Week 11

James Kenvin checks in weekly from his study abroad semester in London; catch up with him every Wednesday on Trazee Travel.

As the end of my time in London quickly approaches, I realized there are still places I want to see in Europe before going home; therefore, this past weekend I decided to visit my friend studying in Rome. I’ve wanted to visit the city ever since learning about the Roman Empire in my high school history classes.

I had high expectations of what my experience would be like, and Rome definitely didn’t disappoint. From the moment I got off the bus from the airport, I was awestruck by the beauty of the city and all of the buildings and statues that towered over me. The next morning, I decided to go for an hour-long walk to the city’s center. During the walk, I got to discover beautiful, almost hidden gardens and parks along the way. When I finally arrived in the center of Rome, I immediately went toward all the ruins in the area. I couldn’t believe I was actually seeing and touching parts of the ancient Roman Empire.

My tour eventually led me to the Coliseum. Actually seeing the huge arena and going inside was so surreal. It was astonishing to look down at the arena floor and picture the games, competition and battles that took place. My friend met up with me at the Coliseum, and after we were done our tour, we went to see the Pantheon, Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain.

The Pantheon and Spanish Steps were both beautiful and interesting sites, but I was mostly excited for the Trevi Fountain. Unfortunately, the fountain is under construction and almost unrecognizable from any photo I’ve seen. Although I was pretty disappointed, it was nothing a little pizza and gelato couldn’t fix. My whole experience in Rome was incredible. With its rich history and astounding beauty, Rome has become one of my most memorable destinations while on this trip.