Our life as J&K: A Roman Holiday

So, I have always known that I love to travel and experience new things but it was the summer I spent in Spain that really gave me to urge to take advantage of every opportunity to get my passport stamped. When my sister decided to do a study abroad in Romania, Hungary, and Greece, she was more than happy to help me get another stamp and extended her trip a week to meet me and our family friend Lynn in Rome, Italy.

Lynn and I arrived in Italy before Em, so we were able to explore the city a little before she got there. We had originally planned to stay in an apartment but due to some "plumbing issues" we stayed most of the week in a monestary that was converted into a hotel. It was a really unique experience since most of the staff did not speak english and there were actual monks living in the other part of the facility.

A view from our hotel

The Colosseum was about a 15 minute walk from our hotel.

Once Em arrived, we could really begin our Roman holiday! We planned a night tour/dinner on her first night there so that we could get a view of the city lights. Funny story: at the end of the tour, we went to dinner at a small restaurant with live music. Seated at our table was a couple from Clinton. Extremely random.
Anyway... it was a great night and a great way to start the trip!

Me, Emily, and Lynn in front of the Trevi Fountain on our first night .

Throwing a coin into the Trevi Fountain on our first night. Legend has it that if you throw a coin into the foutain you will return to Rome someday. Throwing 2 coins means that you will find love.

Ooh another important note, Rome is like the Disney World of ancient "stuff." I mean if you are looking to see something older than our country where do you go.. Rome. That being said, it was FULL of tourists, cameras, and maps. In true American touristy fashion, we spent a LOT of time being lost and looking at one of our 39487498357 maps of Rome. Since there is no real rhyme or reason to the streets in the area, we also spent a lot of time retracing our steps after we had gone the wrong way. While this did get a bit frustrating at times, it also brought us to a lot of other cool things.