Pizza, Pasta, and Gelato

Buongiorno! Last weekend, six friends and I went to Rome, rented a cute little apartment, and had a fabulous three day vacation. Oh, and we also ate our weight in pizza, pasta, and as much gelato as we could get our hands on.

You're looking at the three flavored trifecta: Ferrero Roche, chocolate orange, and mint creme. Yeah, I know.

We left on Thursday, flying into the outskirts of the city. It was strange to be in a country where I really didn't speak the language at all. Everyone was very friendly though, and I noticed a striking difference between Italians and Parisians in terms of cheerfulness towards strangers.

We took a bus into downtown and then managed the Rome metro for a couple stops. Our apartment was literally a block away from the Coliseum, so this is the first view that we got when we climbed the stairs out of the metro stop:

The apartment was super cute, and there was plenty of room for all seven of us. I was really pleased with our decisions to stay here instead of getting a room in a hostel.

Adorable! We even had a little balcony.

We started early the next day, heading straight to the Vatican. We did all the touristy stuff-- St. Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, and the Musei Vaticani. I don't care what you say about their religion, but you can't deny that they've got crazy digs. I've never seen so much marble, gold inlay, and tapestry in one place before. The Swiss Guards are quite a sight as well. 

After the Vatican, we wandered around Rome for a bit--getting gelato (delicious!), visiting Trevi Fountain, and stopping into little boutiques and souvenir shops. The weather all weekend was beautiful and such a nice change from the Paris gloom.

On Saturday, we went to the Coliseum early in the morning. It was stunning to see the ruins up close--the Romans really were amazing at constructing. There were displays of the different animal bones that archeologists have found, showing what kind of animals were set up against the gladiators. The bears I understood, but not so much the ostriches. The Roman Forum is right next to the Coliseum. That's where the Romans used to congregate, socialize, and, if they were senators, vote. There's not a lot left, but you can see where there were once buildings, columns, archways, and open spaces. Rome is basically a series of layers--we're on the top layer, but then twenty feet down are Roman houses. It makes me wonder what's beneath the Roman layer, and if we'll ever risk disturbing the ruins to find out.

Part of the old Forum

It was a fantastic trip, and I'm really glad I got to experience a completely different part of Europe. On one hand, it made me appreciate Paris more--I can speak the language, I know my way around, I know where to go to be happy. On the other hand, leaving and coming back made me see Paris for what it really is, without the magic of its glorified reputation--it's dark and gloomy, filled with busy people who don't bother being nice for every conversation they have. I still love Paris, don't get me wrong, but I think I also won't be heartbroken to leave. I will miss the people I've met and the cultural opportunities that Paris offers, but I will be ready to go home in two months. I had my first "bad" homesick day this week, and it really did suck. There's no solution when the only thing that will make you feel better is across an ocean. It was just a fleeting down period though, and I was happy to see it gone. I have two more months in Paris that I need to take advantage of to the utmost!