Cover photo is Madeline and Tricia at the Trevi Fountain
I've been abroad for 2 months, but it still feels surreal making my own plans, getting myself to the airport, on the plane, and to a foreign country. I keep thinking that I need some sort of permission or supervision! I’m still not used to landing in a totally new place and going wherever strikes my fancy, with nowhere to be and no one to rely on. Yet here I am! Living, growing, and eating gelato in Rome, Italy!
Day 1
First thing, I met up with my lifelong friend, Tricia, who is studying abroad here. We "did as the Romans do" and walked about the heart of the city, getting lost, catching up, and eating gelato. We saw the most famous sights, like Piazza Nivari, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and the Spanish steps by stumbling upon them, and I was in awe the entire time. There were lots of obelisk's with hieroglyphs on them (more in Rome than in Egypt!), and I got a mini art history lesson from Tricia about the Caravaggio paintings at the St. Matthew chapel in San Luigi dei Francesi. When it was getting dark I headed back to my hostel, the Dreaming Rome Hostel, for their free spaghetti dinner. There were 2 guys from Canada, an Israeli girl, an Indian guy, and an American guy, and we ate all together, family style. We ended up getting really close! We taught each other games, drank wine, and talked until late in the night. This was a really amazing hostel experience and I am so thankful for this opportunity to connect with strangers from around the world.
Day 2
Today I walked all around the Colosseum and Roman Forum, taking in the beauty and history of the architecture. I was surprised by the soldiers everywhere, casually protecting the city brandishing M4's. It started to rain, so I hopped on the bus and met Tricia at her University of Dallas in Rome campus. It was awesome, I got there and instantly had a new set of friends. We met up with her sister, Katie, who is also visiting, went to daily mass, and had a big dinner with the whole school. Trying to get back to the city the bus never came (Rome public transportation is not ideal), so I caught a ride with an Egyptian immigrant and his Italian fiancee, who gave me a little perspective into what local Rome living is like. They reprimanded me in English and Italian for getting into a car with them, strangers.
Day 3
Up early today for a guided tour of Vatican City. It was expensive, but worth every penny (especially because my mom upgraded me to the VIP experience in the hopes of a religious awakening). My small but mighty Italian guide called all of us her family, and imparted both the historical and religious contexts of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica. I met up with Katie for lunch (a.k.a. the single most delicious piece of spinach and sausage pizza that I have ever eaten and ever will eat) and we went to meet her coworkers, newlyweds Carolyn and Franco, across the street at St. John Lateran. Franco has a masters degree in theology, so we were really in the hands of experts learning about the parallelisms between the old and new testament in this incredible church. I took a quick nap in our Airbnb to rally, and met up with the whole crew at an Italian restaurant for dinner and conversation. And what better way to end the night than with fresh gelato?
Day 4
To sum up today in 3 words: brunch. and. churches. We ate at a random restaurant in the city that caught our eye (what incredible life do I live that I can eat anywhere I want with two people that I love because we feel like it??), visited several magnificent churches, and meandered through picturesque Trastevere, eating gelato, in the direction of the Borghese gardens. We ended up with a view of the entire city in a beautiful park where we sat and read until my trip came to an end (all too quickly).
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