When In Rome...

As promised here is my write-up from my weekend in Rome from Friday to Tuesday. Apologies again for not having enough time, it's difficult to keep up when constantly on the move!
I knew from the beginning the weekend was going to be constantly tinged by the thought of our imminent move to Turkey. With that in mind, I was determined to accomplish two things: get the most out of the Boot and journey to another country I had never been to before and visit my long lost roommate from last year, Ryan, who is currently studying in Pepperdine's Florence program. I had heard mixed reports about Rome so any enjoyment achieved there would be gravy. It ended up being one of my favorite cities to have visited, perhaps second only to London.
I started my trip by trying to make sure I would be as ready to go as possible for Turkey in the 8 hour interval from when I would return from Rome and then leave for Istanbul. Unfortunately they checked us out of our hotel room in Athens so we basically have to take EVERYTHING to Greece. Due to the baggage restrictions from our flight from London to Athens, my stuff has been whittled down, but it's still a pain in the neck to lug across eastern Europe. Up to my last minute before I left I was negotiating how much space I would have to store souvenirs from Rome and Turkey so it was difficult to rest before a long period of travel ahead. Part of me was just happy to leave and part my worries to he back of my mind and meet my roommate. Too bad the reality of my situation would never leave my thoughts, but I crammed it far enough back there where I was still able to enjoy myself.
I flew into Leonardo di Vinci Airport and headed straight to the hostel where I was to meet Ryan. Unfortunately my lingual shortcomings struck and it took me about a half hour of walking around a not-so-fantastic area of the city before I found my hostel and my roommate who, while originally was supposed to be there hours before, met me just as I was walking in after his train trouble. Our hostel was nice, but we busied ourselves with catching up on old times and experiencing some nice Italian cuisine (an Italian fast food joint - think Sbarro). Since Ryan had already been to Rome, the next day we spent doing some of the things he missed or couldn't afford (Rome is expensive!) his first trip including the Vatican, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and some castles and museums placed squarely along our route. Luckily it was culture week in Italy so all the museums were free all week, very handy for a pair of struggling backpacking college students. We talked about housing for next year, stories of our experiences apart from each other, and what we could plan on enjoying next year. After some dinner and a memorable evening out we went to bed as he was set to leave early in the morning on Sunday to head back to Florence so as to finish some impending assignments he had due.
My flight on Sunday wasn't until 7:00 PM so I had a full day of sight-seeing I was still able to get under my belt. I hit all the big spots including the Coliseum, the Roman Forum, and the Mamertine (where the Apostles Peter and Paul were imprisoned during their ministry in Rome). I was able to latch myself onto tours that were shuffling around so I got a pretty good history of the places I was visiting, albeit in bits and pieces. Still, I was so impressed with the city of Rome including the places of interest, the people, and the gelato that I wouldn't hesitate to go again. Even the knock-off soccer jerseys were reasonably priced. Overall I was glad I went and squeezed the most out of my last free weekend of my semester as we will be occupied for the duration of our trip to Turkey and time back in Athens. It was worth it enough just to see my old roommate and fellow Peppers Hall brother who willingly made the trip down to Rome again just to see me. And I'm very pleased to check off another country on my visited list as I was finally able to experience wonderful Italy. I only wish I had more time to visit!
The weekend came to an end and before I knew it I'm here in Istanbul taking in another foreign culture. Hopefully I'll have time tomorrow to document my experiences here in the land of the crescent but we were promised (another) very full day, including the Hagia Sophia. Stay tuned!