I am in Rome!

So, you know my earlier post about me hating the airport? Yep, well I got there and started to check in when the guy was all like, "Ya, that flight was cancelled." Yep, cool. So I had to get re-routed. Instead of flying into Chicago, I fly into Philie and then caught my connecting flight to Rome. It wasn't a huge deal, but I am just proving my point about airports and flying.

So after saying goodbye to Caro, Zach and my parents ( Zach and Dad shed a tear, Mom cried more, and Caro and I didn't at all) I grabbed quiznos for lunch and then went and sat at my gate until we boarded. The flight to Philie was quick- only about 2 hours- and then my connecting flight was boarding when I got to the gate. Didn't have to wait around much, which was good!

On the 7 and a half hour plane ride I sat on the end of a 4 person seat arrangement and lucky for me, not one person sat in any of those chairs, so I got to sprawl out. I think I only slept for about 2 hours, and the other time was spent watching the free movies.

I got into Rome about 8:30 in the morning and was able to spot my luggage quickly. (I prayed on the plane that it wasn't lost.) Then, I set out into the Roman air! It was about 65 degrees here today. I grabbed a (expensive) taxi and I was off to the hotel. On the taxi ride I was able to get my first glimpses of Rome. Everything here is very old, but it is so cool! We drove past the Colosseum, or Colosseo in Italian, and it was huge. I didn't picture it being that large. I think tomorrow I am going to go visit it.

I checked into the hotel around 10 am and my room was ready, which was helpful. I wanted to sleep for like 2 hour, but it ended up being  more like 4. I also found out that Netflix and Hulu do no work here. Guess I won't be watching my tv shows! After my nap, I walked and explored my neighborhood. I was trying to find the bus station, but failed. The streets here are not marked well- they are sometimes wrtten on the buildings, but there are no signs in the cross streets like in the U.S. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to find said bus station so I can get to the Colosseum. It's an adventure and I need to keep stretching myself. I am definitely not comfortable at all yet, and am already dreading the bus ride into the center of the city tomorrow. But, I have to be brave! I will be thankful once Noreen gets home so I can get settled in my real home.

Ciao for now!

xoxo Katie