A list of Roma how-tos

How to get to Roma: The best way to get to Roma is to leave early, if only for the simple fact that you'll arrive early. There is so much to see! We (per usual) had a 1.5 hour delay on our way out there, but entertained ourselves with cards and girl talk. When we got into Roma, it was late and all the drunken hobos swarmed the metro station. We booked it to the hostel to check in and enjoyed our first Italian meal of pasta and veggies at 11pm.

We searched everywhere for Apollo--here he is



How to sightsee in 2 cities over 3 days: Our first full day in Roma was based around a visit to the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica. We bought our tickets online ahead of time- 20,000 people pass through the Vatican's doors every day and we had to much to do to gamble the wait. We also splurged on audio guides because it was so overwhelmingly huge and we all know very little about Italian history.

Our second day was spent touring the rest of the city on a HoHo (Hop on, Hop off) bus. With audio guides and various stops to the Coloseum, ruins, Isola, the Pantheon, Piazza del Popolo, and much, much more, we were able to learn about the history and avoid the rain.

On our third day we took the fast train to Florence. Europe loves to strike (London, Madrid, Paris, Greece) and Roma's Accademia Gallery hopped on so we couldn't see the statue of David. Instead of being too disappointed, we put our map reading skills to good use and explored all day.

How to be a kid (when you're 20 and traveling through Europe like an adult): All you have to do is make up phrases and songs, eat lots of sugar, and ride a carousel. On our first day at the Vatican, we used every opportunity possible to say, "To the Vat-cave!" and proceed to laugh hysterically. Afterward, we had our first taste of gelato (chocolate for me) and when we were all sugared up we paid 1.50E for a carousel ride/photoshoot. We were the only ones there.

How to see the sunset: As night fell and our carousel ride was done, we stopped at Piazza del Popolo to people watch. We came across some stairs to climb, and at the top was a great view of the city with the sunset behind it. It was a great end to our first day, even if I was cursing stairs/all types of physical exertion on my way up there.

How to see all your friends (and make new ones): Claire, Maggy, Sarah and I weren't the only Instituto Franklin students touring Roma this weekend. Four other Butler guys and gals were there, along with 6 friends of ours from other American universities studying at the Instituto. When our flight was delayed, we all chatted a bit in the airport. Then each night in Roma we met the other Butler students for dinner and souvenier shopping. It was fun going out and trying everyone's delicious Italian dishes!

Claire and Maggy also had a sorority sister, Alison, studying in Roma this semester. She was a great navigator and gave us tips over gelato, dinner, and drinks. She and I have had a class together in the past so it was nice to get to know her better.

For some reason, Sarah ran into at least 4 different people from her High school. Also, one of our roommates in the hostel was good friends with several of the Americans at Instituto Franklin that we know and have class with. Who would've known Roma was that small!

How to get around: Like I said before, the HoHo bus was a great way to learn about Italy, especially when we were avoiding on and off showers all afternoon. We also took advantage of the fast trains to Florence and the airport. One thing that surprised me, though, was the public transport- in this huge city there are only two metro lines! (Paris had too many to count.) We did a lot of walking because the Metro stops were on the wrong half of the city. I guess that's how all these Italian women can eat pasta every day and stay thin.

The cook left the kitchen to ask for a pic

How to snag your next Italian boyfriend: The men of Italy generally have a staring problem. All you have to do is make eye contact for a second (and even if it's by accident) they automatically think you're in love with them. I sent vibes out to the universe so a young handsome businessman would sweep me off my feet-- I got close; a waiter offered to sweep me off on his moped. I probably shouldn't have looked at him while ordering. I also discovered I have a gift for attracting:

• Waiters
• Men who work at souvenier/market stands
• Men with really long ponytails
• Airport security guards
• A mixture of some/all of the above

I wonder what it is about me that screams, "I'm hot for shaggy, partially employed Vespa owners who may or may not have showered today."

How to eat: Indulge, Indulge, Indulge. For me, this meant carbs: pasta, pizza, bread, potatoes...we also ate a lot of veggies because we don't get a ton of that in Alcala, and it was amazing how much I missed spinach and eggplant. Every day we tried different dishes and split them. We ate rigatoni with cream sauce and sausage, noodles with mushrooms, spaghetti with meat sauce, tortelini in broth, meatballs, lasagna, noodles with lemon sauce (my favorite), gnocchi, pesto pasta, fat noodles, skinny noodles, cream sauces, light sauces, spicy, bland, everything... I was in heaven. This doesn't include the 3 pizzas, 4 desserts, and 6+ plates of veggies we all ate.

Don't forget gelato after every meal. It's amazing and you have a million flavors to combine and choose from. My favorite was probably pistacchio. Or dark chocolate. Or lemon. Or maybe papaya.

How to stay in Roma forever: All you have to do is fly with EasyJet and get stranded for two extra days. I tried to post a video explaining everything, but it didn't work, so here's the gist. Maggy, Claire, Sarah and I were waiting at the airport before our flight when we all got the same text message saying our flight was canceled. We then ran into three other Instituto Franklin girls with the same problem (one with food poisoning). We went up to the front counter and stood in this clusterfuck (sorry mom, there's no better word for it) of Italian, Spanish, English, and American travelers who were all trying to find out the same information. We were told in Ita-span-glish that we weren't going to be able to fly out for another two days. We waitied for a shuttle to take us to the hotel, waited to get rooms, waited for dinner. Then the next day, Karen and I took a shuttle to the airport, waited at the airport for information about another hotel, shuttled it all the way back to the first hotel to get everyone, took everyone back to the airport, then waited for another shuttle to take us to the second hotel. We hung out there for a day. Then on Wednesday, when our flights were amended, we shuttled it back to Roma's airport and waited the last time for our (delayed) EasyJet flight back to Madrid. Poor me, stuck in Roma! However, we were all cursing ourselves since it was the one trip no one brought homework for. Wish me luck on finals!

PS. Thanks, mama, because I was one of the few who knew to pack extra socks and underwear.

I'm really glad we saved Roma as our last trip. It was beautiful, the weater was great, and we had worked out all the kinks through trial and error on our previous vacations so we got by with almost no problems. I have eight more days here, so expect one or two more Spain posts!

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