there's no place like home.

So I just got back to the United States and this entire experience feels like a dream.

Castel Sant'Angelo and the Tiber

Last gelato in Piazza Navona

After I got back to Rome from Florence, I spent the rest of the week packing up, going to the sights one last time, and hanging out with my friends a little more. I spent Thursday walking around Vatican City one last time. I went to Old Bridge Gelateria, the best gelato place in Rome. It was so gorgeous being able to walk around one last time during the sunset. I headed from the Vatican past Castel Sant'Angelo over the bridge. I walked down by the Tiber River a little then headed to Piazza Navona before going back to my apartment to pack up my suitcase.

At the Trevs

Friday was my last day in Rome. I spent the morning cleaning up the apartment and making final preparations to leave. After that I headed out with Alex and Katie to go see the sights one last time. We started at the Pantheon then worked our way through Rome to Piazza Navona, the Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps. That night we headed to an amazing restaurant by the Spanish Steps for dinner. It was down a tiny alley and was SO GOOD. The pasta was all freshly made, and it was the perfect last meal in Rome.

Once we got done with dinner Alex and I took bottles of wine and sat on the Spanish Steps for awhile just enjoying the night. We worked our way through the sights again at night to the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and Piazza Navona before meeting up with our friends in Campo dei Fiori. We spent that night getting a couple last drinks and saying bye to everyone from our program.

Last Supper

We headed back to our apartments around 2:30 to finish up any last minute packing and cleaning we had left. I had to leave for my flight at 5:30, so I ended up just staying up until I headed to the bus. The bus ride to the airport was one of the hardest things I've had to go through. I had such torn feelings while leaving Rome. I've been so anxious to get back, but I had the most incredible, amazing experience abroad with a really awesome group of new friends. I can't believe that the experience is actually over.

Nicole, Monet, Sally and I in Campo

Once I got to the airport I checked in and got some food. While I was waiting for my flight, Monet actually walked up. We ended up being on the same flight and sitting 2 rows apart! It was awesome to have someone with me from my program on our way back. Once we got on our flight we both completely passed out for the entire flight. I tried to watch a movie and couldn't even make it through the opening credits. I only woke up two times - once for each meal. The first meal I woke up to a plate of pasta on my tray as everyone else was giving back their empty trays. It was awesome because it made the flight only seem like it lasted around 2 hours instead of 11 hours.

After getting through the customs in Atlanta, I FINALLY got to see my dad! It had been four months since I had even heard his voice, so I was so happy to see him. We headed home from the airport and went to get MEXICAN!!! YUM. Mexican was the thing that I definitely missed the most while abroad.

REUNITED in CLEMSON :)

Now I'm finally back in Clemson, and loving it. I've missed everyone SO much and it's been great being back. This has been the trip of a lifetime, and I've loved every minute of it. I feel like I've grown so much as a person and experienced more than I ever thought possible. I am SO GRATEFUL for this experience... especially to my grandparents, my mom, and my dad for making it possible for me to live in Italy for the past four months. It has been an incredible rollercoaster and an absolutely life changing experience.

Now it's just time to unpack...

last minute trip to firenze

So I have somehow actually gotten really bored recently in Rome (who would've thought...). After 4 months of constant sightseeing, visiting museums, and soaking up the history of this city, I'm pretty burnt out. The museums no longer interest me and my feet are bordering on deformed from all the walking.

I was talking about this with my friend Sarah, who is studying in Florence. She was originally supposed to go to Croatia this past weekend, but like all of us studying in Europe she's out of money as well. I was talking about how I didn't know what I was going to do for the next week considering I only had one exam left to take. She came up with the brilliant idea for me to come to Florence for a few days! So, I hopped on the next train an hour later and was on my way. Oh Europe, how I'm going to miss the ease of traveling here.

Kaitrin, Sarah, and I in Florence

Anyway, 3 hours later I was in Florence. Florence is the city that Clemson really pushes for study abroad, and I can see why. I got to see so many people I know from Clemson and be in such a more comfortable environment considering Florence is actually incredibly similar to an American college town as opposed to the giant city of Rome. When I got there Sarah was finishing up writing a paper, then we headed out to one of the bars where their friends were playing. Yes, a real life band in Europe. Insanity coming from Rome, considering the only live band I've seen all semester was in Paris. I felt like I had walked right back into Loose Change in Clemson. After hanging out there for awhile, we headed back to Sarah's apartment.

Duomo

Ponte Vecchio

The next day Sarah had class, so I walked around Florence to see all the sights. It was so weird being able to walk around and see everything in just a couple of hours. Although Rome has been an eye opening experience, it was definitely comforting being able to get everywhere without the hassle of buses. Once Sarah got out of class, it started pouring so we headed back to her apartment to escape the rain.

Crowds for Notte Bianca

That night Florence surprisingly had an Italian labor day celebration called Notte Bianca. It's this celebration where there are bands and events in every piazza and all the museums stay open all night. Florence was absolutely PACKED. It was insane, and I'm so glad I got to experience it (even if it was on accident). Everyone wore white and stayed out really late. It was SO much fun. We just walked around the piazzas with some wine then went to a couple of the bars in Florence. We got to see so many people and it was such a unique experience.

Notte Bianca

On Tuesday we had been planning on going sightseeing some more, but we woke up and it was absolutely pouring outside...... and continued all day. Luckily this was my third time in Florence and I covered pretty much everything the day before. We ended up just laying around her apartment all day. That night it FINALLY stopped raining, so we headed to meet some friends for a little bit. I got to see even more Clemson people too.

Wednesday I had to get up to head back to Rome... and of course it was gorgeous out. Story of my life. I went to the train station and for some reason neither of my credit cards would run in the machine. The lines were forever long for the ticket machines, so I ended up missing my train even though I got to the train station 20 minutes early. It was SO frustrating. I ended up having to pay for a ticket with my cash I had left and take the 1:15 train instead of the 11am train. It was AWFUL because that night I had my statistics final at 7pm and I didn't get back into Rome until 4:45. I only had time to run home, eat dinner, and get to my final. Then to top it off, I walk into the classroom at 7pm only to find out the final actually started at 6pm AND I realized I forgot my calculator. Luckily I still had plenty of time though and was able to finish the final, despite being flustered beyond belief. After that we headed back to our main stomping grounds of Campo dei Fiori for Christina's last night in Rome. I seriously still can't believe we're leaving the day after tomorrow.

Now I'm off to do some last minute souvenir shopping and see some of the sights for one last time. Ciao!