Final Days in Rome.

Not going to lie, blogging about all this is starting to get a little bit tedious. We just do so much and there's so much to say. Realizing that I'm already forgetting the little details of what we did only a week ago in France is giving me the motivation to keep up with everything though. :) Pressing on...

Day 3:

We slept in a bit to recover from the day before. We ate a delicious breakfast of oatmeal with raisins, cinnamon, and apples...and TRIED to buy our Harry Potter tickets. It didn't work. The site required a British zip code (we used our hostel's), and then it wouldn't accept our card. Uber frustrating, as you can imagine, because Katelyn and I are huge Harry Potter fans, and we really REALLY wanted to see it at midnight in England. 

ANYWAYS, we finally gave up and headed over to the Vatican, entering into the Piazza San Pietro.

PIazza San Pietro.

We walked through THE Catholic church--Saint Peter's Basilica. It is magnificent. The architecture, sculptures, art--everything. I just kind of stood there and gaped at everything.

inside of the basilica.

the Pietà--one of Michelangelo's most famous sculptures.

After we had had our fill of looking around Saint Peter's Basilica, we headed over to the Vatican Museums. We were in there for a mere two hours, but I loved what we saw (which was very little).We walked through many a gallery to get to the Sistine Chapel, and I loved every single one. There were a lot of artifacts from the Romans/Greek period of history, rich paintings, detailed sculptures, modern art...so so lovely and thought-provoking. There was just so MUCH stuff. I felt like I couldn't appreciate everything like it deserved. Here are a couple pictures :)

outside the Vatican Museum.

This purplish rock doesn't exist anymore in the natural world
(the Romans dug it all up).
A square inch of it is worth $100,000.
(katelyn told me this.
oh the things to be learned from eavesdropping on tours
we haven't paid for...)

The Vatican Museum. The building itself is beautiful. Covered in art.

some of the art.
i LOVED it.

We saw the Sistine Chapel (of course). Cameras weren't allowed and the guards were doing their best, but unfortunately, tourists aren't the most reasonable of people and hundreds of cameras were going off. Not going to lie, that really bugged me. First of all, can you not read the sign and hear the security guard yelling? Second, what's going to make YOUR picture so much more special than all the pictures on the internet you could use/look at? Third, bet your picture sucked anyway, since there's NO way you got even a third of the ceiling on your little digital point and shoot. Fourth, the flash on your camera is distracting to everybody around you, including me. Just stop already.

Now that my little rant is over, I'd just like to say that the Sistine chapel is incredible. Katelyn and I could have gazed up at the ceiling for hours. There was just so much amazingness that it was easy to skim over it all unless you were careful to spend some time looking at the individual parts instead of just absorbing the whole.

the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (pic from the internet, of course ;))
imagine an entire room that is covered with these amazing paintings.

After the Vatican Museums, we were beat, so we went back to the hostel. Rome is SO hot this time of year, and it just really takes something out of you--tires you out. 

On our way back to the hostel, we stopped at the Piazza del Popolo. It has an Egyptian obelisk from the 13th century. Pretty legit. We didn't stay long because the sun was pretty much cooking us by the second.

thirteenth-century obelisk, nbd.

We hid out in the beehive until the sun began to retreat and finally surrendered to the clouds and the skyline.

Feeling a bit braver and quite a bit more refreshed, we began walking toward Trastevere--known as "real Rome" for dinner. We got the hugest pizzas of our life. I don't know what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn't a pizza of this size.

a plaza in Trastevere.

picture 1: our appetizer--fried fantasy. it was a rice ball with tomato and mozzarella
cheese that was breaded and fried.
picture 2: my dinner...the HUGE pizza that I couldn't finish. 

We crossed the Tiber River as we left Trastevere.
So beautiful.

Claro que we needed a little Giolitti's for dessert. So we began to walk and walk and walk...it was a long walk. But at least the weather was perfect and the city beautiful.

After we had finished our gelato, we headed for the Trevi Fountain. It was beautiful all lighted up. We threw a coin in the fountain to ensure a return visit to Rome. I sure hope it comes true. :)

Day 4:

We slept in big time on Day 4--took it real easy. Showered, packed, ate breakfast...

and eventually we made it to the Catacombs di San Domitilla. They were quite a ways from the tourist-y part of Rome. We had to take the metro almost to the end and then walk for about 40 minutes. 

It was a lovely walk though. It was a Rome without any tourists but us--a Rome with the occasional car meandering down the road, a Rome with old men sitting outside cafes, drinking their coffee and discussing the affairs of the country in Italian, a Rome with trees and pastures.

We arrived at the catacombs around 12:30, only to discover that they were closed until 2:00. So we just sat in the grass in the shade and waited.

It was finally two, and we had our tour in English. The catacombs were a really neat experience. We entered them through a fourth-century church. It was incredible to be inside that church--it was just so obviously ancient, and I just kept picturing Christians meeting here back in the day. It was 3/4 under the ground, so it was darker and much cooler than outside.

we couldn't take pictures inside of the basilica or the catacombs,
so i took a picture of the ticket.
this is what the basilica looked like.

The catacombs themselves were incredible. There weren't any bones...they removed them because people kept stealing them as souvenirs (weird, huh...). But originally, there had been almost 150,000 people buried there. We saw these two paintings over two of the tombs--I couldn't BELIEVE that they were still there. Wow. Just wow. The passages were so windy and narrow. I was lost within the first five minutes. It was strange to think about the Christians using these tombs so long ago.

a copy of one of the plaques found in the catacombs.
it's displayed now in the basilica.

We then headed over to the Santa Maria in Cosmedin to visit The Mouth of Truth. Legend has it that if you tell a lie while your hand is in its mouth, it will bite it off.

obviously, i'm an honest person.

We finished our visit to Rome with Giolitti's. We just COULDN'T leave without it.

i got peach and white chocolate with panna (homemade whipped cream)
oh, i was in heaven.

We ran back to the hostel, finished up a last couple things, and then headed for the train station a little before seven to take the overnight train to Paris.

our ever-so-small couchette.
we shared the room of six with an asian family.
we were relieved--they weren't sketchy at all. :)

roamin' like a roman.

Our second day in Rome...well, it was jam-packed with sun, old ruins, good food, walking, and great experiences. Honestly, I've been putting off blogging about it because it's just overwhelming. My feet hurt SO badly by the time we got back to our hotel for the night (about 1:30 in the morning). Nonetheless, the day was spectacular and I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.


1) Arch of Constantine

 

It was built in 312 A.D. to celebrate Constantine's victory in the Battle of Milivian Bridge. It was a monumental victory because due to this battle, Constantine became a convert to Christianity. After this conversion, persecution of the Christians ended and the building of Christiandom began.

2) The Colosseum

 The Colosseum was completed in 80 A.D. and could seat 55,000 people. Just walking around it kind of blew me away a bit. If you close your eyes, you can just imagine how loud it would have been back in the day. And then you can almost picture the spectators screaming and cheering, wild animals roaring, gladiators fighting--bloody, gory messes--and you open your eyes and you're back in 2011, surrounded by picture-taking tourists. It's a little weird. 

3) Palatine Hill

Roman mythology says Palatine Hill was the location of the cave where a she-wolf raised Romulus and Remus, founders of Rome. It's also where some of the oldest Roman settlements are supposed to be. During the times of the Roman Republic, Palatine Hill was where the ruling class lived--quite a few Roman emperors had their palaces there. I just had to keep pinching myself and telling myself that I was walking around buildings that were over 2000 years old.

4) Roman Forum

The Roman Forum used to be the "downtown" of ancient Rome. It's where they all met to talk, shop, do business, politics, and other important things back in the day. The third picture is a wall painting in the temple of Romulus. There were quite a few temples, actually. It was hard for me to see what was what, but nonetheless, all the ruins were very impressive.

5) The Imperial Forums

The Imperial Forums are separate from the Roman Forums. The Imperial Forums were just a series of public squares/buildings that different emperors built between 46 BC and 113 AD. We couldn't walk among these ruins...we just walked along Via dei Fori Imperiali and saw what we could from the railing.

6) Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II

It was built to honor Vittorio, who was the first king of a unified Italy. It was completed in 1935 and also holds the Tomb of the Unknown soldier. It was super pretty. We went inside and explored a little bit. There is an amazing view of Rome from the railing on the top of the building.

7) Piazza del Campidoglio

Michelangelo designed this plaza! It was beautiful. But honestly, Katelyn and I were so hungry by this point that we didn't hang around for very long. My legs were slightly shaky and Katelyn was starting to feel a little dizzy. It was kind of dumb to wait that long to eat, and we didn't do it again.

8) The Pantheon

The Pantheon was first built by Marcus Agrippa to be a temple for all the Roman gods. Although, it was completely destroyed, it was rebuilt in 126 AD by Emperor Hadrian. It is amazing that it's still so well-preserved. I kind of just walked around in awe the entire time.

9) Piazza di Pietra

This plaza was built by Emperor Hadrian in 144 AD. I remember walking across it and just feeling the heat radiating off the stones. It was ridiculous how hot it was. Which leads me to...

10) Giolitti's

 
Giolitti has been around since 1900. You know when Audrey Hepburn is eating her gelato in Roman Holiday? Well, it's from here. It's so delicious that Pope John Paul II used to have it delivered to him regularly. Furthermore, Katelyn and I just wanted to eat it all. the. time.



11) Spanish Steps

Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck hung out on these stairs, no big deal. Yeah, right. I was secretly freaking out a little bit. It was finished in 1725, and supposedly, it's the widest staircase in Europe. It's beautiful.

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After the Spanish Steps, we were completely beat and the sun was merciless. We went back to our hostel for a much needed rest of an hour or two.

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We read good things about a restaurant called Da Alfredo & Ada, so that's where we headed out for dinner. It was one of the best decisions we've ever made. The food was incredible, but the environment was even better. There were two friendly old men who were waiters and it was just a very cozy place. An old guitar player/singer came to the restaurant and performed for a bit--and then the entire restaurant got into it--the guitar got passed around we were all singing and clapping and eating.So much fun.

spaghetti carbonara

We shared a table with an old Danish man named Petr. He was very talkative and ever so polite. He knew all the waiters and many other people in Rome. He could tell that Katelyn and I were just loving the restaurant and he said he would show us another place--a bar--that was very similar and that he would buy us a drink. I know that could sound very creepy, but he was completely harmless and very nice.

We got some kind of fruit drink without alcohol and enjoyed some good conversation about traveling around Europe, life, and culture. He explained how different cultures/countries worked and cracked the occasional joke. The weather, atmosphere, everything was just so perfect.

my yummy drink.

After that, we left to see Plaza Navona. The plaza itself is beautiful at night, but furthermore, it's where all the artists hang out. We watched a few artists at work, and then we were captivated by this artist. We watched her paint for a long time--and then we spent forever trying to decide what paintings we wanted to buy.

beautiful artwork.

By the time we left with paintings in hand and smiles on faces, it was after 12:30, and we had a long way to walk home. We got home, I showered, and then I pretty much collapsed on my bed from pure exhaustion.

Roman Holiday

Sometimes, in Rome, you can pretend to be Audrey Hepburn.

And the only thing you're missing is a Gregory Peck.

That's kind of a big thing.

But even without him, the experience is still absolutely fabulous.

on the spanish steps.

gelato from giolitti (the very same gelateria that audrey bought her gelato from!!). it's so good that it's been open since 1900, the pope used to get their gelato delivered to him regularly, and that katelyn and i went every single day after we found it.

by the trevi fountain (i'm on a different side of the fountain than she is)

the mouth of truth. supposedly, if you tell a lie while your hand is in it, it will bite your hand off.

Mhmm. Rome.

Can I just go back now?

Actually, we're sitting inside of a lovely hotel in Paris, and Katelyn's finishing up our itinerary for the next three days. 

It sounds great. I'm pumped.

Rome, guess I'll just have to get back to you a little later.

the beehive, basilicas, and limoncello.

We pulled into the train station in Rome a little after noon. Unfortunately, I hadn't planned anything to do...because I thought we'd be arriving much later. But here's what we did do.

We found our hostel, named The Beehive. It's the cutest little place. As their website says, "The Beehive Hotel is a family owned, grassroots endeavor put together by two people who love this city, enjoy being hospitable, and want visitors to feel like they have a friend and a home in Rome." I like it a lot and am excited to be here for three nights.

They're all about organic, all natural things. Their cafe is all organic, all vegetarian. Seriously, on their breakfast menu, they have "scrambled tofu and mixed vegies and toast." I just might have that tomorrow for old time's sake. 

We spent quite a bit of time using the internet to finish up planning our itinerary for the next two days. It will be a crazy next two days. Then we went out and bought some cheap pizza by the slice. It wasn't bad, but nothing to get too excited about. 

We decided to go explore the part of Rome by our hostel.

Piazza della Repubblica

Right next to this plaza was an old basilica, named the Santa Maria degli Angeli. It was constructed between 1569 and 1679. It was beautiful.

some pictures of the inside.

the outside of the basilica and two sculptures that I just really liked for some reason.
I found them in the dark, old section of the basilica.

I'm not sure why, but I just LOVE this sculpture.
It was in the front part of the basilica.

There was a temporary exhibition going on at the basilica. It was all about Galileo and the balance between faith and science. Basically, it was disproving the idea that Galileo was secretly an atheist. That it IS possible to reconcile the idea of God with science. It was powerful. A phrase from one of the plaques said:

"Galileo is famous for his 'and yet it moves'; he should be famous for his 'and yet I am a believer."

Here's a direct quote from Galileo that I really liked.

I am certain 

that nothing

which concerns

the government of human affairs

is neglected

by Divine Providence.

-Galileo Galilei, Opere VII, 394-95

Galileo, I agree. You are one smart cookie. 

sculpture of Galileo in the courtyard of the basilica.

We left the basilica and saw many a fountain. Here are a couple of them.

There is an intersection with Rome with four fountains--one on each corner.

The Fontana del Tritone.

And finally, we saw the Trevi Fountain.
We're going back there tomorrow night. :)

We went to a restaurant to get some good pasta. I tried gnocchi for the first time and it wasn't bad at all. Just potato dumplings in tomato sauce.

After we had finished eating, I was talking to the waiter. I was trying to figure out how to pay the bill (do we just leave the money on the table? take it to the cash register? give it to the waiter as he was walking? wait?) but he ended up teaching us how to say a couple phrases in Italian. Then all of a sudden, he said

"I get you glass of shot?"

I said, "Uh, what?"

He said, "Just a minute." And then he ran back into the restaurant.

He came back with two shot glasses of limoncello, an Italian lemon liqueur that's 35% alcohol. 

Katelyn and I looked at each other. I thanked him and told him that it was very kind of him but that I didn't drink. Katelyn didn't know what to do. He gestured for her to try it. She tried it.

She described it as "cough syrup on fire
with a lemon drop in it. Awful."
She couldn't finish it.

We thanked him and left back for home. End first day in Rome. :)

finishing up in florence.

I am now on the train on the way to Rome...and so I figure I should probably finish up talking about Florence before any adventures in Rome commence. Here goes.

Day 3 in Florence:

  

After breakfast, we headed back to the train station--and took a train to Pisa. Guess what we saw there?

me in front of the tower of pisa.

 It was hard to believe I was actually at the Tower of Pisa. I mean, I've seen this tower in books my entire life. We had to walk for about twenty minutes from the train station to get to the tower, and so I was just kind of like la-dee-da-dee-da...and then BAM, it was right there. Quite incredible, really, that it's still there, especially considering that it's been leaning like this for centuries.

Of course, we had to take cheesy tourist pictures.

 As we were going to Pisa, we met four really nice Asians. They didn't know what they were doing in the train station, but wanted to get to Pisa, so they just followed us there. They were really funny people--basically, they'd come ahead of their tour group on accident so they were just kind of wandering around hoping they were going the right way. 

us with two of our asian friends.

We left Pisa at around 11:30 to head back to Florence. As soon as we got back, we headed back to the indoor market to the same restaurant where we had eaten before. This time, instead of getting a sandwich, we got a bowl of pasta. It was cheap, extremely tasty, and very filling. I was stuffed afterward.

lunch. pasta. yum.

After eating, we walked around Florence for a bit and looked in a few stores to kill time until we could go to the Uffizi Museum--one of the greatest art museums in Europe. Finally, it was time. We had reservations so we skipped the huge line and headed straight in.

so excited to see some amazing art.

The museum was incredible. Italian art has a totally different feel than Spanish art, but I like it a lot. It's lighter, brighter, more defined. I loved the expression and vitality in the subjects. The paintings had such perspective and depth. I also thought it was interesting to see the ideas of the Renaissance come out through the art, especially humanism. Although there was a huge amount of religiously themed artwork, I also saw a big counter movement toward Greek mythology--something that would have never happened during the Middle Ages. Although some of the artwork was very ornate, others were much more simple--with care taken to make every line and detail have some kind of meaning and significance. The Uffizi was definitely worth the money we paid. 

 Our feet hurt so bad by the time we left the museum that we just had to buy gelato, claro. We then walked to the straw market, but didn't buy anything because everything was so expensive. However, we did find the wild boar fountain.

rubbing the wild boar's snout.

We rubbed his snout for good luck and dropped a coin in the fountain to ensure a return visit to Florence.

 We did some more walking around and just looking in stores, but I didn't buy anything...mostly because I have no money, but also because I don't want to lug it around.

 Then we decided it was dinnertime. We were crazing pizza so we found a little hole-in-the-wall pizzeria. We split a delicious pizza with tomato sauce, cheese, grilled vegetables, and artichokes. So so good. Our first pizza in Italy.

After dinner, it was a little after eight, and we decided to just return to our hostel and rest our feet and try to resolve our London hostel situation. I talked to Jon for a bit, everything got fixed, and then I went to bed. Good day.

  

And now we're on our way to Rome!