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I am so in love with Rome! We woke up around 8 to get an early start on our first day of exploring the city! Our breakfast was down the street from our hostel where we were given yummy apple filled croissants and cappuccinos with chocolate leaves! The guys working there were super nice and the atmosphere in Italy is just so inviting. After breakfast on the walk back to our hostel we passed through a street market. It was full of cute jewelry and clothes and the guys were super easy to bargain with; I got a 12 euro necklace down to 3! After torturing the guys with a little shopping we all went to meet their friend from home at his hostel. One of the best parts about Italy-free water! It was scorching hot but there were water spouts on about every street, which is super nice because in France I have constant dry mouth. At the hostel we all decided to do a 2 day bus tour of the city. At first I didn't want to be stuck on a bus all day but it turned out to be well worth it. You could get on or off at any stop you wanted and the buses came about every 10 minutes. Our first stop-the Colosseum!! As if the bus ride through the city wasn't break taking enough, as soon as we stepped off the bus we were surrounded with beautiful ancient architecture. Every direction you turn in Rome is filled with another incredible view and each monument is more historical and rich than the last. Even though it was a pretty long line we all decided we had to go inside the Colosseum. We started at the very top and made our way down in a circle to see every possible angle. It was different form what we all expected; there weren't any seats around and there wasn't a flat center area as we assumed but a tunnel like structure as the main scene. We all were curious how they held the battles then so I went to read a sign and learned some interesting information. There was actually a removable structure that was used for the fighting and it laid over the tunnels that we could see. The tunnels were used for water and apparently were sometimes flooded for naval battles. Pretty cool. I also learned some of the structure was knocked down to build a metro line. Not cool. After we left the Colosseum we explored the area a bit and saw a really cool archeological site. New life plans-be an archeologist in Rome. boom. We soon got back on the bus for our next stop-the Vatican! It was incredible to get off the bus and be in the center of Vatican city! We explored the area since we couldn't go in (proper dress required, woops) and took lots of pictures of the Pope's home! Then I rushed everyone back on the bus to go to the next stop-THE TREVI FOUNTAIN! It has been the #1 thing on my bucket list since forever and everyone was making fun of how giddy I was. Which they had a right to do since I was squealing and giggling and losing control as we got off the bus and walked down the street towards the fountain. It was super crowded but I pushed my way to the front to get a first hand look. The water was super blue and clear which I didn't expect and the structure was so detailed to have seen it in real life was unforgettable. We all took some time to think of a good wish and then threw in our coins!! Best moment of my life wooo! After I breathed in enough Trevi air I allowed us to leave and head back towards the hostels for dinner. After eating some pizza and pasta like real Italians we went to Yellow Bar, which I heard from a friend is the best place to be (8 hour happy hour). We met up with the other Florida University kids studying abroad in Madrid and played games and shared stories. It was really cool to hear their experiences since they all stay with host families rather than in a dorm so they get a real taste of life in Spain. We soon ventured out to find late night food and I got to try some good Italian desserts except that we all wanted cannolis but couldn't find them! It didn't even matter though because we are in Rome! Today made me want to see all of Italy and never ever want to leave Rome!!
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Debbie Creef Erin - we are enjoying your blogs which let u follow you around on your crazy european adventure. I know you are having a great time...enjoy! Debbie and Freddie