I start so many of my blog entries with an apology that it has taken me so long to write one. But in the end, they aren't spaced that far apart. It has been a week since my return to Germany, though, and I know it's definitely time to talk about the last part of my trip to Italy.
But first, I do just want to say how Germany's going: pretty well. My last couple of classes have not been too hard to understand. The only problem is that the classes I chose require a good amount of reading...in German, of course. There are still sooo many words I don't know, ugh! So annoying. Oh well. I know I should really be spending more time studying but it's pretty exhausting sometimes.
Besides the studying I've been struggling to beat other people to the laundry room, so that's annoying. But my friends and I all had dinner the other night, and I'm amazed at how good other people can cook. Not me! Canned soup all the way! I do admit that I've been a bit anti-social lately. There was a party on Thursday night that was wild, apparently, but I stayed home and went to bed early. I don't know, I just suddenly want to crawl in bed and not do anything. It's almost like homesickness, but it's not. My mom sent me a fantastic amazing care package from the US so I feel a lot less homesick than I should be feeling. So what is this slump? I think I'm half worried about the fact that I still have so many travel goals to accomplish and I'm half worried about the fact that learning German is hard. I just want one day where I don't have to try to understand or speak German or look up a word. I'm just...tired!
But hey, yesterday we went to a soccer game! A real Bundesliga game between two teams that I have never heard of. We were there to support Hoffenheim, which is apparently the local team. The ending was crazy! Hoffenheim scored to make it 2-1 within the last three minutes of the game...and then the other team tied the score in the last five seconds. There isn't overtime so the game just ended. And since I was not particularly invested in either team, I just thought it was an awesome ending. Soccer really is pretty cool...but it did make me feel a longing for American football. Shh!
But enough of all of that rambling about Germany...it's time to ramble about
Rome
I'll tell you one thing about Rome: it's impressive. I don't think I'd want to live there, and it sure wasn't as amazingly adorable as Venice, but it was seriously impressive. I'd be walking down a street and then all of a sudden there would be some huge monument. There are a few pictures in my album of giant buildings or statues I just randomly came across. I don't even know some of them are, but they looked really cool, so I took a picture.
But yes, so I arrived by train, and my hostel was only a five minute walk away from the station. I left my stuff there because it was too early to check in, grabbed a map, and went to find stuff to do. I managed to find a really cheap meal: sandwich and diet coke for 2 euro. That's actually extremely impressive. I walked around but all I managed to find were random expensive bakeries...and an old cathedral. (That's another thing. Everything in Rome is old...or at least it looks old!) It was the Basilica of Santa Maria Degli and it was a free entry. I had never heard of it before, but it was beautiful. The inside was pretty and kind of pink, if you can believe it. It was definitely a great surprise.
I checked into my hostel but the only people in the room were a girl and a guy laying in bed together so that was kind of awkward. I figured out my plans and got out of there as soon as I could. RSS to do the "Dolce Vita Stroll" so I decided to do that. I didn't really know what it was, but he said to walk from Piazza del Popolo to the Spanish Steps. I trust him, so I hopped on the graffiti-covered metro to get there. Piazza del Popolo was huge, and some guy showed me some steps to go up that led to a park and a fantastic Roman vista. In my American mind, this guy was pretty creepy, unfortunately. He was a grown man and he wanted to hug me. He said "what's wrong? you're in Italy!" but I still paid very close attention to my belongings. The view really was great, but then he wanted to take me to some lake and I decided to make up an excuse to meet with a friend. I mean, maybe this is normal in Italy, but it definitely made me uncomfortable. Oh well, I got some good pictures!
And so I went on this stroll. I suddenly understood why RS gave it that name. Every shop on this street was incredibly expensive and fancy. It was nice to window shop, but no way was I going to buy any Armani. I felt a little out of place, but I was used to it by that point. Dolce Vita means rich life, so there you go. But I ended up at the Spanish Steps like RSS, and tried to take as many pictures as I could. I feel like the sun was shining right at me in a lot of pictures, which kind of ruins a few, but it's not really a big deal. There was a beggar on the Steps who was really loud. That's kind of random but I'll always remember it. There were beggars all over the place, which was kind of unsettling, but perhaps common in big cities.
After getting random people to take pictures of me, I headed over to the nearby Trevi Fountain. It was really crowded, and I mean so crowded that it's impossible to get a good picture of yourself because it's just a mosh pit of people. But the fountain was truly beautiful, especially since it was nighttime. I ended up talking to a Turkish guy who was my age and had taken a picture for me. I think it's kind of amazing to just casually talk to people from around the world, so I was happy. After I had gotten enough water splashed on me, I went to meet up with Liz and Danielle, two AJY girls who were staying in Rome for the week.
We met up at the Piazza Barberini, where there was also a cool fountain. We were all glad to finally have someone to talk to! We walked around trying to find a cheap restaurant, and ended up finding a good price for an appetizer, spaghetti and espresso. The food was pretty simple, but it wasn't bad. We talked about our experiences. They told me that they had been blessed by the Pope, which is obviously awesome. I wish I hadn't missed that opportunity, but honestly I wouldn't trade Venice for anything! We went back to the fountain after eating and threw coins in and got more pictures. Then we walked alllll the way back to our respective hostels, since theirs wasn't far from mine. It was definitely nice to be able to talk to people I knew. I loved my independence during the trip, but sometimes you just need a buddy.
I got back to the hostel around midnight. It wasn't the nicest looking place, really. The bathroom was pretty dirty and the staff at the front desk didn't seem especially enthusiastic. And when I got to my room, I realized with a shock that this was the first room I'd be sleeping in that had men in it. One of the men was actually pretty old, like at least 60, so once again I felt a bit uncomfortable. No one talked to each other as the couple watched a movie, the old guy didn't speak English, and another backpacking guy just didn't say a word. Feeling a little bummed about this, I managed to fall asleep after a busy first day in Rome.
My second day in Rome was definitely busier than the first, because I finally got to see the famous sites: the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forum.
Here's the strategy. You can get a 12 euro ticket that covers all 3 of these sites for 48 hours. The best place to get it is at the entrance to Palatine Hill because the line is way longer at the Colosseum. RSS it, and he was right. Heck yeah. I decided to get an audioguide too, because my brother told me it's kind of hard to understand the ruins because...well, they're ruins. The downside of getting an audioguide instead of an actual tour was that I never knew which thing was which. It's hard to explain, but essentially you're supposed to plug in a number when you're in a certain place and the little radio will talk to you about it. But the map was kind of hard to read and it was a big spread out area so I kept mistaking where I was. Oh well. But hey, the ruins themselves were really cool! It was basically the site of a bunch of palaces from ancient times. Emperors used to live there! Real Roman ones and everything! So even though a lot of it has been destroyed over time, it's kind of amazing that there is still so much standing. And I could almost picture what it looked like back in the day. Sigh. The Forum was essentially the same thing. Even though I didn't always know what I was looking at, it was still interesting...and good exercise!
After eating a sandwich I packed and being harassed by vendors waving scarves in my face, I went to the Colosseum, where the line was even longer than before. Of course I had my ticket, so I could bypass it, and all of a sudden I was inside it. There was the main level and the upper level, and both provided spectacular views. Technically there wasn't a lot to see, though, so I sat down for a while to take in the scene. As usual I couldn't believe I was actually there! I listened in on a couple of tour groups, but otherwise I spent the time relaxing and taking pictures. Of course, as with a lot of things in Rome, they don't tell you how hard it is to take pictures of these things...because they're HUGE. Seriously. And while I was there I realized with a shock that I had seen the Great Wall of China in the same year. What giant old stone structure is next on the list???
Since it was a hot day, I eventually left the Colosseum to find a gelato place I had heard about. Then naturally I got lost going to Trajan's column and ended up at the Venetian Piazza, which was awesome looking. I think I found the column though...or at least I found a column. But anyway, I was really tired by this point. I had done so much walking, and Rome only has two subway lines so a majority of the city can only be seen by walking or bus. I walked. But eventually I managed to get back to my hostel, where I was met with a surprise. All of the weird roommates from the day were gone, and the only person there was a Belgian guy. His name was Fabian and he was adorable--skinny with glasses, you know the type. I wasn't sure exactly how old he is, but perhaps a year younger than me. His English was perfect and he was very friendly, so we talked about the hostel and Rome and I was glad I finally met a true European for more than five minutes on my travels. We both decided to just chill out until going down to the hostel's free pizza dinner, which they offer every Tuesday and Thursday night.
That's when it happened. I was just Googling something on my phone when a bug crawled onto the bed. I saw it and I knew exactly what it was: a bedbug. Yes, the famed bedbugs that recently took over NYC. The same bedbugs that made me realize I needed to throw my clothes in the dryer as soon as I bought them. The ones I have been petrified of since the big outbreak, causing me to research them. That's how I knew what it was. Still, trying not to cause alarm I took it into the bathroom and took a picture of it before killing it and flushing it down the sink. When compared with Google images, my intial thoughts were confirmed. As soon as Fabian left the room for one moment I tore apart my bed and searched the mattress seams and bedpost and sheets but found nothing. Since I checked for bedbugs the moment I got into every hostel I stayed at, I was very confused. Why were there no others? Why did this one come out during the day? And for some reason, I was convinced that there was only one. One stray bedbug, who knows from where, because Fabian searched his bed too and didn't find a thing.
And for some reason, despite these years of fear, I was not that upset. Maybe it was because I was in Rome, so who cares if I got bedbugs? Totally worth it. A past version of me would be watching this, mouth agape, but for some reason I was not freaked out. I didn't tell anyone else, and didn't contact the hostel people, because I didn't want to cause a big stink. So, without another glance, we went down to get free pizza. It was actually at a restaurant across the street, but I didn't mind. I got to meet a bunch of people, most of whom were Australian. We talked about all sorts of things and of course I noted the cultural differences. The Australians were actually a bit crude and loud, even though they were fun to talk to. It just reminded me of all of the stereotypes on Flight of the Conchords. We actually ended up talking for a long time, and I didn't go anywhere else for the night even though I planned on seeing Trastevere. I didn't mind, though, because it really was awesome to talk to different people.
When I went to bed I was thinking of the bugs, but I was so tired that I didn't really care...and every time I woke up during the middle of the night I used my phone as a flashlight and didn't find a thing, so who knows. And of course, before I knew it, it was my last day in Rome.
I knew I had to see the Pantheon, so I ended up taking a sketchy bus there. The Italian public transportation is awful compared to Germany. The bus didn't even tell me what stop it was, I just got lucky by getting off the right one. And of course, I got really lost finding the Pantheon, but when I did I was in awe, as usual. It was seriously huge, and inside it was just as magnificent as everything else.
After taking a bunch of pictures, I went to the nearby Piazza Navona to shop for souvenirs. I didn't have much luck, but RSS to go there and get chocolate tartufo ice cream, so I did that. Absolutely no regrets, of course. Eventually I found Campo di Fiore, where RSS to get a cheap but good meal. He was right, once again. There was a big market in the middle where people were selling veggies and olive oil and all kinds of stuff like that. All of the restaurants had a guy standing outside trying to get you to go there, but I ended up picking one because I wanted pasta fagioli. I was really happy with this meal, especially because of the wine and the bread and the BEANS for once. So few beans in Germany. I got really full so the waiter thought I didn't like the food...oops! So to burn off a fraction of it, I walked to the nearest metro stop (which was pretty far, especially since I got lost as usual) to go to the Vatican. I got tickets to see the Vatican Museum at night, but I knew Saint Peter's Basilica closed earlier than that so I made sure I had time to visit. Entering Vatican City meant that I got to see the longest line ever, just check out the picture above. It's not my picture but it's legit. But it actually went by really fast, and it was totally worth it, because the inside of the basilica was absolutely the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Fabian told me later that I should've climbed to the top because you get an aerial view of the inside, BIBB. I was happy enough anyway.
I walked extremely slowly through the basilica, not wanting to miss a moment, but when I got out I still had a while before my museum reservation. I went to the Vatican post office and currency exchange place, both of which I highly recommend. And then I took off on a long walk to a RS recommended restaurant. I spent a good amount of time getting lost as usual, so when I finally got there I didn't have a lot of time to eat. I wolfed down some seafood risotto (not nearly as cheesey/creamy as in the US!) and tiramisu. Definitely worth it, and not too expensive. Trying not to think about the fact that that was my last Italian meal, I rushed back to the Vatican and ended up being astounded as usual. I wasn't sure what to expect about the museums, but they were better than any other museum I've ever been in. There were paintings all over the walls and ceilings and every single one was beautiful and impressive. I walked around with my mouth open most of the time, half latching onto tour groups I didn't pay for and half standing and staring. I don't know if night tours are better than day tours, but it was absolutely magnificent all the same.
When I finally got to the Sistene Chapel, I just stood and stared at the ceiling for like 10 minutes. I had kind of an epiphany about God, too. Not that I want to get too political on this blog, but I believe in God. I don't go to church or pray as much as I should, even though I was raised Catholic, but I believe in God and morality. I hear people argue about the existence of God all of the time, though, and suddenly I realized something. Whether there really is a deity watching over us is an endlessly debatable subject, but you know what's not? The fact that one exists in the minds of humans. Belief in God makes people do good and bad things. At one point in time, God and the church was all that mattered, as was evidenced by literally ALL of this art. So much biblical art. And people will argue He does exist, and some people will argue He doesn't exist, but really, it's the talk of a God in general that makes Him real. Does this make any sense? I'm not trying to be a pseudo-philosopher, but no matter what your beliefs are, you really should realize that humankind is unique for believing in a God/many Gods/spirits. I'm not sure if there have any been civilizations that are just atheist, like they've never even heard or thought of of the possibility of there being a God (or spirits, you know what I mean), and not because a dictator is hypnotizing them, but because it never crossed their minds. But I feel like there's not, and that's what makes us human. And that's just the sort of epiphany kind of thing I had, it doesn't really matter and it's not essentially groundbreaking, but as I was staring at this ceiling I could see how amazing of an influence God has on people, and it was quite touching. I don't know.
Anyway, when I got back to the hostel (a whole new person) I spent the rest of the night talking about politics with Belgian Fabian and a Polish guy. A few points, the owner of the hostel (an Italian) would pop in and give some more thoughts. And you know, it wasn't arguing. It was simply acknowledging the problems in the world and how corrupt everyone is. It was fascinating to hear different sides of the argument. I hear people in the US talking about how they hate the two-party system, but the Italian said he wished Italy had that system because they have like 20 parties. I don't want to get all political on here like I said before, but I was just so thrilled to have conversations like these.
Eventually I went to bed for about four hours....because I had to wake up early and fly home.
And that's not a very interesting story. I wrote my contact info on a piece of paper and left it on the nightstand by Fabian but he hasn't contacted me, so I suppose he thought I was a weird American or something. Oh well. I had to do a lot of frustrating waiting in the airports, but it was pretty typical. When I got home I was really stressed out and I threw absolutely every washable thing in the laundry machine and dryer to kill any possible bedbugs. And you know what? I haven't seen one since that one random one, and I have absolutely no bites. I heard that sometimes the bites take a while to show up, but I am feeling pretty good about it all. And I went home and met another German suitemate who is studying his master's in cancer research, so obviously he's a genius. Then the rest of my week happened, and I've basically written the most important parts.
Now, after all of these long posts about Italy, I am finally done. It's Saturday night and I didn't have any plans so I'm just being a bum right now, but I'm going to go to sleep soon, I think. I'm too tired to read over this post right now so sorry for the typos. Check my Shutterfly soon for pictures...captions coming eventually! Phew. Traveling alone was exhausting and difficult, but as you can see, I have no regrets. I can't believe I did it, and I am so glad I did.
Well..bis später!
This is what Australian girls are really like. I met one with a name pronounced Pete-ra. I'm not kidding!
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