Monique D. writes....: Roma

13 years ago, I visited Italy for the first time. I was a junior in college who was living in St. Etienne, France, practicing her French and learning their culture. My dormitory neighbor, Stacey, was an adventurous girl from New Mexico who had an unwavering appetite for exploring (I should say she "is" -not "was"- because to this day, she is off gallivanting in South America, enjoying life). Together we decided to journey to Italy for our spring break.

The thing is, back then I was the proverbial broke college student! There were no reservations at nice hotels, only pop-up stays at hostels. There were no traditional Italian 2-course dinners, only meals bought in pubs or at food trucks. Whatever we could find was good enough... We were just happy to BE.

I even recall getting to Venice & not knowing we arrived dead smack in the middle of their carnival i.e. Everyone had on masks or costumes i.e. There were masquerade balls & parties i.e. Not one hotel had available rooms! Talk about a sticky situation.

So, returning to the same 3 cities I sped through in college, not only brings back memories but it makes me appreciate this country all over again.

I loved Rome then & I love Rome now! It's the perfect blend of modern day and centuries-old history. The streets are still cobblestone (all of them, not just downtown or in the touristy areas). There's a horse & carriage parked next to a BMW not sold in the states. Their culture is a laid back, no fuss type of culture as seen through their fashion and sense of direction (sidebar: I absolutely love that by the way. When asking for directions to the bank, a guy said "5 min walk." Had we known that we needed to add 10, it wouldn't have been a problem! Same goes for "it's not far, just go straight then turn left", as that "straight" could be 20 min alone and the "turn left" mayn't even exist! It reminds me of Jamaica, lol. It's like they're subliminally saying 'everyone isn't in a rush, so why are you, Ms. Tourist lady?'). Like Paris, everyone walks in Rome. No one is overweight. Traffic can give you a heart attack, so don't pay attention to it😉... But they're attentive to pedestrians and are very respectful, so no worries.

In order to keep this short, I'll itemize some of the interesting things I've learned so far:

1. Julius Caesar. He got his name because he was born in July (Julius) and his mother had to cut him out of her during birth... Hence the name Caesar, for scissors. Also giving birth to (no pun intended) the name "Caesarian Section" (C-Section)!!

2. Michelangelo was forced to paint the Sistine chapel... He didn't want to at all. Therefore, he depicted himself within his famous ceiling painting in a few ways like as dead skin or in the inferno.

3. 13yrs ago, I wondered what was up with all the penises on sculptures or leaves covering the penises. I got my answer today.

It's the Vatican.

The pope can't have all these penises running around, duh! There are even sculptures that look asexual intentionally.

(Breasts are allowed though... I mean, they do feed mankind)

4. Construction on the colosseum began in 72.

Not 1972..... Not 1872....

THE YEAR 72!!!!

...Let that marinate for a moment...

5. They have funny looking trees that I love. They're like pine trees that don't start growing branches until there 60 feet high! They're all over Rome....

Anyway, enjoy my pictures!