On the road

Back from the class trip to Cesky Krumlov, Vienna, Budapest and Bratislava. This trip was absolutely sweet because we had transportation, a few meals paid for, and great hotels to stay in. We didn't have to worry about catching random trains all over the place, or staying in a sketchy hostel. It was nice to sleep in comfortable rooms in nice beds with people I know. But before I write all about this fun little 5 day trip, I want to write a little bit about Rome before I start forgetting certain details.

Rome was the highlight of my trip to Italy. I met more people in Florence, but the best some of the best sights of Europe are in Rome. I saw the Colosseum, the Pantheon, The Forum, Trevi Fountain, the Catacombs, the Spanish Steps, the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica (AKA the Pope's church and by far the best cathedral I have seen so far) and a few other great sights. It's hard to describe the feeling of seeing each of this sights but I certainly have a few highlights. Walking around the Colosseum by myself listening to the Gladiator soundtrack was an intense experience. I highly recommend this activity. The Forum is a bunch of old roman ruins that aren't preserved very well but still make for a very cool experience to walk through. It's crazy to try and imagine what happened in this places 2,000 years ago.

The catacombs were extremely interesting because this was where all the Christian's that were killed by the Roman Empire were buried. The catacombs are huge underground crypts and tombs that stretch for 80 acres! Walking through them felt like some scene out of Indiana Jones.

I went to the Vatican with some friends that I met from my hostel which was a lot of fun. Some of them go to Colorado State, which is where my mom went to college and is less than an hour from where I was born, so that was pretty cool to get to hang out with them. I went to the Vatican museum which is the best museum I have been to in Europe so far, because they have Egyptian relics and artifacts that are about 3,000 years old. They even have a preserved mummy taken out of its sarcophagus! Being an American I really hadn't seen much that was old than just a few hundred years, so seeing many of this things was really mind blowing. One of my favorite moments of my entire trip was seeing the Sistine chapel. Extremely cliche I know, but the long lines and all the waiting were definitely worth it. The artwork in there is super hyped, but for very good reason. Michaelangelo's paintings on the ceiling and on the front wall (titled "Judgment Day") are my favorite pieces of art...ever. I knew this going in, so I was extremely excited. The place is really packed out with tourists, but I didn't even care. Seeing art that is that good is almost a spiritual experience. The idea that someone created something that remarkable just blows my mind. I can't even draw proper stick figures and here is this guy painting works of art on the wall of one of the most famous buildings in history. Incredible. Wasn't allowed to take pictures of any of the art in there, but I don't think I would have wanted to, I mean it wouldn't have done it justice.

The Pantheon was really cool too, because it is the most well preserved building in all of Rome. It is about 99% the same as it was when it was built about 2,000 years ago, which is incredible with all the earthquakes and floods that Rome has seen over all that time. The architectural skills that the Romans had are just unthinkable. Some of the things they did are still a mystery to archaeologists and engineers today.

I had some interesting experiences in Rome besides seeing all the sights. I did meet some cool people, but didn't find any people to couch surf like I did in Florence. However, after going to hang out with some of the people I met in our hostel for the day, I came home to realize that Joe and I had been separated because of this. I hung out at the hostel (which was another camping hostel that was on the outskirts of the city, making it a HUGE pain to get to, and was also freezing cold due to the terrible weather) that night, got some dinner, and decided to call it day and figured Joe would come back home that night. Didn't happen. I wake up the next morning to find that Joe was still not there, so I figured I would go out and explore the city myself. Long story short I ended up not seeing Joe until the next morning! I found out later that he met some Swiss girl and really hit it off with her and ended up staying at her hostel, so that was cool for him, just really confusing for me! But it was cool exploring a city as exotic as Rome by myself. Sometimes a man just needs some reflecting time, and I certainly got it.

Alright gotta go...

Currently listening to: Pink Floyd