Rome

The train ride to Rome from Pisa was beautiful, although it took us a bit longer than expected. The hostel was beside the airport (outside of the city), so we had to take another train there once we arrived in Rome. After we dropped our stuff off, there weren't any people at the station beside the hostel and the ticket machine was down. We weren't about to wait around and waste any more time that could be spent exploring the city. The chances of them checking for a €1.30 ticket on a 15-minute ride were slim; checking the platforms, we hopped on the first one headed back towards the city center without paying for a ticket (ooo so rebellious!). Of course karma bit us in the butt as we realized we got on the train headed back to Pisa, so we got off, bought a real ticket from the machine (with the help of a nice Italian girl and my awful charades), and finally got into central Rome around 2:00 pm. Grabbing some double cheeseburgers at McDonald's, we hit the ground running in an attempt to make up our lost time. A girl from the Montmarte tour told us about a secret place in the ruins to buy tickets for the Coliseum which saved us at least an hour in the queue. The Colosseo was AWESOME, plain and simple. I couldn't believe I was standing where thousands of gladiators battled lions and tigers and other gladiators 2000 years ago (also where a scene in Jumper was filmed, but that's not nearly as interesting). The weather was gorgeous, and sunny skies and puffy clouds dominated all my pictures for the rest of day.

Another must-see in Rome was the Sistine Chapel. I had never been on a metro so packed as the one to Vatican City, but I got up close and personal with some real-life nuns! Sadly, the Sistine Chapel had closed hours before we arrived. I guess I'll have to save The Creation of Adam for a later date. Our trip wasn't completely wasted though, because we still got to go inside the biggest and most beautiful church I had ever visited: the San Pietro di Castello. I felt nothing short of pure awe as I stared up at all the gorgeous domes and intricate carvings and gold trimmings everywhere. That is one thing I will really miss about being over here: churches back home can't even compare to thousands of years of architectural history that European cathedrals have. There's just something about these churches were built as a reflection of just how big and awesome and wonderful God is -- there's no denying that!

After the San Pietro, we headed towards the Pantheon, passing by the lovely Castel Sant'Angelo on the way. Narrow alleyways and grand piazzas with breakdancers and street artists met us at every turn before we arrived at the Pantheon. Of course it was equally cool to see (and equally closed to enter at 8 pm on a Sunday night). After taking a few pictures, we had a nice dinner of proper Italian cuisine (gnocchi and bolognese for myself, lasagna for Katie), and then flipped coins in the Trevi Fountain. Some delicious gelatto topped off our perfect evening, and we made our way back to the train station. Almost back at the station, we stumbled upon the tail-end of the red carpet Avengers premiere -- wait, WHAT?! Turns out, Chris Hemsworth (Thor) Scarlett Johansen (Black Widow), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), and Mark Ruffalo (Hulk) had just stopped by to premiere the movie, which was scheduled to come out later that week. We didn't see any celebrities, but we talked to the photographers and saw some guys carrying around Thor's hammer, which was still super awesome. Talk about a PERFECT ending to a perfect trip!

All in all, the 8 days I spent with Katie were nothing short of awesome. The entire trip felt so surreal to me, because I just couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that I was in EUROPE! Sure, we ran into our fair share of obstacles along the way, but that's what makes a regular trip an adventure. Years down the road, we'll look back and laugh at how we hopped the wrong train, got caught in multiple downpours in Paris, made fools of ourselves with severely broken Spanish, and got lost in the Louvre. I had such an amazing time, and I know for sure I'll be coming back sometime. I think it's safe to say I've caught the travel bug :)