Yesterday, with my cousins out working like normal people with jobs during the summer, I decided to do a super quick trip to Rome, the Eternal City. I boarded the high-speed train from Florence to Rome, which got me to my destination around 10am and gave me about 6 hours to re-explore Rome. Upon pulling into the main train terminal (Termini), I bustled over to the subway armed with a 6€ day pass. While Rome is full of people and amazing sights like Paris, London, or Madrid, it definitely is grittier than any of the other major European cities. The subway is no exception with its dark passages and sweltering crowds.
After surviving the subway, I went straight to my farthest point for the day, Vatican City, which as you may remember from previous postings is actually an independent micro-state led by the Pope. The Vatican really is timeless and hasn't changed much since my last visit. Opting to skip the long lines and crowds at the Vatican museums, I waited in the lines at St. Peter's Square to enter the basilica. The Vatican guards are still turning away scantily-clad tourists and shushing loud church visitors. The Vatican is nevertheless impressive and really shows the power of the Catholic Church in Italy and the world.
From the Vatican, I crossed back over the Tiber River to blast through a monuments highlight tour including the Spanish Steps, the Fontana di Trevi, the Pantheon, St. Ignacio's church, and the Piazza Navona. In a city full of ancient Roman, medieval, Italian Renaissance, and modern landscapes, nothing has change in Roma since I last visited, which is part of its awesomeness. I stopped for lunch at a pizza restaurant, of course, to enjoy typical Italian pie, beer, and a cappuccino. I must look Italian enough because all day long people spoke to me in Italian. The old man sitting next to me on the train complained about the late delay to me in Italian without a reply from me, just a nod. The waitress at lunch let me order as much in Italian as I could. It's fun to try using my Romance language skills in different countries, and I think it always leads to better treatment when you try to speak the local language in Europe.
The last stop was none other than the Colosseum, Rome's most recognizable monument. It is still so impressive to see what remains of the stadium and the surrounding Roman Forum, but the sweltering heat and sun was starting to take its toll on me. After grabbing another high-speed train to Florence, I arrived back at the apartment before joining Joe and Dany for drinks. We went up to the Piazza Michelangelo, which overlooks all of Florence, for drinks and appetizers. It was so wonderful to close my last night in Europe over drinks and gelato with my cousins, who have always been such gracious hosts. We went home, snacked on some of Dany's leftover homemade lasagne (yum!) before calling it a night for my early morning flight. I am looking forward to seeing them again soon, maybe when Dany comes to NYC in September!
Overall, I can say that this 2013 trip to Europe was as amazing as I hope and worth every penny I spent of my hard-earned salary. I am glad I did the trip on my own volition and money, but it was also great to have such wonderful hosts in Europe to come along the adventure with me. Thanks to Christina, Joe, and Dany for being part of what made this journey awesome! I am already feeling the travel bug again as I crossed past customs to return to the USA, and I'm glad that I have a few trips left this summer (Maine, San Francisco, and New Orleans) before returning to school/work in August. One of the benefits of being a teacher is the amount of breaks, so who knows where I'll go for spring break. Greece? Peru? See where I go next! Thanks again for being loyal readers, and ciao!!
No comments:
Post a Comment