Roma

Rome was an amazing trip! I had such a good time seeing one of the first great civilizations that once covered a huge portion of Europe and the Mediterranean. It was also my first solo adventure, and it turned out to be so relaxing to just do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted!

Day 1: I flew out of Munich and straight into Rome. The flight was only about an hour long, so I got to Rome with some daylight left, around 2 p.m. The first thing I did was locate my hostel (which took a while, as I got lost-no surprise there) and check into my room. The room was nice, and I was sharing with four other girls. I always pay a little extra to have a nicer room, and if I can find it, a girls only dorm. I dropped off my things and headed out toward the Spanish Steps to find my tour guide. I had booked three tours before I left, knowing that seeing the city by myself would not be as cool as knowing some of the history behind the places I was seeing. This tour covered most of the city's main sights and was very informative. We saw the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, Valentino's house, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, and Campo Di Fiori. Our guide was a very knowledgeable Brit who once came to Rome on vacation and never left. At the end of the tour I took a bus back to the main train station, which is a few blocks from the hostel, and went to bed, knowing I had to be up early for a tour in the morning.

Day 2: Woke up early and had breakfast in the hostel, which consisted of rolls and jam. I guess that's what you get for 15 euro a night ;) I got an early start, and made my way to Piazza Del Poppolo, the main square in Rome where three of the main streets converge, and the Vatican can be seen straight down the road. It took me a while to find it, because maps are confusing, but I made it there in a round-about manner. After seeing the famous piazza, I wandered toward the Vatican, where I would eventually meet up with my tour of the Vatican. I wandered around by the Vatican, buying postcards and other souvenirs, then found a Pizza shop (I found one every day) and took a break. After some delicious pizza and a Gelato chaser, I met up with my tour. We saw some incredible works of art in the Vatican Museum, learned about St. Peter's Basilica, saw Pieta by Michaelangelo, and learned about the Country of the Vatican. It was very informative, and such an interesting place to see. When the tour ended, I made my way back to the Hostel for dinner, and went to bed early.

Day 3: I had a nine a.m. tour of the Roman forum and Colosseum, so I got up early and headed out. I had met some people in the hostel the night before, and one of the girls decided to take the same tour I was on, so we went together. We met up with our tour and made our way past the Constantine arch and into the Roman Forum. The Roman forum was the seat of government for Rome back in the day, kind of like an ancient Washington D.C. We saw Mussolini's home, which he had built among the ruins, old temples to the pagan gods, homes, palaces, and so much more. In it's glory days, the Forum would have been incredibly magnificent to behold! After seeing the Forum, we went to the Colosseum and learned all about the epic battles between Gladiators, lions, and prisoners that provided entertainment for the Roman masses. It seemes very barbaric to me, but I suppose that humans have been doing horrible things to other humans for a very long time (Cain and Abel anyone?). That Colosseum was very cool, and the tour ended on a high note. After the tour, my new friend and I wandered the city, and I showed her the big sights like the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and Piazza Del Poppolo. We walked quite a bit, and had a great time seeing more of the city. After we couldn't walk any more, we headed back to the hostel, where I met up with another girl from my room to go to dinner. I had wanted to have a nice Italian dinner, but didn't ant to go alone, so we decided to do it together, both of us being solo travelers. We took the bus back to the Trevi Fountain, and ate at a cute little cafe down one of the side streets surrounding the plaza. Our food was excellent, and we had a wonderful time. After dinner I headed to the airport, where I had to spend a horrible night trying to sleep on a bench before catching my plane at six in the morning. It was not the best night I have ever had, but all in all, I had such a fantastic time in Rome that it didn't matter!