Rome Day 4: Pope Blessing, St. Peter's Basilica,

On the fourth day in Rome we wanted to go to the Vatican to get blessed by the Pope and then possibly stay for mass. So again, we got up super early to do that because we knew it would be crowded. We got there and we knew the Pope was supposed to come out of some window but it was unclear which one. There were tons of people and a lot had taken chairs from the mass area so we did that too.

We got chairs and faced the direction of the window we thought he would come out and then we just waited. He is supposed to come out at 1pm and sure enough, right around 12:50pm, the window of the second to last window on the right side of some building had a light turn on. Then a podium was put out and right about 1pm the Pope appeared. I’m not super religious or even catholic but it was still really amazing. It was one of those “I can’t believe I’m actually seeing this” types of moments that have happened a lot to me since I’ve been abroad.

Me in St. Peter's Square

Some of St. Peter's Square

The Pope! Ahh!

After we saw the Pope we decided we didn’t really want to wait for mass. I really wanted to go inside St. Peter’s Basilica because it has Michelangelo’s Pieta, which is the sculpture of Mary holding dead Jesus. It is super famous and the only work Michelangelo ever signed. When La Pieta was first made people thought it was the work of another artist, which outraged Michelangelo so to show the world that it was his, he carved his name into Mary’s sash.

Me with Pieta!

The only signed work of Michaelangelo

The line going into the Basilica was super long, but we kind of cut a lot of it (by accident of course). The Basilica is also free which is nice but everyone has to go through a security detector thing and they only had two open so it still took a while to get in. When we finally did make it in the Basilica was gorgeous and huge. The Pieta was beautiful too but a lot smaller than I thought it would be. Unfortunately I have limited Basilica pictures because this was when my camera started to die. However, cameras could never do the Basilica justice. I did luckily get a picture of Pope John Paul II's tomb in the Basilica which is a big highlight. Roman's still love Pope J.P. and he is on tons of tourist calendars and post cards all over Rome. I think it is safe to say he is even more loved than Benedict.

Inside the Basilica

Tomb of Pope John Paul II

More Vatican City

 After the Vatican we got lunch and then decided we should try and go back to the forum and use our tickets. Unfortunately when we got there the Forum was closed and our tickets were expired. It was ok though because we all felt like we saw enough amazing things during the weekend so far. I figure next time I’m in Rome Il just have something to look forward to seeing.
We still also wanted to see the Spanish Steps so that was our next stop. I have no pictures from there but there were alot of them. We climbed the entire set of them and all of us were dead by the time we reached the top. It was raining too and dark (it gets dark really early in Rome, or at least it did while we were there) and I think we were all worn out form waking up early day after day.
    We found a place for dinner at this super authentic Italian restaurant. It was really nice. It wasn't that hungry though so I just ordered tiramisu. It wasn't that good. I was a little disppointed actually but I felt I had to try it just because who knows when I will be given the change to try real italian food again.
   To end the night we went back to the Trevi fountain one last time to see it lit up at night. We also had our last gelato stop and just sat by the fountain and reminisced about the trip. We all agreed it was our favorite trip so far. All of them were leaving that next morning really early so that had to go to bed but I had another day in Rome without them. I was sad to see them go because they made the trip so fun.

Day 3: Colleseum and Vatican City

Day 3 in Rome we woke up early again to go to the Colosseum. We knew the line would be super long and we also had tickets to go to the Vatican museum at 1:30 p.m. so we had limited time. We got up at 6 am again (ughh) and arrived at the Colosseum at 8:30 am. Even at 8:30 a.m. it was already crowded. It could have been worse but it opens at 8:30 so it was kind of surprising. The Colosseum ticket is a dual ticket with the Roman Forum, which is the ancient ruins of Rome. We ended up running out of time for the Forum though so we never got to see it. It was kind of sad but I saw so many other amazing things in Rome I couldn’t be that upset.

The Coliseum was interesting, but it was pretty much what I expected. The only thing that I didn’t expect was the fact that the inside part is a museum. They have sculptures and paintings and all these historical facts. It was very interesting.

Arch of Trajan, The original Victory Arch, inspiration for Arch de Triomph in Paris and many other famous arches

Colleseum

Spain!

Trajan

Socrates

Pythargoras

Aristotle

Colleseum Panoramic

Me at the Colleseum

All of us at the Colleseum

After walking around for a bit we wanted to see if we could get into the Forum. We decided that we didn’t have enough time before the Vatican to go see it though so we just headed to Vatican metro stop instead. Before heading to the Vatican museum we stopped for gelato at a place that Alex and Jess’s friend studying abroad recommended. It was called Old Bridge Gelato and it was seriously the best ice cream I’ve ever had in my life. All of us agreed.

Typical Lunch in Italy

Best Gelato ever!

When we got to the Vatican the line to get into the museum literally wrapped around half of the perimeter of Vatican City. It was insane. I’d estimate it was a 4 hour+ line. Luckily for us though, we got our tickets online ahead of time so we didn’t have to wait in any lines.

We got in easily and then realized how huge the museum was. We went to one random art section first and saw some really amazing works of art (Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Caravaggio, Raphael ect..) and then decided we should probably go to the main attraction, the Sistine Chapel. That of course had a really long line. They also make you walk like a mile though half the museum to get to it. The good thing about that is you do see the entire museum, whether you want to or not. The bad thing is it takes like 2 hours to get to the Sistine Chapel.

Last Supper Tapestery

St. Jerome in the Wilderness, by Leonardo Da Vinci

A Carvaggio Painting

another two Carvaggios

When we finally did get to it it was worth it. Its kind of hard to believe one guy painted that whole thing. I remember in middle school watching a video about Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel and how it hated it and it caused him to go slightly blind from all the paint that fell into his eyes and going in there I could def see how that would be the case. It is painted magnificently from floor to ceiling.

The Sistine Chapel!!!

After we got through the Sistine Chapel we were all exhausted. We decided to go back and take a nap because we were going out that night. We meet Jess and Alex’s friend for dinner in Piazza Navona again.

After dinner she was taking us to Trastevere, the going out area in Rome. Its was kind of far away from our hostel but she said there was a night bus that could take us back so we would be good. We went to this really cool place that had chocolate shots. The cups were made out of chocolate and then they put chocolate liquor in them and whipped cream on top. They were really cute.

After that we just went to a few bars and then decided to go home around 1. We found a night bus and got on and it was the craziest bus ride I’ve ever been on. The driver was insane and every stop were we all thrown forward into the seat in front of us because they driver stopped so abruptly. The bus ride also took 2.5 hours to get back to our hostel. It was ridiculous. Compared to Madrid, where you can get anywhere in the city in a maximum of 40 minutes, we were all shocked. I think all of us agreed that despite Rome being beautiful and amazing, we were relieved to be studying abroad in Madrid where the transportation system is so good.

Chocolate Shots. Aren't they cute?

Rome: Arrival and First full day

       This weekend, we had a super long weekend (Thursday off! So only three days of school and 4 days of weekend!) so I made a big trip to Rome. This was by far my most expensive trip but also my absolute favorite. I think it was worth every euro cent.

I went with four other girls: Jess, Rachael, Molly and Alex, and I kind of invited myself onto their trip because I heard they were going to Rome and I really wanted to go too. They were the best group I could ask for though and I think they were part of the reason I loved the trip so much. When you are traveling its great to see fabulous sites and amazing works of art but sharing it with fun people and the little things that happen along the way while you are traveling are what really make each trip memorable.

So, since I invited myself into the group, I didn’t get on the flight that all the girls in my group were on because it was sold out so I ended up getting there a day later than all of them and having to travel alone. It was my first time internationally traveling alone (besides when I came to Spain, but even on that flight my parents walked me through the airport and I knew a few girls on my flight) so it was a little nerve racking, but not terrible. I’m starting to know the Madrid airport pretty well from all these flights and I was so happy that my flight was at 2 pm too, after my last experience of sleeping at the airport for a 6am flight, it was nice to relax at home all morning.

My flight over went smoothly and I got in on time. Unfortunately the Rome airport isn’t actually in Rome so from there I had to take a train to get into the actual city. I have come to learn that’s kind of a standard thing with European airports; they usually aren’t actually in the city like they are in the U.S. So I got into Rome by 6:30 pm, found the Hostel pretty easily from the directions on their website and met up with my group. It was a relief to find the hostel and get settled.

We decided to go dinner in Piazza Navona by the recommendation of Alex and Jess’s friend who is studying abroad in Rome. Piazza Navona is in the middish of Rome and it took us over an hour to find it. We would have taken the metro there if we could but Rome public transportation is very limited (they only have 2 metro lines that only cover 2 sides of the outskirts of Rome, in comparison to Madrid’s 12+ lines) because every time they try and dig a new metro line they discover more ancient ruins and construction has to stop.

 However, one great thing that about being forced to walk everywhere in Rome is you discover hidden gems everywhere. There is amazing history and architecture everywhere in Rome. Romanesque churches are jaw-droppingly beautiful. I can’t even describe it. And they are all over the place. Also, just walking into random churches and looking at the altar-pieces and art you will find Carvaggio’s, Michaelangelo’s, Bernini’s, ect. Ect. Its just like a normal thing and just adds to the beauty of the churches.

So we finally found the Piazza but then we didn’t know what restaurant the girl recommended so we just ended up picking one that seemed semi-affordable. All the food in Italy is fabulous. It’s exactly what you expect, pizza and pasta everywhere. And they have really great cheap wine. After that we got gelato, which became a tradition after every meal except breakfast. I don’t remember what flavors I got but it was great. They let you pick 2 or 3 flavors per cup depending on the size and the place you go to so you get to try a lot of flavors. Mostly every time I got the Nutella flavor because I’ve become obsessed with Nutella since being here and its all the rage in Europe. I still feel like I’m having gelato withdrawal this week.

After that we just went in a few churches and took the bus back home. We had a big day ahead of us and everyone was tired.

Some cool old building, Rome is just full of awesome things like this

A goregous fountain

The next morning we woke up really early (6 am! Ughh, that’s early for us college kids). We wanted to go to at least the Pantheon and Trevi fountain that day and possible to Colosseum as well. The Pantheon and Trevi fountain are in the middle of Rome so we had to walk and use this really sub-par map the hostel provided. It was really badly labeled and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t to scale. It also didn’t have a lot of side streets so we just had to guess on some of them. Luckily Molly took the lead on navigation, which led us to call her TGM (tour guide Molly) for the rest of the trip. She did a great job.

View from my hostel window

St. Ignacio Church, the first church I saw while in Rome

Check out that ceiling

We went to the Pantheon first. It was really cool. Some historic background on the Pantheon: it is the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome, Emperor Hadrian commissioned it in 126 A.D. and it has the same height and width. Before I left for Rome I had asked my art history teacher places she recommended I go because she told us whenever we go on a trip to tell her so she can recommend artsy things for us to see. I seriously adore here and when I told her I was going to Rome she grabbed my arm and said “HANNAH! DON’T SLEEP! There is so much to see! YOU will love it!” And then she got really excited and recommended a bunch of places for me to go. The Pantheon was obviously one of them. So, after the recommendations she gave me I Wikipedia-ed all of the places so I had some historic background on all of the sites before I got to Rome. So I will shower you all with fun facts as I go on with this blog because that is what I did to my group on the trip.

So anyways, I was pleasantly surprised to find Raphael’s grave was in there. I’ve become obsessed with art since being here because everything is so beautiful and historic I feel like I can’t get enough. I’m also now trying to get an art history minor.

On the way to the pantheon we also found this awesome leather store. There was one lady working in there and she handmade everything. The store was full of purses and while we were in there tons of people came in to get handmade leather belts. I was kind of mesmerized. I really wanted to get a bag, but of course, I have too sophisticated of taste for my own good, and all the bags I really liked were at least 90 euros. Such a typical issue with me. 

Pantheon

Alex, Me, Rachael and Jess outside the Pantheon

Occulus, its always open so if it rain it rains inside the Pantheon

Chillin outside Raphael's Tomb

After the Pantheon we decided to go to Piazza Navona (the same place we were the night before) to see it during the day because it had some really pretty fountains. It was also on the way to the Trevi Fountain so it worked out. The main fountain in Piazza Navona is the Fountain of the Four Rivers. It was designed by Bernini for Pope Innocent X and the four rivers symbolize the four major rivers where Papal authority was present (The Nile in Africa, The Danube in Europe, The Ganges in Asia and The Platte in the Americas).

All of us with our Gelato

Some cool street art of Rome, I liked the colors

Me at the Fountain of Four Rivers

Piazza Navona

So the next stop was the Trevi Fountain. We were all really excited for it and it didn’t disappoint. It is really stunning. Of course it is also packed with tourists and annoying vender men that nag you incessantly to take your picture for a nominal fee. They also think it is funny if you get annoyed by them. I told the same guy “no” 4 times in a 10 minutes time span. So ridiculous. 

We all took the traditional “throw a euro into the fountain” picture. Apparently it is good luck and it also ensures a visit back to Rome. I am kind of obsessed with Rome so I am going to make sure that that happens.

The struggle to get a cute coin throwing pic begin

All of us at the Trevi Fountain

Make  A Wish!

Pinnochio in Italy! I actually didn't know he was italian but this store was full of really cool wooden clocks

 After the Trevi Fountain we decided to try and walk to the Colosseum and see if we could get a ticket for that day or at least just see if from the outside. As you can see, this was a packed day involving a bunch of walking. All of us had to keep stopping and sitting because we were so tired.
We ended up making it to the Colosseum but it already closed for the day :( It was probably just as well though because we were maxed out on walking. In the Colosseum area though, there was a church, San Pietro in Vincoli (Saint Peter in Chains), recommended by my art history teacher, that had Michelangelo’s Moses statue in it. It also houses the tomb of Pope Julius II, the Pope that commissioned the Sistine Chapel so it is pretty famous. It is called St. Peter in Chains because it also has the chains of St. Peter’s imprisonment in Jerusalem and according to legend the chains miraculously fused together when Pope Leo I received them.

Moses by Michaelangelo

The Chains of St. Peter

The tomb of Pope Julius II

 After that we went out to dinner again at this really cute place with lights and moss. It was super romantic. I think Rome would be really nice to go back to someday when I’m a married couple because it is such a beautiful and romantic city. We also met Jess and Alex’s friend there, the one that is studying abroad in Rome. The dinner was nice, I got pizza again and it was really good.

When dinner was over we walked by the Colosseum at night to see it all lit up and then we were all so exhausted we when back to the hostel to sleep. I thought it was a very successful and eventful first day in Rome.