Siri, what should I call my blog?: Spring Break II: Rome

Here is part II of my spring break presented in words and pictures. From Venice, we ventured to Rome. We arrived around noon after catching an early train and spent three days exploring this ancient city.

The Story of a Hostel. Before we get into the nitty gritty let's talk about our accommodations. After reading some of the reviews of our hostel in Rome, I had a feeling we were in for an interesting stay. Sunshine was clearly a budget hostel for those willing to take a little bit of a risk. Run by a brother and sister out of a small wing of rooms in a much larger building, the decor struck me as what I might find at my eccentric great-aunt's house, if I had an eccentric great-aunt. It was sort of a hodge-podge of styles (including but not limited to: Indian, floral, modern, Victorian, outdoor furniture, nautical, and whatever style the creepy-clown shower curtain that now haunts Julie's dreams was). As it turned out, Florinda and Dany were very nice hosts, though it seemed like they were both past the glory days of owning a hostel. Florinda could have been on Jersey Shore with her extensive make-up and nail work, and she gave Julie and I the supreme sense that she should not be angered. We had no trouble though, and she gave us a map and some advice on what to see and where to eat around the hostel. Perhaps the most interesting part of our stay at Sunshine was that they didn't provide any towels for their guests. Julie and I were not expecting this. It made showering quite an interesting experience. I was eventually able to dry after each shower, but perhaps I should spare the details for a less public forum. All in all, though, we were very happy with our hostel despite a few quirks here and there.

Popefully Yours. Yes, this is the title I've chosen. My second favorite part of our tour of Rome was the Vatican and especially getting to witness Pope Francis ride his little white pope-mobile around St. Peter's Square while waving and kissing the babes of an enormous crowd. In fact, he totally waved in my general direction and I'm pretty sure he looked right at me... I think. I never really had much interest in the doings of Pope Benedict, the primary Pope of my life until now, but Pope Francis has gotten my attention. I'm really in favor of everything that he is encouraging in the Catholic church as well as the world, and I am quite popeful for his future Popeliness. While the Vatican Museums were a bit overwhelming, I was really excited to see the Raphael rooms (not the ninja turtle) and they did not disappoint. The painter and sculptor, Raphael, was commissioned to fill them with frescoes and they are home to one of his most famous paintings, The School of Athens, an homage to ancient Greek philosophers and thinkers. However, since there was little knowledge of what many of the Greek philosophers looked like, he painted likenesses of his Renaissance artist friends instead. Most notably are Leonardo daVinci as Aristotle, Michelangelo as Heraclitus, and Raphael himself as Apelles.

Colosseo. Leading up to my arrival in Rome, the one thing I was most excited to see was the Colosseum. I can honestly say that I've never had my expectations so completely blown away than when I stepped inside and looked out at the massive arena. Along with Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum this was definitely my favorite part of Rome. The fact that the Colosseum is so well preserved is astounding, especially after you see how ripped apart the Forum is from two thousand years of battles and conquerings, and it really makes it possible to imagine the huge audience, and the gladiators, animal hunts, or battle re-enactments going on below (the mock naval battles are still really hard to imagine though). I think I could have spent at least an entire day at these places if not several days, but it was the perfect way to end our trip in Rome.

A Trooper. My final thoughts on Rome concern my wonderful traveling/life partner, Julie. On our last day in Venice she began to develop a scratchy throat, which quickly turned into a cold that reached it's peak while in Rome. She didn't let it stop her, though, and she trekked on with me through hot and cold, rain and shine. We just had to go a little slower than my preferred pace, and fend off some desires for a nap back at the hostel every now and then. Sure, at times it may have felt a little like I was traveling with an extra rolling suitcase ;), but she never quit on me. We managed to do and see everything we wanted to and have a fantastic time. I couldn't have asked for a better travel buddy.

Thanks for reading! Now you deserve some photos!

Trevi Fountain

Altare della Patria (Altar of the Fatherland)

Column of Trajan and surrounding Forum of Trajan.

Inside the Pantheon.

Market of Trajan (yeah, he was a big deal)

Pope Francis, the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church

St. Peter's Square

Inside the Vatican Museums

The School of Athens in the Raphael rooms. The main figure under the arches in the red toga is Leonardo as the Greek philosopher Aristotle and below him, the dark-haired figure sitting and pouting, is Michelangelo as the philosopher Heraclitus.

On the right side of the Fresco is Raphael as the ancient Greek painter, Apelles, but he is a little harder to spot. You can spot him very near the edge in a black cap looking out towards the viewers, inviting us into his masterpiece.