So much Romaaaaa, So little Timeaaaaa

I am back again with more travel adventures. On this weeks agenda...ROME. Wow this trip was a long time in the making, but us three Austrian natives made it to the big city. Maggie, Ethan, and I all made the best out of every turn around in our travel experience (and trust me...there were a few). But, the warm hugs from friends and the laughs we all shared together will be cherished for years to come. This city was incredible and had so many special and unique places for us to see, as well as many pizza pies and of course: GELATO! My heart and tummy were so full after this trip as it was the perfect "pick me up" I needed when I felt like the semester was dragging a little. Get those reading glasses on cuz you're heading to Rome folks!

Thursday Evening:

The three of us, and our eager hearts, hopped on the bus to get to the train station. For those of you who don't know, its about a two hour ride from Salzburg to the Munich airport by train. What normally is a 15 minute bus ride took 45 MINUTES! So, we definitely missed our train and thought for sure we were going to miss our plane. But, thanks to the good Lord above, there was another train leaving the Salzburg station 15 minutes later...just so ya'll know, that NEVER HAPPENS! So, our lucky butts got on that train and made it just in time to our plane. We landed in Rome, and had some emotional reuniting with our friends before we shared some gelato in the pouring rain, and went to see the Vatican at night. This is when I met up with my good friend Abby from school and got to spend the weekend staying and adventuring with her. I was so happy to see her smiling face:)

Friday Adventures:

On Friday we finally got to do some sight seeing around the beautiful city. Abby and I had a later start and met up with Maggie, Anna, Ethan, and Peyton later in the afternoon. We decided to grab some pizzas and talk about our programs together. It was great to get more acquainted with all the friends before we all hung out together for the day. We then ventured over to the Vatican for a day time look. We walked up hills, and stairs, and more stairs, but failed to find the Sistine chapel. It was upsetting, but dang that thing is really hidden. We decided to get in line to go into the Vatican and the museum there. While waiting in the hour long line it started pouring rain. It was insane...seriously like a monsoon that never let up. We were soaked, and laughing, and enjoying the laughs we were all having together. I wasn't upset or crabby, I was simply loving this moment as I knew it was something that none of us would ever forget. We also saw someone proposing...she said...YES:) Here are some pictures of the Vatican from the outside.

After we waited in the rain for an hour, we went through security and inside we went. Of course, the rain stopped just as we got inside, but I was glad that happened...made the memory even more special and proved that we all held positive attitudes throughout. Attitude really determines how one views a situation. The Vatican was absolutely breathtaking inside. There are no words to describe the details this holy place holds, nor the feeling that one gets when they enter into this divine space. There were alters upon alters, classical architecture, sculptures, and Saints that were preserved for all the see. This all was truly incredible to see, and was a little overwhelming at the same time. I was so fortunate to have seen this space and experienced the feeling that it gave me.

That evening Abby and I cuddled up to watch a movie before heading out with the whole Greco-Roman crew. We went to an Irish pub, and later to a bar called The Basement. After that Abby, Colin and I went to McDonalds (I now call it "Smackdons") for a late night snack. It was so fun to get to know Colin more and spend some quality time with Abby.

Saturday Shenanigans:

Saturday was such a lovely day for me, yet incredibly exhausting as well. This day was filled with all the tourist location traps and it was awesome. Abby and I set out on an adventure with Colin, Jordan, and Daniel. Our first stop was the Spanish steps. Here we looked at the fountain, climbed the steps, and went to the small church that set at the top of the steps and overlooked the city. It was a cool site:)

Next stop was to make a wish at the Trevi fountain. This was my favorite part of the day. The fountain is so beautiful and really seems mythological when you're there. I have never felt more confident in my wish coming true than when I wished on that coin! We also stopped at a fountain built by Brunelleschi: someone we are learning about in my art history class here. It was so great to see a piece of his work in real life.

Next stop was the Pantheon: an ancient Roman architecture that was built for the Roman God Juptier. It was definitely a classical Roman architecture and displayed the famous painter Raphael there in his tomb. That was interesting to see. At the top of the building there is a large hole cut out in the dome. When it rains, the rain falls through the dome creating a water fall like structure in the building and it really is a magical site. After stopping here we of course got some gelato, took a picture by a little Irish pub named "Abbey", stopped in a book store, and finally walked by the government building. A lot of things done in that two hour time period.

We had two more important stops to make that day. The first was the Roman ruins. This was really cool to look across all the land and see what remained from ancient times. The grass was so green and welcoming, but the ruins told a different story. And the final stop was the Colosseum. We were not able to go in because it was closed, but we walked around the whole thing and stopped to look through the gates the best we could. It was so interesting to see a spot where ancient games had been played and attended. Wow, this was a really cool experience!

We spent the rest of the night in and watching movies after cooking dinner with Colin. It was so fun to make another friend on this trip that I can hang out with at school. What fun times we'll have when we get back together to remember this experience.

Sunday:

Well, the day had finally arrived to go back home. Or so we thought. I booked our flight ticket for the wrong day. Yes, the wrong day. Same flight number, same time, wrong day. So, we had the pleasure of staying in Rome one more evening and missing classes on Monday. While it was stressful in the moment, it all ended up working out just fine and we made it home safely Monday night.

All fun adventures must come to an end sometime and I am sad to say that this one has. I had so much fun seeing my friend and meeting new ones. I loved getting to go sight seeing and exploring a city I had always wanted to explore. These pictures I took really don't do this amazing place justice, but I sure did try. I hope you all enjoyed this post and stay tuned for my Thanksgiving celebration and Christmasmarket exploring. As always, here is some life lessons learned:

1) When it rains, dang does it pour

2) Always leave extra early for the train station because you never know what can happen

3) Even though you're only one one-hour flight away, the temperature can go up 45 degrees.

4) The attitude you chose to take in every situation determines how you will view that moment and how much fun you will have

5) Gelato is extremely messy

6) Trevi fountain wishes are the most authentic

7) Make sure to double check your flight tickets for the right returning date

8) Some Netflix movies are actually really odd

9) Giant pizzas are for no small appetite

10) Seeing friends is one of the most heart warming expereinces

Thanks for tuning in this week! Hope ya'll have a lovely start to your Christmas season, and I'll see you next week.

With love always,

Abbey Jean