Another great day in Rome started with a great croissant. The waiter at Suggestum Cafe said it was filled with white chocolate cream, and it was wonderful. After breakfast, we started our day by going to the Crypt that is UNDERNEATH our hotel. Bones of the monks make decorations. Some of us thought it was disgusting. Others thought it was quite beautiful in its own creepy way. Then we took the metro to Santa Maria Della Vittoria. There, we saw St. Theresa on Fire. After that, we ventured to Piazza del Popolo, where we went into the church of Santa Maria del Popolo and saw two Carrivaggio paintings, "The Conversion of Saul" and "The Crucifixion of Peter." It's interesting how he uses light to show the subject of the painting. After twirling like crazies in the piazza, we taxied to Castel Sant' Angelo. The outside on the bridge is the best part! After some fun jumping pictures and selfies, we ate lunch and entered the amazing Vatican Museum. We went through the Raphael rooms and saw the School of Athens! The fresco shows all the greatest thinkers of all time until that point in history. It's crazy that Raphael would even think to put himself in it! Soon, we entered the Sistine Chapel. Woah. The entire room is covered with pretty paintings of bible stories. In the center of the ceiling is the iconic scene where God creates man, and behind the alter, it shows the Last Judgement. There seems to be such chaos shown in that fresco. We exited the chapel into St. Peter's basilica. St. Peter's has so many intricate details everywhere you look. At the entrance, we saw a Pieta by Michelangelo. It's hard to believe he sculpted it when he was 25. In the center aisle there were names of other big churches to show where they fit in the biggest church in the world, St. Peter's. Super cool. Rome was PACKED. There were some tired feet after walking so much, but it was definitely worth it!
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I love Rome. I love the beautiful Italian language, the wonderful Italian people, the amazing Italian gelato, and everything in-between! We had only two days this go-round. NOT enough, but we sure did a lot. After landing in Rome, we bused to St. Paul's Outside the Walls basilica. It is one of the four major churches of Rome. The basilica has lots of columns outside surrounding the entrance and a statue of Paul. Next, we went inside the old Etruscan walls and ate lunch at the Colosseum. It's so cool to walk by what I've seen in so many movies! We got to go inside to check out where the Gladiators fought, so of course that was neat! After the Colosseum we went inside the forum. We saw the Arch of Titus, Temple to the Vestal Virgins, Arch of Septimius Severus, Basilica of Maxentius, and more! Then we stopped at the Mamertine Prison. It was very meaningful to be at the place where Paul wrote 2 Timothy, and to read some verses from that letter at that location. We're not even close to done yet! We taxied (thanks, Daddy!) to St. Peter's in Chains, where we saw the supposed chains that held Peter when he was in prison in Rome. Also there, we saw a statue of Moses by Michelangelo! We learned that due to an incorrect translation, there are horns coming out of Moses head instead of rays of light, which I found odd. Next, we took the metro to San Giovanni in Laterano, which is the most important basilica in the world (even more important than St. Peter's) and is known as "The Mother of all Churches in Rome and of the World." Across the street we saw the Holy Steps and got gelato! Then we taxied to the Pantheon where we peaked inside and then had free time for supper. I had pizza! The group met back at Piazza Navona, where the Fountain of the Four Rivers stands. After taking selfies with the new selfie stick, we walked to the Trevi Fountain. There, we had MORE gelato! Rome is known as the City of Fountains, and rightfully so! The ones we've seen are so elaborate and beautiful. What a great way to end the day!
This spring, while we visited the Strasbourg area in northeast France, we decided we wanted to make a day trip to Luxembourg! We got there at lunch time and ate Mexican Food. That's right, in Luxembourg. But we had a craving that had to be met, so there you go! After lunch, we walked around to see the Grand Ducal Palace and stepped inside the Notre Dame Cathedral. At the palace, royalty waved at us when they were exiting the grounds! We saw them on a china plate at a souvenir shop, so we know they were legit!
I loved wandering the pretty streets and peering through the windows of shops. I even found a snow globe to add to my collection! This past weekend, we got to go to Corfu, which is an island off the western coast of Greece. I loved seeing the blue water from almost every angle! The group visited a castle that was built for Empress Elizabeth of Austria. I easily imagined myself living there! We also climbed a Venetian fortress to see a great view of Corfu Town. It was a new trip for the HUG program, and I'm thankful to have gone. |
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I'm a girl traveling the world with my parents and have had many wonderful experiences. I'm very thankful. Archives
June 2017
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