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Adventures in Tourism: Rome, Day I


Hello, friends!

Two weeks ago today, one of my friends and I had our first full day of travel in Rome. After spending the night at the outskirts of the city, our first task of the day was riding a bus, and then the metro, into the city center of Rome. Upon our arrival, we ate lunch on the terrace of an Indian restaurant near the metro station. We were seated next to a very friendly man from South Africa. Although his initial greeting of "Hey, ladies" gave me some cause for concern, we had a good conversation. I was surprised by the number of people selling chargers and selfies sticks who walked up over and over again as we ate.

After checking into our AirBNB, we visited the magnificent and expansive Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica. I was not expecting to visit this cathedral, and I was overwhelmed by the beauty and ornate detail of everything inside it.

This beautiful stained glass window set the tone for an absolutely breathtaking church.

I feel like this angle makes it look as though I caught this statue in a moment of prayer.

The tomb of Pope Saint Pius V. You can see an image of Pope Francis praying in front of this very tomb here.

I really liked these angel candle holders.

Afterwards, we set off for Trevi Fountain. On the way, we rested by the column of Marcus Aurelius, ate gelato, and saw a very cool shopping mall in the style of an ancient Roman building.

Lydia's First Italian Gelato Experience, Part 1/2

Lydia's First Italian Gelato Experience, Part 2/2

Once we got to Trevi Fountain, we discovered that it was hugely crowded with people. The only thing to do was to take pictures of it, but it was nearly impossible to get a good picture with such bright sunlight and such huge crowds.

Is this the best photo ever? No. Will I share it anyway? Yes.

Next, we visited (and climbed!) the Spanish Steps, which were likewise crowded with people. If you like crowds and photographing yourself, I recommend visiting these two places on a Saturday afternoon. Personally, I found them underwhelming and stressful, but I probably would have enjoyed them more under less-crowded circumstances.

Here I am in front of the Spanish Steps.
...and here I am again, smiling victoriously after climbing the Spanish Steps.

We headed off to the Pantheon only to find a long line outside. We resolved to return the next day to visit the Pantheon. After a nice dinner at a restaurant called Al Duello (where I disobeyed many universal rules for dining conduct by playing Pokemon Go while waiting for our food), we returned to our AirBNB and went to bed.

Best wishes,
Lydia

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