When in Rome...

Upon arriving in Rome, we were instantly comforted knowing that we had air conditioning in our hostel after hearing all of the horror stories of the unbearable heat that this Italian city had recently been experiencing. We stayed at a place right near the train station called Legends Hostel. On the plus side- it was very easy to navigate to from the central station; however on the down side, the free pasta and pizza parties they advertised were incredibly disappointing! We never thought it was possible to mess up pasta, especially in Italy, but what we received was a mixture of carrot and pea baby food, and Chef Boyardee. Nevertheless, it was free so we couldn't complain too much!

The first day, we got up early to see Vatican City. The line was deceivingly long and before we knew it we were (modestly dressed of course) inside of this incredible structure called St. Peter's Basilica. We were shocked when we were able to tour the burial place of the late Popes- including seeing Pope John Paul II, our most recently deceased Pope of the Catholic Church. St. Peter's was breathtaking. After touring the church, we headed to the Vatican Museum to catch a glimpse of the Sistine Chapel. Upon entering, one almost got dizzy looking up at the incredible artwork that lined the walled and ceiling of the chapel- and to think that Michaelangelo was on his back the whole time while he painted it is even more awing to think about!

That evening, we decided to take advantage of the cool night air, and toured the city at night ending up at the Trevi Fountain. A traditional legend holds that if visitors throw a coin into the fountain, they are ensured a return to Rome. Additionally, a reported current interpretation is that two coins will lead to a new romance. Needless to say, Christian and Melissa threw in two coins while Angela threw in one. :)

The following day, we visited the old ruins of the city. We saw Palantine Hill, were many affluent Romans had their houses during the Republican Period. After giving ourselves a tour of the area (including making up stories as we went along of what they did in certain rooms), we saw the Roman Forum and finally the famous Colosseum, considered one of the greatest works of Roman Architecture and Roman Engineering. The Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles and was capable of holding between 40 - 75,000 people (which is more than Autzen Stadium!). It was crazy to see that they were still excavating this magnificent area of Roman history.


Angela left early the next morning while Christian and Melissa hopped on a train to Venice for the Night. We were sad to see her go but excited for our next adventure :)!