Rome, Rome, Rome. It was a lot bigger than I imagined! When we got out of the bus station, I felt like I was in NYC. It was kind of grungy and hard. Annie and I stayed in a bed and breakfast with a few other girls from school. The b&b was really nice and for a night we even had the place to ourselves. The kitchen was open to our use and fully stocked with teas, breads, jams, and cereal. The owner was even sweet enough to give us a free dinner at his Italian restaurant! I ordered a plate of seafood spaghetti and it came with lots of yummy clams and prawns! Our first day there Annie and I split from the other group and went to the Colosseum and the Roman ruins. Then we got lost in a suburb a bit out of the way. But it lead us to our first pizza! Pizza in Italy is very, very thin and it is always fresh. The toppings are not as heavily piled on as in the states, but the taste is very unique and simplicity always reigns over quantity! The second day we went to Vatican city. We spent lots of time in the main Basilica because the other girls attended mass there (although none knew a stitch of latin. lol). Anyways, we then went to the Vatican museums where there were rooms and rooms of splendor. Wall to wall paintings by Raphael and his followers. We were so close to the Sistine Chapel, but could not see it because we were there during the conclave and they were in the process of choosing the new pope! We were really devastated that we couldn't see it, but the other rooms were very similar in design and we got a feel as to how it would be in the sistine. We also went to the Pantheon which is unbelievable because it is plopped in the middle of the city. It was so hard to find because there are just a bunch of restaurants and other normal, newer buildings stacked around this ancient Roman temple. Then when you finally see it, it is massive!! I was definitely in awe. The last day in Rome, was quite interesting. We switched hostels and said goodbye to the other girls who were leaving a day ahead of us. Annie and I roamed around the city for a while trying to find this quaint little neighborhood with itty bitty streets. When we finally arrived, it was the perfect image of what I thought more of Rome would look like. We went to a fabulous restaurant where it felt like we were really in Italy. We even had a three course meal for only 10 euro!! After, we headed back into the city (by the way all this was done on foot, without use of public transportation!) and we tried to go to this big street where all the famous Italian big stores were, but we couldn't find it in the rain! We went into a small cafe to escape the storm for a while. We ended up ordering hazelnut coffee and it came in this teeny tiny cups (basically expresso shot glasses, though it wasn't an expresso). It costs like 3 euro which is almost 5 dollars. Though it was pricey, it was a truly remarkable flavor!
So after we left the cafe thinking that the rain was over, we tried to find the Trevi fountain. Unfortunately, it started pouring even harder and of course we had NO umbrella. We bought one, but we were still completely drenched and couldn't even navigate with the map to find the trevi. We spent time in Sephora trying to wade it out. Then, when it got a little more bearable we went out to find the trevi and asked different random people, but they all pointed us in different directions!! It was sooo frustrating because we spent like two hours trying to find that darn fountain in the RAIN! Finally, we got there at like 8:00 pm, but God was kind and stopped the rain so we could take pictures. We made our three wishes and tossed our coins (Lizzie Mcguire moment! lol). The rain literally stopped for like fifteen minutes while we were there and then started again!! We walked by this adorable little restaurant called "That's Amore" and split a huge thing of fettuccine and pizza with blue cheese and apples!! The restaurant was so memorable because it was cozy and the waiters were so, so kind! They really represented with their "amore!" The best part was that we were seriously soooo stuffed from the meal because we had been eating a lot all day and weren't that hungry. We then, found the spanish steps and John Keat's (the British poet) home and then we called it a night and took the metro back to the hostel. It was sooo much fun because by that point of the night, we were wet, exhausted, super full and ready to go home, but we were also very jubilant and happy to be in Rome! :)
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| Vatican City |
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| St. Peter's Basilica |
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| Eggplant pizza |
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| Vatican Museums |
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| Colosseum |
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| Colosseum |
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| Roman Ruins |
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| Trastevere neighborhood |
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| Pantheon |
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| Trevi Fountain |
Barcelona was in short-- AMAZING! It isn't enough to simply go through all the adventures there. I will give a brief explanation of what our days consisted of. Day 1: we arrived late Thursday night and checked in a fabulous hostel. It was my first hostel expereience. My three other friends and I rented out a room just to ourselves. The hostel was clean and they provided us with free breakfast food (at any time of the day!).That night we were exhausted, but starving, so we went out for a quick meal. It wa Is the first time we found out that Barcelona does NOT give free water! You HAD to order the bottle of mineral water and be charged an arm and leg for it! Day 2: We had a hop-on-hop-off tour bus and we visited many, many wonderful sites like the Sagrada Familia which was one of the great creations of Gaudi (famous Spanish artist!) I had never heard of Gaudi before I went to Spain, and I must say I am quite shocked. His work was incredible! It is strewn throughout Barcelona. Went all over the town and saw beautiful gardens, old olympic stadiums, art exhibits, visited a great little neighborhood and ate delicious nutella filled pastries, and went ot an old castle. We ended the night by getting dressd up in pretty clothes and eating tapas! Day 3: We went to a different hostel that was cheaper than the last because we would only be there for a few hours anyways (flight at 6 am). The last day in Barcelona we went to the Picasso muesum where we saw all his early works as a child, and young adult. Then we went to the famous big street called "Las Ramblas" where there was a huge outdoor market. They had a great display of chocolates, fruits, meats, nuts, and just about anything delicious you could imagine! I bought dried bananas (which I now try to buy in every city), and of course I fed my sweet tooth with chocolate!! We also went and did a bit of shopping on the big streets that had Louis Vutton, Gucci, and all the rest. But of course we hit the sales at places like Zara and H&M. We ended the lovely day at a restaurant suggested to us by the hostel owner. It was like a Soup Plantation where there was a huge healthy buffet. I believe it is one of the few buffets in Spain! Fue delicioso!! Then when we got back to the hostel, where we hadn't been given our rooms when we went in the morning because they weren't ready, the owner said they screwed up on the room and he ended up giving us a room for free! It was great because this one we were actually supposed to share with two other random girls. The entire trip was perfect. We never really got lost, or had trouble with anything. The bus worked out exceptionally well because we were able to see everything in an efficient way. I love Barcelona because of it's creative streak and thr resaturants! They have these things called "pinxchos" which are toasted baguette slices with different toppings on it. It is perfect for bar goers or people who want a selection of different tastes! I definetly think Barcelona is on my top list of fave cities and I would ABSOLUTELY go again!!
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| La Sagrada Familia |
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| La Sagrada Familia |
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| Gaudi's Park |
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| La Boqueria Market |
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| Candy! |
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| Yum! |
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| Pinxchos |
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| Picasso Museum |
