Spencer's Semester Abroad: Rome Part 2 (April 2nd-April 4th)

After a nap, we all went out to dinner with a group of ten friends of mine and I had a spectacular dish of Lasagna and Gnocchi pasta. I love Italy, but my waistline doesn't. From there, we pre-gamed and then hit the bars. One thing I've learned about being in Europe is that it's not what you see, but who you see it with. And being with so many good friends in a foreign land is really something special. It's also pretty funny to see some guys drink legally when you've known them since they were nine years old.

The next day, Chris and I planned on getting up early to beat the lines at the Vatican. No dice. We ended up sleeping in, but by the time we got to St. Peter's Basilica we got lucky and strolled right in. It was really cool to see the head of the Catholic Church, and more importantly, it was really cool for me to do it with Chris. For him, it had an extremely significant and deep meaning which made it that much better for me. The actual Vatican is enormous, but the details inside of it are so intricate and meticulous that it's quite the site. After wandering around, we went to go to the Sistine Chapel.

Quick side note about the Sistine Chapel. When I was younger (by younger, I mean only a few years ago), I thought this was called the Sixteenth Chapel. I'm not sure why, I'm just an idiot, Anyway, I told Chris this story and the whole time we were there, we were joking that we needed to hustle so that we could go find the other fifteen chapels. By the time we got the actual chapel, the line was so long we decided not to go inside. Instead, we got some pasta and gelato. I think we made the right choice. From there, we wanted to walk back to Ben and Jason's apartment. But somewhere along the way, we took a wrong turn and ended up wandering aimlessly across Rome.

When Jason and Ben finished class, we met up with them. They were with Danielle's friend Lisette and Ben's girlfriend Chloe. The six of us went to see the Pantheon, which is an old Roman temple. Luckily, Ben was able to show us around because Jason had no idea where anything was. The Pantheon ended up being enormous and really cool. After walking through (it only takes about 5 minutes), we went to this really good gelato place a few blocks away. After stuffing my face for the umpteenth time, the girls went back to their apartment, and the four of us stood contemplating what we wanted to do. The choice was between napping or going to the Trevi Fountain. Since Chris and I were only in Rome once, we chose to see the fountain. One of the best decisions in my life. The fountain ended up being amazing and, behind the Colosseum, my favorite thing in Rome. At the fountain, you're supposed to turn your back and throw coins with your left hand over your right shoulder. Legend dictates that you throw 1 coin for a safe return to Rome, 2 coins for love, and 3 coins for marriage. I'll let you guess which one I did.

When we got back to the apartment, we showered and got ready for dinner. We went to a place called Tony's with a group of about 20. When I came up to the restaurant, I literally ran into 20 people I knew, whether they were from New Trier, sports, camp, college, etc. Some of the people I hadn't seen since high school! We sat at two long tables, and it ended up being some of the best food of my life. Chris and I split the penne alla vodka and chicken parmesan. It was hands down the best pasta I've ever had. We had some wine, told some stories, and returned to the apartment before going to a club. The club we went to wasn't great but I still had a good time.

The next morning Chris and I woke up early to grab the train from Rome to Florence. It was a brutal wake up, but the train was easy to get to and I slept almost the entire way. Last quick note about my new favorite European city; I told myself that I wouldn't say that touristy cliche "When in Rome" at any point during my visit purely on principle. Naturally, everything I did got the catch phrase. Breaking promises is appropriate, but only WHEN IN ROME!

This seat was in the closest row to the arena in the Colosseum. It was reserved for Senators and other prominent figures. The carving in the side was the Senator's name.

Victory Arch of Constantine

Chris and I outside the Colosseum

The Ancient Roman Forum

The Ancient Roman Forum (aka building that didn't really mean anything back in the day, but we cherish now. For all we, this was the equivalent of a McDonalds)