A Roman Holiday

After a super early flight and a brief goodbye to my Dad, I made it to Rome...in the pouring rain. It was like nothing I have had the entire time I have been in Europe/UK. It was just gushing down and we had to wait forever for our bus to arrive. Then we waited another 30 minutes inside the bus before it left the airport. Thankfully that gave the rain enough time to move on somewhere

 Despite the slow start, our day was remarkably active. We visited the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, and the Vatican. It seemed a bit unreal to be at the Colosseum. From our hostel you walk a bit and then you go through a lovely park where the Colosseum just emerges before your eyes.There is just so much history everywhere you turn. But you can clearly tell what is a ruin and what is not...unlike what I've heard about Athens. 

And then I got my religious element at the Vatican. Not something you can miss when you travel toRome and two of your travel partners are Catholic. And you know what? That place is HUGE! it's like it was built for a giant. Why would anyone need ceilings that high? It's just not necessary. But it is really ornate and impressive inside. Now don't go biting my head off but I went to the Vatican and did not go into the museum to see the Sistine Chapel. In my defense we only had 24 hours in Rome, merely a layover, and I didn't want to spend my time in a queue. It's just something I will have to do next time. We did, however, consider going back the next day to see the Pope at mass, but thankfully we reconsidered. We wouldn't really have been able to see him, and I for one do not want to stand through a mass. 

I tried to make my last day in Rome as Audrey Hepburn-ish as possible, but the universe was not with me on that one. What should have been a straightforward walk to La Bocca de Veritas (The Mouth of Truth) became a scavenger hunt for the church. Turns out it was Italy's Republic Day (their 4th of July) and they had a bunch of road blocked for a parade. 

Eventually we had to abandon our search and we made our way to the Trevi Fountain. There was a decent sized crowd there, but we mad our way to the front for our wishes. Supposedly it's really beautiful and fairly empty at night so I'll keep that in mind for next time. 

Even the Spanish Steps were not as impressive as the movie suggested. According to my mom they were not even as white as they were last time she was in Rome (over 2 decades ago). There were so many people there but that just made it a prime stop for people watching. It was also a good place to stop for a snack or to eat some pink grapefruit gelato. Fun Fact: John Keats died in the pink building to the left of the stairs. 

And before we left we hit the Pantheon which has a very impressive hole in the top of it. It actually is really cool to see all of that light stream through into the building. Oh, and I managed to give some tourists directions! 

Honestly our stop in Rome was too short, but we did manage to see quite a bit. Hopefully I will make it back and get to experience the area a bit more. Like I still need to ride a Vespa, go to a party on a barge, check to see if I'm a liar, and have all of my hair chopped off. Until then my Roman Holiday will remain incomplete.