Italian Adventures Pt. II

 Ok so on to the next part of our journey, ROME!

I think I was a little surprised by all the hustle and bustle when we got to Rome. After visiting the sleepy towns of Cinque Terre, it just seemed crazy. Partially because it was. Traffic in Rome was terrifying. Mopeds, cars and trucks all squished together on tiny streets. I'm surprised I only saw one little fender-bender. To add to the chaos, the mopeds drive through stopped traffic to get to the front of a huge line of cars. When the light changes, its like Marokart. Everyone darts and weaves to make sure they get to the finish line fastest.

Besides the tourists everywhere, and the crazy traffic, Rome is a great city that you just can't passover on a trip through Italy. The colosseum, forum, and palatino are all beautiful. Its hard to imagine that people actually fought to the death in the colosseum, walked through the market streets of the forum, or lived in a great Palace on Palatino hill during the time of the Roman empire. We also visited the Vatican and marveled at St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. We took the the stairs to the top of St. Peter's dome, which gave us a great view of the Vatican, as well as Rome.

Though I know I usually spend at least a paragraph talking about food, nothing about the food in Rome is coming to mind. Of course it was great. Pasta, pizza and focaccia are awesome, and there was this great little place by our hostel that was really good as long as you didn't want the tuna surprise. However, there was nothing as amazing as the gelato we got in Florence, our final stop before returning to Germany.

It honestly makes me drool thinking about it. It was absolutely the best gelato I have ever eaten. After doing the math, we figured out that between two of us, in the three days we were in Florence, we could get three scoops a day and try every flavor. Sadly that dream went down the drain when it was closed on Monday, but we still managed to go back more than once. The chocolate was so rich it was like eating cold melted chocolate. The coffee was the perfect balance of coffee and sweetness that is so hard to master. The passion fruit was incredible. The ginger was amazing. I mean there really was not a single flavor that didn't make me want to eat only gelato for the rest of my life. Even the peanut butter, which is not a flavor of gelato I would ever think to get.

Besides gelato, Florence is a cute little italian town, full of renaissance architecture and street markets. We visited the Accademia and saw Michelangelo's David, the Doumo, and many many churches. Sadly after 9 days of picture taking, my camera battery died. I wasn't able to capture much of the city, but all the more reason for you to visit yourself! Then you can really experience haggling prices with street vendors and walking by the river at dusk. 

I just got back from the Netherlands yesterday, so be sure to check back for another post very soon. In the mean time, classes will be starting on Monday which will be very interesting to say the least. I hope I haven't forgotten all my German during this month. 

Until next post,

                 Kate