Dad's Visit to Roma - Part 2

Dad and Me sporting our SNC pride in the Colosseum

Saturday was another early start for us.  We decided to play tourist today, and our friend Dave joined us for a day of touring.  We went to the Colosseum early in the morning and got in line around 9:00 AM.  We took the tram and then walked the rest of the way.  I knew the Colosseum would have long lines - especially on a Saturday - so I made us hurry to get in line.  We were just going to get tickets to go in, and skip the rip off guided tour.  Then, we found out while we were in line that the admission was free today, but if you paid 4 Euros each for the guided tour you could skip the whole line - that's what we did.  Our tour guide ended up being great and showed us all around the Colosseum.  Dad was in awe of the size and building structure of it all.  We spent a good portion of the morning in the Colosseum exploring and taking more pictures.  After the Colosseum, we kind of planned out the rest of our day and decided to break for lunch.  I had a calzone with ham and cheese inside of it while Dad and Dave got some panini sandwiches - not very good.  The restaurant kind of sucked overall, but my calzone wasn't too bad!  After lunch we walked over to the Roman Forum because along with entrance to the Colosseum, we paid for entrance into the Forum.  I tried to show off some of the information I picked up about the Roman Forum from my Ancient Rome and Its Monuments class before I dropped it last week, and I surprised myself by how much I remembered.  I told Dad and Dave about some of the temples and Basilicas that made up the Forum and what they were used for in their prime.  After the Forum, we walked to the Basilica of St. John Lateran or San Giovanni in Laterano.  This is where the throne of the Bishop of Rome is located and it is a beautiful church!  There are many side altars and beautiful statues.  We walked around there for a while and I was in awe of its beauty.  After we finished at San Giovanni, we took the tram line A a couple stops to go and see the Trevi Fountain.  We got a little lost on the way through the city because the Trevi Fountain in tucked in between tons of buildings.  We eventually found it and fought our way through the massive crowds to get to the front.  Bliss met us at the Trevi Fountain because after we were done there, we all walked to the Anglo American Book Store to shop for a little bit.  I scoped out some books I wanted and Dad did too.  We then walked a couple blocks to the Spanish Steps and saw those before taking the Tram line A and the H line bus back to the apartment.  I wasn't feeling to good this day - early stages of a cold - so I wanted to sit and relax before we went to dinner.  Dad and I relaxed on my balcony again and I made some chicken broth to drink to warm up.  We talked for a while and it was good to just soak in Roma from the balcony.  Around 8:30 the night, Dad and I met Casey, Bliss, and Dave for dinner.  Again, we went to our favorite Pizzeria around the corner and the owner was happy to see my "Papa" again!  She was happy we brought him back for another dinner and it was delicious as usual!  Dinner was fantastic - bruschetta, fettucini al ragu, and a couple of Cokes!  After dinner, Dad and I took the tram and went down the way to Scholars for some beers.  I had to show him the bar where I hang out with Cuyler and Casey all the time, and of course we each had some Peroni.  It was awesome!  Dad loved Scholars - such a fun place to be!

Sunday, we slept in a little bit but then took the tram and the #40 bus to Santa Susanna for 10:30 AM Mass.  It was nice to show Dad where I have been going to church for the past two months.  It was nice to be able to show him the church, and not just tell him about it.  Mass was beautiful as usual, and ended around 11:30.  Dave split off from us and took the #40 bus to go and explore the Vatican while Dad and I took the H line bus back to my neighborhood to go to the open air market.  On our way, Dad and I met this younger guy from Seattle.  He heard us talking and then asked, "Are you American?" We laughed and said yes and found out that he was just traveling around Europe for a month by himself.  He recognized our accents and knew we were from the Midwest.  It was pretty funny.  Dad liked the open air market.  He made a few purchases, as did I and we had a great time.  Dad started out his trip here by being nice in crowds of people and politely sneaking past people, but by the time we made it to the market, her was just pushing through people with his shoulders just like me - becoming a true local.

After the market, we went to school and got some pizza for lunch on the way.  Dad printed his boarding passes for his plane and then we went to check out Santa Maria in Trastevere - one of the oldest churches in Rome.  Again, it was beautiful and had a lot of side altars.  Dad and I lit a candle for Grandpa Kasprzak right next to a side altar dedicated to Jesus and the Sacred Heart - perfect!  After we explored the church for a while, we walked up to Gianicolo Hill and Dad saw the amazing view of Rome that I always rave about.  I showed him the place where Cuyler and I always go to think.  Dad loved the view and could tell why I go up there - it is simple awesome!  Too neat to describe in words!

After that, we wanted to relax more at the apartment, so we sat on the balcony again.  I wrote postcards and Dad and I chatted again.  Dave came back to the apartment and picked up his bags.  He headed to Termini Train Station to catch his train back to Naples around 7:30 PM.  Dad and I went to Casey and Bliss's apartment for dinner around 8:00 PM and ate with them, and their two roommates, Breonna and Kristen.  Bliss made chicken and garlic pasta.  It was so delicious! Dad and I Skyped with Lauren and Mom around 9:30 PM and then Dad headed back to his hotel to catch some sleep before his plane left in the morning.

Dad came to my apartment around 8:30 AM to get me and the suitcase full of purchased gifts I had already filled up to take home for me.  We caught the train to Fuimicino Airport and got there around 9:45.  Dad and I said "see you later" in the terminal and I left to go back to the apartment.  It was rainy and cloudy yesterday, so I had a lazy day.  I was bummed that Dad was gone, but knew that I would see him, Mom, and Lauren soon.  I really enjoyed my time with Dad here and thought it was perfect to get a little taste of home halfway through my trip.  I was happy to share my experience with Dad - packed trams and all!  My time is really starting to fly here and that makes me both happy and sad.  I am really trying to soak in all that Rome has to offer and think I'm doing a pretty good job of it!  I will be ready to come home when December rolls around, but will miss my life here dearly.  This weekend, we are off to Frankfurt, Germany and I have three goals - I call them the "Three Bs" -  Beer, Bratwursts, and Birkenstocks!!

Miss you and love you all!