So, I wasn't actually going to update while I was on vacation, but I've been so busy during the day that I just want to come home and chill out for a few hours before bed and rest my feet, so I've got some time. Besides, I think I've got plenty of material for a post after just 3 days here in Italy.
First off, the train is amazing. I know it takes like 12 hours to get from Paris to Rome, but I love the train. The views were spectacular, especially through the Alps. You just don't get those views from a plane. /train rant
So when I arrived in Rome after a long day of traveling, I decided to go to the Hard Rock Café first thing so that I wouldn't forget (like I did in Edinburgh). This might not sound exciting, but when I went up to the counter to tell the guy (who worked there) what I wanted, I said "Bonjourno". Except I must have a French accent because the guy responded "Bonjour, d'où venez-vous?" (Hi, where are you from?). I explained (in French) that I was from the United States. He responded, "But you're French, right?" Highlight of my life. Mistaken for a French person. That is a pretty epic win in my book.
Sunday was Vatican day since it was 1) The Holy See (whatever that is) and 2) Free because it was the last Sunday of the month. I went to the Vatican Museums first, looking for the Sistine Chapel--ended up taking the proverbial "Scenic Route" in the museum and ended up seeing like EVERY other gallery they have. In a giant crowd. Eventually I made it to the Chapel and was just amazed. Pictures weren't allowed (you'll have to Google it if you want pictures that badly), but it was awe inspiring. I can't even believe the amount of work it must have taken. After that I headed (or tried to head) over to St. Peter's Square/Basilica. Essentially, I went the wrong direction and ended up walking around the entirety of the Vatican City (not that it's THAT big, but still). I finally found the square, took a few pictures, took ONE look at the line to get in the Basilica (that wrapped around the square at LEAST twice) and went, "Nope, not that interested in the Basilica". So I went to the Piazza della Republicca and got an iced tea and a caprese salad for lunch-ish. I people watched for a while, then headed home to rest. At dinner that night (3 euro pasta/wine provided by the hostel) I met a couple from Colorado staying in the room next to mine. We ended up deciding to go to Pompeii together on Monday.
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| Sculpture in the Vatican Museums courtyard |
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| Mosaic on the floor |
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| Giant foot = epic win |
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| More beautiful flooring |
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| The view of the crowds in the Vatican Museums |
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| Finally found the exit. |
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| Obelisk in St. Peter's Square |
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| St. Peter's Basilica |
Monday we got up bright and early to get a train down to Naples. The train ride was beautiful, and when we got to Naples, a nice older Italian man helped us get the train to Pompeii. The plan was to do Pompeii in the morning, and climb Mount Vesuvius in the afternoon. When we get to Pompeii, it was sunny and absolutely gorgeous. Melissa, Craig, and I explored for about four hours straight. I can't even really describe it in more detail than that. Pompeii is HUGE (much bigger than I was expecting), and it was just absolutely breathtaking. I can't help but think about how tragic the eruption was, yet what an awesome opportunity it's given us to learn, explore, and grow as humans and as a culture. Instead of trying to explain, have some pictures. :)
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| In the Necropolis |
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| Some columns |
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| Absolutely beautiful |
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| The theatre! |
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| Inside the amphitheatre/Colosseum-type thing |
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| View up the street |
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| Ancient hot tub? |
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| Another street |
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| Overlooking the ruins |
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| More theatre |
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| KITTY! |
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| Some more ruins |
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| :) |
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| Overlooking some of the city |
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| Gorgeous mural |
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| Ancient basilica |
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| I can't even get over how gorgeous this is. |
Near the end of our exploration, it started to lightly rain. We figured it was no big deal, left Pompeii and decided to get food. We decided that the rain should be done by the time we were done eating so that we could continue on to Mount Vesuvius. Boy, were we ever wrong! Nope, when we started eating, it was a light drizzle; when we finished eating, it was a torrential downpour. We gave up on our Mount Vesuvius plan and returned to Rome in time to get the free pizza offered by the hostel on Monday and Thursday nights. While eating, I met a nice guy from Canada who is taking a year off to travel the world. We talked for quite some time before heading out to find gelato.
This morning, I was lazy. It was gorgeous out. All I wanted was to be outside. I ended up at the zoo. Yeah yeah yeah, I know, I'm 3 years old; I love zoos. Turns out, they had EXCELLENT monkeys. I got right up close to them (or rather, they came right up close to me), and I ended up just staring at a few of them. Literally, I had a staring contest with several monkeys. Then I spent about an hour watching a different species of monkey playing around in their huge enclosure. It was amazing. So interesting to watch their interactions. After that, I headed off to see the rest of the animals. Near the end, I stumbled upon some orangutans who I sat with for about 10 minutes, just staring at them and talking to them.
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| This is not even zoomed in at all; that's how close I was to this monkey. |
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| MELON TIME |
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| Oh peacock! These things were roaming everywhere. |
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| Nap time for kitty! |
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| Lynx waking up from nap time |
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| D'aw, elephant fountain. |
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| Wallaby (or something) |
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| Capibara |
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| D'aw, sleepy kitty has HUGE paws |
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| Orangutan |
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| Those EYES |
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| Other orangutan |
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| Oh hi there! |
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| :) Staring contest with an orangutan |
After the zoo, I got massively lost. Now, first off, I feel like getting lost is my traveling rite of passage. Every city I go to, I have to get lost. In any case, the zoo was in this big park with a couple villas. Well, I figured the park was big, but it ended up being about 30 times bigger than I had originally planned. In any case, I almost did a full circle over the course of 1-1.5 hours and ended up NEARLY right back where I started (at the zoo). I eventually figured it out and headed off to find a couple stores I was interested in shopping at. Along the way, I stumbled across the People's Square, the Spanish Square (and the Spanish Steps), the Parliament building, the Pantheon, Elefantino, Santa Maria sopra Minerva, and the Capitole.
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| Living statue in the Piazza del Popolo |
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| More Piazza del Popolo |
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| Spanish Steps |
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| I think this is the Piazza di Spagna |
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| More Piazza di Spagna |
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| Parliament building |
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| Building across from Parliament |
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| The Panthéon |
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| Obelisk in front of the Panthéon |
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| Panthéon |
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| Inside the Panthéon |
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| Elefantino |
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| Santa Maria Sopra Minerva |
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| The Capitole |
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| This lady took like 8 thousand pictures of me, convinced my camera wasn't working. |
While at the Capitole, I saw a guy painting watercolor pictures, so I stopped and talked to him for a while. I ended up buying one of his paintings, and then he asked me if I wanted to stop by tomorrow and get coffee. Maybe this is an Italian custom?? After that, I stumbled across another street artist who was making these really unique paintings, and I just couldn't help myself, I got one of his paintings, too.
Finally, I wandered up to Trevi fountain to throw in my coin to ensure my return to Rome. I tried to get a lady to take my picture while throwing in the coin, and she kept thinking she didn't get it, so I ended up throwing in 3 coins. Hopefully this means I'll get to come back to Rome 3 times!
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| Trevi Fountain |
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| GPOY |
Oh, somewhere in between all that, I wanted gelato (go figure). I found this little place that had a WHOLE bunch of flavors. I ended up trying honey flavored gelato with a chocolate meringue (which ended up being like a vanilla gelato with chocolate chips). Honey gelato is probably the best thing I've ever tasted in my life, and someone in the States should get on mass marketing this so that it's available when I come home.
That's pretty much all for now! Maybe I'll try to update the blog on my train trip to Florence on Friday. We shall see!
