As a little old Austrian lady dressed head to toe in fur, wearing heels, and carrying a teeny tiny coat-wearing dog viciously elbowed me out of her way in order to secure a seat on the empty tram this morning, I became a little emotional. The final countdown has literally begun. I only have three more full days here in Vienna before I fly back to Chicago for winter break. Aside from some last-minute chocolate shopping and taking three more finals (yes, chocolate comes first, I know where my priorities lie), there’s not much left for me to do here besides sit in my cozy apartment and watch the snow fall. I’ve really enjoyed my time here in Vienna, and I can’t believe this four-month adventure is basically over. It seems like just yesterday when we were all up in the Alps for orientation, guzzling our first “legal” beers. If you asked me a year ago where I would be right now, I’m quite sure that I would never have said Vienna. A crazy trail of circumstances led me to this city, but after living here for four months I feel like fate might have played a hand in my choice. I can honestly say that this city suits me. Vienna is full of music, art, amazing writers, delicious food…There is a giant appreciation for culture here, as well as for the history that made the city what it is today. Even the fact that they choose to selectively forget some of the darker parts of their history endears me to Vienna, because it shows Vienna is not perfect. Neither am I. I’ve learned a lot about myself during these last four months, most importantly that I am capable of a lot more than I once thought. I’m so grateful that I had the opportunity to study abroad; I know I’ll never forget all of the amazing things I experienced during these past four months and I know that in the end this experience has changed me for the better.
Last weekend was my final trip this semester, and I’d definitely saved the best for last. I finally got to travel to Rome, Italy, a place I’ve been dreaming about for as long as I can remember. I left on Friday, but thanks to the intense cold and never-ending snow that is Vienna’s winter weather, my flight was delayed over two hours. When I finally touched down, the sun had already set. I met Stephen and we began what was to become the epic journey to our hostel. First we walked in the completely wrong direction for several blocks in a pretty sketchy neighborhood, and when we finally found the right direction, our path was obstructed by a confusing cluster of piazzas, churches, and busy streets. Crossing the street in Rome is a journey in itself: the cars don’t ever seem to stop, so people just make a run for it. We usually crossed the street behind really, old Italian couples. We figured no one would hit them, right? After we found our hostel, we were relocated to a new hostel which was less then a block away from the main metro station, Termini (which is where we had come from in the first place…). For dinner we went to the Trastevere neighborhood, which is centered around St. Maria in Trastevere, Rome’s first Christian church, and is known for its plethora of restaurants. We had no problem finding a small traditional Roman restaurant where we indulged in delicious pizza, fresh pasta, and mouth-watering mozzarella. Across the street was a shop where one could buy books, or shots of liquor in homemade chocolate shot glasses. A book shop and a bar focused on chocolate, it was like a dream. The next morning, we had breakfast brought up to our room (or should I say suite, it had a living room, kitchen, and bathroom all for us) and then made our way to Vatican City. We saw the museums with The School of Athens by Raphael and the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. I secretly took a picture and felt a little bad, but then Abby told me that the only reason you can’t take pictures is because Kodak owns the rights. If that’s correct, I don’t feel too bad. We ate paninis from a street vendor while waiting in the long line to go inside St. Peter’s Basillica, which was incredibly huge and breathtaking. Inside we saw the canopy over the Papal Altar designed by Bernini, the sculpture by Bernini in the sanctuary, the Chair of St. Peter behind it, and Pietà by Michelangelo. From there we walked down the Via della Conciliazione to the Castel Sant’Angelo (which played a big role in Angels & Demons, if you recall) and went to the top which had a beautiful view of the whole city. I really loved Castel Sant’Angelo, because it was covered by statues of angels and the bridge which led up to it was flanked on both sides by rows of angels. It was so pretty. After that, we got a teensy bit lost…and we ended up on this tiny, crazy mini-bus which drove through the narrow streets of Rome and deposited us by the Spanish Steps. The entire bus ride, the Italians kept trying to give us directions and tell us what stop to get off on. No matter how many times we said “non parlo Italiano” to these people, they wouldn’t stop talking at us and pointing. Thankfully we made it to the Spanish Steps, where loads of couples were making out and the other people were drinking out of the Fontana della Barcaccia. We walked down Via del Corso, the main shopping street, to the Piazza del Popolo. Stephen had to tell me to stop pouting, which is what I did every time we passed a store full of $600 shoes I’ll never be able to afford. At the Piazza del Popolo, we had a delicious snack of Prosecco, prosuito and melon. For dinner, we wandered through several areas until we finally went to a pasta restaurant that had been recommended to us by some friends. It was packed, but I understood why. The pasta carbonara, while not quite as good as my mom’s, was really tasty. On Sunday, we went to San Pietro in Vincoli to see Michelangelo’s Moses, and after we took a tour of the Colosseum, which is where I found out that the gladiators didn’t really fight animals. All of my illusions were shattered. From there we walked down the Via dei Fori Imperiali to the Roman Forums, Palatine Hill, Arch of Constantine, the Imperial Forums, Capitoline Hill, and the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius. After another panini, we went to the Pantheon and saw the tomb of Raphael. From there, we trekked to Piazza Navona the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (fountain of the four rivers) by Bernini. Next was the Trevi Fountain, we threw our coins in and then munched on sweet and delicious gelato. After some shopping, we went to the church which had the statue of The Ecstasy of St. Teresa. Believe it or not, it was only about 4pm at this point, so we took a nap before heading back to Trastevere for some more delicious pasta, wine, and tiramisu. On the bus ride back, we saw all the monuments lit up. It was so pretty, the perfect last night in Rome. On Monday morning, we went to the Campo dei Fiori to see the big market. Once again, we munched on paninis for lunch and then ended our trip with one last gelato before heading back to the airport. The entire trip was amazing, and I really hope I get the opportunity to see more of Italy one day. (Family vacation, perhaps?
