Last weekend in Rome was quite an interesting experience! I don't think there was a dull moment the whole weekend. For starters, after getting off the train in Rome we quickly realized that no one wrote down the address of the hostel we would be staying in. For any of my family members reading this I am sure you are not surprised to hear that I would forget about such an important detail like writing down the address of the hostel. Anyways, after making a few phone calls we managed to find the address and locate the street on a map. However, as it turns out, our map reading skills were not exactly up to par on this particular night. So after walking around for what felt like centuries with my dramatically over packed bag, we finally made it to the hostel. Hostels are an interesting concept of Europe. I guess I didn't do any preliminary google searches on what exactly hostels are before arriving so I was shocked to find out that I would be sleeping on a cot in a room full of strangers. I also was not hugely enthused by the idea of sharing a bathroom with about thirty random foreigners. But although I initially was uncertain about this whole hostel idea, I eventually warmed up and ended up having a great time. The best part of staying in a hostel is the opportunity you have to meet tons of people from all over the world. I ended up making good friends with a couple of people from Poland; we had a long conversation about their infamous polish vodka. We also met a New Zealand chick named Jane who we had a great time getting to know (it was so comforting to finally meet a native English speaking person in that hostel). As a part of the hostels daily routine, around 9pm every night they would turn the common area into a club like setting, playing loud music and turning on strobe lights. We started out most of our nights having a huge dance party with an eclectic group of foreigners speaking broken English to us American girls. Staying in the hostel ended up being a very cultruious experience!
As for the sight seeing in Rome we were blown away! I guess I never realized how much history the city had to offer (I basically slept through all my history classes in high school). It was breathtaking to see famous buildings like the Coliseum, the Pantheon, the Wedding Cake and the Spanish Steps. My favorite attraction we saw was the Trevi Fountain. It was a huge fountain surrounded by amazing sculptures and filled with bright blue water. We were told that if you throw a coin in the water you will come back to Rome. Of course each of us threw in a coin, making us obligated to come back and visit (like any part of my life can be considered an obligation right now). We were also all very excited at the prospect of seeing the Vatican in Vatican city. Apparently Vatican City is considered its own country, separate from Italy, so in order to enter you have to have your passport. Guess who left their passport in Florence? This girl. After realizing this I was thankful for throwing that penny into the Trevi Fountain to make sure I come back to see the Vatican.
The weather in Rome was perfect while we were there, except of course on Sunday. We woke up early on Sunday feeling exhausted and ready to head back home. After waiting way too long at a bus stop it starting pouring down rain. Confused as to where the heck we were in Rome, we tried waiting it out in the rain. The rain didn't stop. Finally we threw in the towel on this bus and began running around in the rain, luggage and all, in search of a taxi. We eventually found a cab and made it back to the train station where we caught a train back to Florence. It was a long day of travel and we were happier than ever to be in our apartment. Its hard to believe I've already been in Europe for a month .... time seems to be moving way faster here in Italy!
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