Roma

It has been spring break for us in Bordeaux, so Marina and I took the liberty to fly to Rome, Italy for a week.

Monday - Day 1

We boarded our ryanair flight around 1 p.m. and it was about a 2.5 hour flight. We landed and bought tickets to a bus that would take us to the city. Our airport in Rome, was far from the actual city and in somewhat of a ghetto.

Once dropped off in the city center, we ordered a pizza and fries and split it. We looked for the bus that would take us near our hostel. It was kind of confusing figuring out the buying tickets procedure, but we found an info desk with a kind english speaking Italian lady.

The bus was packed and there are no signs in the bus to tell you the route (to count the stops to your place) or anything to indicate the next stop. Once at a bus stop there was just a small sign stating the name. Luckily we made it, and didn't have to take a bus back.

Our hostel receptionist was the nicest guy ever. He explained the metro and the bus system to us. We dropped off our stuff and headed to the Trevi fountain. Dropping a coin in the fountain means your guaranteed return to Rome. The fountain was absolutely breath-taking at night. We ate gelato and sat on the steps. When we got home that night, like pretty much every other night, we passed out immediately.

Tuesday - Day 2

We ate a breakfast of croissants, tea, coffee and juice at our hostel. We took the bus to the Colosseum. When we saw it from the bus, coming down the hill, I was speechless. It was like when I saw the Eiffel Tower for the first time, but even more amazing. We hopped off the bus, avoiding all the peddlers outside the colosseum and headed to the line. It was pretty short since we were early, and it's not peak tourist season.

When we entered, I wanted to touch everything. I had never experienced being in a manmade structure that had withstood nearly 2000 years. We explored every nook and cranny that was available.

After leaving the Colosseum, we snapped shots of the Arch of Constantine which is just outside of the Colosseum. It was constructed in 315 AD. If you want a little background on these, you can read this. After, we walked around the ruins near the Colosseum.

After, we found our tour bus and quickly toured the city as it was becoming dark.

Wednesday - Day 3

We spent the day at Vatican City, also known as the Holy See, and it's a sovereign state landlocked by Italy. We unfortunately didn't get to see the Pope. He usually comes out on Wednesdays, but I guess he was taking a day off or something.

We saw the Sistine Chapel :)

We stopped at the tomb of the unknown soldier before heading back to our hostel.

We finished the day at this family owned restaurant by our hostel. It was amazing.

Thursday - Day 4

For our final day, we saw the Pantheon.  The Pantheon as we know it was reconstructed in about 126 AD. It is magnificent.

From there, we headed to the Spanish Steps, then did some window shopping on Rome's version of the Champs Elyssées

We finished the day at the family restaurant and packed for an early flight Friday morning.

Friday - Day 5

We woke up at 5 A.M., took a bus, took another bus, to the airport. While our flight was delayed by nearly 3 hours, I was just happy to be back in Bordeaux in the end.