Skip to main content

Adventures in Tourism: Rome, Day II


Hello, friends!

On a small editorial note, I have finally returned from study abroad! I haven't been updating my blog recently due to final exams, the difficulty of packing up all of my belongings, my vacation to Prague and Munich, and my general inability to accurately estimate how long any given task will take. However, I'm hoping to blog more frequently now that I'm back home, and I am contemplating blogging daily until I have to leave for camp. Let's move on to the travel content!

As it turns out, Sunday is not the best day for traveling in Rome. Nearly everything is closed, and activity options are somewhat limited. 

Our morning plan was to visit the Pantheon, and we were happy to find that there was virtually no line in order to do so. Just a few minutes after we entered and started looking around, an announcement that I didn't fully understand played. We ignored it, and continued to wander around and take photographs. Soon, an employee came by and started angrily ushering us and the other tourists out of the Pantheon. As it turned out, mass is held in the Pantheon every Sunday morning, and we were in the way. I was satisfied with our brief visit, but being kicked out left us without any plans for the morning. 

Image of the Pantheon from our first day in Rome, featuring the long line to get in. The Pantheon is gigantic in person, and I feel like this photo captures some of its grandeur.

This image features the domed ceiling at the inside of the Pantheon, along with some of the elegant detailing on the Pantheon's walls.

This picture was one of my efforts to capture the immensity of the Pantheon, this time from the inside.

We decided to split up and explore different activities. I wandered absentmindedly near the Pantheon and picked up some souvenirs. One of the highlights of my exploration was the Elephant and Obelisk statue. As it turns out, this statue features the smallest obelisk in all of Rome! I appreciated having some time to walk around and explore Rome, without the pressure of rushing from one destination to the next. 

The Elephant and the Obelisk. Even though it was before noon, the weather was quite dark and stormy.

After meeting up for lunch, we went to McDonalds to grab some coffee. I was impressed by the fancy presentation of this McCafe drink. Although McDonalds locations in Europe have relatively standard food options at affordable prices, these small differences completely change the McDonalds experience.


We finished off our official activities for the day with a visit to the Mouth of Truth. Unfortunately, those photographs currently live on my friend's phone, so you will have to trust me when I say that it was a touristy and enjoyable end to our travel day.

Best wishes,
Lydia

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Grouchiest Blog Post

Hello! This post is literally just Grumpy Lydia complaining. If that sounds miserable, congratulations! You have my full permission to click away now. If that sounds like something you wouldn't mind reading, please enjoy and/or suffer through this list of Lydia's Miseries. I was on vacation in Italy all last week, which means that there are many lingering tasks that have not been completed. My flight was delayed on Monday, which means that I missed class, which has led to me being even more behind.  Housing selection was yesterday, and I am trying to force myself to come to terms with the fact that I'm pretty much definitely going to be living alone next year, which will contribute to my depression next year and makes me feel lonely in the present. There are just, like, a lot of lingering thoughts that I cannot find the words to write about.  It is cold and wet and sad outside, which means that a Self-Imposed Walk to Help With Lingering Sadness would probably jus...
Post a Comment
Read more

Reviewing My August 2019 Goals

This is an image of my desk during Fall Semester 2018. On the right side of the photo, there is a vintage Singer sewing machine which, unfortunately, does not work. To the left of the sewing machine, there is a crate books inside. On top of the crate, there is a stack of Rookie Yearbooks with a crocheted jellyfish (wearing glasses) on top of it, and a picture frame containing a print that reads "all the time". To the left of the crate, there are a few more books. In lieu of a proper bookend, I have placed a tarot deck (stored in a black makeup bag) and a book-themed Halloween decoration (featuring book spines with the words "Potions", "Hexes", and "Spells") to keep my books from toppling over. I chose this photograph because, unlike my current desk, this desk looks like it belongs to someone who creates monthly goals. Hello! At the start of this month, I made a list of goals. As September 1 draws near, I am l...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Brief Reflection on the Practice of Blogging Daily

Image of a canyon in White Rock, New Mexico. There is a ridge in the horizon of the picture, with orange-brown rock. The canyon is dry and dirt-covered, with small bushes and trees dotted near the bottom. A green pine tree sits in the bottom left corner of the frame. Hello! I seem to be in a season of my life where I am eager to start a project, but struggle to follow through. *stares at sentimental items on my desk that been sitting there for days, waiting for me to sort through them*  By blogging every day this month, I am trying to create some consistency, and to keep Slanted Rays from becoming just another abandoned project. This habit has become surprisingly well-ingrained, even with yesterday's post being written in my parents' car on the way to Sonic at 10 PM. At the same time, maintaining a daily post schedule is a bit exhausting. It's weird to sometimes create meaningful content that I really enjoy, while also occasionally churning out words just so that I...
Post a Comment
Read more