rome
From Milan I took the night train to Rome. I shared a two bunk room with three strangers, one German traveling solo (at least I think he was speaking German) and two Japanese guys. It wasn’t the most comfortable accommodations– the bed was pretty hard and narrow and the ride was bumpy and noisy, but with earplugs and an eye mask I was able to get some sleep. I woke up to the conductor tapping my shoulder. I probably would’ve slept through my stop if it wasn’t for him.
Probably the most famous site in Rome is the Colosseum. It was amazing finally getting to see it in person.
The Colosseum ticket included entrance to the Palatine hill and the Roman forum. I spent hours wandering around the ancient Roman ruins here.
The Trevi fountain. It’s amazing. I don’t think there’s any way to take a picture that does this any justice. It just needs to be seen in person.
The fountain was quite popular. This is supposed to be the low season in Rome, I’d hate to see what it’s like during the peak season.
The Pantheon. Another crowded tourist site.
On Saturday I went to the Vatican city. Despite the rain a crowd had gathered to hear the Pope speak. Apparently he was ordaining a new set of cardinals. Unfortunately that meant I couldn’t enter St Peter’s Basilica until after he was done.
So from there I went to the Vatican museums. There were many incredible rooms, including the Sistine chapel. No photos were allowed in there, and the Swiss guard was pretty vigilant in stopping any would be photographers. The Rafael rooms were almost as amazing as the Sistine Chapel. Here photos were allowed.
After the ordination ceremony was over Saint Peter’s square began to clear out (and thankfully the weather began to clear too), so I stood in the incredibly long line to enter Saint Peter’s Basilica.
According to Wikipedia this is the tallest dome in the world. This is more subjective, but I’d say it’s probably one of the most beautiful in the world too.
The view from the top of the dome is amazing.
When I look back at the last couple of weeks, I’m amazed at how far I’ve traveled. I’ve stayed in nine different cities in seven different countries. (Actually it’s ten cities in eight countries if you count the Vatican as a separate country– which I guess it technically is). I’ve traveled thousands of miles by train (thank goodness for high speed rail). I’ve seen many amazing sights and spent way too much money on food. It’s been an awesome journey and with this final stop in Rome it’s coming to an end. In some ways this trip has been too long– I miss the comforts of home and I miss friends and family. But in some ways it’s been too short– the more I travel the more I realize that there is so much more out there to see and experience.
