Rome & Vatican City

I left for Rome Friday morning, May 21st, intending to stay there for two nights. We bought a Roma pass, which gave us free public transportation, free entry to our first 2 museums/sites, and discounted entry prices from then on. Before I explain our first stop, I should probably catch you up on what happened with our return from Germany. Long story short, I was walking barefoot on the overnight train home, and stubbed my toe extremely hard. Later I went to the hospital finding out that I fractured it. Now we continue where I left off, ready to walk Rome with 9 toes... We started off with the Colosseum. It completely captured my imagination. I began thinking of the history behind it, seeing flashes of the film Gladiator, and hearing some familiar music play through repeatedly in my head. I even recorded a video of what I was hearing...



Next we walked through the Roman Forum and the Palantine Hill. This required a bit more imagination because much of the buildings no longer stand. Although, simply walking through the centralized area of ancient Rome was remarkable. It was hard on my foot/toe, but I enjoyed it greatly. Then we went by the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps.
At the Trevi:


After all of that time on our feet, we went to the Villa Borghese gardens to unwind, laying on the grass for a nap. After some dinner, our group split up when the girls and I decided to enjoy the Trevi Fountain at night along with some wine. I opened the bottle with the same swiss army knife my Dad used when he traveled Europe when he was young. My first hostel experience was at a camping village that was only €10 per person. The next morning we woke up early to avoid the lines at the Vatican Museum. We were able to see a lot of paintings and sculptures that we had been talking about in class. The Sistine Chapel lived up to the hype, as it made me want to look at it for 2 hours. When we went inside St. Peter's Basilica, the sheer size of it overwhelmed me. After being inside, we knew we had to climb the dome.
Here is a picture of the view:



After the dome, I went to the Colosseum with some friends who had not yet gone. Then we went to the church of bones that our teacher told us about. It was a crypt filled with the remains of thousands of Capuchin friars. I snuck a picture:


I decided to take a train home Saturday night, because I needed to stay off my feet the rest of the weekend.
Here is an album with more pictures:
Rome & Vatican City