Georgia's Elective Diary: Part 7 (a Roman Holiday, and London Calling)

Yet again I've left the time between blog posts to creep up on me, and yet again a lot has happened since I last posted. I'm now in my final week of placement in Malta, and can't believe how quickly the time has gone. Before I know it I'll be back in New Zealand, just in time to miss the tail end of summer...

At the end of my third week, I hopped on a plane on a Friday and headed off to Italy, to spend a few days in Rome! Having been a Latin and then Classics scholar through high school, Rome was a must for me on this trip, and my three days in the city definitely did not disappoint! Arriving on Friday night, I made my way to the hostel (four seasons rome, would not recommend) and then went out for my first authentic Italian pizza - delicimo!! Day two and I set off early, on the hunt or some much needed coffee on my way to the historic centre of the city. The cappuccinos I had that morning (two, plus a croissant for €4.00) were still the best coffees I've had in this entire trip (New Zealand, why must you set my coffee expectations so high??) and set me up for an amazing day. Leaving the cafe, I continued wandering through the streets of Rome, and walked along Via Mussolini (yes, named after the dictator) looking at many of the ruins still in existence, and also the magnificent white building housing the tomb of the unknown soldier not so affectionately named by the locals as the "Wedding cake".

I then headed up the hill to the Domus Aurea, a house built by Nero after the great fire of Rome in 64 AD. This was a magnificent find of archeological significance, and great work is going into it today, restoring it as the trees above are causing collapse. The amount of information gained by the discovery of this house is fascinating.

I walked past theColosseum and the hundred men trying to sell me a selfie stick, to have a glimpse of all that is left of the Circus Maximus and ate my lunch. It was amazing sitting there and imagining the chariot races that went on there, my sixth form short stories about Marcus Aurelius and his visit to the circus were vivid in my mind. 

After lunch I had an amazing tour with the Real Rome Tours company, with a three and a half hour tour of the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Paletine Hill, which was an incredible opportunity, as well worth the money. Our guide was an Italian archaeologist named Ferdinando, who had completed his Phd in an archaeological site at the roman forum as well as a lot of work in Pompeii - he knew his stuff. On our tour we got to go out on to the arena floor and imagine what it would be like to be a gladiator walking out into the arena, go below the floor and see the area that is closed to the public and would have held the wild animals prior to their release into the arena for the fights and go right up the top of the colosseum into the third tier which not only gave us an amazing view down into the colosseum but also a great view over the arch of Constantine and into the forum. This was the best way to experience these sights, and the information gleaned from our guide was much more than a book could ever tell us. At the end of the tour I wandered through the streets for a couple of hours, and visited the Trevi fountain, disappointed to discover that it was still under restoration. I found the highly recommended Valentino's gelato shop, where the man serving me tried to set me up with a young Argentinian tourist so buying gelato. He also offered me a satisfaction guarantee, telling me that if I was not completely happy with my gelato to take his business card and return tomorrow. He needn't have worried because it was delicious! 

That evening I met up with a couple of American girls also staying at my hostel, and we went out for dinner together, deciding we wod band together to see the Vatican on Sunday (once a month the Vatican and museums have free entry on a Sunday, and it was just my luck that I happened to be there on that day!) we caught the metro wary on Sunday morning, and encountered long lines to get into the Vatican, although not nearly as bad as Versailles was, and not nearly as cold either! The Vatican museums were extremely cast, and some of the works and treasures acquired by the church, I am not sure how they did, but it was an experience none the less. The Sistine chapel was undoubtedly a highlight, and although we were packed in like sardines, seeing Michelangelo's magnificent works was well worth it. I first became familiar with these frescoes during one dance recital when all the dances were based on famous works of art, and I had amazing visions of this one piece based on Michaelangelo's "The creation of Adam" being performed within the Sistine chapel. 

We spent the remainder of our Sunday walking through the streets of Rome, admiring the buildings, statues and sculptures throughout the city. I spent some time in the Pantheon, amazed at how such an impressive building has remained inact for so many years. We tried to make it to the Baths of Caracalla, but arrived at 3.45 to discover that unfortunately the last admission is at 3.30 on Sunday. 

After another delicious Italian pasta dish, we turned in early, with plans for one last trip around the city on a hop on-hop off bus the next morning. This was a great way to see the city, one last time, before we said our fond farewells and headed off to the airport. 

Next stop for me, was Gatwick airport, and a short train ride into Brighton.  Stepping onto British soil was such a good feeling, after too long staying in cities where English wasn't the primary language. The hostel in brighton was also amazing, with hotel like facilities, and great food on site. I spent the next two days wandering the city and shopping up a storm !! With both the laines, North laines and the high street offering a multitude of shops, I was content, and fell in love with Oliver Bonas, H&M and superdrug. Although the weather was pretty appalling on my second day, I really felt like I could live in this city (blog post coming of all my favourite photos).

Of course a trip to the United Kingdom wouldn't be complete without a stay in London, so with four days left, I headed north to get in as much as possible. Billy Elliott and Wicked (for the second time) on West End satisfied my creative side, and were such amazing productions, the shopaholic in me loved all the markets, and I got to experience the delights of street food at the borough and Camden markets also. I also did the typical sightseeing visits, with the London Eye, Westminster abbey, Buckingham Palace and Big Ben ticked off the list. 

With a (slightly) heavier suitcase, and tired eyes, that concluded my wee adventure within an adventure, and I returned to Malta, happy, but very pleased to be reunited with my Malta family.