Roaming Rome

This past weekend I had the chance to hop a train and meet up with my college friend Haley. She has been in Rome this semester studying interior design, and I was very excited to see her after a long time apart. She had packed our day full of fun touristy and local activities, and wow did my feet hurt by the end. 30,000 steps and 12 miles of walking later I had barely touched the surface of Rome. 

I did not realize how large Rome was until I was off the train and getting on the bus for 30 minutes to get to Haley's apartment. In Florence, I'm never further than a 25 minute walk from anything, but in Rome the public relies on the tram and bus to get places. Everything you want to see is very spread out and nowhere near each other. I was surprised I was able to see what I did in one day. 

We started with some coffee and pastries, then wandered over to her studio space and the Pantheon. The Pantheon was very breathtaking from the inside. The dome was so large and dark with the exception of the one hole in the center of the ceiling, I felt so small standing in the crowd. The crowds did not let up all day, especially by the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. I'm surprised we were able to get in to take a picture and throw a coin in at all. After many attempts at a picture, I probably threw over a euro into that fountain(fingers crossed my wishes come true). 

The highlight of my day was probably when Haley and I rented a canoe in Villa Borghese and paddled around (or tried to paddle) for 20 minutes enjoying golden hour. It was a perfect day and I was so happy to see a familiar face from home. I am finally getting good at navigating the train stations and public transportation as well. I love day trips because I can go see new areas in Italy while being able to sleep in my own bed at the end of the day. This weekend I hope to visit Milan and soak up some fashion and history.