When In Rome....do everything you possibly can

So I haven't updated this blog at all here in Rome, partly because the hotel's Internet wasn't working and partly because we've been so busy. Greece is gorgeous and a ton of fun but Rome has been amazing. We've packed in as much as possible. In just five days we visited the Colosseum, Pantheon, Fountain of Trevi, the Vatican, St. Peter's Square, a day trip to Florence, and a walking tour of Rome. I have never walked so much in my life but considering the amount of carbs I've consumed in the  small amount of time it's probably a good thing. Seriously, the last time I had anything resembling a vegetable is the bruschetta I've had almost every night. Breakfast consists of a double shot coffee, a sweet roll, and a regular roll with jelly. Lunch/dinner is pizza or pasta. Carb-o-load to the max. But it's so good!

Today was our free day here in Rome so a couple of us ventured out and were surprised to find that the main street by ancient Rome was completely shut down and filled with children's soccer teams playing. They had cones set out for goals, refs, and real soccer jerseys. These kids don't play in regular t-shirts. Then we stumbled upon some BMX ramps blaring American rap and a bicycle race. It was a full on festival of sorts but I think it happens every Sunday. It was cool to see the city full of life.

Yesterday we pretty much walked from 8:30 am to 11:00 pm. We went down into some ancient tombs and then toured the Vatican. The Vatican tour was both quick and incredibly long. We really didn't stop at all and it still took us about three hours. It was cool to see Rafael and Michaelangelo's work and St. Peter's is breathtaking but the museum was crowded, stuffy and I felt like we were cattle being herded from one room to the next.

Afterwards we made our way through St. Peter's Square to the Bridge of Angels and found some of the places where scenes from Angels and Demons was shot. Then we slowly made our way back to the hotel, stopping through Piazzo Navona for dinner and random wifi. It's a sad addiction.

Wandering through the streets have been the most fun for me, especially during the evening. There are fountains everywhere and it's beautiful. Piazzo Navona is where a lot of movies like Return to Me and Ocean's 12 are shot so it was cool to see. I could just sit there and people watch for hours.

Another highlight was our day trip to Florence. It's about a four hour drive from Rome and a lot of people weren't sure it was going to be worth driving 8 hours in one day. However, the literary and art history nerd in me was stoked to see the monument of Dante and the tombs of Galileo, Michaelangelo and many more. It was a beautiful day, as they all are here, and we spent a lot of time walking around. We sampled gelato because we're pretty much obligated to eat gelato everywhere we go, and then some of us finished the day with an "unofficial" wine tasting with the curator of Sting's vineyard in Tuscany. Perfecto!

It's been an incredibly exhausting couple of days but fantastic all the same. I'm sad to leave Rome but Paris is the next stop and after that London!