giorno due

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Familia!

I'm just getting back to our hotel room after a loooooong day of walking and exploring! I'm exhausted and have never felt so good! I have a feeling I'm going to be saying that in every email I send home! Everything we do is soooo exhausting, but its so rewarding!

Sleeping last night was a little weird... The time change was awkward. Our bodies were so tired, but our minds knew it was time to be awake. We finally fell deep asleep and woke up 20 minutes before we were supposed to be meeting with our group! We hauled-A out of bed and made it downstairs in time for breakfast. It was the worst meal of our entire lives. They had yogurt and granola, so I was PUMPED! Of course, everything is in Italian, so I didn't realize it was PLAIN yogurt until after I took a huge bite. It was awful. Watery, sour, bitter. ICK!

We took the metro into the heart of Rome. We were underground with the grafitti and everything smelling like piss (sorry, Grandma!) and we walked off the subway and up the stairs, and I lost my breath. The Colosseum was literally footsteps away in all its glory. I was covered in goosebumps. That was the moment that I realized, "Oh my gosh! I'M IN ITALY!!!" Before that, it was kind of like a trip to some exotic slum of the United States. I'm not a huge history buff, nor am I excited by art or architecture, but I was almost brought to tears when I saw it. It was so unexpected and it caught me so off guard! I can't believe I'm seeing things with my own eyes that most people only get to see in photographs and on television.

We spent the morning and afternoon walking around Rome with the group. I don't know half the names of the places we saw, I am horrible! But the good news is I took pictures! We went to the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the Fountain of Truth. It was kind of like an orientation to Rome. We didn't spend a lot of time in each place, but we'll be going back throughout the next week and a half and spending more time at each one and going into more depth about the history. Not that I'm particularly excited for a history lesson, but I don't think I'll ever get sick of gazing at this beautiful place!

Steve took half the group home back to the hotel and the rest of us went exploring in Rome. We sat on the Spanish Steps and basked in the sun (the weather is SO nice here!!!) and got to know a really nice Dutch family. We walked around all the little streets and shops down town and took a special trip to H&M. Yes, it's in the U.S., but even McDonald's is cooler in Italy!! There were 7 of us running around together and I didn't feel scared or threatened once! I've been surprised at how safe I've felt this trip. It's not the cleanest place and there are some very interesting people, but I haven't felt uncomfortable at all. I'm being smart tho, don't you worry.

After our independent adventure, we took the metro back to the part of Rome we're staying in (pretty close to the Vatican) and just got back to the hotel. We're going to unpack until dinner in a couple hours!

I love you guys! And I love Italy!
Miss each and every one of you! But I'll see you soon enough!


Wit