Here's a fun fact for you: Rome wasn't built in a day, but I saw it in one. Okay, well two. One of the many perks of studying abroad in Europe is the close proximity of other countries. For example, my flight to Rome took only two hours and cost about 60 euros round trip.
60 euros!!!
It was an opportunity I couldn't miss. So when a few people in my program brought up the idea of taking a weekend trip to Rome, I immediately hopped on board. And I'm so thankful I did because the Eternal City stole my heart (and budget).
Thursday night was filled with bubbling excitement and strategic packing. Our flight left at 9:15 pm- which meant there would still be enough time to explore the city at night. Which is exactly what we did.
We randomly strolled through the cobblestoned streets and under tall palm trees when I noticed a familiar face on the other side of the street. He was another GW student named Lucas. My mouth dropped as we waved at each other and spoke about our semesters and mutual friends and random chances. He spoke about a few places we should visit and then we said our goodbyes.
But not ten minutes later I ran into another friend, Audrey. We screamed girlish screams and hugged a lot until I had to leave with my other friends. I'm currently 5,000 miles away from GW on the other side of the world and yet it's just so small.
The next day was full of exploration. We rolled up to the Vatican around 11 am and spent a good six hours examining the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica- which is deceptively big and completely awe inspiring. Without my friends to guide me, I absolutely would've been lost.
Just think about it- Catholicism is one of the largest religions and I'm standing in the center of it; I'm standing in the room where the conclave elects the next pope; I'm standing at a pilgrimage site.
I was speechless.
After spending our morning and afternoon there, we ate traditional Italian pizza and explored the Trevi fountain and the Spanish Steps with pasta for dinner. Basically, a successful first day.
Saturday was spent roaming around the colosseum and throwing coins in the Trevi Fountain (another fun fact: Pope Clement was only able to pay for the fountain because he won the lottery in the 1700s).
One of my favorite spots we visited was the Palazzo Montecitorio, otherwise known as the Parliament Building. After taking an elevator ride to the roof, we scanned the Italian horizon with apocalyptic ruins and trees on one side and urban buildings on the other side.
The weather was perfect, the history was rich, the food was delicious, and the city was beautiful. I left my heart in Roma.