roma!

daron and i got back a few weeks ago from a dreamy trip to europe. i think about the 12 days we spent there and have to remind myself they really happened! the last time i mentioned this trip was in this post when i was still going down my pros list trying to persuade daron what a good idea a vacation to europe would be... eventually, he was on board and we were on a plane 9 months later. yes, i started booking our trip 9 months in advance! all who know my ability to procrastinate know this shows how badly i wanted to make this trip happen. our itinerary consisted of 2 countries and 3 major places. our first stop?

the eternal city!

the 3 days we spent in rome were our busy, sight-seeing days. the rest of the trip we wanted to be slower to feel more "honeymoon like." daron and i spent a few days in park city right after we were married but i had to be back in school the monday after the friday we were married! so 4 years later, we finally decided it was time to take our "belated honeymoon!" a great decision i might add ;) the first night, we saw a few sights but spent most of the time settling in.

as we were exploring, i saw the tiny part of the top of a building that made me stop in my tracks. i had no idea what the building was but it made my heart skip a beat. a 100 steps more took us out of the trees and there was the colloseum right in front of us. seriously!? how many places in the world do you just happen to stumble on a famous 2,000 year old building? on accident! so cool. 

our first full day started off with making friends with some local italians during breakfast and then exploring the infamous vatican museums! we actually learned a ton thanks to our awesome tour. honestly, i don't think i would have got anything out of the museums without a guide. me and art don't know each other well.

after the museums, we climbed up a very narrow stairwell that has hundreds of windy steps leading you to the dome of st. peter's basilica designed by Michelangelo. this was my favorite part of the day! besides the gelato of course...

do you see those tiny dots that look like pigeons? ^^those are people! we saw our favorite view of rome from up there. definitely worth the climb.

^gelato round 1

^gelato round 2

*this gelato place, gelateria la ramona, was my absolute favorite. they generously fill your cone up with white or dark chocolate hazlenut fudge (!!!) then give you great portions of delicious authentic flavors that put you on a gelato high. the line was out the door with locals and the cherry on top - most affordable gelato place we found!

the second day was daron's favorite. we explored the forum, the inside of the colloseum, the pantheon, trevi fountain, and had the best pasta of our lives!

^that whole you're walking down the street 

and then, oh well hello there colloseum poking through! seriously, wow!

this aspect of the city was my favorite part.

it was only day 3 of our trip and i was already tired of taking pictures of each other. so i decided it was time to show the camera/daron how to be a gladiator...

  

^if you're wondering, i'm throwing a javelin at a tiger.

i also had to capture my little gps finding our way. i said it on insta, and i'll say it again. i would have been lost for 12 days straight if it weren't for him. so, while daron navigated...

i wandered up and down streets looking for appealing gelato places. very fitting jobs for the both of us ;)

the last few hours we had left in rome were a little chaotic. we tried to see the amazing villa borghese but ended up being completely lost and having random mishaps along the way. we decided to head back and jet out early for our next stop - positano, italy! 

a few side notes: our absolute favorite restaurant was a place right next to the colloseum called "hostaria isidoro." the restaurant had a really welcoming atmosphere and the waiters were really attentive. if you're smart you order the assaggini where the chef chooses what he wants to serve you and you are brought mouth-watering pasta dishes until you can take no more and say "basta!" (enough!) 

another matter - the weather. i can't tell you how happy we were that we traveled to the eternal city in may! we walked miles and miles and didn't have a drop of sweat on us. the weather was incredible. also, we found that if you are trying to save a few bucks, hotels and dining are much more affordable near the termini station. the first day we were there, we got pizza-by-the-slice and water and it was 5 euros for the both of us. our last night, we wanted a quick dinner and walked into a random pizza stand near the trevi fountain and it was 14 euros! almost triple the price! we found the same thing to be true with gelato. we heard great things about san crisipino's and while the gelato was very good there, we got about half the amount as gelateria la romana and it was double the price. however, the area near the termini station is much quieter at night and not as lively as the area near the spanish steps, trevi fountain and pantheon. pros and cons.

as for our wishlist for next time? 

(positive thoughts here that there is going to be a next time!

-a tour of the colloseum at night. i've heard this is incredible and the only way to tour the colloseum is underneath the stars...

-spend more time near the spanish steps and see some of the neighborhoods outside the city

-definitely visit the rome, temple that will be completed next year

-and go to the trevi fountain either really early or really late at night so me and daron can have that place all to ourselves... (it's really crowded!) 

so long, roma. thanks for knocking our socks off!