Day 100 (Rome)

Day 100. I could have never guessed I would be spending it in Rome, let alone staying in a small town called Castelnuovo… One hundred days. Wow. That is just over 3 months, it sure doesn’t feel like it has only been 3 and a half months. I feel like I have been gone for years, I have grown for years and missed everyone for years. I can’t imagine being gone much longer now that home is so close. I am in that homesick stage. Which I guess is perfect since I will be getting my medicine in a little over two weeks. I still can’t get over all the stuff I have done in the last 100 days; I have traveled around the world, met people from all different cultures, I’ve danced in a Scotish Celidth, conquered Arthur’s seat, rejoiced with William Wallace on his monument, road-triped across the entire UK, I’ve ate crepes and bagettes in Paris, had thanksgiving dinner in February, I’ve boated through the canals in Bruges, tasted the finest of beers in Brussels, dealt with ghosts on Calton Hill, celebrated St. Pattys in Dublin, searched for Nessy in the Scottish Highlands, heard Big Ben dingdong in London, stood in awe at Stonehenge, broke my neck looking up the Eiffel Tower, put my life in the strength of a knot in the worlds biggest indoor rock climbing area, played an unbelievable round of golf in Edinburgh, rioted with the best of them during the last soccer game in Athens - Go Olympikos!, sat on the Spanish Steps, traveled to the ancient town of Corinth, endured astronaut training and sat on the frozen river in Stockholm, taken in by the underground art culture in Berlin, stood on both sides of the Iron Curtain, been through the best hospitality ever in Istanbul – truly a whole different culture, sat on top of the world in Büyükada, hiked up the Acropolis in Athens, stood on the hill where Paul preached to Greece, walked across London Bridge without it falling down, got lost in the endless rooms of the Louvre, let my imagination loose in countless early theatres, enjoyed the beach and sunset on the Greek Island Aegina, walked through B.C. Rome, been to more castles then I can count, blown away by the coliseum, prayed (yes, I know) in St Peters Basilica, viewed the creation of man in the Sistine Chapel and have been overwhelmed by the Vatican. I have met some friends for life, and made memories of the same. A handful of the adventures I have been through, all whilst delving into topics of neuroscience and learning even more about myself. And I know I am forgetting something… This experience has been once in a lifetime, truly, although I can safely say traveling is not out of my blood stream just yet. The wisdom you gain from indulging in how other societies live is unmatched by any documentary or book. I feel like this would be a good last post in Scotland, but, it is flowing out of me now – so be it.

Now, back to Rome, today I slept in a bit – as last night didn’t prove well for me in the sleep department. I had set a trip to the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica for sure, the rest was up for grabs. So, I made my way over to St. Peter’s Basilica. It is in a enormous square, surrounded by a colonnade with a total of 140 statues perched on top, with two fountains and an Egyptian obelisk right in the middle. I tell you, there is something up with these obelisk’s, they are everywhere – call Dan Brown. Anyway, I walked around and enjoyed this for a while, and then headed inside the church. I was not ready. The grandiose nature of this church is overwhelming; the ceilings go higher than the stratosphere, angels are peering down on you from heaven itself, paintings and sculptures decorate every square inch of the walls, and past popes are housed in tombs in every corner. The very sight of this church makes you believe in a higher power, one that created this thing… it is miraculous, the details and artwork are unbelievable.

When I finally got my breath back, I headed over to the Vatican.

But not before some gelato was in store! I had a scoop of AfterEight (chocolate chip mint), and Nutella flavors… delicious. This melted rapidly on my way over to the Vatican, but I managed to get the majority of it in my belly. The Vatican seems to be the ONLY place that is charging during “culture week”, in which most the museums and sights have been free. It was a whopping 15 euro for regular admission, I got the discounted 8 euro for being a student. As that wasn’t enjoy already, I got into serious debate whether or not to pick up the 7 euro audioguide… but I could not be happier that I did. It was a completely different experience than any other museum I had been too. The information I received about the pieces and paintings was incredible, I learned so much in such a short period of time. In particular, I loved the works of Rafael, and the works throughout the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo. The detail and meanings behind these works were amazing. A storyline of Jesus, Moses and the Creation of Man was in the Chapel, along with the famous Last Judgment, encompassing a massive wall behind the alter. Rafael depicting battles with Constantine, philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle in their schools of thought, religious scenes creating great reverence for the holy trinity, and countless other historical and religious masterpieces. Mind you, all of the previously mentioned works are giant frescos covering huge walls and ceilings, the intricate detail and of these and their ability to bring you into the scene is one of a kind. All of the things I had seen today broadened by art and sculpture knowledge by at least double. I truly enjoyed my day so far, and it was only 6pm!

Which means, more gelato! I have literally had some yogurt and fruit for breakfast, and 5 scoops of gelato. The place I went to was called “the Old Bridge” … apparently it is the best gelato place in Rome, which I found out by the mile long lines to get into the little store. It is one of those hidden treasures, and I can see why… there were about 20 different unique flavors to choose from, prices ranged from 1.50 – 3 euro, I got the 1.50 (all I had in my pocket) and even that comes with 3 giant scoops! Tripling practically every other place. When I handed the guy my money I said “one scoop?” and he chuckled and said “three!” I got Banana-Vanilla-Rum-Cream, Dark-Chocolate-Chip-Cinnamon, and Armello-Cookies-And-Cream. With it fresh on my mind, and now on my tongue, I was in heaven. I walked outside and sat in the middle of a square enjoying my ice cream and people watching. Very relaxing and pleasant. I also determined what I would do next, go to a nearby castle, Castle St. Angelo.

It didn’t take too long to walk here, and when I arrived I was greeted with my free admission pass. Yes! It doubles as a history museum but was nearly half closed due to renovations. Regardless, I soon found myself at the top peering over the city of Rome. Quite a sight. The river Tevere running fresh throughout my scenery. I went in and out of rooms, looking at everything from old pirate guns to the first plated armor pieces. The range of artifacts here was great. In the middle of it all was a 20 foot statue of the archangel of war. Triumphing in victory.

After I left here, I strolled through a little market, enjoying walking next to the river. I finally crossed over back towards my train stop, I walked for another 30 minutes throughout the city, I didn’t really have a path I was taking, and ran into a pizzaria for dinner. I can’t get over how delicious the pizza and ice cream is here. Mmm… as I was munching on my pizza walking down a backstreet, I had a huge hunch that I was near the Spanish Steps once again… when I emerged from the alleyway, there they were in all their purple floral glory! A-hah! I am becoming a local ;). I headed to the train station from here, in no rush at all. Just before I got on, I saw a sign for a Leonardo Di Vinci museum. Guess what I am going to do tomorrow..?