THIS IS WHAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF!! Just kidding but I had to quote the famous song from the Lizzie McGuire movie since my first weekend trip to continental Europe was to Rome! Roma, Roma, Roma, what a beautiful place filled with everything my heart desires aka pizza, pasta, and wine. My roommate, Taylor, and I decided to venture to Rome after finding flights that were only 35 euro each way. It was my first time traveling to a country where I didn't know the language; I speak Spanish pretty fluently so Ecuador and Costa Rica were easy as was Brazil because Portuguese is so similar to Spanish. Italian on the other hand was completely foreign to me and trying to find our bus into the city was a hard task. We made it though and arrived to our hostel where we relaxed because we had to take the 1 am bus from Cork to Dublin in order to catch our 6 am flight; to say we were exhausted would be an understatement. After relaxing, we decided to venture out into the city for the first time. WOW, Rome is truly beautiful and the history is just everywhere! Our first evening was spent walking to the Trevi Fountain and just wander. If I have a decent amount of time in one place, I like to simply wander around a city and get a feel for it. I learned quickly that Rome definitely was going to test my traveling skills... this was Taylor's first time to a new country besides Ireland and she relied on me for a lot which is perfectly fine (I love being in charge) but it was way different than following around a tour guide or a high school teacher. Don't get me wrong I love Rome but looking back I have never been cat called or felt as unsafe walking at night as I did in Rome. It could be just the different cultures but it was astounding. The architecture is unparalleled as is the food. It truly lived up to my expectations and even surpassed them. I can't even describe how incredible it was walking through the Colosseum and the rest of the ancient Roman buildings. There was so much to see in just a few days! I think we ended up walking close to 25 miles... My feet hurt so badly by the time we left for Ireland I could hardly waddle through the Dublin airport. I (stupidly) decided to wear my new Birks on Sunday and naturally it poured on us as we tried to navigate our way to Vatican City. My feet were sliced open where the wet leather cut into them after walking so many miles. My roommates called them my Jesus scars getting them on my pilgrimage (I grew up very Catholic as did my roommates so it was quite comical). Above are the Spanish Steps which were one of the last things we saw before heading back to the hostel for the night. On Sunday morning before heading to the Spanish steps, we walked to Vatican City to see the Pope give mass at the cathedral. It was incredible; I mean a true once in the lifetime experience. I didn't understand any of it except the greeting because it was all in Latin. I can't wait to go back to Italy and explore more of the cities and the countryside!
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AuthorThe rambling thoughts of a millennial's adventures abroad Archives
May 2017
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