Rome!

Rome is for lovers.

Rome was a great experience.  The city as a whole has litter everywhere and has a strange smell of body odor and pee.  Kortnie and I were lucky enough to be staying in a hostel right in the center of Rome.  We did a ton of walking around, and climbed a shit ton of stairs.  Our glutes will be lookin mighty fine. 

We saw the typical tourist attractions and ate the typical Italian food and we even drank a bottle of Italian wine!  For the small amount of time we were in Rome, we saw everything we wanted to see.  If we were to stay a few more days we would probably check out some museums and possibly go back to some of the monuments at night to get some night photos.

Another noteworthy comment before I explain some of the major things we did, if you end up traveling by train to and from Rome expect your ears to pop every ten minutes!  I highly suggest traveling by train through Italy.  There is so much to see in Italy, and most other countries, that no one really thinks about seeing what the countryside looks like!  If you take the train, you can see the beautiful countryside and all the mountains and little villages and cities!

With Katy Perry on blast, I will be able to tell you all about some of my favorite things in Rome!!

Vatican City-

Vatican city was less than a 10 minute walk from our hostel.  The lines were pretty short when we went too.  I love the amount of detail that the entire city had as a whole.  There was not a place that was void of ornate details.  My favorite part of visiting Vatican City would be climbing to the top of the Basilica.  Before you go up to the top, they tell you that it is 360 steps and you can pay 5 euro to just take the steps to the top, or you could pay 7 euro to take the elevator and then some steps.  Kortnie and I are much more frugal than we are lazy.  We counted all the steps it took to get to the top, and the total was 720 steps.  They lied.  The steps were narrow and mostly fixed on a spiral staircase.  However, once you get to the top of the Basilica, you can see the entire city of Rome.  All the stairs were most definitely worth it.  Would I do it again? Yes, in a heartbeat.

Popolo Plaza-

I was kind of disappointed when we went to see this plaza.  Its suppose to be one of the most beautiful ones in Rome.  However, almost the entire plaza was under construction while we were in Rome.  What we did see of the plaza was beautiful.  Would I do it again? Possibly, so I can see it in its entirety.

Spanish Steps-

Yet another disappointment.  I am starting to think that the only way to actually see some of these landmarks is to go during the height of their tourism season.  Anyways, we kept seeing these beautiful pictures of the Spanish Steps, and Kortnie was super excited to see them.  When we got there, they were empty.  Every picture we had ever seen of the spanish steps included thousands of flowers also.  The steps were still beautiful; however, I would of liked to see them with the flowers on them too.  Would I do it again? Probably, if I ever find myself in Rome again, I will stop by.

Trevi Fountain-

We went to the trevi fountain on our first day in Rome.  It was just as beautiful as it is in pictures.  The water in the fountain almost looked fake, it was such a bright blue color.  We were at the fountain for a good hour just taking pictures and talking about how in awe we were of the fountain.  My favorite part of the fountain is when a tourist actually climbed into the fountain to get his bracelet that fell in, once he got in the fountain, the police were after him!  Poor guy, he just wanted his bracelet back.

Pantheon-

I am not sure what I expected when we were going to visit the Pantheon.  As soon as we walked in, we were able to see all the beautiful artwork that had gone into the Pantheon.  It was beautiful inside, and the Pantheon looks gigantic from the outside.  While at the Pantheon, I managed to run into a couple of friends I knew from back home in Sioux Falls, SD who had just moved to Norway!  Imagine to coincidence of running into someone you know in a city the size of Rome!  Crazy.  Anyways, would I go back?  I don't think so, seeing it once was enough for me.

Colosseum-

The Colosseum is just as grand and breath taking in person as it is in pictures.  Just standing in front of the Colosseum looking at it, I was in awe at the craftsman ship that was used to build it wayyyy back in the day.  It truly is a sight to see.  On our last day in Rome, Kortnie and I went inside and looked at the art and artifacts that where inside the Colosseum that gave insight on Roman history.  My favorite part of being inside the colosseum was just looking into the center of it from the top where the seats used to be!  It was a humbling and delightful experience.  However, be warned that when climbing these stairs its like doing lunges up steep, thick steps.  Would I go back? Heck yes.

Roman Forum/Palatino-

The Roman Forum and Palatino are a must to see after some of the trademark Rome tourist spots.  I loved the Roman Forum and Palatino.  The Roman Forum is an area filled with the ruins from ancient Rome and has parts of buildings and structures standing still.  As I was walking by these ruins, I was able to see them up close and imagine how it used to be in Rome!  The Palatino was right next to the Roman Forum and it was a bunch of very old structures built into hills.  These structures where arches that I think may have been openings to homes.  Don't quote me on that.  If you love history or if you love Roman mythology you HAVE to visit the Roman Forum and Palatino.  It’s a must.  Would I go again? duh.

Food-

Oh my god.  The food.  The pizza Kortnie and I had was so fresh and refreshing.  Normally when we eat pizza we feel gross after, but after eating pizza in Rome, we felt more active and ready to go and do something new!  We both agree that when in Rome, eat pizza at least once, and make sure there is mozzarella on it!  We also had some pasta!  We both had this pasta that was filled with spinach (yum) and various cheeses with parmesan on the top.  It was so delicious and it was the perfect amount.  The spinach and cheese was super fresh and the pasta itself was so tender.  It was perfect.  We had gelato almost every day.  Gelato is so addicting.  I tried: tiramassu, chocolate, vanilla bean, melon, mango, and hazelnut gelato.  My favorites were the mango and hazelnut flavors.  Kortnie had: apple, vanilla, kiwi, pistachio, cream, and coconut.  I tried the coconut and it was amazing.  The pistachio tasted just like eating pistachio nuts! It was amazing.  We both also had a bottle of real Italian wine.  We liked it!  The wine is much stronger here than the wine I have had before.  It was delicious!

That pretty much sums up my major moments in Rome!  We both had a shit ton of fun, and it was worth going to!  Would we go again? Probably!