Rome, Italy (Roma)

I really enjoyed my stay in Rome as it is a very beautiful city. I was so amazed walking around the ancient ruins of the coliseum, monuments and churches. The Pantheon is very beautiful but it was not what I was expecting as the temple built for all the gods is now devoted to Christianity. There was not one picture in the building representing ancient Roman beliefs; however, it is still very beautiful as a Christian church.

The coliseum was amazing! It was as if I was feeling the energy of the millions of Romans who met there as I toured the ruins of the ancient structure. I also walked around another nearby area of ruins, some other plazas with monuments and threw a coin into the Trevy Fountain to ensure my return to Rome (it is believed that if you toss a coin over your right shoulder with your back facing the fountain you will return to Rome).

I met so many cool people from the hostel and was surprised as this was the first time I had been around so many Americans. The hostel was very small with only 20 travelers. We had many great times as we went out to dinner and went site seeing together. We even planned a day trip to the ancient ruins of Pompei, the city which was discovered and unburied from being preserved as it was covered in Ash nearly a 1000 years ago when Mount Vesuvius erupted in the first century. We happened to catch "La Notte Biance˝ which occurs one night a year and is translated as white night. On this night the whole city is a party as stays open all night long. It was packed with so many people that it took forever to get anywhere and we all felt like a massive crowd herding through the streets. It was good times as music was planning everywhere and the museums were even free and open until midnight. There was an area with beautiful lights all over the ground that changed colors and a moving concert on a portable stage which was going down one of the main streets and had a gigantic, mechanic praying mantus on it which was controlled by a woman sitting in the mouth. There was also staff and poi dancers spinning equipment that set off sparklers. That was very wild and I have to shop around for some to expand my fire dancing equipment.

Unfortunately I missed the Vatican as it closed early on Saturday and I arrived 20 minutes to late. I think I will try to plan a day trip back to Rome at the end of my trip so I can see Vatican City and St. Peters. I would also like to return to Napels so I can explore that town a little, return to Pompei to hike Mount Vesuvius and explore the Amalfi Coast. I just did not have enough time in Italy but I did not want to stay too much longer since I wanted to spend my birthday relaxing in Budapest before heading to Pecs for Earthdance. Italy is fairly close to Germany though which is the country my flight departs from to return to the US so I think if I plan correctly, I may be able to return to Italy for another couple of days.