Hi. I'm in.. Italy...: Roma

Wow. Well this week has been an absolute whirlwind to say the least. So much has happened so I have so much to tell you!

Let's begin with Rome. Our theory is that API packs these excursions full of tours and activities so that the students are exhausted and don't get wasted. Which of course, doesn't work. API, like I said is full of drunk fucktards, as I like to call them.
So we had lot of guided tours. The program was broken down so that there were around 20 students to one tour guide. Naturally, our tour guide whispered. So we saw the Spanish steps, the Pantheon, and a bunch of other important old ass buildings. I can't tell you much about them since I had no idea what the guide was saying. The girls and I made a joke that since she whispered it made everything seem really really important and secretive. Bummer we never heard the secrets.
The hotel was not kosher. Eliza, Elaine, and myself were in one room together so that was cool. But the room was miniscule. The beds were like our beds in Florence, made for midget babies. Our one little window opened up to a lovely view of a wall of the neighboring window. The bathroom was also designed for small people And all of our towels had at least one blood stain on it. Mmm so yummy! So needless to say, we spent as much time as possible outside wandering around Rome.
During these wanders we found this really funny mime/clown man that was an entertainer and was damn good at it. We just sat at the steps facing the Pantheon and watched him mess with people, it was great. The weather was beautiful so we went and got gelato and soaked in the sun. Saw an old gypsy/drunk prostitute sunbathing her boobs.
That night we roamed around and stumbled upon the Trevi Fountain which looked beautiful at night. It's a big landmark where you throw in coins for goodluck. One to return to Rome, two for relationships, and three for any wish you want. Apparently every night they rake in the money and put it towards some good charity, I don't know. But anyways, we just sat there for hours watching people throw in their money and take pictures and be all lovey dovey it was really nice. During our hour or two there we were asked to be in four different groups of people's pictures. One was this elderly couple that were taking pictures of each other throwing the coins in so we offered to take a picture for both of them. They were so precious just kissing and being super cute. They left all smiley, only to come back a minute later and tell us they had been married for 40 years and then asked to take a picture of us. Too cute.. We then continued our meandering and stumbled upon more ruins and this huge memorial for Victor Emmanuelle, the guy who united Italy.
Saturday we had a guided tour of the Vatican. This time we had ear pieces so we could hear her. I listened for a while, but the Vatican was too powerful and emotional to be listening to this lady talk about the history of a statue so I just roamed around by myself. It was honestly breathtaking. Afterwards we sat near a fountain in front of the Vatican and just soaked in the sun and the amazing presence of this building and everything it represents. So that was really peaceful. Eliza, Elaine, and myself then went to lunch and spent around two hours just enjoying our delicioussss pizza and again, the sun. In front of where we ate, there is a piazza, known as the painter's square. It's just filled with a bunch of artists and their sketches and paintings and stuff. It was here that I was just standing with Elaine and that the gypsy/old prostitute that I mentioned earlier was causing a bit of scene at a restaurant near us. The ordeal was in Italian, but I think it was along the lines of her saying some shit to one of the waiters and then he was just like ehhh get out of here you crazy gypsy, something like that. Well on her path out she stops in front of Elaine and myself and says some gypsy curse and is pointing her finger and going off. She then walks up to us and stops right by me and yells some more abracadabra at my face and then shoves me. I was so shocked, I honestly didn't think she would touch me. But it was terrible. I was literally just cast a spell on. So Elaine takes her water bottle and sprits it on me like it was holy water. I said I need to go back to the Vatican, it was seriously fuckin weird!!
So to make me feel better we got some gelato and sat on the spanish steps and photo-bombed for hours. In case you don't know what that means, any photo that we may have been in the background of we made weird/fugly faces so it would be forever captured on their camera. :)
That night AC Milan and Juventas was playing, Number 1 and 2 soccer teams in the Italian league. So we went to an Irish pub. After some non-discrete shit talking about the girls sitting at the bar, they left and we claimed our spots on the bar. The first half was awesome, second half sucked. Ended up in a tie, but still was so much fun. The bartender ended up being really cool. Born in Berlin, lived in Chicago, studied in Fullerton and before he came here on a work visa, was living in good ol' Santa Monica. So as girls do, we got two glasses, two pitchers of beer, two shots, two orders of fries, and an order of nachos, for free. We topped off the night with drunk gelato and had a swell evening.
Sunday morning we went on a tour of the Colosseum. You have to use your imagination to see what it must have been like back then, since it is now reduced to pretty primal ruins. But it was still really awesome, for however long ago that was, a stadium of that size is remarkable. Eliza was so excited and wanted to just quote "Are you not entertained" from the Gladiator. But she was too nervous, so I said I would help her. Apparently, I thought she wanted to scream it so naturally, at the bottom of the Colosseum I scream at the top of my lungs, "ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED!!!" echo and all. The entire Colosseum goes silent. And I got embarrassed. But hey, whatever.
So that was more or less our trip to Rome. We hopped on our API buses and drove the four hour ride back home.
Rome is great. It's a big city so there is so much to do and see. I'm really excited to go back with Dana. But it was nice to come back to our little Florence. I love it so much. It actually reminds me of my school situation. Redlands is small, and there isn't as much to do as a big school, but I feel at home there.
So overall the trip was awesome. I didn't take that many pictures on my camera cause I know I'll be back with Dana. And the pictures that do have me and my roomies are on different cameras. I'll get them eventually. But for now here's just a few snapshots I took.