Roma - April 14 - 17

So at first I really didn't want to go back to Rome since I had been there a few summers ago and I didn't know if it would be worth spending the money on something I had already seen before.. but in the end I decided to visit again and am I glad I did.  I had a totally different experience and I wasn't bored for a second seeing everything a second time.  It helped a little bit too that I knew a little bit about the city and I actually remembered a lot more than I thought.  The travel plans were a little complicated since everyone had their own itinerary in mind.  I traveled with Audrey and our plans were exactly the same (Rome, Florence and Milan).  Abby, Kelsey, and McKenna were a day ahead of us and Kelly, Breanne and Madeline were a day behind us so we were able to spend time in each city with all of them (except after Florence everyone split off a little bit).  The adventure began for Audrey and I on Thursday (we had to miss school) because that was the cheapest flight we could get into Roma...

Making a wish into the Trevi Fountain!

Another early morning and bus to Malaga.. thankfully our last one!  We got to the airport pretty early so had to wait around BUT I guess our Vueling flight was underbooked so we had to combine with an Iberia flight.. aka big seats and a legit airline!  Audrey and I are 95% positive there was a famous soccer player on our flight too.. he looked so familiar and had that appearance of being someone famous. I spotted it first, I'll keep you updated if I can figure out his name.  Anyways!  We arrived in Rome, and hopped on a train to Termini Station, a few blocks away from our hostel.  Yellow Hostel (weird name I know) was actually really nice.. we stayed in a mix dorm with weird boys and a girl from Australia.  We got on the Metro to head to Piazza de Spagna (or the Spanish steps) to meet up with McKenna, Abby and Kelsey to join them on a small walking tour of the city.  When we got off the Metro Audrey immediately realized her wallet was no longer in her purse.. we're not sure if she was in a  rush and dropped it OR if she was pick-pocketed on the Metro :( it was a nerve-wracking time but we decided there was really nothing we could do about it at that point so we met up with the girls still. We visited the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, and Piazza Navona.  At the end of our tour we met up with some friends studying in Rome and other people from U of I traveling that weekend!  The girls studying in Rome took us to this delicious pizza place close to their apartments.  I walk into the restaurant and ran into my friend Dustin from high school.. what a small world!  After dinner we walked around for a little bit but the weather was rainy so we called it an early night.

Pantheon

Day 2 (Friday) Breanne, Madeline and Kelly arrived!  We ate breakfast and met them at the Spanish steps once again.  From there we did a little shopping on Via del Corso and got me a jacket - who would have thought Rome would be so cold in the middle of April, definitely didn't pack for the weather this time :(. Of course we got gelato (strawberry is my favorite) and then headed to Vatican City because we had a reservation for the Vatican Museum at 2:00.  We walked through quickly (there's just too much to see) until we ended up at the Sistine Chapel.  We previously downloaded Rick Steeve's podcasts about some sites around Rome, so we listened to those and it was our own free tour.  The Final Judgement (the famous painting on the main wall of the chapel) is much more interesting when you know what you're actually looking at haha.  We made our way into St. Peter's Basilica, my favorite landmark still to this day, even after so much traveling, and then looked around the square for a little bit.  We wandered across the river for what seemed like ages until we stumbled upon a random restaurant down a random alley - sometimes the best kind.  The food was DELICIOUS.  I got gnocchi with a cheesey tomato sauce. Since the weather wasn't the best, and everyone was exhausted from traveling, we headed back to our hostel to relax.  We stopped at a little cafe right down the street and the girls got canoli's (not sure if I spelled that right) and coffee with Bailey's - why have I never tried that before?!

Kelly and I on the Spanish Steps

Trying to be artsy in St. Peter's Basilica

Saturday the weather finally decided to take a turn for the better - we could actually wear shorts! We woke up early and headed to the Colosseum and Palatine Hill/Roman Forum.  The good news was it was culture week in Italy so all the museums were free to get into.  The bad news was the lines were incredible.  We got lucky though and arrived early enough to beat most of the crowds.  We took an obnoxious number of pictures that day (well worth it!) and ended up getting lost in the ROman Forum.. you'd think they would mark the exits better among piles of ruins.  We went to lunch at another random restaurant and got some pizza then made our way to the Pantheon once again to try a famous gelato place called Giolitti.  The line was obnoxious but SO worth it.  I got Mango, Strawberry and Lemon.. definitely the best gelato I've ever had.  We went back to the hostel, Audrey and I packed up our things, and we got ready for dinner.  We stayed local and went to a small restaurant (that was packed!) right by Termini station.  Again, I can't say it enough, the food we got was delicious.  I got penne ala bolognese and I wish I could have eaten 10 pounds of it.  The owner loved us - he even gave us his business cards - and gave us shots of homemade alcohol before we left.  It was so strong I'm pretty sure my sinuses will be cleared for the rest of my life.

Colosseum

The group - Me, Audrey, Kelly, Madeline, Breanne

Roman Forum

Best gelato place!

We said bye to Roma (sadly) and went to bed early since we had to catch an EXTREMELY early train to Florence.  That's what happens when you're a student with a budget trying to travel ;)

Me at the Capital!