Europe Trip Recap: Part Two (I'm a Jetsetter)!

Hello Readers! Since I finally figured out my Blogger difficulties, I am jumping right into part two!

 From Barcelona, it was time to go to Rome to meet Tim's siblings! On the day we left for Rome, I ended up catching a cold...I was upset I was sick, but I know my colds only last about 24 hours and since most of that day was spent traveling it was not too bad! After Tim's brother and sister flew in, we booked our next hotel...Village Camping Roma! The "campground" was really neat because not only did we have our own chalet (aka small house) complete with two bedrooms and two bathrooms, but the campground had their own grocery store, restaurant, two pools, two hot tubs, and a pub! We went to the grocery store a lot because we had our own kitchen in the chalet! We bought wine and pasta a lot as a treat when we stayed in!

The first night in Rome, we went to the Colosseum. The Colosseum was not as big as I had thought, but it was still worth our time to see! We ended up meeting some other Americans around our age and went to dinner with them at this little pizzeria. The pizza in Italy (and all of Europe) is soo good! The crust is really thin, so I was able to eat three times the amount of pizza I would normally eat! Some local men asked the boys to buy roses they were selling for Tim's sister and I...how sweet!

This little girl was petting a stray cat!

 

 The next morning we took a day trip to Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius! The trip was from 7 am to 8:30 pm so our day was packed! The trip was about $160 per person but it was worth it since lunch, travel fees, and the tour fees were included! We met up at Piazza de Popolo, which is a famous plaza that is beautiful! From there we had a three hour drive south to Pompeii! Our tour guide at the Pompeii ruins was not only a seasoned tour guide, but he was an archaeologist working on uncovered areas of Pompeii as well! A little history behind Pompeii: Mt. Vesuvius only erupted ash (not lava) so Pompeii was able to be preserved. 

Piazza de Popolo

You can see the chariot tire imprints on this road!

Our tour guide said this was the "McDonald's" of Pompeii

A body preserved with liquid plaster

 Before our climb on Mt. Vesuvius, we got a lunch break at this pizzeria. Again, the pizza there is to die for...I am craving it as we speak! We drove about 45 minutes to (and up) Mt. Vesuvius and once we got to the ticket office we were given our vouchers for the 25 minute climb up to the top! Thank goodness we were given walking sticks - it was steep! Tim's sister and I decided to wear sundresses and sandals, and although we looked cute it was no easy tasking climbing up and down that mountain! We had some great views of Naples, the Bay of Naples, and other mountains in the area. Fun fact I learned: during the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius about half of the mountain was blown off so they refer to it as "Baby Vesuvius" now. I could not imagine that climb!

Such a pretty view, but SO foggy since we were nearly a mile in the sky!

Don't mind our green stickers...that's how our tour guide wanted to keep track of the group!

 

Sadly, the next day, I had to go to Dublin early for my flight back to the states...so sad! I was so sad to leave Italy and I REALLY hope I am able to go back some day! 

It's hard to imagine I wrote this post and the last one nearly a week ago...I could just not figure out some quirks about Blogger! (And don't get me wrong, I still have a lot to learn!) 

Where else do you all recommend visiting in Europe and/or other parts of the world?