Alright, I will be officially caught up on blogging about fall semester, just in time for Spring semester!
ROME
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| Roman Forum |
My travel buds and I spent 3 days in Rome, cramming in as much history, food, and adventure as we could. When I was 15, I went to Rome with my high school marching band, so it was really interesting to return. While my first trip to Rome was a blast, a lot of times the sightseeing was pretty rushed and I did not have the best of food experiences. This time around, my friends and I were able to take things at our own pace and choose where we ate, which overall made for a better experience.
Sights:
The Colosseum- The Colosseum was my favorite sight in Rome. While I had been here before with my high school band, it seemed even more impressive the second time around. They had added a lot more information that you could read as you walked around the interior so you could learn about Roman life and what kind of gladiator events took place here. Apart from person on person fights, the Colosseum also hosted sea battles (they would flood the ring!), animal hunts, and reenactments of battles. It was so cool to walk around something so old.
The Pantheon- Fun fact: "pan" in ancient Greek meant "all", and "theos" means "gods," so yes, that's right! The Pantheon was a temple for the general worship of all gods and goddesses. The Pantheon was later converted into a Catholic church. Nowadays it's just a tourist attraction, but it was really cool to see something so old, yet so intact. The columns that held up the roof were HUGE. The dome of the Pantheon was also really cool. It is the only source of light in the building if all the doors are closed.
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| Large columns, small Caitlin |
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| Outside of Pantheon |
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| Pantheon Roof |
Trevi Fountain- The Trevi is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Rome. It's a baroque fountain, originally powered by aqueduct water that features Oceanus, a mythical representation of the ocean. Legend says that if you throw a coin into the fountain you are guaranteed to return to Rome. At least in my experience, this has proved to be true:
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| Making a wish in the Trevi in 2008 |
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| Back again in 2012 |
St. Peter's Basilica- I knew before touring that St. Peter's was the largest basilica in the world, but I really had no idea HOW big. It is 2 whole football fields long! Every single corner of this building is ornate and symbolic in it's own way.
The band of gold that raps around this old church says every quote from Jesus to Peter in the bible. The letters are 7 feet tall.
The Vatican Museum- Apart from St. Peter's the Vatican has a whole museum filled with a massive collection of art from the days of the Romans, to the Renaissance, and beyond. My eyes were seriously overwhelmed by the end of the museum tour.
The most famous part of the Vatican tour is of course the Sistine Chapel. Wildly impressive and ornate, you get quite the neck work out as you stare at the ceiling for over half an hour. Here's some google image pics. You're not allowed to take any photos in the chapel:
Food:
Risotto- Risotto was up there on my list of must eats while in Italy. Our last night in Italy Michele and I got two different types of risotto and went to town.
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| Spinach & Lemon Risotto |
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| Risotto with Sausage, Cheese, & Chicory |
Roman Pasta- Hands down the best pasta I had in Rome. It was quite simple, but quite delicious. Pecorino cheese melted over pasta with lots of fresh ground pepper. I loved the cheese so much, I got my boyfriend some for Christmas.
Cappucchino- In general, Europeans know how to do coffee better than in America. I will definitely be going through withdrawal once I'm permanently back in the States.
Cannoli- A go to expression of mine is "Holy Cannoli!" I now feel that I actually have the right to use it, having tried my first cannoli.
Adventures:
Seeing the Pope- Most Wednesdays, the Pope gives "Papal Audiences" where he gives pilgrims and other people the chance to receive his blessing. Tickets are free, and it is most definitely a really cool experience. The Pope gave his blessing in English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Russian, and one or two other languages. He blessed everyone's family and friends and offered to bless any religious objects. It was so incredible to see people from all different corners of the world come to see this one man. My zoom lens is less than stellar, but the white-robed man is the pope:
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| Papal Audience |
Finding the Forum- After touring the Colosseum, we decided to head to the Roman Forum (pictured at the top of this post), an old plaza with a bunch of ruins of old roman government buildings. It was getting later in the evening, and we wanted to walk around before it closed, but for the life of us we could not find the entrance. We ended up walking around the ENTIRE forum, and it was past closing time before we decided to just give up. So we were at least able to see the forum from a distance, which, if you're not a complete Roman history buff, is just fine.
Lessons from Rick- Throughout our entire trip of Italy, my friend Kate had her kindle loaded with knowledge from "Rick Steve's Europe." Whenever we were at an important sight or monument, we'd stop and hear what Rick had to say about it. It was like having a tour guide without really paying for one! Thanks Rick!
And that about wraps things up for semester one! For the past 3 weeks I have been back in the States, enjoying time with friends and family. The time has flown fast, and I am heading back to Spain on Tuesday! This semester will be a little bit longer than the last, because I am taking a few of my classes through the actual University of Sevilla. It's a little bit intimidating, but after one semester in Spain, I'm sure I will be able to do it! I will be back in the US in late June. It kind of seems like a long time, but I'm sure the 5 months will fly. I hope everyone had a great winter break, and I wish you all a great 2nd semester!
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