Roma

Last week, I spent a few days in Rome, Italy. It was wonderful! I flew in on Wednesday night, and spent the next three days hanging out with new friends. I stayed at a very small hostel just beside the Colosseum. As soon as I walked in the door, I met two friends from the States, with whom we shortly realized we have two common friends. Thus, instant friendship.

We spent the day walking around the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. It is amazing how old Rome is... It really can't be described, that feeling of being so young, so small, so insignificant. Everywhere I go, I get that feeling. And yet, each time, it's just a little bit different. I love it.

I then spent a day walking around the Vatican with two rather crazy Aussies, who reminded me very fondly of Getta, what with their use of the phrase "sweet-as" and "I'm so jelly." It was a good, long day, that ended with Italian wine, pizza, and gelato. Perfecto.

The next day, I wandered around the Colosseum and downtown Rome with another friend from the hostel. Again, perfecto. We spent the day talking about nursing and philosophies on life, and the value in pursuing something more than what we are. On not settling, and realizing that life has a lot more to offer than we often realize or take advantage of. It was a wonderful way to spend a rainy day in Rome, before heading to the airport to go back to good ol' Madrid.

This is my favorite photo. No people, for once! That's the Colosseum on the left, if you couldn't tell. :) The house in the background is part of Palatine Hill, which is where all the richest, most important people of Rome used to live.

Friends from the hostel, enjoying a delicious bottle of red Italian wine, authentic Italian pizza, and entirely too much gelato. That's Christina on the left, who we realized we shared two common friends, and Cory on the right. Even more fun, Christina was heading to Dublin the next morning, and she'll still be there on Friday when I go! So, we are meeting for dinner in Dublin on Friday. Only in Europe...

The Vatican. Those are the famous Swiss Guard, who are the security of the Vatican City. And, of course, it wouldn't be complete without a few nuns in the photo, too.

I obviously didn't take this photo, but it is one of my favorites of me from this semester. One of the crazy Aussies I toured the Vatican with snapped it, just outside St.Peter's Basilica. That was, by far, the most impressive cathedral I've seen.

This is at Trevi Fountain. If you're wondering what I'm doing, I am not intentionally eyeing the seagull just above me, though it does look that way. I threw the traditional coin over my left shoulder, and was watching it fall towards the depths of the fountain, beckoning the return of Rome, just when Christina snapped the photo. I do kind of look like I'm communicating with the bird. Awesome.

The Colosseum and the Roman Forum literally sit in the middle of bustling, downtown Rome. It's the weirdest thing ever. I don't know why, but it doesn't matter how many historical cities I go to, I never picture them with cars and highways.

Arch of Titus. Not Constantine. If neither of those means anything to you, don't worry. I pretended like they did while I was there, but I had no idea what anyone was talking about. I nodded and tactfully added nothing to the conversation until later, after I googled information on both.

Part of the Roman Forum. It never ceases to amaze me how they built things like that...

Rome was wonderful. And the food is every bit as good as they say it is. My stomach may not like Italian food, as I spent most of those four days feeling pretty sick, but my soul was happy. And that totally wins out. Pizza, pasta, tiramisu, paninis, gelato...

It was raining yesterday afternoon, so I headed to the airport an hour earlier than necessary and sat at a café and wrote in my journal... which I had sadly been neglecting for a few days. I spent a lovely two hour flight talking to the sweet old woman sitting next to me... She spoke to me in Spanish, to her husband in Italian, and her husband spoke in English to me. Again, only in Europe.

I met a wonderful Ghanaian (yes, I had to look up that word) woman in the airport, at midnight, on the way to the Metro. She had to have had more than 200 lbs of stuff: two rolling suitcases, two backpacks, and a purse. I had a hard time rolling one. I've no idea how she managed both at all. She must be Super Ghanaian.

All-in-all, it was a weekend full of unexpected surprises, and surprisingly good, deep conversations. I met a lot of people, heard a lot of stories, and learned a lot about life along the way. I am so incredibly thankful.

Less than two weeks to America!