When in Rome, ROAM till your feet can't roam no more!

This post covers that last 3 days. 3 days does not sound like much, but trust me, a lot has happened in 3 days so this one may be a bit lengthy.
FLIGHT TO ROME
I made my flight to Rome from JFK and sat in 5B. Can we just talk about first class!? I thought I was treated well on my flight to NYC, but nothing compares to my flight to Rome. I boarded the plane, and before I could situate myself I was offered refreshment. There were plenty of seat in first class and everyone had their own pair of seats. Even though it was 5 pm EST, I took Nyquil to knock myself off so I would be prepared for a full day in Rome when I arrived. I ordered my dinner and asked to be woken up when dinner arrived all before take-off. Before they announced that the use of iPods was okay, I was out cold. I woke up to the Italian flight attendant tapping my shoulder notifying me it was dinner time. I had a complete 4 course meal. The first course included spinach, tomato and feta salad; a tomato bisque; bread; and something else that is slipping my mind. For my main entrée I had a choice of 4 superb dishes, but I went with the beef tenderloin and shrimp scampi. DELICIOUS! My dessert was an amazing vanilla sundae. After dinner, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to sleep right away so I thought I might take a look at the movie offered; however, I didn’t want to pay. I started looking and discovered that it’s all FREE in first class! AWESOME! After watching 500 Days of Summer, I fell back asleep and awoke to breakfast being served. Eggs Florentine and fruit hit the spot! I went to the baggage claim counter and went back and forth with the lady who said the bags should be on my flight. Finally another lady used her brain and notified me that they’d arrive the following day. I filled out the form with my Florence address and prepared myself to live without my life in Rome. Luckily, I had prepared myself to take a cab from the airport to the Grand Hotel Palantino; however, when asked if I wanted a cab I said yes, followed a man to a stand and proceeded to get into a Mercedes van. BUT I knew I should only get in white or yellow cab for the sake of price. So when the guy told me to hang on and walked off, I got out and ran back to the taxi line and got in a white taxi with a meter. Phew! Dodged that one –so I thought. As I said, “Ho fretto!” which means I’m in a hurry (since it was 9 am Roman time and I didn’t want to miss the 10:30 am tour of the Vatican), my driver said “No No! Traffico!” Awesome, I thought, I can’t miss this tour. So as we sat on the freeway and listened to American rock, I refreshed my makeup and tried to put myself together. Turns out, 80 euro and a tour of the city later, I arrived at the Vatican (which is its own fenced-in country owned by the Catholic Church) just in time to start the tour.
WHEN IN ROME…ROAM!
When I arrived at the entrance, I spotted the huge group of America students and made my way over. I spotted Whitney, one of my roommates, and introduced myself as the mystery roomie. The tour was amazing! The Sistine Chapel is everything you think it would be. Michelangelo’s art is breathtaking. I am not one to appreciate art, but words cannot do it justice. You will just have to see pictures and TRY to imagine that it’s a million times better! We didn’t get to go in St. Peter’s Basilica, so it was saved for another day. After returning to the hotel we set out to find the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish steps, which should have been about a 20 minute walk. BUT hours and many directions later, we finally stumbled upon the Trevi fountain. I still can’t tell you why it’s so famous, but it’s huge! And the attention to detail is incredible. We threw a coin over our shoulder and made a wish! It’s so wild to imagine that hundreds of years ago, the Romans we able to construct such immaculate things without the technology and abilities of today. We made it to the Spanish Steps by dusk, which has to be the best timing ever. We saw them in the light and also got to experience the beauty of the stone steps basking in the city lights at night. Once again, the pictures don’t do it justice. Upon returning to the hotel, I figured out where my cousins’ room was and went to go chill with them (David and Nathan were staying at the same hotel for the same 2 nights—how crazy!). I accompanied them to dinner with friends and had a blast. I loved getting to hang out with them since I don’t see them often. How crazy that we were in Rome! Wednesday we got up early and had a walking tour of the city as if we hadn’t already walked enough. We started at the Coliseum which is so cool! It was surreal to be there after having seen it so many times in movies and whatnot. Our tour guide led us with a loofah on a stick so we wouldn’t get lost. It was the joke of the day! Then we went to the forum where the old Roman empire used to have official meetings. All of these ruins are all over the city. There is so much history it’s unfathomable. You can be walking down the street and there will be a square with broken columns and old half-standing buildings. We proceeds to the Pantheon and famous piazza (or a square/plaza). The Pantheon is also incredible. The dome is enormous and made out of one mold of marble. I can’t begin to think how that’s possible even in today’s time. At the end of the tour we found a cute local ristorante for lunch. It was our first experience as being American targets as a group. He charged us an extra 10 euro for something we didn’t order. That’s more than $15! Being savvy as we are, we had it removed. After lunch we (when I say we it usually refers to a group of about 5 American students—always different) went back to St. Peters Basilica which was by far my FAVORITE attraction in Rome. Every inch of it is covered with detail. It was such an amazing experience. Being in the same building as John the Baptist’s body and many past saints was such an amazing feeling. Saint Peter as in the Apostle Peter is buried in the center with a huge structure representing our suffering as Christians on earth as we work our way up to heaven with God and the saints and angels etc. Being there and seeing those things truly reaffirm what I believe in. The art depicting Jesus with Mary tells stories and lets you visualize when Jesus walked on earth. Beyond the architecture and beauty, it was an amazing experience unlike any other. After a day on our feet, we were ready for dinner. We had literally walked from the southeast corner of Rome to the northwest corner over a period of 7 hours zigzagging blocks. There is just too much to see! At dinner, we were ripped off once again and once again caught it. It really ticks me off that Americans have such a bad reputation in Italy and they go and make a horrible impression of themselves, but that’s besides the point. I went and hung out with my friend Nick, who is studying in Rome this semester, after dinner. It was cool to see their living situation and be able to compare it to mine once I arrived in Florence today. I had a good time hanging out with Nick and his roommates. I think thay are coming to Florence soon, so I’ll be able to sow them around here.
My battery is dying and my outlet converter is in my bag that has yet to arrive in Florence, so I am done for now but I will post again soon!
Love and miss you all!!!