Today was an early start as we had to catch the train from Florence to Rome! About an hour and a half later, we arrived in Rome and met our driver. He didn't speak any English, but he did help us with our bags! We sped along the streets, pointing out sights to each other along the way. We arrived at the front of our hotel, where there was a protest happening. We made our way through the crowd of people and found our way into the hotel. Inside, the front desk explained that the building across from us is the Parliament building and the people are protesting a new teaching regulation. Mom told me to go out and show my support! Inside, the hotel was gorgeous! Since it was still early, our rooms aren't ready, so we stored our luggage, regrouped, and headed back out onto the streets to find a place for lunch. We got a recommendation from our hotel and we were able to sit outside. We were definitely in a good spot to people watch. One thing about all the cities we have visited is that people are constantly trying to sell you things. Unfortunately, that got a bit annoying, but I was still able to enjoy my ham and mozzarella sandwich.
After we finished up lunch, we found our way to a stop on our hop on/ hop off bus. This stop ended up being the Trevi Fountain! It's amazing that here you could round a corner and there is a big, beautiful fountain on the other side. It was not what I was expecting st all! It was so much bigger. After taking many pictures, we agreed to come back later to see it at night. We eventually found the bus, hopped on, and headed towards the Colosseum. When we got there, our entrance wasn't until 4:30, so we went to the Roman Forum first. These were ancient ruins of an entire city! It was incredible to see. After spending about an hour and a half there, we were all pretty hot, so we took a short rest in the shade. Then, it was time to enter the Colosseum! It was amazing! It is so large and there is so much to see! It was one of those moments where you always dreamed of going to a place and then it was actually happening. We spent a long time walking around on multiple levels, taking pictures, and learning more about gladiators!
Once we finished in the Colosseum, we were all pretty tired, so we hopped back on the bus to make our way back to the hotel. Our rooms were ready, so we headed upstairs. The rooms are beautiful! Definitely the nicest hotel we have stayed in so far. We took a short break to shower and rest and then we went back out for dinner. We decided to go to a restaurant around the corner from our hotel and sat outside. The food was delicious! We started with two kinds of pasta, though I only ate the spaghetti with truffles, which tasted like garlic and oil sauce. Nevertheless, it tasted amazing. For my second course, mom and I shared grilled steak, grilled vegetables (eggplant, pepper, and zucchini) and roasted potatoes. Everything was better than the next. We also decided to have dessert at the restaurant, because our tired feet couldn't carry us anywhere else. Allie and I shared a chocolate lava cake with ice cream. Yum!
We had a great first day in Rome and are looking forward to another memorable day tomorrow as we visit Vatican City!!
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