Weekend Trip to Rome

So this past weekend we had a longer weekend the most and we were able to use our Eurorail pass and go wherever we wanted for four days as long as we went with someone else and made sure we were back in class. I went with two other people to Rome. I stayed in a hostel that was really cheap but suprisingly enough it was very clean and the people who worked there were incredibly helpful and nice. I slept in a room with one of the people I went with and six other strangers. I was nervous about this at first but the people who came and went over the course of three nights were all actually nice and respectful. I felt comfortable leaving my belongings there, even though I did lock them up just in case.

As far as the city goes it was amazing to see all the history that was in the City. Rome is actually a much smaller city then I thought so we were able to walk basically everywhere in order to see the sites. We only took the metro three times, twice was to go to the Vatican and back because it was all the way on the other side of the city. If you really wanted to walk there though it is possible and would have only taken a few hours at most. I really enjoyed seeing most of Rome and learning a little about their culture.

Being in Rome actually opened my eyes up more to the differences in culture. In Vienna people appear to be more serious and the city is very clean. When we were in Rome however there are a lot of beautiful things to see the city is very dirty and people are constantly trying to get you to buy things or give them money. The biggest difference is that people are much more open in Rome and it is full of tourists. When you walk around most people start speaking english to you and I am sure all of them can. In Vienna there are very few tourists, I learned it was one of the most expensive cities in Europe to visit and people generally speak German to you first. I have always wanted to go to Rome and thought that I would absolutely enjoy being there. I was suprised at myself though because as much as I enjoyed being in Rome I liked Vienna better.

Overall I am very glad that I was given the opportunity to go to Rome. It really made the fact that I am studying in Europe for a semester a reality. We also picked the perfect weekend to go to Rome because it was sunny out everyday which is a big change from Vienna where it usually rains once a day. I also really loved being able to see one of the places I have always wanted to go and wouldn't mind going back to Rome again when I am older and have more money.