All roads lead to Rome

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of going to Roma, Italia. I almost could not make the trip because it was during the week of my finals. Fortunately I finished early and was able to go and see this spectacular city. Even though it was a quick two day trip, my friend Angela and I were able to make out our time and see the major sites. The first day was spent hunting down the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and the Trevi fountain and just walking around to get familiar with the city. We decided to take a combined tour of the Colosseum and Palatine Hill which turned out to be a great idea. Since there are not any signs with information about either two sites, a traveller would never know anything about the detailed history of these to places without doing their own research or taking a tour. I learned some interesting facts, and even some fun ones as well. Once we finally found the Trevi I could not believe how enormous and how beautiful it was. Even though it was dark, the lighting made the fountain a brilliant work of art tucked away in a little piazza. I, like every other single person there, made my wish and as tradition goes threw my coin into the fountain. After we found the Trevi fountain in the dark, which took my breath away, we stumbled into a quaint little restaurant. The service was great and the lasagna was to die for. We enjoyed our wine and good conversation for a while and headed back to the hostel for some shut eye. We woke up bright and early the next day to take on the motherload of sightseeing.
Our first place of the day was the most holy city in the world, the Vatican. It was really neat to go through the whole museum and see the Sisteen Chapel. The museum is filled with thousands of beautiful artworks and sculptures. We then headed over to St. Peter's Basilica which has to be the most beautiful church in all of Europe. Even though it was filled with people, the mood was quiet and respectful not only because of the fact that we were in a church, but also because of the beauty and detail inlaid in every inch. Even the floors were miraculous to look at.
We saw the Spanish steps, a couple of other minor sights and went back to the Trevi fountain area for dinner again. We ended up eatin at the same place because it was so good. After some final pictures at the Trevi we called it a night and left at 4 to catch our flight back. It was a quick trip but completely worth it.

Romeo and Giulietta

This past weekend was spent in the beautiful city of Verona, Italy. Mary, Rina, and I all took a train in the morning and traveled to the city of tragic love. Upon arriving in Verona, the inviting/glorious sun decided to make a special appearance just for us (it had been raining in Milano for the past week). We made our way out of the train station and decided to just go for a walk around the city with our newly bought map. Just walking around Verona was an adventure. We saw an Egyptian statue replica just sitting on a lawn advertising a restaurant. We saw a sign for Bingo, which I insisted that we come back but we did not have time or the energy to handle serious/seasoned Italian Bingo champions. We saw the city's Colosseum, which looked incredible to me, but to Mary and Rina it was not much compared to Rome's Colosseum.
Then, fate happened. As we were walking towards Giulietta's balcony we came across a German beer festival! This festival was completely legit with people in costumes and traditional music and dancing. We decided that we would have to stop by on our way back to the train station.
We grabbed lunch at a local cafe and headed in search for Giulietta's balcony. One of the most interesting things that I have found in almost any city of Italy that I have traveled to, is that no matter how big or small the city is, there will always be incredible shopping!
We finally made it to the most famous balcony in Shakespearean history and I was amazed. Before you make it into the courtyard area of the balcony there is a little hallway/walkway that is filled with love letters. Some are inscribed with the confession of an undying love for another, some are filled with best wishes and hopes for friends, and others contain wishes for Giulietta to send love to them. This was truly an incredible site to see so many letters in so many different languages. Once I made it through the hall my eyes were drawn upward to a structure that I had only read about in books. I had never imagined that I would be able to view the object of the most tragic love story of all time. Even though it was much smaller than what I had imagined, it was still amazing to have been able to see it.
While in the courtyard of Giulietta's balcony I made my love known. In Europe many people put "love locks" on bridges and various gates in important cities or places special to them. A love lock is an actual lock that is supposed to symbolize or represent your love with another person. Once the lock is secure, the key is thrown in the river so that the love will never break apart. Even though it looks cluttered, the keepers of the different bridges do not remove the locks in respect for the idea of love. I decided that Giulietta's balcony was the perfect place for me to lock my love for my betrothed. I then threw the key in the river off the bridge in Verona. I was very happy to have shared my love for another in the country that has changed me forever.
After we left the bridge we walked around for a little longer before making our way back to the train station. While walking back we saw the great beer festival again and decided to have my very first draft beer. Even though I am not a big fan of beer, it was a fun experience. The music was unique and the dancing was very traditional. We ate pretzels and contemplated on staying forever but decided that we needed to catch the train back.
We were very tired and looking forward to a quiet ride home, but we were in for a real treat. Instead of normal passengers, we were treated with about a million Italian Apennines who were on their way to the annual military reunion festival. For almost the entire train ride, we were treated to the loud friendly singing of traditional Italian drinking songs. They even hummed the national anthem for Rina, Mary, and myself. Mary and I of course were forced to sing, but we had a very nice time watching these crazy old men sing and drink homemade wine.
Even though my time in Verona was brief, it is certainly a trip I will never forget.

ciao ciao
Elle