So, ‘Part 2’ is going to be about my Spring Break. You’re probably thinking “Oh great. Another wild Spring Break story from a minor on a beach who really can’t remember what happened because they were too drunk the whole time.” You are WRONG. One, I’m not a minor in Europe and TWO, there were no beaches involved. Anywho, Spring Break included trips to Venice, Rome, Florence, Milan, and Prague.
While we may have started in Venice, not much happened there. After we separated from the group, we packed up and went onto our next hostel. Or should I say “Bungalow.” That’s right, we went camping. When we got to the camp site, ready for our tents, the kind lady at the front told us that we were going to be upgraded to bungalows that also sported electricity. We were really roughing it. The rest of Venice consisted of dinner and breakfast at the campsite and it was off to Rome.
To say the least, Rome was not exactly what I expected. The Rome that is in pictures is a beautiful and majestic place. The place I arrived in was dirty and full of trash. It seemed as though the city seriously did not care about places other than those that were “touristy.” As disappointing as this was, it did not take away from the fact that for those three days in Rome I would be camping once again! Let me tell you, the camping experience I had in Rome will be one of my favorite memories from this whole European trip. The four of us stayed in two tents next two each other. (The tents did have electricity and lighting even though we did not expect it.) We originally decided on camping because they had a hug outdoor pool, but when we got there they told us it was closed. BOOO. It was just another expectation we had to get over in Rome. Quickly we found out that the people of the camp site were going to make it worth every broken expectation. The first night we had dinner at the restaurant/bar that was on the camp grounds. The food was absolutely delicious. We, also, noticed that almost everyone that was working was around our age. After a walk around the grounds and some down time, we went back to the restaurant to hang out for the night. As much as we loved the crew, they loved us! We immediately became friends with the whole staff and had a great night. With the pool being closed, we had to find something else to do for our late night adventure. The playground right across the pool was a great spot, however, it is supposed to close at 11 pm. I may or may not have got kicked off of the choo-choo train at 1 am. BUUUUT that lead to me becoming friends with the security guards, which scored me a free blanket and free drinks.
We did venture off the camp site as well. The first day in Rome was spent at the Vatican. We ended up getting a tour to lead us through it. Since we were the last tour of the day, there was only one other person with us which made it basically a private tour. I am so happy we did this. I think if we didn’t have a tour guide, we would have got lost and not got through it. The Vatican is made up of over 1,000 rooms. She lead us through the most important and most interesting rooms. I also believe that we wouldn't have made it into the Sistine Chapel if it wasn’t for her. We began our tour at 4 in the afternoon and the Chapel closed at 6. She told us that she was rushing, but it was okay because we were such a small group. She made sure that we got through the chapel and also got to see the tombs of the Popes, which was an interesting experience. I found it weird that we were basically walking through a cemetery of the Holy people.
Our second day in Rome was spent at the Colosseum. We opted to tour the place by ourselves. Although the tours got access to the downstairs portion, I think that it was good to go by ourselves. The Colosseum was beautiful. It was a really unique experience because you could literally see everything from the main floor. Since the floor had caved in, you could see all the of underground tunnels and rooms that kept the animals. There were actually two floors to the “basement.” To think that people came for entertainment to see people fight to the death or try to survive in the same room as a hungry lion, it seems too crazy to imagine. I get wheezy at the site of blood let alone watching someone literally get ripped apart by a wild animal.
Anywho, we decided that we need a little taste of home, so we attempted to go to the Hardrock. After they told us that it would be over an hour and a half wait, we decided that tasting home wasn’t that important. A man approached us and told us about the restaurant across the street. It was worth a shot. The restaurant was owned by a man that had studied the “art” of American cuisine in the United States and had brought it back to Italy. The food was AMAZING! We had a waiter that understood the American lifestyle. He gave us FREE KETCHUP! He also gave us extra because he knew that we were going to take it. The best part was when he told us that he wasn’t judging us for pulling ranch out of my purse and using it for our salads. He understood.
Our last night at the campsite, we got new neighbors and guess what? THEY WERE AUSTRALIAN! These Australians were some of the best people I have met in my life. We may have only had a few hours to get to know them, but they were some great hours.
I know this was a long post and it was only about Rome. That’s why I stopped. I guess I am going to have to have a “Part 2: Part 2” later this week. If you made it through this whole thing just remember, I appreciate you.
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