When in Rome...

I can not believe that I was actually in Rome this weekend. It was the first time I couldn't believe what I was doing, and what I was seeing was truly reality. I have seen it in pictures for years, but never thought one day I would be there. Walking into the Colosseum my jaw literally dropped, I could barely say anything. Our tour guide talked a little too much, but I was really entranced by the information and stories he was telling us. I was standing where, 2,700 years ago, people were standing. Our guide even said if they tried, they could probably still find blood of those who fought there all those years ago. Walking into ancient Rome had the same affect on me. It was like I was walking thousands of years backwards into another century. It was amazing. The ruins and the paths were beautiful, I sat and tried to picture what they looked like when they were newly built. We also had the chance to get to the Vatican and took a tour through all of the museum and of course the chapel. Everything was spectacular, I was standing in places that Michaelangelo stood and painted, and other artists as well. I actually saw the image of the Creation of Adam. I have seen that painting for years in so many other ways, but I was up close to it, looking at the original painting. I could not take my eyes off of it. Even now I can't believe i saw that. It still feels like it was all a dream. It was a VERY long day, but every moment of it was worth it.

After our tour we got the chance to go out and do our own thing. Of course we made 3 wishes at the Trevi Fountain, did a little shopping, saw Sex and the City 2 (in ENGLISH! with Italian subtitles: very cool), and then got to go out and experience the night life. You can tell how frustrated Romans get with tourists, they would lie about directions and push us into things as they walked by, it was kind of funny, but after a while got frustrating... It was fun to go out, we went to an area that had bars that was full of people our age and really got to experience a fun time. I can't even begin to tell you how awful the ride home in the taxi was though. Driving in Italy is like one giant free for all. There are no lines on the road, and rarely any stop signs. They just drive fast and weave in and out of traffic. I will never complain about the Roosevelt Boulevard EVER again. Anyway, it was literally my most favorite trip thus far. I loved Lake Garda, but this was definitely more of an Italian experience, and I still can't believe I was there. It was perfect.

These are some of the 500 pictures I took.... The one of the three of us in front of the Trevi was right after making our wishes... We were obviously happy to make them, hopefully they come true! The picture of the movie screen is the english movie with Italian subtitles!