Rome!

Last weekend, I went to Rome!! And a shout out to my wonderful friend Giselle Bertino-Clarke who was a wonderful hostess and tour guide! I saw all the sights, took a picture with the Swiss Guards, and threw a coin in the Trevi Fountain, so I'll be going back some day!
One of my favorite parts was hearing the "talk of the town". There were things like "That Swiss Guard is nice/mean" and "I saw a cute boy at mass and assumed he was a seminarian" and "Pope Francis says he moved apartments for that reason, but I think it's for this reason" and "Let's not go to St. Peter's today because it's going to be full of tourists." Rome problems (I was going to hashtag that, but I resisted.) :)
My my absolute favorite part going to St. Peter's Basilica. It is glorious, and when you walk inside, you immediately feel joy with peace! And it helps that I had the best tour guide explaining all the little details to me! Another shout out to Gizmo!
Rome is very different from Bologna. The most obvious difference is the size. Bologna is one of the biggest cities in Italy but it looks like a little village compared to Rome. I told Giselle not to worry about meeting me at the train station because I am now pro at public transportation: I've gotten around cities like Bologna, London, and Venice all by myself (with maybe a little help from google maps). But when I got out of the Rome train station, the first thing I thought was "Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore." (I know, very Italian.) There were rows and rows and rows of buses parked outside, several underground lines going in every direction, and tons of taxis and trams. (All we have in Bologna is a few buses and taxis.) And in typical Italian style, the maps of the public transportation weren't overwhelmingly clear.
Another major difference I noticed is that Rome is more international. Overhearing an English conversation in Bologna is rare; overhearing an English conversation in Rome is normal. Every waiter or barista I met spoke English. In Rome, you can find real brown sugar, and Halloween decorations. :) And for obvious reasons, there are a ton more tourists.
Surprisingly, a highlight of my trip was the train ride. I recently read a book (in Italian!) that took place on the train, and am feeling literarily inspired to describe every passage way, passenger, and panorama, but with a terrible start like that, I think I'll spare you. But I have to comment on the train compartments. Instead of rows of seats, the train was divided into compartments like this:  http://www.seat61.com/images/CNL-seats.jpg (I realize that this is not particular to Italian trains, but my only train experience has been in Italy.) I felt like I had waked into a movie and was just waiting for some murder to take place on the train! The outside scenery was perfectly Italian with green all around (the California girl has only seen green on the tops of palm trees...), lots of rolling hills (complete with sheep, shepherd, and sheep dog), and villas. Instead of cutting down a hill or going around it, the train would just go under it. The change of pressure would make my ears feel like they were going to burst!
I could go on and on (who me?), but there is no way to describe all the beauty of Rome in one post. Everyone just has to go!