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PompeiiPompeii |
Then, we headed to the train station and bought tickets to go to Pompeii. We spent about 30 minutes on the metro before arriving at Pompeii and getting tickets. First, we tried to go in the exit (which to be fair had no signage saying it was so) before realizing that it was the exit and turning around to go to the entrance. We walked around by ourselves for a little under 2 hours before heading to the train station to catch the train back. We stopped at a local shop and got these delicious slushes before getting on the train. We had to stand for most of the ride back because it was extremely crowded and witnessed some Italian PDA (yuck).
We got back with time to spare so we went to McDonald’s because my friend Alexis and I were craving American food after eating nothing but Italian the past few days. We got the food and got on the train to head back to Rome. On the ride back, we played 20 questions and the mafia game we all played as kids. I’m sure the people sitting around us were questioning why we were talking about the mafia so much and that’s why we got some crazy stares. We got back to the apartment around 10:30 and I immediately crashed.
On Sunday, my roommate Anna and I decided to go visit San Giovanni a Porta Latina. In Bartlesville, I attend Saint John Before the Latin Gate Catholic Church. It just so happens that our church was named after the church here so I thought it would be interesting to visit. We tried to make it to mass, but we went to the wrong bus stop at first, then once we made it to the right stop, our bus passed us without stopping. We had to wait 30 extra minutes for the next bus to pick us up and the ride ended up taking around 30 minutes. Once we got to the stop, we had to walk another 20 minutes to get to the church and once we got there, we were confused as to where it was so we walked around for another 10 minutes.
Needless to say, we did not budget our time well. We got to go in the church and I got lots of pictures! It was neat to see the inspiration behind my church’s name in person. After getting home, we went and shopped a little bit where I bought a few souvenirs. Following dinner, my roommate Lauren and I went to a cute dessert place down the street where I had gelato and she had an espresso and a little baked treat. The ladies there were extremely nice so we have decided to go back again soon.
After the break, we toured the rest of the museum and were set free. My group decided to go into the Sistine Chapel. You are not allowed to take pictures or talk in the chapel, but we just sat and observed for 10 minutes. Then, we went to the Vatican gift shop where I bought some more souvenirs. Next, I got the privilege of walking through the Holy Door. The Holy Door is open this year for the year of mercy and is only opened around every 25 years.
I went home after the Holy Door and relaxed for a couple of hours before attempting to take the bus to my friend Kristin’s apartment. I got on line 49 and headed her way to a stop called Aurelia. What I didn’t realize when I got on the bus is that there are 7 different stops called Aurelia. I got off at the first one not knowing this and texted her that I was at the stop. She responded saying that she was there too but she was nowhere to be seen. She asked me if I had gone under the tunnel and once I heard that and knew that I didn’t, I knew that I had gotten off too soon. I told her that and she said to get on line 46 and stop at Aurelia Rampa vie Vaticano. I got on the bus and headed her way before I got to a stop called Boccea. I knew that I was not in the right place so I got off before I could go any farther in the wrong direction. I called her and we just decided that it was best for me to retrace my route and head home. I tried to find the station going in the opposite direction from the one I was at, but I did not see one. I got on the bus app and saw that there was a station about a 5 minute walk away that had busses going in the opposite direction. Once I got there, I saw about 10 different bus lines that stopped there but none were 46 or 49.
I had absolutely no clue what to do, so I mapped myself through the bus app back to my apartment. It told me to get to a station 600 meters away but I was in a sketchy neighborhood and it was getting dark. It was so sketchy that I took my money out and hid it in my bra secretly so that if I was mugged, I would have some money to get home with. I stood in a well lit area by the bus stop and ordered an uber immediately. The four minutes that it took the uber to get to me were some of the most nerve-wracking that I have ever had. There were 3 men graffitiing the wall behind me, two running around drunk with beer bottles in their hands, and homeless people lining the streets. I knew that I was in a terrible area and was honestly scared for my life. I texted my mom the entire time and she calmed me down enough so that I wouldn’t break down then and there.
The uber came and as soon as I got in, I felt so much better. As he drove towards my apartment, I became more oriented and began to recognize buildings. It was a 15 minute ride to my apartment and even though it cost me money that I didn’t want to spend, it was 100% worth it to be safe. Lesson learned: I am justified when I say that I have absolutely no since of direction. I am obviously home safe since I am writing this blog post but it was a scary experience nonetheless. And with that exciting story, I am going to say goodbye so that I can begin to write my micro paper about the Vatican Museum.
Ciao!
Taylor
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Read more from Taylor at https://taylorsitalianavventura.wordpress.com/
Check out http://studyabroad.uark.edu/romecampus for more information on the U of A Rome Center: Summer Campus.
