When in Rome Day 2

Sorry for the delay in posting my Rome stuff. We have had internet problems and we've been a little more busy lately. Ok, so Saturday morning our first stop was the Vatican. We decided not to wait 3 hours in line plus pay 15 Euro to get in, we are poor college students after all and Rome was an expensive trip already. Therefore we just stood in the courtyard, which was still awesome! I do wish we could have gone inside the buildings because there would be some great things to see including the Sistine chapel but I enjoyed what we did anyway. Side note: one girl kept saying she really really wanted to see the Sixteen chapel haha!

 This was a really busy place. There were a lot of nuns walking around, of different nationalities because this is a pilgrimage site for Catholics. The next several pictures are just pictures around the courtyard.

The Pope!

 So many of you are probably wondering what this is about. It is called "planking." It is the new thing....if you want to see more just youtube it. Even after doing that it still may not make sense, but the guys are just loving planking around these famous monuments. It is pretty funny really.

 And it's harder than it looks.

 One of the guys in our group, Heath, really wanted a picture with a nun. I guess he was afraid to ask, or afraid one would say no, so he just followed this one so we could get a shot.

 This is a tower in the Piazza del Popolo, which was our next stop. Wiki info: An Egyptian obelisk of Sety I (later erected by Rameses II) from Heliopolis stands in the centre of the Piazza. Three sides of the obelisk were carved during the reign of Sety I and the fourth side, under Rameses II. The obelisk, known as the obelisco Flaminio or the Popolo Obelisk, is the second oldest and one of the tallest obelisks in Rome (some 24 m high, or 36 m including its plinth)

  One side of the Fontana dell'Obelisco

Who is the middle guy? My first guess was the devil...but that's probably not right. The guy on the far right though...that's Heath. The guys definitely had fun with the statues today.

 PJ is nearly as long as this car!

A pretty fountain  in the park that we walked through.

 My imitation of the statue.

 The park had a great view of the city. We were able to look at some of the stuff we had seen the day before including the ancient city. Rome is huge!!

 The Trevi fountain was definitely one of my favorite things that we did. It has been in a lot of movies, which was cool. The Trevi Fountain (Italian: Fontana di Trevi) is a fountain in the Trevi rione in Rome, Italy. Standing 26 metres (85.3 feet) high and 20 metres (65.6 feet) wide,^[1] it is the largest Baroque fountain in the city and one of the most famous fountains in the world.

 A traditional legend holds that if visitors throw a coin into the fountain, they are ensured a return to Rome.

 I threw it in! Looks like I'll be going back. I threw in an American penny though. My Euros were too valuable...hope it still counts...

 There are people everywhere who will do anything for money. Lots of people dress up interestingly and have you pay them for a picture. I snuck this one inb. He was the best one who just really looked like a statue. The Italians were really pushy with selling things. I didn't like it, I felt it lessened the experience of what I was seeing with all that going on. They will start a conversation with you and then before you know it they are making you a bracelet and demanding 5 Euro! This happened to one of the guys. There are also a lot of beggars. We have even seen some beggars in Germany which my professor talked about. He was saying it doesn't make sense because everyone is taken care of by the government. I guess some people are never satisfied....shocker.

 Next stop, The Pantheon. I wasn't particularly interested in going, but it ended up being really neat. It looked really really old. Obviously because it is! The Pantheon (/ˈpænθiːən/ or US /ˈpænθiːɒn/;^[1] Latin: Pantheon,^{[nb 1]} from Greek: Πάνθειον, an adjective meaning "to every god") is a building in Rome, Italy, commissioned by Marcus Agrippa as a temple to all the gods of Ancient Rome, and rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian in about 126 AD.^[2] The nearly-contemporary writer (2nd–3rd centuries AD), Cassius Dio, speculated that the name comes either from the statues of so many gods placed around this building, or else from the resemblance of the dome to the heavens

 Took lots of pictures inside. 

 I really don't know what most of it is, but it sure looked interesting...haha.

 This is what the wrong looks like. I thought it was interesting that this is now a church where mass is still held today, especially with its pagan beginnings.

 The grave of Raphael, the famous artist. That was cool!

 Ok this is in the Piazza Navona. The Piazza Navona is one of the most characteristic squares of Baroque Rome in the district Parione. By Julius Caesar in 46 BC was here on the Campus Martius, built a first, rather temporary stadium for games Greek type, that is athletic competitions.

 The Fountain of the Four Rivers

 The base of the fountain is a basin from the centre of which travertine rocks rise to support four river gods and above them, an ancientEgyptian obelisk surmounted with the Pamphili family emblem of a dove with an olive twig. Collectively, they represent four major rivers of the four continents through which papal authority had spread: the Nile representing Africa, the Danube representing Europe, the Gangesrepresenting Asia, and the Plate representing the Americas.

 I don't know what this building is but it is sooo big!!

 Another view of the Fountain of the Four Rivers.

 So as I was walking along the streets, I saw this sight in one of the Gelatto store windows. I thought, yes this is the place for me. I went inside and got some Nutella Gelatto and it was delicous! I mean look at all that Nutella....it could last me a whole month I think!! haha

During this part of the day we went through some streets of Rome that were less touristy. I really liked it. I took this picture because I really like the ivy. 

 This is just what I thought most of Rome would look like....and it does just with people everywhere! I liked this part because there wasn't. It was very peaceful and everyone said it was their favorite part.

 Then we came to Castle of Sant'Angelo. The Mausoleum of Hadrian, usually known as the Castel Sant'Angelo, is a towering cylindrical building in Rome. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family. The building was later used by the popes as a fortress and castle, and is now a museum. 

We had to cross this bridge to get to the Castle.

 The bridge to the left of the one we crossed and the Vatican to the right behind it!

 Justice Palace...all the buildings are so detailed. The unusual dimensions, excessive decorations, the building's function and its laborious construction is not free from suspicion of corruption  (which led in 1912 to a parliamentary inquiry)  were the origin of the nickname in the public Palazzaccio that still accompanies him.

 Ivy is just taking over this building! I know I took a lot of pictures of ivy but it makes things look older and more Italian.

There were a few things that I had to get in Rome....one of those was a cannoli. It was filled with "sweet cheese" and chocolate chips. It was so good but so rich.

 Yum!

 That night for dinner I had an Al Prosciutto pizza. Did I eat the whole thing? Yes I did. It was so good. In Europe the waiters don't check on you while you're eating. You have to really get their attention if you want them, or else they won't come bring the check or anything until everyone's plates look empty! So you see...I HAD to eat it....

 While we were sitting around a man came in with a guitar and somehow Adam got a hold of the guitar. He played a song and then the man told him to keep going. He really wanted to hear a Beatles song.

 So we all ordered different things. Can you tell a difference...much less read the check?

That night I went and got some more Gelatto. There were three flavors: Nutella, Ferrero Roche, and Creme. It was just so good. 

Are you keeping track of what all I ate that day? I hope not... haha. Anyway so Rome was a good time. Would I do it again for the money it costed me? Probably not, but I got to see things I had only ever seen in text books and more. Some observations about the Italians/Europe: they dress strange, and the women wear either sandals or heels. I don't understand how they walk on the cobblestone! Also, they are so unbelievably affectionate in public! Not just younger couples but middle aged ones too. While walking through the park, it really got kind of awkward. Most of the Italians spoke English, which was nice...but I was ready to be back in Leipzig. I really like it here. It is beautiful, and laid back somewhat and just feels like home as much as it could I guess given it is not home. It is the motherland though! haha...maybe that's why it feels that way. Anyway, I have a lot to share about what we've been doing this week so stay tuned. I hope everyone is enjoying the blog. Thanks for reading.

-Molly