Rome as a Tourist: Part II

Hi All!

Welcome to my new blog. I hope that you find this one a bit easier to follow. Before updating you on the past week, I want to go over the features of the new blog. On the right, you will find a few interesting links to my bucket list, IES Abroad, and two travel companies - Euroadventures and Bus2Alps. You can also subscribe to my blog via e-mail by putting your e-mail address in the "Follow by E-Mail". If you do this, you will receive an e-mail any time I update this blog. Finally, I have links to all my pictures on the right, so you can get a better idea of where I've been and what I've done. I hope this blog will enable me to post a bit more spontaneously and frequently as well.

Changing topics completely, last Thursday was Italy's 150th Anniversary of being a united country. This meant my favorite three words in the Italian lanuage - "non c'e scuola" - or "no school.". To celebrate, many of the museums in Rome were free. I took advantage of this by going to the first public museum ever created - the Capitoline Museum. It was comprised of a bunch of pieces of art donated to the city of Rome by the Catholic Church. It was huge! It had the famous statue of Romulus and Reamulus drinking milk from the she-wolf - I'd heard so much about it and was so happy to be able to finally see it. The museum also had amazing views of the Roman Forum!

On Friday, I took a tour of the Vatican Museum - it cost me €40 but was so worth it. I got to cut the four hour line and a phenomenal tour. I would not have been able to navigate the museum on my own, either. It has 1,200 rooms and 18 kilometers of hallways! We got to see the Belvedere Torso, Laocoon and his Sons, the Map Rooms, Raphael's Frescos, the Sistine Chapel, and the Last Judgement! It was an amazing experience. Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel and the Last Judgement were my favorite, though. I'd heard so much about them, but words cannot do it justice. Also, my tour guide put them into context which helps you appreciate them even more! I put the link to the tour group on the right - When In Rome Tours.

Friday night, we went to an area of Rome called Testaccio. It is a bunch of old warehouses they turned into bars. It was the home to quite a nightlife, though. I was happy because it was the first time I've gone anywhere at night that was not dominated by American students. One of the bars was even playing Italian dance music! I had a great time.

I spent the day on Saturday trying to study (even though none got done) and I couldn't do anything on Sunday because the Rome Marathon shut down the city.

My next post will be about midterm week in Rome - fun!