Rome

Hello all!
I have a little bit of time to kill, so while I'm in Barcelona I'll tell you a little bit about Rome and once I'm out of Barcelona, I'll tell "the rest of the story"

Rome:
We (Kara, Jordan, Amy and me) left Salzburg, Austria at 8pm and went to Villach, Austria via train. In Villach we caught an overnight train to Rome, so when we woke up in the morning we were in Rome! or Roma in Italian. Once we found our hostel and but away our heavy bags we went exploring. We wondered around the town and stumbled into the biggest roundabout I have every seen. It's center was at least 75 feet across with a fountain in the middle. The next road we walked down ended with Roman ruins. A good acre or two of just old foundations and pillars and dwellings! As weird as it is, walking in the same place as the old Romans was awesome. To think that I walked in the exact same place they did takes your breath away for a second.
The first major monument we encountered was The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I wish I could put up a few pictures, when I'm back in Austria I will make a page with just pictures. This is a huge building that we climbed to the top of. From there we were able to catch our first glimpse of the Colleseum! It is by far one of the most inpressive structures I have ever seen. It is huge and to think it is still standing 2000 yrs later! Getting to actually touch it and go inside blew my mind. I did laugh a little as we were standing inside, thinking "Romans you may have persecuted Christians and brutally harmed them, but they only thing left to prove you still existed is a crumling building, but Jesus still lives and His followers are thriving more than ever!"
Another building that took me by suprise was the Pantheon. It is a circular building with a 9 meter whole in the top. It was built pre-AD and is an architectural wonder. The crazy part is its in the middle of a neighborhood. We walked down an alley with apartments and the next thing we knew there was a giant building! It was so out of place and didn't have near enough recognition. It was like the Roman citizens just ignored it was there and built the city around it.
The Roman Forum and Palatine Hill are the largest remaining Roman ruins, supposedly built for the first time pre-AD. Some of the ruins are a little older, but most are before Christ. The Senate building is still standing for the most part and there is a church built a little later that is still fully intacted. Walking among the buildings and see where they lived, it can't be described, but it is shocking in a good way. It really makes you stop and think that you are small, but that you can make a difference. In a few years no one will know who I am personally, but it makes me think about what are the "ruins" in my life? The people that lived in those dwellings are not personally remembered, but there contribution to society is. The buildings that they created will live on forever and people will always remember that. So what am I "building" that will last longer than my lifetime?
Trevi Fountain: I didn't know what it was before I got to Rome, but it is a gorgeous fountain designed by DaVinci. The legend goes that if you toss 2 coins over your shoulder into the fountain you will return to Rome. I tossed some coins, so we will see if that comes true : )
We stubbled across the Spanish Steps on our first day, but didn't realize what they were until the third. They are huge and take your breath away when you climb them, literally, but the view really did take your breath away, because you could see the whole city and a few mountains in the distance. It was definitely worth the climb.
The Vatican City: I wanted to save this one for last, because I think this site had the most impact. Going into the Basilica was worth seeing and when we were there there was a church service going on and we got to hear it in Latin and some songs as well. The beauty of the church is everything that had been described and more, but the Sistine Chapel was exceedingly more breathtaking. Me, Jordan and Kara analyzed the paintings in the Sistine Chapel for almost an hour. To think of the passion that went into painting the ceiling is incredible. Michelangelo is talented. He created images that look 3D, but are not. They have a sense of being alive and real. It is amazing how much more I enjoyed being in there compared to being in the Basilica. Michelangelo portrayed God in a way I have never experienced before. I wish I could have stayed in there all day!
Lessons in Rome:
1) Walk to the sites and take the metro back. You want to see what the city has to offer, but once you have seen it you are a long ways away from your hostel and thank goodness for a metro pass.
2) Buy a Romapass. For 23 euros you get a metro pass for 3 days and free entry into 2 museums and discounted entry after that.
3) Everything is closed except restaurants on Monday. If you want to go to a museum go on any other day.
4) Eat Gelato, but find some place cheap. Tip: If it is served in metal bins and the banana flavor is gray and not yellow it is homemade. This makes a difference, because it tastes better.
5) Drink the wine. Its cheap and tastes good.
6) Eat the pizza. Nothing like it in America.
7) There are mafia men and they are easily spotted. We played can you pick out the mafia man...and yes you can. It was fun!

Side note: We saw an anti-racism protest. There was a parade with people marching and carrying signs that went through the city and ended up at a stage where they talked about ending racism. Part of the roads were blocked off, because the police wanted to control the flow of the parade. It was interesting to see police men in full out swat clothes to make sure a demenstration didn't get out of hand. It was interesting to see, because I've heard of such a thing, but never actually seen it.

I don't think I ever really want to go back, but Rome was worth the trip and I'm glad I got to see it. It was fun to hang out and see an old city!