So Little Time

I'm going to try and write this as best as I can without getting overexcited about what Kelley and I did today until the very end. Rome has kept us incredibly busy. The hostel we're staying in is not the best. While the locker systems are amazing we are experiencing some issues with mold (not sure if it is black mold) but it is severely effecting both of our breathing. Our first day in Rome, we bought tickets for a 48 hour hop on hop off tour bus, which we got our money's worth. It included two tours, one through the heart of Rome and one through some of the more "countryside." Both were pretty cool. The bus wasn't too bad when we were moving but when we stopped in the sun it was dreadful from the heat. On our first day, we went to the Roman Forums and explored them for quite some time where we discovered something quite nifty that Rome has throughout the city. They have running water faucets/fountains for people to either refill water bottles or simply get a drink. They were heaven sent and lifesavers. After the forums we hit the Colosseum which was just intense as was the forums. We also saw the Trevi Fountain, which was super packed with people, and the Spanish Steps which were kind of a let down. Later that night, after an exhausting day we tried to find a place to eat before returning to the hostel only to discover that restaurants don't open until 7:30 so we had to go shower and kill time before we could eat dinner. For dessert that night we attempted to get creme brulee, it ended up being more like flan. The next day, we used our passes again. We went and explored one of the squares and wandered for a while before hopping on a bus towards the Baths. They were pretty awesome and one could only imagine what they used to be like. From there, we made our way to the Pantheon which was also awesome. Later that day, we ate dinner in a restaurant right in front of it. It was amazing and surreal. We of course made a pit stop in between at Burger King to get a couple cokes and use the bathroom. We also had to take advantage of gelato eating it a couple times this week. We then made it over to the Castle Sant Angelo at night which was amazing with the lights and the Angel Bridge leading up to it. We wandered around it for a while as there were tents set up and a festival was going on at the time. I know I have probably left out a ton but these past couple of days have been so amazing and I'll probably be confused by all of my pictures. Today, we made it to the Vatican which was pretty cool. We took a tour and explored the museums. The amount of gold in the Vatican is crazy and the Sistine Chapel was of course amazing. Words can't even describe how awe-inspiring it was. After the Vatican, we headed back to the hostel to freshen up. Because we got to do my favorite thing so far of the trip. We saw the Fina Swimming World Championships tonight and I'm still super stoked from it. My dad joked that I fly half away around the country to see swimming. Woo hoo. Woo hoo is right though, it was amazing. I got to see Aaron Peirsol (my favorite swimmer) set a new world record and win gold in the 200 back (after he had a disappointing swim in the 100 back) and see an intense race for the mens 4x200 free relay. Ryan Lochte pulled off an amazing finish to set another WR for the boys in the event, winning them the gold, and surprise surprise giving Michael Phelps yet another gold medal. Kelley and I were just so pumped up after it we're still a little wired and going from the excitement. Tomorrow is our last day and we should be taking it easy but we shall see what craziness we find ourselves in tomorrow.