I’m pretty mad at myself for not updating this sooner, but internet has been a nightmare for the past two days. Anyway, here it goes, better late than never.

Rome…the eternal city definitely lives up to its name. Like I’ve said with Paris, witnessing the stuff that you learned about all your life is mindboggling. I was so speechless half the time and then out of breath (literally) the rest. On our first full day (we arrived the night before and decided to rest up), we went to the Spanish steps where I was forced to have a bracelet made out of string be made for me. We did two free tours. The first was of the ancient city, the victory columns, Capitolium, Roman Forum, and the Colosseum. I was so stunned when I first saw the Collosseum because it comes out of nowhere and to the everyday Roman its just another building. Despite all the traffic zipping through and the zillions of tourists, it still was spectacular to see in person. Our second tour of the day was of the City Centre, where we saw the Temple of Adrian, the Pantheon (largest dome in the world, bigger than St. Peter’s), Trevi Fountain, and Piazza Navona. The Trevi Fountain was gorgeous, but again the zillions of tourists and the constant harrassment by the street pedlers ruined it a bit for me. We grabbed some gelato afterwards (on average I had two cones a day, yeah I went all out and I’m not ashamed heheee) and headed back to our hostel.

Day 2 was bright and early for Vatican City. We left our hostel by 7:15am and got there I would say around 7:45. We went around St. Peter’s Square and oogeled at the statues. Then we went inside the Basilica and it was again, breathtaking. So luxurious and so over-the-top. We were there so early that it was relatively empty but realized that we should’ve lined up for the museum instead because by the time we got there (9am), the line was already curved around the block. After a two hour wait, we finally got in at 10:57am! I got the audioguide, which was a little annoying because the descriptions were so long and monotone that I kind’ve zoned out after awhile. Anyway, the museum was obviously spectacular, especially Raphael’s rooms and the Room of Maps. The Sistine Chapel was pretty awesome but I personally was rubbed the wrong way by the sheer spectacle of it. The guards were packing in as many people as they can at once and I had to focus really hard in order to actually appreciate the frescos. Overall the museum was amazing, but the amount of tourists was overwhelming and at times took away from the actual works of art on display. We went back to our hostels after an amazing (late) lunch and napped for a bit. Then, we went and saw the Trevi Fountain and Colloseum at night. The Fountain was even worse at night, but was so gorgeous with the lights. The Colloseum was even more gorgeous since it was lit up and all the tourists were essentially gone. We literally circled it a few times, taking in the different views, then went across the street and climbed the steps to get an elevated view. It was so serene and peaceful, I wanted to stay there all night just staring at it.

On Day 3, I walked back to the Spanish Steps and hung out for a bit enjoying the amazing weather. Afterwards, I continued walking some more until I made it to the Capitoline Hill where the Museo Capitoline is and went inside. The collection was mostly sculptures, divided into rooms for emperors, philosophers, and a few others. It was a great museum, and the best part was that it was practically empty so I can actually enjoy everything in peace. After the museum, I decided to hang around the Roman Forum and take in the views again. Shortly afterwards,  I headed to the Colloseum in order to actually go inside. I literally spent about two hours in there, not believing that I’m inside the freaking Colloseum. It was an experience I’ll cherish forever.

Rome is an amazingly gorgeous town but the amount of tourists is actually really annoying at times (weird since I’m technically part of that group). I feel like the city itself has become so tourist oriented, with tour guides harrassing you on the street and street pedlers trying to get money out of the foreigners. It takes away the feeling that I was in a genuine city, rather it felt like I was in an exhibition. I mean I can’t generalize and say all of Rome is like that, but I really didn’t feel like that I can find some odd nooks and crannies of the city like I could with others. And for this reason, I have come to the conclusion of my Rome vs Paris debate, with Paris winning and Rome as a distant second.

I’m in Barcelona now and loving it! Will try to update as soon as I leave the city. Next stop will be Madrid and then finally London (which I’m missing like crazy!).