Thanksgiving and a trip to Rome

Our Thanksgiving feast was awesome!  You better believe I was missing my family.  In spite of that, everything was wonderful.  I was surrounded by great friends and I stuffed myself to capacity, true to Thanksgiving tradition.  The CCCU International Office did a lot of work to help us plan this event.  I am extremely thankful that they were so willing to help us.  Honestly, I had such a great time and it really felt like home.  From the decorations, to the speeches, to the food, to the band, right down to the turkey hands, everything was excellent.  The only thing that would’ve made it all even better?  My family… and maybe some real pumpkin pie. ;)  However, given the circumstances, I’d say Thanksgiving in Canterbury was a HUGE success! 

And now I would like to attempt to discuss my three-day adventure in Rome.  I say “attempt” because I’m not sure if I can really explain my experience, but I will do the best I can.

It all started out kind of messy, actually.  I was having issues with my ATM card on Thursday (Thanksgiving) and I couldn’t withdraw any money.  Obviously, I needed Euros for Rome, but I couldn’t take out any cash here in Canterbury.  I began to worry that my last transfer was still pending.  With no money to convert to Euros, I figured that I just wouldn’t get to go to Rome.  I had decided this privately and wasn’t planning on telling the group until that night.  Honestly, it was a really crappy morning for me and I was really sad that I wouldn’t be able to go.  However, my friend Crystal happened to stop me to chat and she asked if I was going to get Euros for the trip.  I decided I should tell her then that I wasn’t going to go.  She suggested I borrow money from her, but I have already done that several times and it makes me uncomfortable to do that.  But then she suggested I transfer my money into her account – since we have the same bank, the transfer would be instantaneous.  So I ended up doing that, and everything worked out just fine.  I think the lesson here is elementary, but important:  things do not always go according to plan. I need to learn to be more flexible and think outside the box.  I spent the whole day worrying and crying to my mom that I couldn’t go to Rome when I could have just swallowed my tears and figured something out.  Still gotta work on that… Anyway, moving on.  Crisis averted.

Did you know there are three main types of taxi drivers in London?  Well, allow me to enlighten you:

1.      The talker – this guy doesn’t shut up.  Oh, it’s 5am and you were up at 4 to head to Stansted Airport?  Don’t care.  Talk to me. 

2.      The speed racer – this one is by far the scariest.  He flies down the motorway like nobody’s business.  And his driving in London traffic makes you want to start writing your will.  You try to sleep in the taxi, but you can’t because your life is flashing before your eyes.

3.      The club DJ – this one is funny, but not in the early morning.  How do you know you have the clubbing taxi driver?  He plays club music the entire ride.  Or he plays Wrecking Ball on repeat.  Both are equally awful.  Especially at 5am. 

On our way to Stansted at 5am, I’d say our taxi driver was a rare combination of the talker and the speed racer.  If it wasn’t for the traffic, we would’ve arrived in London just an hour after leaving Canterbury – this commute normally takes two hours. 

We booked our flight through RyanAir.  The plane smelled like a running hairdryer.  And it was really cold.  And budget airlines charge you for every single blessed thing they can.  Need to pee on the plane?  That will be £1.00.  Want some crappy airplane food?  That will be £2.00.  Etc. 

The flight was three hours, but we lost an hour once we arrived in Rome.  The first thing that greeted us as we walked off the plane was…. THE SUN.  “Oh wow, the sun is so… bright.” – Crystal Wohead, ladies and gentlemen – the words of an American who has been cooped up in cloudy Britain for three months. 

Anyway, after catching a bus to the city centre, we walked fifteen minutes to Momi B&B.  Nestled in the heart of Rome’s China town, we had a nice view of the all the finest Chinese shops.  Actually, it looked more like an apartment instead of a bed and breakfast...

Friday afternoon and evening we walked to the Coliseum and explored the city.  The funny thing about Rome is that it has only two metro lines and they are mostly on the outskirts of the city.  We ended up walking A LOT over the course of the weekend for this reason.  Coming from London, where there is a tube stop practically every ten feet, this was pretty strange for us. 

How to describe Rome… let’s see… I mean, it’s obviously beautiful.  It’s exotic.  It’s very Mediterranean, which I wasn’t exactly expecting.  There are random Roman ruins everywhere you look.  We would be walking around a very urban area and suddenly come upon a cluster of ancient buildings falling apart in the middle of the city.  It’s really amazing. 

We saw the Coliseum in the evening on Friday.  It’s absolutely massive and breath-taking.  I tried to imagine what it was like in its day, filled with spectators and gladiators.  About a third of it is currently being renovated.  I imagine the Coliseum is pretty regularly under renovation, along with the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, all of which contain ancient buildings. 

After walking around the city, we started searching for a place to eat dinner.  When we found a place that seemed decent, we walked looked at their menu, which was posted outside the door.  It looked good, so we headed in only to find the place completely deserted.  It was like something out of a horror movie.  The lights were on, but dimmed, and the tables were set, but not a single soul was inside the restaurant!  We said “Hellloooo?” a few times, then got freaked out and got the heck out of there.  Crystal swears she saw one of the table cloths rustling, as if something was moving underneath.  Creepy.

We finally stopped at a small but nice-looking restaurant to have some authentic Italian food.  I had a pizza and it was a delicious pizza. 

Saturday was packed with activities.  First, we headed to the Vatican.  This was the first time we took the metro.  I was pretty nervous because a friend of ours who went to Rome a few weeks ago had her phone stolen on the metro.  Thankfully, we didn’t have any problems. 

At the Vatican City (which is apparently its own country, technically), we waited in a massive queue to go through the surprisingly lax security check, and then went into the Basilica of St. Peter.  Let me tell you about the Basilica, friends.  Now I don’t mean to sound snobby, but I’ve seen some pretty spectacular things these past three months, and the Basilica is by far the most majestic and luxurious thing I’ve had the pleasure of laying my eyes on.  I’m not Catholic, but I can definitely appreciate the splendor and dignity of such a place. Also, after seeing all of these ancient buildings with Latin inscriptions, I really want to learn some Latin!

Unfortunately, we had to pay €8.00 to gain access to the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museum.  Initially, I wasn’t too interested in seeing the museum.  I just wanted to get to the Sistine Chapel.  In retrospect, I’m really glad the group of friends I went with were taking their time in the exhibits because that kind of forced me to take a closer look at everything.  We saw some awesome tapestries, frescos by Raphael, and other fantastic paintings by Caravaggio and the like.  The pictures I took are not the greatest, so you’ll have to trust me when I say they are magnificent and literally take your breath away.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t take pictures inside the Sistine Chapel.  From ceiling to floor, the place is covered in frescos.  Some depict scenes from the Bible, others are of famous Catholic saints and religious figures.  The chapel itself is surprisingly simple compared to the grandeur of the Basilica.  But I think the point is to draw the worshipper’s eyes upwards.  And that was certainly accomplished.  The one thing that irritated me was the noise inside the chapel.  It was crowded, which is to be expected.  But the guards kept announcing “Silencio, silence please!” over the loud speakers, but no one was really listening.  Along with the rest of the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel has a dress code and requires that guests be silent out of respect for the sacredness of the place.  It was obvious that not too many people were interested in observing the rules.

Next we headed around town in search of lunch.  We came across a cute little outdoor café where my friends got lunch.  I ended up just getting bruschetta because I had packed my own food to eat so I wouldn’t spend too much money.  After lunch, we walked around the city and explored some tourist shops.  One thing that really struck me was the number of homeless people on the streets of Rome.  It seemed like a real problem.  I felt a pang in my stomach every time I passed someone laying prostrate with his/her hands extended upward for spare change.  It was heart wrenching. 

We also saw the Castle of Saint Angelo (I think that’s what it’s called…?) and walked to the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain afterwards.  We did so much walking.  Seriously.  It was crazy, but I suppose it’s helpful that we were burning off all of those carbs from the amazing Italian food we were eating. :)

The Trevi Fountain is apparently a big deal, but I’ve never even heard of it.  Talk about embarrassing.

The Pantheon was a church, I believe.  At least, it’s a church now.  When we arrived at around 6pm, they had just started mass.  It was really cool to see the service happening through the open doors.  There were guards stationed at the entrance, but we were still able to look inside.  All of these ancient buildings are just so impressive, even by today’s standards.  I can’t even believe how old they are!  Crazy.

Of course, we had to have real gelato in Rome, so we went in search of the perfect place.  We tried to stray from the main tourist shops and found a nice place in a more residential area.  The woman at the counter did not speak any English, so it was kinda cool to communicate with her.  Needless the say, the gelato was amazing.

For dinner on Saturday, we ate at another great place.  I had gnocchi which was good but not my favourite.  It’s sort of like a pasta dumpling, but made with potato.  Very filling and very heavy in your stomach.  We all split a bottle of red wine because our waiter was cute and he recommended it. ;)

On Sunday we went inside the Coliseum.  We went at 9am, right when it opened, so there we hardly had to wait in line for it.  The only thing I can really say about the Coliseum is that it is epic.  I mean, everyone has studied the Coliseum at some point in their education.  Gladiators, animal fights, naval battles, cheering crowds, and trap doors with angry beasts…. What’s not to love?

It was especially cool to see the tunnels that would have been under the stage of the Coliseum.  The intricate pathways looked pretty awesome, but I would imagine it would not be so awesome to have to go through those if you were a gladiator or an angry, half-starved animal.

The steps inside the Coliseum were definitely original.  They were super steep and my legs are still sore from them. 

Included in our ticket to the Coliseum was the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill.  Both are essentially a historical walkway filled with Roman ruins and Roman gardens.  They say it is where the center of the Roman market used to be.  We were allowed to wander around and explore on our own time, which was really fun.  There’s just so much to see there.  I could’ve spent days there.

So remember how I said Paris is the highlight of my study abroad experience?  That’s not true anymore.  Rome is definitely my favourite experience in Europe.  The city is so old and filled with so much history, it’s almost overwhelming.  But I loved every moment and I’m extremely thankful for the opportunity to travel there!  Travelling on our own (without a guide) is such a rewarding experience.  We had to navigate our way around the city by ourselves and plan everything without any help.  This is definitely harder than it seems.  But everything went off without a hitch.  It’s nice to travel without any deadlines or group meeting times.  We were free to explore the city on our own time, at our own pace, and that was very satisfying.  Also, I’ve realized that language is not the only means of communication.  There are plenty of ways to connect with people of different nationalities, even if I don’t share a common language with them.

 Ciao, Roma!