Day 1 in Roma: Colosseo and Palatine Hill

Last night, we got in around 9pm. So. Late. We took a cab to the hotel, checked in, then went out for a delicious pasta dinner at a restaurant just down the street. We had barely eaten all day, so it was fantastic. Then we went to bed.

We awoke around 8ish this morning, had our continental breakfast, then took a bus to the Colosseum (or, the Flavian Amphitheatre). We took a tour through that then one over the Palatine Hill. The girl that gave the second tour was adorable and had the coolest accent, which I could not place. After the tour, I found out that she was Russian, but has lived in Sweden as long as she can remember -- and is now a student in Rome! That explains the accent! She's giving a tour (3 hours, €45 each) of the Vatican City tomorrow, so we're going to that. Mom protested because it's so expensive (about 400% increase over the regular entry fee), but I argued that we aren't familiar with the sights nor the main things to see, (plus we got pretty turned around on the Palatine hill after the tour ended), so we need to get up at 7 tomorrow to do that. We'll have time to wander around the city after the tour.

After the touring, we hopped on the subway to Termini, ate a cheesburger from, of course, McDonald's, had some gelato (from elsewhere--do not fear!) and returned to the hotel for a nap.

McDonald's and boobs. Win.

All but Dad have been in a crabby mood today. My crappy mood began at the tail-end of our tours when I was overheated and dehydrated. Then later, it got worse when my family would continuously ignore advice and things I said regarding subways and direction. I feel like they're constantly belittling my experiences. (Not to mention, this afternoon, my mom was trying to convince me to come home for another few days before school starts, which is stupid because 1) I have no transportation and 2) I'm already missing 3 weeks of work and 2 weeks of my internship). Obviously I'm frustrated. I feel like I'm always being told that I should do what I want to do with my life, but constantly being asked to do other things that thoroughly disrupt it!

Anyway, later we will go to see the Trevi fountain before dark, eat dinner, then see it after dark. Then sleep. Here's hoping tomorrow brings better moods than did today.

Spoiler alert! :-P