Ciao Mieli! It has been a while and so much has happened. Where to start?
This past week from Tuesday through Friday was our field trip to Rome with both groups of Communication and Architecture students. It was only right that we began our adventure with a little mix-up. As a train arrived at the Castiglion Fiorentino train station there was immediately a wave of confusion and thus resulting in a panicked rush to the neighboring platform where the train was pulling up. I strongly advise against the use of rolling luggage while traveling through Italian train stations, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. Only after we were all on board, seated, and moving, did we realize the train was headed for the wrong destination. All I could do was laugh and figure a morning sprint was fun, right? Once in Rome, we were kept quite busy, but worth every second. Our hotel was very quaint. Lainey, Sydney, and I shared a minute little room with three single beds, a window to the courtyard, and a narrow pathway to shuffle between to get to the bathroom. Personally, I loved the small space. It was very reminiscent of silly middle school sleepovers, being so close as we stayed up late all three nights deliriously babbling. Besides the incredibly loud collection of seagulls that drove me wild, we all slept heavy after each day of excitement. Among the most significant sights along our tours were the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Colosseum, Roman Forum, and St. Peter’s Cathedral. There is so much to be said about each landmark and not enough time to do them justice. In our free time, my roommates and I also went to the Alter of the Fatherland, where we took an abundance of photos, especially with a few new white winged friends (seagulls). Throughout the whole trip the food was incredible, not surprisingly. Thank goodness we had to walk extended distances everyday day because I certainty was not regulating my calorie intake among the pizza, pasta, tacos, burgers, and gelato.
Though this was not my first time to Rome, I really enjoyed my time there. I visited back in high school some three years ago and had forgotten the magnitude of culture, history, and beauty that Rome encompasses. Now, after my second visit to Rome, the comparison of my experiences was very interesting. Having experienced the immediate “wow factor” from all of the magnificent sights previously, I could now thoroughly appreciate and delve into the details of all there is to discover.
