Week 9

Our spring break started when we left Paris to fly to Italy. Our first stop was Milan. We got in at night, and it was a long train ride to the main part of the city. We found our hostel, and it was the nicest hostel I have ever seen. They had all kinds of amenities, including free portable wifi we could take with us into the city. Since I have a bad cellphone plan with no data, this was a nice change for once to actually have internet while out and about. The main attraction we saw was the Duomo. It was very impressive. (I also found out there was a "Crazy Cat Café" in town, but apparently it was very popular because I couldn't get in without a reservation.)

Our next stop of our tour of Italy was in Venice. This was one of my favorite cities. The canals were really beautiful. We took a gondola ride, and it wasn't too expensive when we split it five ways. I even found a free space art museum, which was a highlight of my trip. We went to the top of a clock tower for an hour and enjoyed the view. (I also found a friendly cat in a pet store somewhere along the way.)

The third Italian city we went to was Florence. We took a day trip to Pisa when we arrived to see the Leaning Tower, which was pretty cool. In Florence, we wandered around the city taking pictures and eating gelato. We also went to one Italian restaurant twice.

Our last stop on our trip was Rome. It was really exciting. We saw the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon during our first day there. I also learned that there was a cat sanctuary in the middle of the city, so I had to stop and pet some cats who were hanging around. The next day consisted of touring the Colosseum and Roman Forum. The next day, we planned on going to the Vatican, but once we got there, the line stretched on as far as the eye could see. We decided to do something else instead. After lunch, we went to the Spanish Steps, because I saw it in the movie Roman Holiday. I took a picture while sitting on the steps, channeling my inner Audrey Hepburn. Then, we went shopping. On our last day in Rome, we went to a Roman bath house. (Where I found another stray cat... Which is starting to be a theme here.) Then, it was time for our flight back to Bonn.