On October 15th Mom and Dad arrived in Rome! I took the train right after my Italian class Thursday morning and met them at the hotel. It was so nice to see them and exactly what I needed. I felt only a little sorry that I interrupted their napping time, but we were in Rome there is way too much to see to be napping! So instead we started walking. It was so fun to see them out of their element a little bit. Mom couldn’t get over the buildings and Dad was just smiling, taking it all in. The first stop was of course gelato and then we wandered our way from the hotel to Colosseum. I have seen the Colosseum before, but it is still such an amazing architectural feat. You can clearly see the resemblance to any and all athletic facilities of today. We decided to tackle it and the Forum the next day. Instead we wandered some more, eventually finding a wine bar and relaxing in a Piazza with a good bottle of Chianti. Becky, my roommate from Iowa State, is studying in Rome this semester and we got to meet up with her for a delicious dinner. I still couldn’t believe my family was here in Italy. It was great!!
The next day we went to the Forum (aka the ancient Roman ruins). We decided to split an audio tour. Ha! The little speaker only goes so loud. I am sure we looked like idiots all huddled around it trying to hear. Hahaha! But it was helpful to have some clue as to what we were looking at. One of the coolest places was looking down on the Forum area from the Palatine Hill. It was kind of neat seeing all the tourists milling around down there. If they had been in togas it would have been perfect! Next was the Colosseum. We got to pass the ridiculously long line since we had already bought our tickets. Hooray! The inside of the Colosseum is just as amazing as the outside. I would have loved to have seen it during the Roman times, well minus all the killings inside. Yikes!
Then Dad was thirsty and he managed to lead us back to an Irish Pub we had passed the day before. After a long day of ruin strolling a beer and bar snacks was a perfect way to kick off the evening. Once again we met up with Becky and we were once again roaming the streets of Rome. We hit up the usual sights like the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and the Spanish steps. Then it was another tasty Italian dinner. Yum! One of the best things about having my folks in town was all the wonderful food I got to enjoy. Tasty! After dinner we took the back way up the Spanish steps. Much to mom’s disappointment there are just as many steps going up this way hahaha. At the top we actually ran into my friend Paula from Iowa State who is also studying in Rome. It was a complete surprise and so totally random. It was great to see her! We stood there and chatted for quite awhile, but I noticed the jet-lagged ‘rents starting to fade so we called it a night and went back to the hotel. It had been a long, but awesome day.
Saturday we decided to head to another country for a few hours and made the Metro trip to the Vatican City. It was a little gloomy out when we arrived so we headed to the museum first. Now the last time I was in Europe I did the Vatican Museum in record time. We only had 2 hours or so and our mission was the Sistine Chapel. It was so nice to actually enjoy all of the amazing pieces this museum has. It was crazy to look at some of the statues that I had been studying for the past few weeks in my art history class. It’s so true that you appreciate artwork so much more when you know what it is about. Thank god for personal audio guides! The Sistine Chapel was just as amazing as I remember, if not more so since I have learned so much more about it and Michelangelo since being here. We were one of the lucky ones to score a spot on the benches surrounding the walls and got to sit and take it all in. Besides the minor interruptions of angry guards yelling at tourists to be quiet it is a really overwhelming experience. You may have seen pictures, but nothing can compare to seeing it in person. Next was a stop at St. Peter’s Square and a walk through the Basilica. It is HUGE! It is the largest church I have ever seen and everything in it is so ornately decorated. Beautiful!
After a long day of Vaticany things we were ready to head back to Rome. We wandered along the river for a while. It was so nice to get to just hang out with my parents. I miss home so much and getting to laugh and talk with them was the best thing ever. I am so thankful that they were able to make the trip over here to see me. They deserved it to! 25 Years!
We had another great dinner at the little place by our hotel. I think we have a gift for picking good restaurants…or most restaurants in Italy are just pretty darn good! 
The next day they left for Cinque Terre and I took my first midterm. Not fair I know! It actually went pretty well considering how little studying I had done. Apparently going wine tasting before midterms is not a bad idea J It was a long week with five tests, but I am slowly getting the grades back and I did pretty well. Not that it matters too much since everything transfers back to ISU as pass/fail. Hooray!
After my last exam Thursday afternoon I met Mom and Dad outside school and we were on a train bound for Venice. It’s a pretty long ride to Venice from Florence so when we arrived it was pretty late. One thing we did learn about Venice is that since there are not really streets that cars drive on there are not really any street signs either. After wandering for quite some time we finally called the hotel and confessed how lost we were. The hotel guys actually met us in St. Mark’s Piazza to lead us to the hotel. Well when we finally got there… no wonder we couldn’t find it because it looked nothing like a hotel. Besides a very small plaque on the building you would have no clue. Then when we entered it only got better. It was a basement with just brick walls. Not exactly your typical hotel lobby. The guy apologized profusely and said he was waiting for approval to redo it. Poor guy! When we did we reach the hotel (on the 4th floor- sorry dad/Sherpa) it was very nice and we were happy to have a home. However, we were starving! It was 11pm and not a lot of places are open that late and still serving dinner. Luckily we had found a Hard Rock Café and it was exactly what we needed. I had a BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger and about died! Yum! So far Venice was turning out to be quite the adventure J
The next day we did the typical touristy things: St. Mark’s, the piazza, and the Doge’s Palace. My favorite was touring the palace. Each room seemed to get bigger and even more beautiful. The last room was gorgeous and so massive! Mom’s thought was that with better footing it would make a perfect indoor arena…typical! We also got to go over the Bridge of Sighs that led to the prison. Mom made a joke about how she though it was called that because the prisoners thought “oh…damn-it” when crossing. Well true story, that is actually why it is called that. Haha! After spending a little too much time in museums we started wandering the streets of Venice. It is such a unique place. The streets are so narrow and canals are everywhere! We did manage to find the Rialto bridge, the first bridge to span the Grand Canal. Then it was wine time! We decided to have our own wine bar and bought some wine, crackers and cheese to enjoy while relaxing at the hotel. Before dinner we went out exploring again and almost let mom take a swim in one of the canals. J
On Saturday we took the train back to Florence and enjoyed the day walking around Florence. We did conquer the 463 steps to the top of the Duomo. It was a long way up, but the perfect view of the city. Then it was of course time for more gelato at my favorite place, Grom. Mom and I got caramel and apple favors. Yum! As a celebration of their last night in Italy we did go out for a tradition Italian meal complete with all 4 courses. It was a lot of food, but we managed! J I was really sad to see them leave Sunday morning, but I had a train to catch to Bologna to fly to Madrid. I am so glad that they came to visit me and I think they enjoyed it as much as I did. It was a perfect way to break up the semester here. I did get some nice things from home that I am enjoying now too, like microwave popcorn, Life cereal and caramel! I can’t believe how little time I have left here. I will miss it, but I will definitely be ready to head home. I miss you all so much!
For more pictures check out my facebook album or mom’s facebook album. (Yeah she caved hahaha!)
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