Hello readers. I hope you are all doing well from wherever you are. I am currently back in Canterbury, Kent. Wednesday night I got back from Rome and Madrid. Bother places were very interesting and I can honestly say that I would love to live in either place; more so for Madrid. In Rome it is in the 60s temperature-wise, and Madrid is in the upper 50s.
In Rome I saw St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City, The Sistine Chapel, The Vatican Museum, the Coliseum, and the Trevi Fountain. The Coliseum that we all know and have seen on TV or in pictures is actually very different from how it actually looked in Roman times. The Coliseum actually was majorly damaged in an earthquake a while ago, which is why in some pictures it looks like its missing a chunk. Also, the Coliseum is supposed to be covered in white marble, but all that marble went to St. Peter’s Basilica and covered the entire place; which is intensely huge. Vatican City is really very small, and is probably that only country you can get into without a passport. To get to the Sistine Chapel you have to go through the Vatican Museum, and after seeing all of the statues, paintings, and canvases that they have, it’s honestly not that impressive. The whole place is actually pretty small; its size is very exaggerated. I was able to see most of the Trevi Fountain, but there were so many people packed around the place that you couldn’t get very close.
In the middle of my stay in Rome I, along with my friends, went to Naples and Pompeii; both the ancient city and the new city. Naples was beautiful and is right by the sea…..and Mt. Vesuvius. There was actually a festival of some type going on as we drove through Naples. Little kids were dressed up as Disney princesses or pirates and running around everywhere. Pompeii was interesting, though I definitely got tired of seeing ruins after 2 hours inside. Definitely get a guide if you are going to go inside. The place is literally a maze and you will get lost. Pompeii has a lot of stray dogs living inside of it. The people who own the land give the dogs collars and they can come and go as they please. They are guard dogs in some places where people are not allowed to go into and there are signs everywhere saying that you can adopt a dog if you want. In the Coliseum back in Rome, it is the same thing only with cats instead of dogs.
After we got done in Italy we flew to Madrid, Spain. I loved it there, especially since I could understand what people were saying; most of the time. While we were in Madrid the King of Spain actually showed up. He normally doesn’t stay in his palace in Madrid because it’s a kind of gaudy place. So he lives in a smaller place elsewhere. You would always be able to tell where he was because suddenly police would be invading the area along with TV cameras and reporters. You can also tell where he is in the city by seeing if his flag was flying. My friends and I were in the same area as him twice in out day and half in Madrid.
Other than all of that I only have one other thing to say. If you are planning to visit Europe, and haven’t stayed for a significantly long period of time in Europe before; DO NOT RENT A CAR. I thought people in England drove like crazy people. Rome and Madrid are insane! Speed limit? Ha! What speed limit!? And no, it is not just because they drive on the wrong side of the road, actually very few countries actually drive on the left side of the road. They are just very, very, VERY crazy drivers. Plus gas prices here are insane. You think $3 is bad in America? Hahaha! Try 8 pounds in England; which is close to $15. Yeah, don’t waste your money. Well, that’s all for now. Ciao!
