All Roads Lead to Rome... at least for 2 days!

      Over the weekend (July 22-23) we went to Roma.  At first I was not super excited because we were traveling with 50 other students from a different program, but in the end we only saw then maybe 3 times.  I also was not excited because this was the last big excursion of my study abroad experience.
      We had to meet at the train station at 6am (uffa!) and I have never been one to sleep on the bus.  The drive to Roma is about 3 hours and another hour of traffic, so it already started off as a long day.  Once we got to Roma the first thing we did was go to The Vatican.  We saw the Vatican museums with about one thousand of our closest friends, and then we were literally herded into the Sistine Chapel.  Let me say the chapel is amazing, its the rude guards literally herding people and being rude to people that makes the experiance very unenjoyable.  We then went into the world's largest church... Saint Peter's Basilica.  This church is amazing and relics it supposedly has inside is even more amazing. Just to name a few this church has the tomb of Saint Peter (hint... St. Peter's Basilica), is has a piece of the cross which Christ was crucified on, it has the spear that pierced Christ's chest, it has the cloth which Saint Veronica (patron saint of photographers) used to wipe the sweat from Christ's face as he carried the cross, and it has the chair which Saint Peter sat in.  But guess what... Know one actually gets to see any of these things that the church has.

Top of Saint Peter's Basilica

Sistine Chapel

Inside Saint Peter's Basilica

I liked this because I love the Da Vinci Code and this is from the movie!

  












  














         After The Vatican we had an hour break, which in Roma is about enough time to get out of the Vatican.  We then went across Roma to the Colosseum and the Forum.  We went inside the Colosseum and took many pictures, and then we walked through the Forum where we learn some stuff and took many more pictures.  After the Forum I was ready to make my way to the hotel which we did, and I was very happy to do.

We tried to be Gladiators but we look more like Power Ranges!

The Forum

The Forum Again!

      









      
       The next day we started off bright and early with a brisk morning walking tour of Roma.  we went to a small chapel where the inside had the most unusual display.  Inside were the bones of around 4000 people displayed in different patterns.  It was morbid but very interesting.  The chapel had a great message at the end.  It was "What you are now, we once were. And what we are now, you will be" it means live a happy life without any regrets. We then saw the Spanish steps which are named because at the bottom is the Spanish Embassy.  When we reached the steps it had decided it was going to rain... and when it rains in Italia it is no joke, it pours.  We then went to he first McDonald's in Italia, and i was the fanciest McDonald's I have ever been to.  We then made our way to the Trevi Fountain to throw our coins and make a wish or three.  This was another place where we took lots of pictures.  After the fountain we walked some more.  We went to the Pantheon and walked some more and then we had our free time.  The roommates and I went shopping and then we went and got lunch at a really good laid back restaurant.  I had Tiramisu alla fragola (strawberry), and it was amazing.  After a great lunch we headed back to meet out bus to head back home to Firenze.  It was a great weekend but it was nice to return to Piazza di Santa Croce (home).

Doing as the Romans do. This was the freshest water. It was so good!

The group at the first McDonald's in Italy

Trevi Fountain

 

The Pantheon

really good restaurant we went to n Roma where I had Tiramisu alla fragola!

Hope you enjoyed my photos. Please leave comments, or suggestions of photos you want to see posted as well as ideas for photos I can take. Thank You.

463 steps later...

 On July 1st our group went on an exhausting adventure.  We tackled the Duomo.  We climbed the 463 steps (yes you read that right 463!) to the top of the Cupola.  Even though it was very exhausting and scary at times it was well worth it, especially after what we went through to make it to the Duomo.

      The day before we had attempted to go to the Duomo for our Dante class, but as we were walking to the Duomo it began to down pour. Let me say it rarely rains in Florence but when it does it is no joke, and I had my camera with me so I was freaking out a little.  The wind was so strong and the rain was so hard we had to stop walking and huddle in the rain under useless umbrellas on a street corner.  at this time there were only five of us, everyone else was at the Duomo but still outside. We found our way to the covered courtyard of a museum and waited out the rain.  We called our professor to hear that the event had been delayed 90 minutes, so we called the people of the closest apartment and headed that way.  Once we got to the apartment we realized all 15 of us were there soaking wet. We called Molly to kindly ask for the event to be moved because we didn't want to climb all soaking wet and miserable since it was the event we had most looked forward too.  She agreed and it was moved.

      On the next day after a rough night (two people had wallets stolen when we went out) we were not sure if any of us had the energy to make the 463 steps up to the cupola. It was also questionable because it was very cloudy and windy, it looked like it was going to pour again any minute. Molly said we had to do the climb today and by the time we got to the top the cool weather would be welcomed, which was true.

      The climb was long and cramped. the walls were close and the people were closer.  it was an adventure I will never forget and would gladly do again, which I might before I leave!

The Duomo peaking out behind the baptisty 

Duomo from Piazza di Michalangelo, we climbed to the top of the red dome

Another picture of the Duomo

My friend playing a violin while waiting to climb the Duomo

Line to get to climb to Duomo

 

Inside the Duomo

While climbing to the top we got a close up look at the painting on the ceiling of the Duomo

The scary Devil. For one of my classes in Italia we are reading Dante's Divina Commedia . We are currently in the seventh circle of hell and we continuously hear about Lusifer (In the picture above) and how scary he is. That is why he is here in my blog. He is the scariest devil I have seen so far.

Roommates and I at the top of the Duomo

     

Hope you enjoyed my photos. Please leave comments, or suggestions of photos you want to see posted as well as ideas for photos I can take. Thank You.