Thanksgiving Weekend: Rome, Italy

It has been quite some time since I last wrote and let me tell you, I have learned a lot.

Things Learned:

- Italians love their strikes

- Cops care more about their dress than enforcing the law

- I miss an American meal more than I thought

- Rome is my favorite Italian city so far

- Life would be boring without gelato

My trip to Rome started out full of excitement (sarcasm) as we discovered that there was a national train strike planned for the Sunday we needed to get back to Paderno… by train. After some quick last-minute decision making, a group of fourteen students hired a bus to pick us up and take us back. Annoyances: 

The bus ride that was only supposed to take five hours took more like seven.

Instead of paying 40 euro for a train that would get us back much quicker, we were forced to pay 80 euros for the slow bus.

That being said, after sitting down and thinking about the situation, I realized that I was annoyed by something that was out of my hands. – Not to mention the fact that I am in ITALY! It was pretty much ridiculous for me to have been upset in the first place…

On a lighter note, the Roman police confirmed my long-lasting impression that police in Italy care more about the way they look than actually enforcing a law/rule. Prime example: The Sistine Chapel. After being told that I was not allowed to take any photos inside the Sistine Chapel, I entered to see countless tourists openly snapping shots of the ceiling. The officers in charge of enforcing the “strict” rule were standing around having conversations with each other. The funniest aspect of this situation was that the officers only seemed to care about the photos when the noise level inside the chapel became too loud for them to hear their own conversations. “Sshhh, no photos” was the only thing they would say. After about two seconds of quietness, the tourists and officers were back to their old ways. Luckily, I took advantage of this opportunity and was able to snag some shots of the ceiling using my iPhone!

A four day trip to Rome was just enough time for me to decide that Rome is officially my favorite city in Italy thus far. It was beyond cool seeing the giant Colosseum sitting in the middle of such a major city. The Trevi fountain, Vatican, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica all add to the allure of this amazing city. An added benefit of visiting Rome is the ability to get a great American meal. While there, my friends and I stopped in at the Hard Rock Café to get a super-sized meal. It was delicious. I cannot wait to get home and have some of my favorite dishes!

A view of St. Peter's Basilica from a bridge. 

A view from inside the Colosseum. 

The beautiful Trevi Fountain. 

It is hard to believe, but this is my last week here at CIMBA in Paderno del Grappa, Italy. – My last full week in Italy, too. This semester has gone by more quickly than what I anticipated. I feel like I just touched down in Venice last week knowing only two girls from Tech that were joining me here in Italy. I now have friends from many different universities around the country and countless states, spanning from Oregon to Maine! The time has come to buckle down and prepare for finals. I am happy to report that there are still many things to look forward to in my final week. First, our last formal dinner is being held tomorrow night. The food, wine, and conversations with friends are always great. Secondly, I will be traveling for a week after the program ends with the opportunity to visit three new cities. I will be jetting off to Barcelona, Dublin, and eventually Berlin before heading back to the States. I am excited to visit all three of theses cities, but even more excited to head to Berlin.  I came to Europe and stayed with a great friend of mine, Hendrik Schur, in Hamburg, Germany before my study abroad program began and get to leave Europe after exploring Berlin, Germany with him. – Great times in the beginning, great times to come!

I feel so blessed to have had this amazing opportunity and I fully expect the remainder of my time here in Europe to be just as great.

Ciao for now!