When In Rome...

Well, this post comes better late than never.  We have finally made it back to the USA all in one piece...barely.  There were canceled flights, hired cars, a small fortune spent on bags, and sprints through an airport, but I guess I'll leave that story for another post and start with our vacation that came first.

We planned a last minute vacation in Europe for after Josh's finals.  A European "bucket list" you might call it.  Our first stop was Rome, Italy.  In my opinion, there are a few hotspot destinations in Europe;   London, England (check), Paris, France (check), and Rome, Italy (check).  We only spent two nights in Rome, and of all the places that I've been lucky enough to travel to in Europe, Rome is one of the few that I hope I'll get the chance to go back to someday.  It is everything that you dream Rome might be like and more; romantic, beautiful, old, and has the most delicious Italian food ever.

My college roommate Codi just so happened to be visiting her cousin in London and so we invited her to join us in Rome.  I was so happy to have her travel with us, especially since I hadn't seen her in probably two years. 

Of course our first tourist stop was the Colosseum, which is much grander than you can even imagine.  We've all seen pictures, and watched the movie Gladiator, but let me tell you that in person, there really are no words to accurately describe it.  It just shoots up into the sky and I can't imagine how they could build something so grand without the use of cranes and lifts.

But obviously, it was built extremely well without present day machines because it has withstood the test of time surprisingly well.

The Arch of Constantine stood very near to the Colosseum and reminded me a lot of the Arch de Triomphe in Paris, France.

Next we headed toward the Pantheon which was the Roman temple of all the Gods.

And then to the Trevi Fountain.

We stopped for a quick drink...

And tried on some fun masks...

The nose knows.

Then it was off to Vatican City.  I've seen many cathedrals within Europe.  Notre Dame, St. Patrick's, and Durham Cathedral all rank high on the list of most beautiful, but the Vatican makes them all look like novice work.  It is STUNNING.  Everything on the inside is so ornate.  It really is a spiritual experience.  No matter what your religion might be.

We took a break from site seeing for a minute to enjoy some time by the River Tiber.

And last but not least, there was pizza, wine, and gelato to end the day with.

I used to think there was nothing better than Nutella.  I was wrong.  Nutella Gelato is better. Way better.

We had such a great time in Rome.  And even though it was only a short stay, it was definitely a worth while trip.  Ciao!