Spring Break - Rome

I apologize for making you all wait so long for this post. I arrived back in Nebraska on May 18, but I had started this post while still in Middelburg. Due to becoming incredibly busy with the end-of-semester events & homework, I just now have found time to catch up on my blog. I hope you enjoy the pictures!


 Hello from Middelburg / Rome!

This past month has been crazy-busy! In between researching for four to five term papers and trying to see as much of Europe as I can before heading home in about two weeks, I've decided to take a few moments and post some photos from our trip to Rome over Spring Break, which happened in March. Since "a picture is worth 1,000 words," I'll just give an overview of places we explored each day and let you look at the photos. Enjoy!!

March 20th:

• Palatine Hill, Roman Forum, & Coliseum - Ruins, walkways, and stunning views of Rome
• Pizza & gelato for dinner (lunch)
• Gelato flavors: I tried stracciatella (chocolate chip); Thomas ate coconut; Lindsey had tiramisu
• Trevi Fountain - While we walked toward the Pantheon, we stopped by so we could throw coins and make wishes :)
• Pantheon - While it used to be a place of pagan worship, the Pantheon is now a church.
• Museo Nazionale Romano - A series of four museums that contain artifacts, coins, and marble statues found during various excavations of Rome and nearby areas of Italy. (We made it to three before deciding to head back to our place.)

A view of the Roman Forum from Palatine Hill

So many ruins! I think this used to be a pillar for a building on Palatine Hill

The Stadium (Palatine Hill) - see description in following picture

Without zoom - A view of the Coliseum from Palatine Hill

Roman Forum

Coliseum - The partial floor at the far end of the oval shows where the original stadium floor used to be. The intricate maze-like structure below the floor was where animals or other gladiators were kept during fights (to be released into the stadium through trap-doors).

I. Love. Fountains. So. Much.

Making wishes at the Trevi Fountain :)

Pantheon (or most of it, anyway)

Pantheon - view of the front (from across the square)

This was a humbling experience...

March 21st:

• VATICAN!!!
• We spent the entire day in Vatican City, after standing in line for about an hour. After exploring the Museo Vaticani (Vatican Museum) for 3.5 hours, we stopped in the infamous Sistine Chapel for about 30 minutes to just stare at all the exquisite artwork by Michelangelo - including the well-known "Hand of God" painting (you'll see it below). Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures of the chapel, but I'll include a photo from online (for reference).
• We walked around the city wall to St. Peter's Square and waited in line (again) to enter St. Peter's Basilica. In the basilica we prayed for a few minutes small chapel with perpetual Adoration. We also stopped at Saint John Paul II's tomb (although when we were there he had not been canonized yet).
• After enjoying the beautiful architecture inside the basilica, we walked up 551 stairs to the top of the dome and enjoyed incredible views of Rome and St. Peter's Square. There was even a little gift shop at the top! :)
• For supper we ate pasta at a cute little restaurant nearby. And then we ate more gelato.
• I had Oreo, Thomas ate cherry ripple, and Lindsey tried hazelnut.

I'm not quite sure what this is, but it looks really interesting.

The ceiling in one of the many hallways inside the Vatican Museum. The walls and ceilings were completely covered with paintings, sculptures and artifacts.

"Hand of God" painting on the ceiling in the Sistine Chapel

The "Pieta" sculpture by Michelangelo (inside St. Peter's Basilica). This piece of Renaissance art depicts the Virgin Mary holding her son, Jesus, after he was taken down from the cross.

I found my Confirmation saint in St. Peter's Basilica! St. Helena, pray for us.

Inside St. Peter's Basilica

A view of the basilica dome, as seen from one of the museum hallway windows

Such a beautiful place to visit with such a handsome man!

I. Love. This. Place.

Looking down into the basilica

Just trying to be artsy and capture the magnificence of the mosaic that ringed the inside gallery on our way to the top of the dome.

My camera is straight. The walls were built like this the closer we got to the top.

View of the piazza from the top of the dome

That view. Enough said.

March 22nd:

• We spent the morning at the zoo because we had had enough museums and monuments for the week. There was even a section dedicated to farm animals. I felt right at home!
• After the zoo we explored nearby areas of Rome before going back to our place to relax for a bit. Then we decided to go eat pizza (again).
• We ended up at the Piazza Navona, where we saw many street vendors selling their paintings and the Fountain of Four Rivers.
• Thomas and I ate gelato again, but Lindsey decided not to. I had a combination of pear/yogurt, and Thomas combined coconut/chocolate chip with milk chocolate.
• Once back at our place we planned our travel for the next day: how/when to get to the airport for our flight back to the Netherlands.

The Tiber River as the sun begins to set. So perfect.

Fountain of Four Rivers at the Piazza Navona, with beautiful architecture in the background.

March 23rd:
Before leaving for the airport, we went to an Italian mass at St. Paul's Basilica, which was about a 20-minute walk from our place. Commonly called "St. Paul's Outside the Walls," it is one of the four major basilicas of Rome. The nickname refers to the basilica's location just outside the old city wall of Rome. I did not take my camera to mass, otherwise I would also have pictures of this basilica.


Well, I hope you enjoyed experiencing Rome through my many pictures! I apologize if it seemed like too many, but honestly...even these pictures cannot adequately express the atmosphere of this city or the incredible beauty we saw everywhere we looked.
When I find time to write my next post, it'll be about my trip to Paris with Thomas over Easter weekend.

Until next time,

~Laurie