ROME ROME ROME

Today I went to Rome for the first time. I could barely sleep last night because I was so excited to go to ROME. A group of about 12 of us took the train from Viterbo to Rome. It takes a little more than an hour. It was the first time I had ever been on a TRAIN like that, so I was pretty excited. It was very scenic ride. We arrived at Termini, which is the central station in Rome, and waited for some people to check into the hostel they are staying in tonight. We then hopped on the metro, and went to the Spanish Steps!
It is weird being somewhere so famous, and that I have seen in pictures so many times. It is really hard for me to grasp. I still think NONE of this has hit me yet. I am still in lala land.
So I proceeded to eat a Pannini on the Spanish Steps. My new friend, Wessley, and I wondered how many people sitting on the steps actually knew the significance of the Spanish Steps. I know I sure don’t.
THEN we went back on to the metro and headed to ANCIENT ROME. Right when you come out of the metro station at Colleseo the first thing you see is the Coliseum. I was so excited! We decided to go inside and see. It was amazing. There is so much history and there were SO many people brutally killed there. It is quite the sight. It is amazing that something so old is in tact still. I kept thinking “this was a tourist site in the 1700’s, GEORGE WASHINGTON probably vacationed in Rome.” I was just trying to understand how old it really was. I need to go back to 6th grade.
We then headed to the Roman Forum. I am really in love with this area. I am planning on going back again to see it before I go home. GOOD THING I HAVE 4 MONTHS TO DO SO. My favorite building was the oversized Victor Emmanuel Monument. There were weddings, EVERYWHERE. It’s nicknamed the wedding cake topper, or something like that. It was beautiful though. After walking around all of that, and waiting and finding each other, (Big groups are really hard to do), those of us who were going to back to Viterbo decided to head back. Unfortunately we got lost and missed the train…but then we found the train again at another train station. It was all quite the adventure. Now I am back in my bed, exhausted from going to ROME.
I have become quite the relaxed traveler. Usually I have to know where I am and exactly what is going on. But this trip, so far, I just go with the flow.