#Kirstie goes to Rome!

If you read my last post you would know that I was M.I.A from the blogging world last week, due to the fact that I was in Rome! As I mentioned before, it has been on my list of places I want to visit, ever since I was little and watched the Sabrina goes to Rome movie. Although I couldn't see the Trevi Fountain in all it's glory (it was boarded up for renovation) I still had a tremendously amazing time, and I can definitely say that I will be going back at some point in my life.

I fell in love with Rome. Not in the 'Love at first sight' kind of way, and not in the cliched 'it happened slowly and then before I knew it, I was falling head over heals at speeds unfathomable' kind of way either. If I am being honest, I didn't even know I loved Rome until I wasn't there anymore.  I had an inkling when we left the city behind to go and fanny about on the beach for the afternoon, but it wasn't until I was on a plane heading back towards London that I really felt it. I realised that from the moment I got there, (even though I couldn't - and still can't - speak a word of Italian) I felt at home; I felt like I belonged. After you have been to a place like that, even if you live in one of the most desirable cities in the world, the place where you live just doesn't compare. London is wonderful, but I would trade it for Rome in a heartbeat.

It wasn't the scorching heat, or the fact of finding history around every corner, or even the remarkable works of art and architecture - it was the people. I am a strong believer in that people make a place special, and even though the Roman people that I met were simultaneously both polite, and ill mannered, I wouldn't change them - sure maybe some common courtesy when letting people off trains on the Metro would be great, but you can't judge other cultures by the standards you hold of your own, that's how wars start!

I fell in love with the dirt that the buildings had collected, the poor lighting at Repubblica station, the smell of the heat rising from the concrete in the evenings, the little cobbled streets, the multitude of gelato flavours, the fact that I walked into a pasta shop and the tattooed woman behind the counter was singing along to the R.E.M song blasting from the radio, the gypsy woman that kept asking me for change in St. Peters Square, the crazy old lady that sold me ice water from her drink stand every morning and evening, the waiter that served me in the little restaurant across from the forum, the same waiter when I went back a second time and he remembered me, the view from St. Peters Basilica, the eerie silence in the Sistine Chapel, the way the moon looked different even though it's exactly the same, the sound of water coming from the numerous fountains around the city, the funky looking bread my hotel served at breakfast, the volcanic sand that I still can't get out of my shoes, and finally, just knowing that I was walking on the same ground, climbing the same steps, sitting in the same places as the ancients did all those years ago! There aren't words to explain how I feel, it's overwhelming, it's - is it cliche to call it magic? I'm going to call it magic. Not in the conventional way as to what we believe magic to be, with witches and potions, and what have you, but in the feeling way. To know that we as humans, had to ability to create a civilisation that is still recognisable today, that was still standing until around four hundred years ago, it really is remarkable. We are constantly looking for excuses to believe in magic, when really the only proof we need is history.



I realise that a majority of that last paragraph is just one long sentence, so I'll cut this post off here, and instead I'll share some of my holiday photos with you! But before I finish, I want to express how humbled I am about being a human. We take for granted the people that came before us and everything they did, not only did they improve their own lives, but ours too. Without them being so courageous, inventive, intuitive, and, adventurous, we could be living entirely different lives today. Visiting Rome made me realise that every single person that has ever lived, helped to create our world in one way or another, and I have no doubt that everyone who is alive today will help to shape and create a world for the people of tomorrow.

History makes me happy.

Have you been to Rome? I'd love to know how you felt about it! Am I weird, or does everyone leave feeling like this?

View from St. Peters 

The Metro!

HOLY CANNOLI! 

Sistine Chapel! They said not to take photos, but how can you not - it's incredible!

Altare Della Patria/The Wedding Cake

The hotel I stayed in! 

St. Peters square

The Colosseum!

If you want to see more, then be sure to take a gander at my Instagram, and I hope to add some photos to my Flickr too!  I also took it upon myself to use the hashtag #KirstiegoestoRome, so I can assure that if you are that active of a stalker, there is plenty for you to nose at, if you search for that!

Also, now that I have ticked Rome off of my list, I am open to suggestions for my next location!

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