When in Rome......

This past weekend was my first trip outside of IES.  Daniela and I left Thursday night for Rome for a 3 day weekend!  It was really exciting to be going somewhere on our own.
On Thursday, I rushed home from class to pick up my bags.  We then took the metro to a different train that takes us straight to the airport.  We went through security with no problems and then sat down at a cafe to eat our tortilla espanola bocadillos and apple that Angeles had packed for us.  Soon after, we were on the plane on the way to Rome!!  We arrived around 10:30 that night and took a cab to our hostel.  The hostel was not exactly like the pictures online..which wasn't too surprising.  However, we were shocked to find out that we didn't get locks for our luggage closet.  Luckily, nothing was taken all weekend, but it was kind of unsettling.  Daniela's boyfriend, Ben, who's studying in Rome, came to meet us in order to take us to meet up with some other IES students at an apartment.  We learned the hard way that night that public transportation in Rome in nothing compared to Barcelona.  We walked forever and none of the buses or trams that we needed came our way.  We finally ended up taking a cab back because we were so tired.  When we got to the hostel, we were surprised to find that when we lay down in our beds that it just about sank to the ground...hmmm, so comfy!! haha
We woke up really early on Friday so that we would be able to beat the crowd to the Vatican Museum.  After a cappuccino and croissant, we headed to the Vatican, which was very close to where our hostel was located. 
The museum was really impressive, and a lot of it was familiar from when I went to Rome with my family 3 years ago.  The views of St. Peter's basilica are very impressive.  After the museum, we went inside the basilica, which was amazing.  A lot of my pictures don't do it justice because they are too dark, but everything inside is beautiful.  We also took lots of pictures in St. Peter's square, which was one of my favorite places in Rome.




After this tour, we went to a great pasta restaurant.  I had linguine with pesto sauce and it was perfect.  We then went to see the Pantheon, the oldest church in Rome.  It is known for its architectural structure and hole in the ceiling. 


We then took a break, sitting and relaxing in front of the Piazza Venezia, or what is more commonly known as the "wedding cake" building. 
After this, we walked to see Trevi fountain.  This was also one of my favorites.  The sculptures are incredible.  We were also lucky to be there while they were promoting the Broadway version of Beauty and the Beast.  All of the girls got roses and Beauty and the Beast were in a horse drawn carriage!
We then took another break getting a gelato and sitting on the Spanish steps.  Rome is a lot harder to walk than Barcelona due to the cobblestone streets.  Our feet were pretty worn out at the end of the day.
After this, we went back to the hostel to rest and get ready for the night.  We had pizza at a great restaurant called "Dar Poeta."  Everything was delicious and we sat beside probably the most well-traveled couple that I have ever met.  They were Irish and had been to more states then I have.
We got to sleep in a little longer on Saturday, and on the way to the bus, Daniela and I stopped to have a cappuccino.  We then took the bus to the Roman Forum and Collusuim area.  My favorite site of the whole trip was probably the Roman Forum.  The ruins there were amazing and it was fun to be able to walk through what used to be the center of Rome.

The Collusium was also amazing and I got some great photos there!
After this, we got some pasta at a nearby restaurant, and then walked around the area.  We then headed back to the hostel to rest and change for the night.  Ben's host mom had invited us over for drinks, so we got to see a different area of the city and meet some really fun people.  Patrizia served us red wine and snacks, and we had some really funny conversations.  The best part of this visit was when we tried to get a picture with everyone...including their dog.  It was really funny to see Patrizia's reactions to when the dog wouldn't behave.
After this, we got some dinner at a nearby restaurant.  We had spaghetti and tiramisu..it was delicious!  After dinner, we tried to go to a Roman nightclub.  When we went to the area, we were the only people that didn't speak Italian, and we learned that the entrance fee was much more than we were used to paying in Barcelona.  So, we opted to go to different bars in the city.  The night ended up being pretty fun!!
On Sunday morning, we had to check out of our hostel.  We then went to drop our bags off at Ben's homestay so we wouldn't have to carry them all day.  We got some lunch at the same place that we went on Friday...the pasta was great again!!  After this, we took a bus to a really pretty lookout and park area and relaxed for a while before returning to the airport. 

The plane ride home was pretty interesting.  I'm convinced that the Ryanair staff forgot about our flight because there was not a single employee in the terminal until 30 minutes after when we were supposed to board the plane.  However, we got home safely, just a little later than what we were expecting.  Overall, the weekend was a success!!