Backpackers Lesson #4, Part 2!

Missed part one of my trip through Italy? Here's the first few days.

The facade of the Medici Family Church. Never finished, but prepped to
receive the marble!

My second morning in Florence I took a FREE walking tour of the city, where I learned the history of the Medici family, really the family responsible for starting the Renaissance. Exploring the ancient part of Florence, I saw the image of Dante, and entered the tiny chapel outside of which he met the inspiration for his Divine Comedy. The rainy day that followed saw me fighting to get into various museums and churches, after a wonderful panino, or sandwich at a small shop tucked away on a side street. Eventually I made it in the museum, saw the David and left. I wasn't particularly impressed by the rest of the works--nor was I a fan of the masses of people that seemed to bump into me at every opportunity. If I had extra time, I really wanted to go to the Uffizi museum--which seems to have a much greater variety of classic art by some of the greatest artists of the Renaissance. I spent the rest
of my day strolling, discovering a flea market, a nice park, and lots of other interesting things outside of the traditional tourist route. (The backpacker in me is coming out again!)

The church where Dante met the love of his life.

The next day, it was time to head back to Rome for those last-minute must-sees. After checking into my hostel, I headed to some Roman-y looking ruins, that turned out to be from 3 different centuries! This tour guide sort of creepily walked up to me, then kindly offered to give me a tour of the Aquarium in the same little park. Interesting place, but let's move on.

My goal was to make it to the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums, but when I got there, the line was RIDICULOUS, so I left in search of a time waster. Luckily the subway stops at every major tourist attraction! So I made a stop at the Piazza del Popolo, snapping some pictures and looking around before I headed back. Ultimately, I told myself, "Hey. You're in Rome, and you won't be back here soon. Get in that line before it's too late!" So I did. And I waited. And I waited. And I chose to stay in line even though these so-called "tour guides" were telling us we wouldn't make it in. The last admittance was at 4:00. I walked past the ticket booth at 4:05. #winning (Sorry for the Charlie Sheen reference, but I still get excited thinking about the awesomeness of that moment.) And it really was the most incredible "museum" experience of my life. Even though the Sistine Chapel was literally packed full of visitors, the museums were really breathtaking. I cannot say enough about how amazing that tour of museums was.

The end of my day was supposed to have a tour of Rome's most famous landmarks, lit up at night. But somehow I got left at my hostel, so I went out with two French guys that I met while waiting. We journeyed to the Trastavere district for the nice bars and nightlife. BUT! We never made it, instead stopping at a bar about halfway there, and striking up a conversation with two women from Argentina. We talked until late in the night, trying wines and chatting about random things. I learned that one woman was coming to Madrid on the same day that I was, so I offered to meet her for dinner in the city. When we said goodbye for the night, she told me that if I ever make it to Argentina (which I someday will), she'd be happy to meet me! I love the connections I've made!

The next day, I journeyed to the last places on my must-see list. All of them were of course covered up by tourists. I saw the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and the Piazza Navona. Unfortunately I couldn't go IN any of these places because there was a government holiday. Still got some nice pictures!

When I made it back to my hostel, I ran into one of the guys staying in my room. He had spent the whole day sleeping basically, so he was ready to head back out and grab some food. After a little bit of sitting (because I'd been on my feet almost the entire day), we set back out, stopping at the Nike store. My new friend (his name escapes me, so let's call him John) needed some new shoes--his last hostel told him people had complained about how smelly his shoes were. So a minor set back, but a funny story and a good way to break the ice. Turns out John had been studying abroad in London, and was about to go home. We could definitely relate about our experiences over the past semester (except he didn't call his momma like I did. haha). And it was nice having a buddy for the afternoon, since I had essentially been on my own for a week. We grabbed dinner at a nice, seemingly family-owned restaurant, explored random parts of the city, and grabbed an after-dinner beer. Yum. Because of my early morning flight and desperate need for sleep, I called it a night around 10:30, then set out to journey back to the airport at 3:30 the next morning. Ouch.

All in all, I have wonderful photos, and more importantly, wonderful memories. I have NO photos of those long lines (or long queues, for my international readers...all seven of you) only of those beautiful places. I will never forget the people I met along the way, the memories I made with them, and how much they enriched my trip. Even if I don't have their pictures, or their names, the connections I made let me leave my tourist-side behind. For five days, I was a backpacker that called Italy home.