun. We got home at 5am and I passed out right away.
We flew back to Barcelona Sunday morning, where I spent the afternoon taking a long nap and doing homework. It was so much fun, I really want to go back one day! Although according to what people say about the Trevi Fountain, I will! If you toss in one coin, you will be there again someday. If you toss in two, a wish you make will also come true. If you throw in three, you will also find a Roman lover. I threw in two...I figured that was safe with everything I have learned about European men ;)
This next weekend I'm staying in Barcelona, but the adventure continues the following week when my program goes to Sevilla. The week after that, I'm going to Paris! I love being able to travel for really cheap!
That's it for now, don't forget to check out the rest of my pictures on Facebook. Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day!
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