Friends, Romans, Countrymen

We're finally here...

Despite the best efforts of Brian Cole, we made it to Roma! And, oh goodness, Rome is spectacular. Unlike Barcelona, Rome is truly Old Europe.

We arrived in Rome on Tuesday after leaving the villa at the ungodly hour of 6am. Having already been overwhelmed by the unfamiliarity of Madrid and Barcelona, we felt like old pros at navigating a new city. We found our hostel without any major hiccups and were pleasantly surprised to find that we were around the corner from Vatican City. We literally wandered into San Pietro, known to us as St. Peter's Basilica and plaza. The Basilica was larger-than-life and houses many famous sculptures by the great artists Bernini and Michelangelo. After the basilica tour, we attempted to get into the main area of Vatican City, only to be thwarted by the Swiss Guards who informed us that, "The State of Vatican is closed". What does that mean? How can a sovereign nation be closed? We later learned that by "closed", they mean that it is only open to those who pay the 14euro entrance fee, which we will be paying tomorrow (unless we can hop the large brick walls).

The next day we set out to conquer Rome. We trekked across the city to the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps & Piazza di Spagna, the Villa Borghese, and the Piazza del Popolo. While we wish we could go into detail about the amazingness of each sight, we a.) don't want to bore you to death, b.) don't have a lot of time, and c.) will have to show pictures later. But rest assured, that each sight is breathtaking and we spent most of the day in awe.

Today, armed with a Rome guidebook, we tackled ancient Rome. We saw Palazzo Venetia and the Altar to the Nation, the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, and the Colosseum. Wow! We can't even begin to describe how magnificent these historical monuments are. We are both physically and mentally exhausted from spending the day walking the ruins and considering the historical significance.

If anyone is considering coming to Europe, put Rome on the top of your list. It is simply one of a kind.

We send our love! Hope all is well,
-Alex + Kirsty = S.P.Q.R (google it)