The plan was to sleep in since check out was at ten and our train left at 10:50 but I was awake at 7:30 listening to the sounds of people packing. It was sad to see people leave when I felt like we were just starting. I told Alison I felt like their stories were such cliffhangers and I would wonder about them and wish they had a Wiki page so I could hear how their storyline progressed. Like the guys playing in a semi-pro hockey league in France, the girl with the sustainability degree who quit her au pair job and was traveling alone without a plan, the student from Brazil studying in Portugal, the girls from Quebec, and the boys from Germany getting ready to start University in the spring.

Would they wonder about our story?

I suppose the easiest answer would be Facebook but it seems like not enough. I don’t know. Maybe the melancholy of leaving Rome has gotten to me. I truly loved the experience, the hostel, and the people I met.

As a side note I have trained myself to say grazi and not gracias. So, go me.

The train to Florence was a new experience for me. Traveling backwards at 244km/hour is something. Not sure what, but for sure something. I thought I would have more motion sickness issues but possibly the cure for that all along was views of the Italian country side. Take note Mom and Dad.

We made it to our hostel with little effort and wow is this place big! Our hostel in Rome had about 50 rooms on two floors whereas this place has closer to 200 rooms in two buildings. We are in a four person bedroom with two bunk beds (Alison took pictures of our room in Rome that I will try to swipe tomorrow). This place has a different vibe, very trendy, clean, with a lot of amenities. Drawbacks are no food or drinks in the room. Rome was much more laid back and had a lets-all-mingle-and-make-friends vibe.

We were both super hungry and hurried off to find some food after a quick FaceTime with folks back home to make sure they had survived snowpocalypse 2015.

The restaurant that was supposed to have great deals (as directed by the hostel map) was nowhere to be found. And I know it wasn’t Alison’s directions because they are always on fleek as she would say.

We wondered downtown I. Search for equally good eats and found a restaurant with free wifi and decent prices. The pasta was delicious and I would have licked the bowl I I hadn’t been in public. On another note, we both commented on how many American accents we heard both in the restaurant (Did you know the girl next to us is in a sorority with a girl who is (was?) dating Johnny Football? Like. OMG.) and walking on the streets.

After we wandered the night, ate some gelato and found highlights of places we plan to visit in the next few days. Florence has the effortless atmosphere and made me feel like I could, or anyone, could belong.

Tomorrow is a full day starting with an all you can eat buffet (ORANGE JUICE) at our hostel, the Uffizi museum, the Boboli gardens, and finishing the day watching the sun set in Piazzale Michaelangelo. With plenty of pizza, pasta, and gelato in between.

(Side note: the amount of pictures directly corresponds with my hunger level. No food all day? No pictures until food. My mom would say she already knew this and instead of being hungry I should eat those protein bars I packed but…she’s not here! C’est le vie.)

Ciao!

After kicking myself for that three hour nap the night before and not being able to fall asleep until 2am I woke up to Alison poking me in the shoulder telling me to get up. We had read about a Galleria Borghese in a park north of town that had free admission on the first Sunday of the month.

The park was gorgeous and a literal breath of fresh air after being in the city for a few days. Having never been to Central Park I imagine this is similar but more rustic. There were no sidewalks, only dirt or pebbled paths.

When we got to the Galleria we were told that the museum was free for exactly forty more minutes and we were welcome to see as much as we could in that time. There were only two floors and it was a fairly small museum compared to what we had seen in previous days. My favorite piece was part of an exhibition that I don’t actually remember the name of the artist (oops). Anyways, he made a replica of a sculpture and installed it on a turn table. With the lights dimmed, the table began to rotate faster and faster and turned the former statues into living art. I really wish I had taken video but trust me it was mesmerizing.

After we left the Galleria we wandered around the park and found a couple of other museums. One of which might have been the best we saw our entire stay. The artist was Pietro Canonica and he created the most life like marble statues. He sculpted Aristocrats and commoners alike. Stunning in person. Both Alison and I felt like their eyes and bodies were speaking to us.

Leaving the park we wandered towards the Spanish steps in search of food. There are a lot of steps. One hundred and thirty five to be exact. We also found our first street artists displaying fine works such as Nicolas Cage, Tom Cruise, and Katie Holmes. We found a pizza place that had two slices of pizza and a coke for 4,50€. Which was super cheap and hands down the best pizza.

We finished our day with a walk to the Piazza del Republica, and a metro ride to the national library which was closed (and Alison said it wasn’t pretty so we shouldn’t care).

When we got back to the hostel we had new roommates and spent a few hours talking and playing card games. Alison and I tried an Italian light beer which tasted pretty good for only two euro and came from a vending machine. We tried to watch the Super Bowl but got kicked out of the main room so staff could clean (pfft!).

Not a bad way to end our stay in Roma.

Today we woke up early to take the metro to Vatican City. We realized we were actually visiting ten countries because The Vatican is separate from Rome. We also learned that the major Basilicas are also part of the Vatican sort of like embassy’s. Our wait in line was about 40 minutes to get into the Museo. Of all of the museums we visited the Vatican had by far the most confusing. It was basically a series of dots and arrows with no sense of size or orientation of the rooms. Good thing Alison and I weren’t on a schedule because we got lost a number of times.

My favorite room was the Egyptian gallery. They had so many sarcophaguses and had two bodies on display. They also had untold amounts of sculptures and paintings. Ignore what I said two sentences ago. My favorite room was a hall of tapestries that ran from floor to ceiling.

We walked around the corner to get to St. Peter’s Basilica and the line went around 3/4 of the square. Although we were disappointed that we wouldn’t be making it into the Basilica we felt like we had a good enough sense of the Vatican and moved on.

We took the metro to Piazza del Popolo and walked down Via Di Ripetta towards The Pantheon and Piazza Navona. The Piazza was quite full with a lot of peddlers surrounding the fountain which was annoying. After looking at the street art we walked about two blocks, came around a corner and suddenly saw The Pantheon. Unlike the other historical sites we had visited, this is not fenced in, totally free, and set in among the other buildings.

When we got back to our room at the hostel, Alison and I sat down to plan the next day activities which turned into a three hour nap for me! When I woke up we chatted with some of our roommates and went to bed.

Good morning!

Waking bright and early we went to the train station to get our Roma Pass. With free entry into two museums and access to all city transportation it was a deal we couldn’t pass up. With a map in hand we headed towards the Colosseum. On our route we ventured inside Santa Marie Maggiore.

The church is one of the four major Basilicas in the world. It had the most beautiful tile work and these huge columns running the length of the inside.

The Colosseum is every bit as big and grand as you expect. Even though the structure has clearly not aged well the feeling in the air still feels special. Alison made the joke that maybe we should have started elsewhere because how would we ever beat this?! After declining numerous offers for private guides we used our pass to skip the line and found ourselves overlooking history. It is so easy to imagine and visualize what the people would have experienced.

Walking across the road we passed the Arch of Constantine and entered the Foro Romano, or the Roman Forum. This would have been the hub of both government and general business. Philosophers would have also wandered the cobblestone paths. Palitine Hill (housing for the most part) was beautiful and the foundations for many of the structures remain intact.

We had lunch at this small Pizzeria and took advantage of the free wifi to map out our next stop.

Next stop Palentine Hill which had a museum and some (insert another world for beautiful) art. I bought the audio guide which was quite helpful as a lot of things we had no background on.

A walk to the metro and we were back at our hostel. Exhausted and sore but SO ready for another day!

Tomorrow is the day!

I woke up yesterday to an email from Travelocity saying our flight from Detroit to Boston had been canceled and rescheduled for Friday at 6:15 AM. Meanwhile our flight from Boston to Dublin remained on Wednesday at 7 PM. Instant panic. With only minimal stress and maximum pacing Alison and I were rebooked to fly out of Chicago.

And now here we are. I’ve said goodbyes, and see you soon’s. Some tears but mostly hugs and happy smiles.

To my kids and coworkers at the Y, HI! I can’t wait to see you all when I get back! To friends and family who encouraged and supported me in this decision, THANK YOU. I am so so SO excited. Deep breaths. Time to sleep.

See you tomorrow!