Rome is a great place to be if you are a history nerd. Lucky for me, I am so of course I had a great time! Paris and Rome are two very unique cities that can not be compared. I had two very distinct experiences in each city and created really great memories.

This trip was a little different in that I didn’t have to go on an overnight adventure to get to my destination. I traveled by plane by myself from Sevilla to Roma Monday morning and met my friends there. Rome is not a city where you have to pay lots of money to see interesting sights. In Rome, all you have to do is walk and you will literally run into ruins or amazing fountains and most of all, nuns, priests, and churches.

Seeing the Spanish steps, Trevi Fountain, the roman forum, the Pantheon, and the Coliseum was pretty great, except for the fact that at any tourist attraction you found yourself in, you were pretty much guaranteed that you would be sharing the experience with about 200 strangers. That part was a bit annoying, but what can ya do.

The Vatican was an experience I will never forget. Standing in a line that circled the Vatican walls for hours and playing “the movie game” with my friends in attempt to pass the time was really entertaining but I’m afraid we might have annoyed the people around us. The Vatican itself is literally breathtaking. There are no words to describe its extravagance. Walking through the Vatican museums you could feel the power of the executive branch of the Catholic Church. Seeing priceless artworks like Raphael’s last three paintings, as well as seeing the Sistine Chapel was so amazing. I personally enjoyed seeing Michelangelo’s interpretation of the Bible depicted so extravagantly on a ceiling of a small chapel.

Another part of the Vatican that I loved was visiting the grottoes in St. Peters Basilica. Here I saw the tombs of the popes including Pope John Paul II which was a very emotional sight for all who passed by. The tomb was overflowing with flowers, letters, and had a section for people to stand and admire the tomb for a moment or so. Seeing this very somber moment really helped me realize how much this man meant to so many people. A very special moment for me was seeing a nun, standing humbly in the back of the small crowd that had gathered to see the Popes tomb, praying the rosary. Although I personally do not pray the rosary and do not agree with many of the beliefs of the Catholic Church, seeing this woman pray was very beautiful.

The rest of my trip was full of food tasting. I had: Spaghetti, Ravioli, and Tiramisu, Cano lies, other pasta with mushrooms, Gelato, and Lasagna. Oh and I almost forgot the super strong coffee. It was great. I would travel back to Rome just for the Gelato and canolies.

Overall, the trip was really great and I’m very happy to have been able to add Rome to my list of countries visited.