When in Rome….
When in Rome…..eat pizza at every meal.
When in Rome…..get lost in the Vatican Museum & find yourself in the Sistine Chapel.
When in Rome…..relax on the Spanish Steps before climbing to the top to watch the sunset.
When in Rome…. make a wish in the Trevi Fountain.
When in Rome…. eat Italy’s favorite Gelato!
When in Rome…. take pictures with Gladiator mascots (against Katie’s will).
When in Rome…. allow yourself to be wowed by the Coloseum.
When in Rome…. do a pub crawl with 30 other kids from BC…?
When in Rome…..experience CLUB Gildo…..2x.
When in Rome…..laugh too much with people you haven’t seen in too long.
When in Rome….do everything the Romans don’t do.
This weekend we stood in the center of it all: the foundations of the world, where it all began, and the single culture that permeates most every other culture in the world. The Romans really did know what they were doing, The Coloseum should definitely be the 8th wonder of the world, and I’m still in awe. From the Vatican to the Coloseum, the Trevi to the Spanish steps, the Pantheon to Piazza Navona, everything about Rome has a story of its own and history deeper and richer then the entire existence of the United States. This past weekend really made me appreciate my roots, and respect the fact that although we are powerful, the United States isn’t everything. There’s a whole big world out there that pieced together the identity of the United States, and for all intents and purposes, we have a lot to learn and a lot to be grateful for. For the opportunity to visit places like Rome, see the Sistine Chapel for real, check out the Pantheon during a special liturgy and of course enjoy the best food EVER. Seriously, there’s no pizza like Roman pizza, and no place like Rome.
The best part of all of this is that I got to share this unbelievable weekend experience with seven of my best friends. The overwhelming history and age of Rome also made me realize that time is finite, and worrying about the past only limits how you live the present. It’s amazing the deep history we have made in such little time at BC. Four of the seven people I spent the weekend with I’ve met only in the last 6 months. The other three I have known for 3 short years, and in both cases, I don’t think I could have picked a better group to casually cruise around Rome with (unless we added a few who are always missed). Tourists by day, fun 20-somethings by night, and friends through it all, not to mention a little freaked out by how fast this whole abroad & college experience is ending and the sneaky real-world that is rapidly coming up on us from behind, everything just felt so natural this weekend. There was more than one occasion where I really felt at home and forgot that we had all just met up in the oldest city in the world to romp in ruins, no big deal. I really began to see different sides of people this weekend including Katie, our gracious tour guide, queen of Rome, and still the fashionista that she’s always been. Jack is still Jack, but much more outgoing than I ever remember him. Lynch WAS Brad Pitt in Katie’s Marc Jacob’s sunglasses. Ashley, played the disgruntled soccer mom at how slow we were all moving; we did have an extensive itinerary. Allie was the eternal tourist, making sure that we didn’t miss ANYTHING on the itinerary, and she did enjoy her pizza almost as much as me. Lunig, well lets just say he eats gelato like no one I have EVER seen before or EVER hope to see again, and has a laugh that is always contagious. And Stacey, the paparazzi and new-found sensitive one? I’ll never forget when she turned to me in the Vatican Museum on Friday afternoon after she had arrived a mere 3 hours before and said “We need to play ‘Many the Miles’ when we get back tonight before we go out, it’s just so fitting.” When I told her that I had never seen this sensitive side of her before she quickly replied “And that’s the end of it.” And it was just what I needed to hear, just who I needed to see, and exactly why I didn’t want to leave on Sunday morning.
Although that was probably the last time I will see the boys in Florence (until were back in the states that is), Stacey and Ashley head back to BC on Sunday, and I have to wait about 6 more weeks before Katie and I go on our romantic lovers getaway TAKE 2, on Thursday afternoon I was starting to get a little lost in this big city they call Europe and just like seven little lifesavers, they bailed me out, gave me something to hold onto as I got on the plane back to Madrid on Sunday. With my BC fix, a cleared mind, and a surprising amount of work this week, I will be ready to do as the Spanish do…. when in Madrid.
On the Itinerary for March:
Seville, Spain for Freddie’s 21st birthday this weekend!
Cordoba & Granada next weekend with the BC crew for some massages on the Alhambra
IRELAND for St. Patty’s Day!
San Sebastian in the North to celebrate Meghan’s 21st the last weekend in March!
And in less than a month it’s SPRING BREAK IN GREECE!!!! with a special appearance by Nicole 
