Day 1

(5-31-2013)

Rome



Hello Family!

Today Will and I had a WONDERFUL day. We got up early to find that it was absolutely pouring outside (torrential downpour, Will says). But, hoping that the rain would let up, we set off to the Colloseum for day one of Roman tourism. We first stopped at the Basilica di San Clemente, a 12th C basilica built on top of 5th C ruins (says Will). It was pretty cool, but mostly it was just a great place to stop and get out of the downpour. (I should note that Will and I were sharing a tiny umbrella and had wisely chosen not to bring rain gear as it took up too much space. We both ended up with our pants completely soaked from running through puddles and being sprayed by passing cars, but we had fun.)



When the rain let up we started walking towards the Colloseum and decided to stop at a cafe to get cappuccinos and a croissant, all of which were amazing. We relaxed there for a bit trying to learn some Italian phrases from Rick Steve's Italian phrase book (thanks Aunt Sara and Uncle John!) while we waited for the rain to stop. We then went on to the Colloseum, which was one of the best parts of the day. We walked around on our own for a bit and then took an English guided tour, which was so wonderful. We spent a lot of time there cause it is just so cool and then went over to the Roman Forum, which was also awesome. It had gotten really nice and sunny so Will and I sat on a rock in the sun and read about early Roman history in our Lonely Planet guide book. Reading about the history is so much more interesting when you can see it.




By this time it was getting kind of late, but we decided to pop into the Museo di Capitalino because it's so famous. They were having an exhibit about Archimedes, which was so so interesting cause we've used his theories in all of our physics classes.
We then went to the Spanish Steps, where we got dinner and sat for a bit on the steps. So many people approached us to try to sell us stuff that it took away from the peace a bit, but I guess that's what you get in Rome!

We're off to bed now to get some rest before exploring the heart of Rome tomorrow. I've attached some pictures just so you know we're still alive and kickin!

Love you all.
Xoxo,
Elizabeth and Will