The First Days

11:37:00 AM

It's day 3 and I am finally starting to settle in. I find myself endlessly wandering around Rome until class begins. Last night, we went to a new restaurant that was really modern; we think it turns into a nightclub after hours. They served us four cheese pasta, some weird turkey dish, and tiramisu AGAIN! I could eat tiramisu every day. After dinner, we decided we were going to go to Scholars which is a Irish pub. Each of us went with a glass of wine or champagne. The seven of us sat in a cute little booth for a few hours; just laughing and sipping on our drinks. By the time we got back to the dorms, we were exhausted and went straight to bed. Today, I started off my day with a coffee and a chocolate crescent- which I can order all by myself in Italian. Then I went to Italian class and I love my Italian professor. She is very sweet and adorable. After that, my friends and I walked around Campo de'Fiori and went into a few shops. We found this really cute boutique that sells hundreds of scarves, hats, jewelry and a lot of cute clothes as well. We plan to go back to that shop (I think it's called TABA) and actually buy stuff later this week. Alaina and I walked back to the hotel to meet with my roommate Kelsey and my friend Katie. We spent an hour or so in our dorm chatting about our days while starting some homework. At 3:55, I had my first Art History class and I absolutely loved it. We didn't go too far into details today, but I know I'm going to love learning about Italian art and then actually seeing it when we go on tours. After Art History, I went to Religion which should be interesting as well! By the end of Religion, it was 7:00 pm and we were starving. So, we headed over to our Tuesday dinner spot which is conveniently next to our dorms. We had pasta al dente with creamy tomato sauce, followed by a well-needed salad, and then a fruit bowl for dessert. All of the food I have eaten here has been absolutely amazing.

Throughout this first week, I have visited a ton of tourist sights in Rome. I have recently visited the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, and the Trevi Fountain. All of these places are so rich in history and I love knowing that I can go back and visit these sights any day for the next three months.

The Colosseum is a lot bigger than I thought it would be. My friends Hallie, Stephanie, and I walked around the entire building. Certain parts of it are remodeled and there are support bands in the arches because the building is slowly crumbling. The Roman Forum was right by the Colosseum. I was surprised with the Roman Forum and I definitely need to go back to read about the history of this area. I'm pretty sure this is what is left from ancient Rome. The Trevi Fountain is one of the most surreal things I've seen here. There is so much detail in each individual sculpture and all together it is truly beautiful. The first time I saw it was at night, I reenacted the scene from Lizzie McGuire and tossed a coin in the water. The next day, we went back to the fountain because we loved it so much. All of these places are minutes away from my hotel. My friends and I feel guilty staying inside for more than an hour, so we've been getting plenty of steps in our walking apps. I will be back soon with updates of my upcoming adventures featuring New Years Eve and a day trip to Pompeii.

Pictures from this week-------------------