Here I go!

Through one crazy plane ride, a twenty minute train ride, and 30 minutes lugging my suitcase through busy brick roads (trying to hide my map and not look like a tourist), I made it to Rome!
Next stop... Gelato.... yum!

For those of you who do not know, I am traveling with my good friend Mary. She is great! We have been friends since freshman year at ISU. She has such a great heart and strong personality! When we first arrived to Rome her luggage didn't make it. Some how she held herself together and we are still trying to figure things out. Anyways, after day one, Mary and I were masters at traveling around the Termini train station. We had to walk there four different times to pick up some friends. We meet up with Patelis (our friend from Iowa State) and his two friends Carlos (from Luxembourg) and Elise (from Norway). That first night we walked to the Coliseum and the pantheon. They were both awesome! The coliseum is way bigger than I had imagined; it can hold 50,000 people! It was crazy to stand their and think about all of the lives that have been lost their from intense gladiator contests. The pantheon was also a sight to see. There is a huge arched dome that symbolizes the "arched vault of the heavens." At the top there is an oculus (large circular opening) which is the main source of light for the room. As the sun moves across the sky, the light circles across the room and shines beautifully on each of its statues. Myth has it that because the heat rises through the building and out the oculus, the rain does not enter the building. Whether that is true or not I do not know but it is interesting to think about.
My overall impression of Rome is amazing! I WILL be returning here some day. The streets are paved with stones, there are beautifully structured buildings around every corner and ruins on every street. It is like New York City, but beautiful and everyone is nice! (Dont worry, I don't trust everyone and I am constantly checking my purse so that nothing gets snatched). There are tiny little cars and mopeds zooming everywhere with out following a speed limit or guided by any street lines, they just go wherever they want and merge together without any sort of structured form. I experienced the rush of this crazy traffic yesterday in a crazy taxi ride; I'm pretty sure my life flashed before me. We zoomed past every car just inches away from hitting them. At one point the driver asked Elise in the front seat to pull the mirror in so that he could squeeze through two large buses. It was definitely an experience that I can show everyone because we do have it on tape! Anyways, overall Rome is amazing! The Gelato is too!
Ciao! Ciao! Ciao!

Also if anyone wants to follow Mary's blog, you can find it at...
http://eachdayforhim.blogspot.com/