Rome so far has been lovely. Radically different from
London, but lovely nonetheless. At first, I was really surprised by how dirty
everything here seems, but after spending a few days exploring, its grown on me
a lot!
We’ve seen a bunch of the historical sites (yay ruins!) and
so far – in classic Lizzie McGuire form, the Trevi Fountain has been my
favorite, although some of the churches have been amazing as well. Morning runs along the Tiber before the rest of the city wakes up are also highly recommended. I get mistaken for a local the most when I run. Apparently, its an assumption if you work out, you are local :)
Highlights of the week:
Vespers at the Vatican. For those of you unfamiliar with
Westmont traditions, Vespers is a student-led service that happens on campus
every Sunday night on campus. It’s also been a tradition of Europe Semester to bring the
worship/fellowship time abroad. Our leaders are Scott, James, and Emily, and so
far – they’ve been doing an awesome job. This week’s was INCREDIBLE because we
did it on the steps of the Vatican, outside St. Peter’s Basilica. James pointed out that we were singing one of the lyrics "you stay the same through the ages, your love never changes" on the ground where St. Peter was martyred... how unbelievably cool is that?! We also had random tourists join us as we sang, sitting on the steps, and a few from Flordia even joined in!
Food. The gelato has been lovely. And happening twice daily.
There are a whole bunch of random stands that have food, but not real Italian
food. For the best, we’ve learned to venture a ways away from anything
touristy. My favorite meal so far – I was wandering by myself looking at a menu
of a restaurant, and to convince me, the owner brought me back to the kitchen
and introduced me to all of his family members working there. So naturally, I
ate lasagna and had a glass of wine with them!
The Colossuem is just awesome. Especially for someone who
grew up with a sports family like mine. Also interesting – the Colossuem is
known as a place of persecutions of Christians, but now in the middle, there is
a big cross. It could easily blend because it’s the same color as all of the
rocks, but when I saw it, I got goosebumps. Love wins.
The Pantheon
Street leading up to St. Peter's Basilica/Vatican city
Making a wish!
Piazzo de Popolo
Fabulous gelato!
Over the Tiber Rive
Vespers at the Vatican
Tajan's Market Ruins
Best Lunch Ever (note: story above!)
"First Christian Church" St. John Lateran
Scott and me
Hannah and me
Me, Jess, Hayley, Emily
Inside!
Back to the Trevi :)
... classy Kelsey
Playing in the Borghese Gardens
Spanish steps
In other news – I’m definitely feeling the I miss America/my
family/my friends pain. (Just to prove this – I’m sitting in a McDonalds… I can’t
remember the last time I came here in the states, but it feels strangely
comfortable!) We hit the halfway mark a few days ago, and while I really have
enjoyed my time here, and look forward to the next two months, that sinking
feeling that I have to repeat that same amount of time and travel is
overwhelming. Mommy and daddy – you could still come visit!
