When in Rome...

---

Ciao All!!

Just returned home yesterday from my very exciting trip to Rome! This past Sunday was Dia de la Hispanidad in Spain, a day which used to be devoted to Cristobal Colon--or Christopher Columbus as we all know him--but is now just a general holiday (because he killed so many people and all).

So anyways, last Wednesday I started out with my two friends, Becca and Kristin, for Roma! We took the last bus out of Granada, headed for Madrid...unfortunately that bus was at 7:00 pm, many an hour before our flight, so we were going to have some waiting to do. We got to Madrid 4 fours later, and figured out the Metro system, making it safe and sound to the airport in Barajas, where we slept/waited until 6:00 AM for our flight! Pretty nuts, huh?

When we finally got to Italy, and took a bus to Rome, it was already 11:00 AM! But, tired as we were, we wanted to do some touring that day. So we dropped off our stuff at the Yellow Youth Hotel, a very strange place that had a sort of 50's gangster theme, and we headed for the Coliseum. It was really cool to go inside of it, and see the ruins from the second level, but being that tired took a little bit of the fun out. Afterwards, we went for very cheap (but delicious!) pizza. I will spare you all the accounts of meals in Italy, but let me just mention them at this point, briefly. I could not believe how good the food was...even at the shoddy pizza places the ingredients were obviously superior to most things served in Spain or in the states. Our diet, while on the trip, included pasta, lasagna, gnocchi, tiramisu, gelato, pizza....I'm making myself hungry!

The next day, Kristin and I went to see the Vatican. We arrived some time in the mid-morning, but the line to get into the Basilica was already hundreds of people long. **We had the pleasure of hearing another American tourist, a man, cursing loudly to his traveling partner in reference to the size of the line, and saying how he would never, in a million years, stand in it. No wonder Europeans are wary of Americans!** Anyways, we did decide to wait, and in the hot sun as well! The Vatican requires a fairly strict dress code, so we were extra-hot due to the long pants and full sleeves. Finally, when we got past security, we got a little bit confused about where to go, and ended up in the line headed toward the top of the cupola (which unfortunately was an endeavor that cost 8 Euros). But eventually we did get to see the basilica, and the tombs of the popes. I personally felt that the tombs were the most moving (and quite frankly, the only moving) part of the Vatican. It is a highly ostentatious place, and the many people crying and laying down roses / pictures of loved ones in the room where the popes are buried was a refreshing glimpse of humanity.

The Sistine Chapel was beautiful, and very, very crowded. Entrance included the entire Vatican museum, which was also very crowded and therefore less enjoyable. After that event, Kristen and I couldn't really handle any more tourist activities, so we called it a day. The next day, all three of us went to see a Picasso exhibit a local museum, which was fantastic. Afterwards, we randomly came upon an anti-neo-fascism rally, which was truly a sight to see. There were hundreds of people lining up to march in a parade, singing songs and waving communist flags. We marched with them for a while...check out the pictures! Later that evening, we heard about a free concert featuring John Legend and The Cure! That was also an amazing event--the venue was a mix of old/new Rome, and there were probably thousands of people there. Quite a sight. The next day we toured the Trevi fountain, the Spanish steps, and the Forum. That evening, at our hostel, I randomly met an Occidental alum (from 2004), which I thought was funny!

The next morning we awoke at 5:45 to catch our bus to our plane to our bus, and now here I am! Rome was a better experience than I ever could have hoped for!

Love,
Amy

---