As of tomorrow, I will be leaving Vienna in exactly 2 weeks. Needless to say, these past 3 months have been amazing. And my final trip that I took was definitely the icing on the cake.
Before I departed on Thursday, i spent much of the week going to classes and studying for my final on Thursday. I had my International Human Resource Management & Organizational Behavior Final that fulfills the Organizational Behavior Management class I need to take at Richmond. I think it went pretty well, but we will have to wait to hear about that.
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Getting ready to
throw our coins! |
Right after my final on Thursday, I arrived at the airport to fly to Rome where I was meeting Emerald and a few of her friends from Milan who decided to tag along on our trip. My flight to Rome went smoothly and I hoped on the Leonardo Express that takes you to Termini Station, which was close to my hostel, but in true Italian fashion these days, the Leonardo Express decided to stop at the station before Termini and finish its journey there. After some translating from helpful passengers, I found out I had to take the metro in order to get to Termini. Once I arrived at Termini, I walked the short walk to Hostel Alessandra Downtown where Emerald and her friends Andrew, Matt, and Nick were awaiting my arrival. After settling in, we ventured to the Trevi Fountain to see it beautifully lit up at night. After taking the traditional pictures of throwing a coin in (with the right hand, over the left shoulder!), we got some gelato nearby and enjoyed our gelato while admiring the beautiful landmark. The fountain was surprisingly not busy at all, so we decided to reenact the statue for a photo. Afterwards we headed over to Piazza di Spagna to see the Spanish Steps. We checked out the beautiful church at the top and then admired the view while singing Christmas carols. We struggled to remember the words to the 12 days of Christmas, but I somehow was able to remember them with a 10 second delay each time. It was a great way to get in the Christmas spirit since it had just became December.
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| St. Peter's Basilica |
On Friday, Matt, Andrew, Emerald, and I woke up early to go to on the tour we had booked for Vatican City. We were running a little late because we hadn't been able to find the When in Rome Tours office and once we did we found it empty with no answer to the phone or doorbell. Emerald said we should go see if we could find the tour in the Vatican Museum. After going through security, we asked the information desk if they knew where the When in Rome Tours were and miraculously he found them right away as they hadn't left the entrance yet! We literally thanked God and joined the tour. I had been to Rome with my family in 2005 (along with Florence and Venice) so this wasn't my first time in the Vatican but it was just as amazing the second time around. The statues are incredible, the mosaics are amazingly detailed, and the tapastries and paintings are truly masterpieces. I really enjoyed the room with the maps on the walls as well as the Raphael Rooms with his famous paintings. Our tour guide, Luigi was a great tour guide with interesting information and he was hysterical. He had perfect italian flowing hair and kept referring to a few people in the group who were struggling as his "friends from Denmark" and every time he would move again he would say, "We go this way!" and rush off. After the Vatican museum, we went to the Sistine Chapel, which was also even more incredible than I remembered. The amount of detail Michelangelo put into this work is truly amazing. Then we went to St. Peter's Basilica and saw Michelangelo's Pieta as well as toured the entire Basilica (which is the largest in the world). Luigi then took us down to the catacombs where there were tombs of many of the popes on display.
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| Me, Emerald, Andrew, and Matt at the top of the Basilica |
After the tour, we decided to take the lift and then climb the 350+ stairs (which are partially in the dome, and at that point you are literally walking at a 45 degree angle) to the top of the dome. It was cool to see the dome and the mosaics that line it (fun fact: there are no paintings in the basilica only mosaics because paintings can be ruined much more easily). The top of the dome had a stunning view of Vatican City and Rome and we had a great day for it. After taking a few pictures in St. Peter's Square, we headed to a restaurant to grab some lunch. Matt and I split a caprese salad and then I had a pasta dish with a mushroom and ham cream sauce. It was all delicious. Then we made our way to Plazza Navona where there is the famous Fountain of the Four Seasons and saw the Church there. Then we went to the Pantheon, which was one of the only things I remembered well, but it was cool to see again. We then headed back to the hostel to rest up before going to dinner near Plazza della Repubblica with Nick, Brina, Bayley, and Tabb, more friends of Emerald's from Milan who had joined the trip. I had a delicious pair salad with fresh parmesan cheese and muscles and clams with tomatoes and we all split a couple of bottles of wine. Then we went back to the hostel to get ready to go out and bar hopped in Campo dei Fiore.
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| Me, Matt, Andrew, and Emerald at the Colosseum |
The next morning was a bit of a struggle to get up but Emerald, Andrew, Matt and I made our way to the Colosseum. It was even cooler than I remembered, and since the last time I had visited, they had excavated the middle portion of the Colosseum, which was very cool to see. It is such a massive structure it really makes an impression on you. I kept thinking about what it was like when it was complete and busy during its prime. Then we made our way to Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum where we explored the ruins and the beautiful scenery. There was a great view of Rome from the top of the Palatine Hill. At the end of the Forum, it began to rain, which didn't phase us until, as we were on our way out, it began to downpour. We got soaked to the bone and made our way to a restaurant for lunch. It was very sad but our pizza was extremely sub-par at the place we ate. Then we went back to the hostel to change out of our wet clothes before heading back out to see some of the sights by night. We checked out the church near our hostel, Santa Maria Maggiore, then went back to the Colosseum, which looked very cool with a glow coming from the arches. We saw various other sights including the Arch of Constantine and the Vittoria Emmanuelle II. Then we walked around and found pizza by the meter, where you pay by the meter and decide how much you want. I had one that was like Margherita Pizza and was delicious. Then we went back to campo dei Fiore with the rest of the group to grab some dinner. I wasn't a huge fan of the MInestrone soup there because I like it more brothy with thicker vegetables but it wasn't bad. But Emerald and I had a very cool appetizer that consisted of a pear stuffed with gorgonzola cheese with other berries, walnuts, and honey. After a crazy and late night Friday night, a late dinner, and an early flight, we stayed in and hung out in the hostel.
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| Me, Andrew, and Emerald in the Roman Forum |
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| Christmas in Milan at the Duomo! |
Emerald, Matt, Andrew, Nick, and I flew out early Sunday morning to Milan. After arriving in Milan, Emerald and I showered and got ready to do some sight seeing. We went to the Duomo, which is the second biggest church in Italy. It is absolutely gorgeous and has some many details on the outside. It reminded me a little bit of Stephansdom in Vienna but Stephansdom does not compare. We took the lift to the top where you got an even better view of all the beautiful details of the church. Then we toured the inside and I lit a candle for my cousin Alex and his family. There must have been over 300 tall white candles burning, it was very beautiful. Afterwards we took pictures of the Duomo and the huge Christmas tree that was outside of it which was decorated so beautifully with white lights and white flowers that resembled lilys. Then we strolled through the Galleria, which is renowned for its architecture and saw Teatro la Scalla, Milan's famous Opera house. Then we went back to Emerald's dorm and ordered pizza with her friends Andrew (who went on the trip) and Mike, both from BC. It was nice to hang out, eat pizza, and chat, and Andrew and Mike played darts. Andrew went to go study after that but Mike came down to Emerald's room to hang out more and then I was able to meet her friend Gina. Spending time in Emerald's dorm made me realize how nice it would have been to have everyone in one dorm in Vienna, like Haus Erasmus used to be.
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Matt, Mike, Andrew, Emerald, Tabb, and Gina
with the Octopus of beer. |
On Monday, we slept in a bit and then went to the grocery store to get lunch. We made mushroom ravioli with grilled zucchini on top and I put pesto on mine of course. Then we watched Crazy, Stupid Love, and Emerald fell asleep (so typical). It was nice to just hang out. In the afternoon Emerald put up pictures on Facebook while I studied for my Finance final. Then for dinner we went to an aperitivo place called Iguana with a bunch of Emerald's friends. It was nice to meet the people she always talks about. Aperitivos are very popular in Italy, and its a great deal. You pay 10 euros for a nice cocktail and then go down to the buffet where there is a variety of food options. I tried pasta, pizza, potato dishes, a green bean dish, some curry hummus, as well as other things. Then we went to La Fontanella, a pub where we got a 10 L octopus looking container with hoses of beer to share. The place also has games so we played Connect Four and Uno as well. It was a fun night.
I woke up at 5:15 on Tuesday to make my flight. I was sad to say goodbye to Emerald and her friends, who I grew to really like over the time I spent with them. When I got back to Vienna, I headed to Starbucks where I got some coffee and listened to Christmas music while I studied Finance. I took my Finance final this morning, and it feels really good to have another class over with. Now I have a final next Tuesday as well as 2 pre-assignments to do before my intensive class that goes from next Wednesday to Saturday. My next post will probably be my last, I can't even believe it. This semester has gone by so fast.
