Romeward Bound

This past weekend might go down as 3 of the best days in my history. It was my last weekend here in Italy, and I got to spend it with Mark in Rome celebrating my 21st birthday!

Mark got to Italy on Thursday morning, and we spent the day in Verona. I was so glad that I finally got to show him everything I've been talking about all semester. The weather was absolutely perfect that day and we had so much fun!

Between the calzones, pasta and 4 times he got gelato, I think Mark liked the food in Italy (yes, 4, that is not a typo). We saw all of the sights, ate at my favorite restaurant and had some delicious sprtiz! All in all, it was a great day in Verona.

Gelato in Piazza Bra

Our lock in Juliet's courtyard 

On Thursday night we headed to Rome. Mark and I have been planning this trip to Rome since about November. We found out that Fun.-our favorite band- would be playing in Rome on my birthday. It seemed almost too good to be true!

So on Thursday we took an overnight train to Rome. This might have been one of the worst experiences of my life. We were in uncomfortable seats in a small room with people who snored and the train temperature switched from freezing to sweltering about every hour. But after 6 hours we finally made it to Rome, and eventually to our hotel where were able to get some decent sleep!

We woke up a few hours later ready to see the city! After the train we were going to take to the center of the city was CANCELLED, we finally figured out a bus and metro to get there. We started at the colosseum, which was absolutely amazing.We went inside and walked around, and just seeing all of the ruins was incredible.

The Colosseum 

Afterwards we walked around past the forum and saw more ruins. The mix between the big city feel of Rome and the ancient civilization it once was was a pretty strange. But it was also a neat way to see how far human beings have come.

We made our way to the Trevi Fountain after that-gotta make  those wishes! Legend has it that anyone who throws a coin into the fountain is sure to return to Rome.
The fountain was one of the most crowded places I've ever seen. Tons of tourists were shoving and pushing to try to get up there and make their wish. But we eventually got through the crowd and were able to sit by the fountain for a little bit.

Making wishes

We continued walking after that and made our way to the Pantheon, which literally looked fake against the buildings behind it. Inside was a beautiful chapel with a high dome ceiling. We loved seeing all of the big sights of Rome that day!

The Pantheon 

We headed to another area of town after that to find some authentic Italian pizza! It was absolutely delicious, we couldn't have found a better litte pizzeria. After dinner we found a small bar and Mark bought me a drink to have when I turned 21 at midnight! It wasn't the typical crazy night out for a 21st birthday, but there was nowhere in the world I'd rather be.

The next day we woke up and planned on going to Vatican City to see everything.  Once again, transportation to get into the city took longer than expected, but we finally made it!

When Mark and I walked in there and looked on at St. Peter's Basilica, Mark leaned over and said "I just got chills." It was really one of those moments where we realized what an amazing place were were standing in.

Of course, St. Peter's Basilica was just about to close for 3 hours, so we couldn't get in there. Instead we decided to go see the Sistine Chapel, la sistina capella, which was what Mark and I both really wanted to see anyway.

The process of actually getting into the chapel was incredibly long and not at all what we had expected. We knew that to get there you had to walk through the Vatican Museum, which is room after room of beautiful artwork. However, there were so many people in there at once that there really wasn't any time to stop and appreciate the art. We were herded like sheep for about two hours, literally getting pushed or shoved or stepped on. It was hot and stuffy as we walked through and all we wanted was to finally see the chapel.

When we did walk into the chapel, we both felt it had been worth the walk. I've been learning about the different scenes painted in the chapel in art history this semester, and loved finally getting to see them. Mark and I made our way to the center so that we could look up at The Creation of Adam.

There were tons of people milling around the chapel, everyone's heads turned upward to see the famed ceiling. Security guards were constantly yelling SHHH and No photo, no video. But no one listened to them

Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel

After a few minutes in there, Mark decided he wasn't geting a good enough view. He looked around, and then decided to lay down on the ground and stare up at the ceiling. A few people stared but by the time he stood up someone came up, patted him on the shoulder and said "Bravo."

Mark on the floor of the Sistine Chapel

We spent a lot of time just looking around at the art, talking about how unbelievably amazing it was that we were staring at the work of Michelangelo.

Once we left the chapel we were herded through a few more rooms until we finally figured out how to get out of there.

After the chapel we headed to get some food and tried to get a cab. It was also pouring and super windy so that was a fun time. We finally got a cab and headed back to the hotel to get ready for the concert!

When we walked into the hotel room there was chocolate, a bottle of wine and a happy birthday note from my parents!! They had talked to the hotel and arranged it all. It gave me such a big smile :)

After FaceTiming with my parents Mark and I headed off to the concert! I was so excited to see Fun. again, for the 5th time! We got in line for the concert and had about 40 minutes to wait until the doors opened.

Once we got in we made our to the front and were standing in about the 3rd row, which was the closest we've ever been at ta Fun. concert!

The concert was everything I could've hoped for! They played all of our favorite songs and, as usual, were amazing performers. It was the perfect way to spend my 21st birthday, I couldn't have asked for a better present.

Fun. performing one of our favorite songs, The Gambler

The next day morning we both headed back to our respective cities to spend one last week of our abroad experiences. Rome was beautiful and I'm so glad I spent my last weekend in Italy there. I had a wonderful 21st birthday thanks to the amazing people in my life, and I can't wait to celebrate with my family once I get home!