roma!

So the first and second pictures are of the Pantheon--one the outside and one on the inside. If you can't tell, I went to Rome last weekend. Unfortunately my camera died so I don't have that many pictures but I'm going back in a couple weeks when Evan comes to

visit because he's always wanted to go. Anyway, Rome was great...a lot of it definitely had a familiar feel since I had visited years ago when I was pretty young.

On our first night in Rome, my friends and I decided that we wanted to have a first meal at a really nice restaurant since we haven't had one since we got here. The problem with getting really good food is that its really expensive everywhere. Since everyone is on a budget, we usually end up getting a pasta or pizza because it's usually about 10 euro cheaper than the other dishes. But instead we all got what we really wanted (I got bruschetta and some of the best lamb I've ever had) and we shared table wine. We sat and talked and ate for a couple hours...we ALMOST stayed as long as some of the Italians--they stay at dinner for 3-4 hours most of the time.

We did a full day tour the next day, for which my camera was dying so I couldn't take pictures. I took a bunch of pictures at the colosseum the next day and got a couple pictures of the Trevi fountain. For those who don't know,the Trevi fountain is where you're supposed to throw a coin (with your right and over your left

shoulder) and make a wish. Obviously I can't tell you what I wished for..since everyone knows since kindergarten that if you tell someone your wish it won't come true! On our last day, we did a bus tour to see things that weren't within walking distance of the center of Rome where our hotel was. Our last stop before heading home to Florence was the Colosseum.

One of my roommates has a friend studying in Rome so she brought us around the city our second night. Half of the group I was traveling with went and did their own thing and a couple of us went to an aperitivo--it's a meal where you go to a restaurant, pay for a drink/glass of wine (usually about 6-8 euro) and they set up a buffet-like table with different kinds of pastas, meats, salads, etc. The food rotates over time and it's a great way to try a lot of things for a way cheaper price than you would pay at a regular restaurant. The best aperitivos are usually at locals-only restaurants, and the one we went to definitely stuck to that rule. It was a great meal and a fun time.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed Rome. A lot of people were saying that they wish they could live there, but I'm completely happy with my choice to study in Florence. It just feels like home.