On day 9, our breakfast foods offered more of a variety than we had become accustomed to over the past week and a half. There certainly wasn't a shortage of croissants, though, which we were all happy to see. But they did have these orange marmalade pastry cakes that I enjoyed a bit too much every morning for the rest of the trip.
After breakfast we set off into beautiful Roma for a guided tour of the Colosseum and Roman forum. It was amazing to be at such ancient historical sites. As I listened to the tour guide share the history behind the Colosseum, it was wild to imagine the different battles that went on there all those centuries ago. Although parts of the Colosseum remain ruined due to earthquakes and stone robbers over the years, it was still a beautifully impressive piece of architecture.
After breakfast we set off into beautiful Roma for a guided tour of the Colosseum and Roman forum. It was amazing to be at such ancient historical sites. As I listened to the tour guide share the history behind the Colosseum, it was wild to imagine the different battles that went on there all those centuries ago. Although parts of the Colosseum remain ruined due to earthquakes and stone robbers over the years, it was still a beautifully impressive piece of architecture.
The Roman forum was beautiful too, but obviously not as beautiful as it would have been centuries ago. Mother Nature and stone robbers are to blame here, as well. I would say there is something beautiful about a place in ruins, though. The ancient ruins of Pompei and the Roman forum still stand centuries later, though weathered and more of a reminder of what once was. There's something to be said for something beautiful that survives an awful storm and still stands- no matter how battered or broken it may look, metaphorically speaking.
After our tour, we headed to lunch as a group. We ate at a small trattoria, where everyone knew and loved Miguel, per usual. Dude was a celebrity over there most days and he knew it. He certainly did have the hookups. Kev and I split a yummy "Rocket" salad with corn, cheese, prosciutto, and pineapple in it. We also split a sangwich that had roasted turkey, tomato, lettuce, pesto, and cheese on it. We definitely dipped it in balsamic too. It was delicious. We ordered a bottle of what they called, "Sexy Wine." I can't make that shit up, I promise. It was a sparkling red wine and it was perfect. Like I've said before, I prefer white wine, but give me a bottle of Sexy Wine any day of the week and I will gladly make it disappear. Once we finished our meals, the waiter came out with huge, complimentary wedges of watermelon. The watermelon was SO good and juicy. This lunch was different from most of my meals in that I was able to get a veggie and a fruit down the hatch for a change. It was a nice break from all the carbs I had been eating. I felt good and unashamed after that meal. Perhaps the Sexy Wine had a bit to do with that too. |
After lunch it was time to whip out the bucket list. We were off to the Pantheon. I was so excited! I got some beautiful pictures inside, as you will see below. We all set off in the direction of the Spanish Steps afterwards. A few people from our group had an Italian cooking class excursion to attend shortly, so our walk to the steps was more like a launch-ass, if you will. Once the chefs were off to their excursion, the rest of us had some free time to do a little shopping and sightseeing before dinner. I ended up making a ridiculously intelligent purchase of a shirt at a store called Zara, that cost me 40 euro, which was justified in my mind at the time. Upon looking at my bank statement when I got home, I realized that the shirt actually cost me $52 USD. My logic- euros look like Monopoly money, I cannot be held accountable for my actions while in Italy. However, I seriously need to get my shit together before I move there if I'm ever going to survive.
At one point, Gabby and I were stopped by a man with two cute little parakeet birdies, as seen on my fingers. He shouted at us, "you-ah two-ah, you take a photo with-ah the birds-ah. Do on-a you head-ah!" Yes, at one point these birds were perched on top of my noggin. The words, "please don't shit on my head," repeatedly raced through my mind for the 10 seconds they were up there during the photo op. After we took our cute birdie photos, the man looked at us both so seriously but half smiling and said, "ok-ah, 5 euro." What the actual fuck did he just say? I laughed. But he really wasn't kidding- like, at all. Fuck it- when in Rome, I'll give the birdie guy 50 cents and run.
Later that evening, a group of us ladies had dinner at a restaurant near our hotel. Everyone else was still at the cooking excursion having a ball making and tasting their own Italian food. Once we all regrouped, we set out to a hookah bar and met up with another EF College Break group for some drinks. First we had some citrusy shots that were more delicious than I can express in words. Then came the Midori cocktails. I may have had 5 of them. They were also inexplicably delightful. It was a bittersweet night, as it was our last night we would all be able to go out together. The following night would be our last night in Italy. So, we spent this night loving each other and making the best of our last fun outing. By this point in the trip, I was head over heels for all these wonderful people, so it was a bit sad. Mike looks gr8 in that picture. That must have been after I ordered him his white Russian. He thinks he's Jeff Lebowski, ma dude. Everyone was tired and wanted to turn in for the night shortly after drinks at the hookah bar. Everyone except for Justin, Kevin, and me- of course. We went to another bar with a group of people from the other EF tour. It was a decent time. Right before we left, a guy came up to me and tried to open up a conversation in Italian. My reaction- "parle Inglese?" He spoke perfect English and as it turned out, he happened to be from Salem, Massachusetts- not too far from me. We got to talking and when I told him where I was from, he asked me if I knew his best friend from college, who was from my hometown. Sure enough, I did. Small world, right? Everyone from EF and I took a cab back to the hotel. As we walked up the steps to the hotel, I became one extra sensitive bitch. Yup, I started to cry like a little baby. I didn't want to go home and I howled it to all of Roma. As Kev began to console me during one of my finer moments, Justin tried to open the hotel doors- they were fucking locked. I lost it. I couldn't stop laughing. I was in a glass case of emotion and thankfully I was in a judgement-free zone. Luckily someone working in the hotel saw us and let us in. It was too much. I was too much. I needed to be put to bed and badly. The following day would be another bucket list day- and a big one at that. Anyone who knows me, knows that my trip to the Vatican had been long awaited. It would be a special day for this sensitive lady. :) |