This morning, we had quite a bit of time to sleep as we didn't have to be on the bus until 9:30. After breakfast, everybody got on the bus and we drove into the city of Rome. Once in the city, we got off the bus and walked to the Spanaish Steps. A lot of people went to a tiramisu place that was nearby to get a tasty snack to start off the day. After visiting the Spanish steps we walked over to the Trevi Fountain. The fountain was very beautiful and many of the kids tossed a coin into the fountain, which is sort of a tradition when visiting. After the Trevi fountain, we went over to the Pantheon. The Pantheon was really cool to see as it is so big and so well preserved. These three sights were amazing, but after walking around for awhile, everyone was hungry. We went to lunch at a restaurant that was pretty close to the Pantheon. We had an eggplant lasagna for lunch, which I thought was very tasty, but it was about 50/50 on whether people liked it or not.
After lunch we got on the bus and drove over to the entrance to Vatican City. Upon arriving at the Vatican, a lot of the kids bought gifts that were blessed by the Pope. This was super cool because these gifts can be very meaningful for someone who is religious. After a bit of gift shopping, we got in line to enter the Vatican. First, we visited St. Peter's Basilica. The Basilica was very impressive to visit because it is massive once inside and it is very beautiful as well. After this, we walked over to the Vatican Museum. The Vatican Museum was cool to walk through as it had a lot of old Roman statues, paintings, tapestries, etc. Then we went into the Sistine Chapel, which was also very beautiful on the inside. The paintings on the walls and ceiling of the Chapel are very impressive and cool to look at. Then, after touring the Vatican, we had some free time for dinner and everyone was free to get their own food. After dinner, we headed back to the hotel to wind down for bed and get some sleep for another exciting day in Rome tomorrow!
