Day 52 - Day 59

Day 52 - Thursday

Thursday was honestly a very stressful day.  First of all, in the morning, we had our presentations for our final day of that horrible class, then we had to rush immediately after class to get to the airport. Our presentation went well, but our teacher for some reason thought our citations were wrong (which they weren't because we then searched online) and wanted us to redo them before leaving to Italy, which was nearly impossible. We grabbed a sandwich and ate it on the way down to the Tube, and took the train to Gatwick after a couple switches. Gatwick Airport is actually really nice and we got through security easily and quickly, so we had some time to wait. Unfortunately we didn't look up before hand that only one bag could go through, so all of us had to check one bag. We got dinner and jut sat around, waiting for our flight to Rome. Our flight was about 2 and a half hours, and I tried sleeping through it but I was placed near an emergency exit so I was paranoid the whole time that I was going to have to open the door. When we landed, the Leonardo Da Vinci Airport was huge. At that point it was  pretty late and we needed to get to our hostel. Dad had told me to pay for an Uber, but of course no Ubers were around. No legit taxis were around either. (I saw legit because my roommate and the two others with her payed 75 Euros for a 15 minute ride and we are pretty sure it wasn't a real taxi). We then looked to take a train, but of course the train didn't come for another half an hour. At the last train stop, we then decided to take a taxi to our hostel and just split the cost. I'll be honest, our hostel was in a kinda sketchy part of Rome. We passed some casinos and I'm pretty sure some prostitutes to get there, but in the end it was actually nice. The three of us got to the hostel at around midnight, and the lady at the desk was super nice and offered to give us our own room. The room had 4 beds, so I took the top bunk and we all put our suitcases on the bottom one. The room was better than I expected, actually. We only paid less than $20 a night, and we had clean sheets, towels, a closet, TV, and a sink in our room. Mind you the TV didn't work and the faucet only really dripped, but hey, it was clean. The funniest part was that we went to search for the bathroom, and there was one right near our room that was closed. We opened it and thought that was the only bathroom and were so scared because the tub was so disgusting and the bathroom was so sketchy. However, we then realized that there were A LOT nicer bathrooms with two showers and two toilets which were updated and really nice and that the sketchy bathroom was supposed to be locked permanently. The showers were better than Richmonds, although they did not drain real well and Emelia and I only flooded them slightly. Rome also does not use toilet seats, another random fact that I did not know. We thought it was just our hostel, but apparently not. Overall, the hostel was really nice. The staff all spoke English and helped us find our way to each place and the breakfast was an amazing croissant. They bought them from a local bakery and had chocolate pudding-like stuff inside and covered with powdered sugar and were free, so hey, that $20 went a long way. At that point, we all just went to bed and got ready for the next day.

Day 53 - Friday

Today was our first real day of vacation. The staff told us which bus to use and how to get to the Colosseum, and we had planned to meet up with the other 3 people at the Trevi Fountain. The first time we ended up taking the bus on the wrong side of the street. The bus then stopped, the bus driver got off, but he told us that he would take us to the Metro stop in ten minutes, and he helped us buy tickets and everything. However, it took us an hour longer than it should have just to take the bus to the Metro. Once we got to the Metro it was about 40 minutes to the Colosseum, then a 10 minute walk to the Trevi Fountain. We met up with my roommate and the two people with her, as they were staying at a hotel instead of a hostel and paid a lot more for it. The Trevi Fountain unfortunately had no water as it was being fixed, but we did stop to get our first gelato for lunch near it. We then walked to the Colosseum and stood in line to buy tickets. The line only took us about 30 minutes, and one of the kids in our group bought an audio guide so he told us everything it said. Walking inside the Colosseum was one of the coolest experiences. I remember when Ashleigh and I used to take a virtual tour of it on Encarta at St. Chris so it was funny to actually see it in person. They are actually currently restoring the Colosseum to be what it once looked like, and I'm not sure if I like that they are doing that. After the Colosseum we went to the Roman Forum where our tickets also were good for. The Forum was huge and it was almost like a maze through the ruins and up steps. There were no signs or any descriptions of what anything was, so I wish I had a tour guide for that. After that we decided to walk to the Pantheon which wasn't that far away. Our hostel had given us a helpful map of all of Rome and its sights so we could easily see where we were going. I don't think anyone else even heard of the Pantheon, so we didn't stay as long as I would have liked. We also didn't go to the main museum in Rome :( From the Pantheon we walked to the Spanish Steps, which I never heard of but my roommate really wanted to see them. Honestly, they were just steps and I didn't really understand why people liked them. There was a fountain in front of it though so we were all cute and made a wish together in the fountain since we couldn't do that at the Trevi Fountain. From there we went to find a place to eat dinner. We found a place that had wifi and was rated high on Trip Advisor (according to the sign in the window) and enjoyed pasta and pizza. They were nice and let us split the check and the food was good. Next we went to find the Disney Store in Rome, and I got a Mickey Italia bag and a pair of Tinkerbell slippers. We found a dessert place, and then walked back to our Metro stop and split ways to go back to our separate hostels.

Day 54 - Saturday

Today was Vatican City. Vatican City took us about an hour and half to get there. At this point we had the bus system down, although we never paid for a bus because apparently no one pays for buses in Rome? It was really weird. We planned to meet up in the main area of Vatican City in the morning. At that point, the line for St. Peter's Basilica was already really long, so we decided to try the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. However, it was so busy because apparently October is tourist month in Rome (who would have thought?) and we actually had to pretty much buy a tour guide. It wasn't too expensive since she gave us a student and group discount, and it was worth it. It was about 3 1/2 hours, and we first were given a lot of information about the City itself, like who made it. Also, she showed us how many times some popes put their names around the square and the obelisk which was the only one that has never broken in Rome. She talked about the origins of St. Peter's Basilica, and told us that South Africa actually built an entire replica of Vatican City and built a bigger Basilica, making the real one the second largest, which I thought was really interesting. We were also shown where Pope John Paul II was shot, and then was taken to the Vatican Museum. The Museum was super crowded, but it was in a building that a Pope had built for his daughter when she got married. There was a lot of medieval and Renaissance art and tapestries that were pretty. It then led to the Sistine Chapel which was so beautiful. The people there were super strict and I heard them kicking people out who had their shoulders uncovered or knees showing. They also made sure that no one took photos or talked, but I sneaked some photos because its the Sistine Chapel. After the Sistine Chapel, the tour guide took us through St. Peter's Basilica, which might have been the prettiest church I've ever seen. After that the tour was over, but Emelia, Matt, Andy, and I decided to pay to climb to the top of St. Peter's Basilica, which was 521 steps. The guys ran up the steps, but Emelia and I took it slow and took tons of pictures from the view. It was so worth it. We got to see the inside of the church first, then continued up to see the whole Vatican City and see where the Pope's apartment was and where they made the decisions on who the next pope would be. It was probably the best part of that day. I don't think the rest of the group enjoyed the tour of Vatican City as much as I did, so they were kind of pouting the rest of the day. After the tour we went shopping, and I got a St. Veronica pendant and some gifts. We then went to find dinner, and got the usual pasta and gelato, since none of us ate lunch. We then walked back to the Metro and went back to the hostel.

Day 55 - Sunday

Sunday was a pretty much open day. We had nothing really planned, but met up with two other kids from our group who went to Rome at a different time but whose paths crossed with ours. We walked to the river, helped my roommate find a pair of Italian shoes, and watched Andy spend $200 on Armani cologne. We then wandered to other places on the map of Rome I had and saw different fountains and buildings and statues. We actually ate lunch for the first time and had dinner and got some canolis. Today was especially good because we tried to avoid the tourist areas and got to explore side streets and less populated attractions.  Dinner was good too, as usual. Overall, I'm really glad I went to Rome and saw everything, like the Colosseum and the Pantheon, but it wasn't what I pictured Rome to be like. There were too many people hassling you about pictures or buying a selfie stick and there was so much graffiti everywhere. Everything was under construction and it didn't have the charm I thought it would.

Day 56 - Monday

Today was pretty much just wasted on travel. We checked out easily from our hostel, and they were nice to give us our breakfast before we left. We got to the train station with plenty of time and bought a snack to bring on the train since we wouldn't be getting lunch. Luckily, I was the only person during the week to eat lunch because I had peanut butter and rice cakes with me. Therefore, I think I was the person in the best mood the whole trip. We got our tickets and got on the train with no problem. None of us had seats next to each other which was bad, but it was a long six hour trip where we could catch up on sleep. I started the next Game of Thrones book on the ride so it was productive. We had to get off and switch trains, but the next train was only 10 minutes, so it seemed like nothing. The train ride to Venice was so pretty as I got to see the Italian countryside and mountains. When we got to Venice, it immediately felt like what I thought Italy would be like. It was so beautiful at night and music was playing and the water was calm. The six of us split up again into two groups of three and agreed to meet the next day at the Disney Store in Venice. It was only about a 10 minute walk to our hostel, and it was hard to find because there was no sign or anything and it was on the third floor. Venice for some reason reminded me a lot of Pirates of the Caribbean and maybe that's why I liked it so much. Our hostel here was nice too. The man at the desk spoke English and helped us and told us how to get to different places and gave us a map. Our room had 6 beds, and on the first night there were 3 kids from South Korea, studying in Amsterdam, but on fall break in Italy. There was a bathroom in the room and we got towels and everything and was nicer than our last one. It had lockers too so we didn't have to worry about leaving anything out. After unpacking the three of us went to grab dinner and explore a little before going to bed.

Day 57 - Tuesday

Today we woke up early to walk to the Disney Store. We got there before our meeting time, and grabbed breakfast and I bought a Disney Italia wallet. The six of us then walked to St. Mark's Square, which was funny to see because EPCOT has a replica of the Square so I felt like I already saw it. The Square was flooded so it was hard to walk through it but some places makeshift bridges had been put there so we were able to get closer to take pictures. We then walked to the ocean and took pictures on bridges and of the canals, and shopped around. Venice was exactly what I imagined Italy to be like, and it was so beautiful. I really wish we had spent another day there instead of the third day in Rome. Anyways, we got a nice sit down lunch for once, and then met at 2 for our walking tour and gondola ride. The walking tour was really interesting and one of the best ones. She took us through areas we would not have found on our own and told us about how Venice is sinking and how it was built on top of tree trunks and how they got fresh water. We all had headphones that she spoke through, and she also then said it in Spanish too, so I got to practice my Spanish in Italy. After the tour we were led to the gondolas, and they were nice enough to let all 6 of us ride in the same gondola. The gondola driver was really friendly and sang to us and pointed out different things to us and told jokes. The gondola ride was so beautiful and I could cross that off my bucket list. After the ride we went to a stereotypical American burger place called the Wild Wild West. It was covered in bald eagles and American flags and George Washington's face was on every wall. The burger was really good, though, and was nice break from pasta.  We then walked more on the main street and got dessert. No one here was selling selfie sticks or scarfs, so it was really peaceful. When we went back to our hostel, we had new roommates. We had two 50 year old Italian ladies who were really nice and tried to speak English with us. We had a 30 year old Indian business man who was also super nice so our time in the hostel was actually good. I learned that I can now sleep through everything, like lights and people talking, and I don't hate dorming or hostels as much as I thought I would. We then went to sleep to wake up super early the next day.

Day 58 - Wednesday
Amsterdam today! We all woke up at 4 to meet up with the other 3 people so that they could catch their plane back to London because they didn't want to go by themselves.  My roommate and I are almost the same person as we were the only people planning every detail out like directions and everything for the whole trip so we basically took charge. We bought a bus ticket to the airport and the three of them checked in and got on the flight back. The rest of us checked in early, bought breakfast, and waited to board our flight to Amsterdam. We landed in Amsterdam around 11:30. The airport was really weird because everything was in English. All the signs and advertisement were only in English instead of most places which have English written underneath, so it was something different. We were on a time constraint, so we bought an Uber to get us to the Anne Frank house. The Uber driver was friendly and gave us water bottles and spoke English. The line was pretty long at the Anne Frank house and it took about a good 2 - 2 1/2 hours. We talked with some people in front of us who spoke French and English, and people working at the Anne Frank house gave us brochures that had a lot information about the House so it gave us something to read in line. It was a lot colder in Amsterdam than it was in Rome and Venice (where I didn't need a coat). Amsterdam itself was so beautiful. It reminded me of a combination of Venice and New England. The canals and the bikes and the changing leaves were the best combination. The atmosphere just seemed perfect. It might have been my favorite place visited. The Anne Frank house was a really good thing to visit, and it was pretty amazing to see the original diary that she wrote. We then walked to the Van Gogh Museum, but had a little extra time to walk around. We got some dessert that was being sold (kind of like fried dough) and walked through a nice park, and then presented our Van Gogh tickets for 4:00. The Van Gogh Museum was literally the best thing ever. It had not only Van Gogh but Munch and Monet and Degas and Gaughin, pretty much all my favorite artists in one. I didn't know that Munch and Van Gogh were so closely connected and their paintings were placed side by side to show the same things they painted together in different styles. I absolutely love Van Gogh, and it was so amazing to see his iconic paintings like The Sunflowers. Munch's sketch of The Scream was also there so it was nice to see that again. And Degas' ballerinas are my favorite. And Monet's waterlillies. It was amazing and worth the trouble of getting to Amsterdam for only a day. I really, really wish I could have stayed longer. It was a beautiful city and need to go back. We then took an Uber back to the airport, and waited and got supper. Our flight was delayed slightly, so it took us a long time to get to London when the plane ride was only 45 minutes. We arrived at Luton airport, which we thought would save us money, when in reality I had to pay to check my bag then had to pay to take a train and Tube to Richmond, which took 2 hours to get there so might not have been worth it. I was exhausted by the time I got back, at around midnight. I went to bed at about one this morning.

Day 59 - Thursday

I slept in until about 10, when the cleaning lady's phone outside my door started ringing and she started speaking rapid Spanish and I couldn't fall asleep. I used two washing machines to do all my laundry and then grabbed lunch at 11:30 when it opened. I then started catching up on my TV shows (like Supernatural) while I waited for my roommate and Emelia to wake up. We then walked down to Tesco to replenish our rice cake supply and tomorrow we are going to pound land to buy more shampoo and laundry detergent. Today was mostly a catching up day with TV and work and reading the syllabus for our next class. I can tell you that I did not miss the food here at Richmond. Anyways, this trip was amazing. This trip was probably my second proudest moment, after getting accepted into the Disney College Program. I was so proud that I managed to figure out the train and bus systems in different countries and made it everywhere safely and soundly without getting lost. I am trying my hardest to upload pictures, but for some reason they are not working again with this terrible wifi.

Also- sidenote, my debit card isn't working on Amazon so I had to use the credit card to buy a new Fitbit charger since mine is currently out of service. Chargers are not my friend here.