Day 26: Adventures in Donkey Poo...

Today, we didn't really do anything at all in the morning! And then left our hotel around 1pm to catch a tour to the Volcano & Hot Springs, that left from the Old Port of Fira. To get to/from the Old Port, you have 3 options: 1) Take a quick cable-car ride up/down the cliff, at a cost of 4 euros 2) Ride a donkey up/down the pathway, at a cost of 5 euros 3) Walk up/down the pathway that the donkeys frequent. We figured since we were going down, walking down the pathway should be relatively easy, and then we would save money! Boy was that an interesting experience! As we entered the pathway, it started to smell, and we could see trampled donkey poop along the pathway. I was like, wow that's a lot of poop! But whatever, that's expected, when there are donkeys, and we had always seen some on our walk into town from our hotel. Then further down, we saw a line of donkeys and their owners advertising donkey rides down to the Old Port. Holy shit there were a ton of donkeys lined up! And they took up so much space you were really only left with a narrow passageway. AND there was literally a ton of shit everywhere. It was sooo gross! I tried to walk fast so I could get to the part of the pathway where there would be less poop, but IT LITERALLY WAS LIKE THAT THE WHOLE WAY DOWN (minus the donkeys in the middle). It smelled, you had to watch your step to avoid the fresh poop, and I literally breathed through my mouth the whole time to avoid the smell (although then it's like you're literally inhaling the air... >.< Dunno which is worse) Can't say I regret our decision to walk down, since we did save money and it was an interesting experience. But we didn't even think twice about taking the cable car on our way back!

Woops, was too preoccupied trying to avoid donkey poop to take a photo on my cell phone >.< Await photos from my camera on FB.

At the Old Port, we boarded the 2pm boat leaving for the tour. It lasts from 2-5pm, and takes us to the Volcano, and the Hot Springs just off the coast of Santorini. It was pretty cool because our boat was an actual sailboat! And it was called Princess haha. The boat ride to the volcano took about 20 min, and then we had about an hour to explore the volcano. It was quite a hike up to the top, and then there really wasn't anything to see (except nice views of the ocean/surrounding islands). I kind of expected a more exciting volcano....

Hiking the Volcano!

Afterwards, we went to the Hot Springs, which was another island adjacent to the volcano. How it basically worked, is the sailboat docked a couple yards away from the hot springs, and everyone had to jump into the water and swim to the springs. The springs themselves were orange/brown from the sulphur and mud, though they were warm, they weren't actually that hot. So because there was a lot of mud there, the ground literally was SQUISHY! Stephanie was SO grossed out hahaha. (And it also died our swimsuits orange >.<) While the swim there was fine, the swim back was actually super tiring! (Because you're swimming against the current) And I got mouthfuls of seawater >.< Once everyone had gotten back on the boat, it was back to Santorini!

The hot springs are the orange/brown part!

I'M ON A BOAT!!!

Once we had gone back to our hotel and showered, we headed to Oia (again) for the sunset! It just so happened, as we got to the viewpoint we wanted to take pictures from, there was a bride and groom getting wedding pictures taken there! So we kind of had to wait for them to finish before we could use that spot. (Although that led us to walking further down the steps and finding an even BETTER viewpoint for pictures!)  I'm super happy with our sunset photos! I guess 3rd time's the charm!

Woops my phone is not horizontal... lol. But famous blue-domed churches!

On our way back up to the bus stop, we stopped by Lolita's again for another scoop of Visanto gelato! Yummm. Then when we got back to Fira, we bought gyros and headed to the entrance of the Old Port for a night view of Fira. It looked really neat as well! (And the sailboats are also lit up at nice, and look really pretty!)

Fira lit up at night! (Kinda looks like it's floating since the mountain/sea/sky are so dark!)

And on a completely random note! Today Stephanie rubbed off the Superman temporary tattoo she had put on with Alejandro in Brussels, and NOW THERE'S A TAN LINE! Sooo funny!

Forever Superwoman!

Also, found this funny store name in Fira :P (Also, there are SO many Chinese tourists here!)

Day 25: Lazy Day!

Today was super relaxing! Woke up around 10AM and didn't leave our hostel til around noon, and took a bus to Perissa to hang out at the beach! The bus ride was actually pretty long, because they made a bunch of stops along the island before getting to the coast, but the ride back was an express bus and was a lot faster. Anyways, the beach at Perissa is a black beach (from the volcanic rock), and on one side is this huge mountain looming out of the sea! Pretty cool looking! And there are a bunch of beach bars and lounge chairs throughout the length of the beach. We ended up walking a bit down to this place called Yazz, that allowed us to use their chairs for free if we bought a drink. (The ones closer to the bus stop are a lot pricier) Then it was just relaxation time!

Where we were sitting at the beach! And my Wild Berry smoothie!

The water wasn't as warm as the Red Beach, but I ended up going for a short swim! The water is pretty clear, although the bottom of the sea was really weird! Instead of sand, it's the same beige rock as the mountains, and it was covered with a layer of algae! There are also a lot of pebbles instead of sand when you first wade in! (Collected some to take home as souvenirs haha) The only downsides: 1) It was SUPER windy! At times it would die down, but other times it was just blowing your hair like crazy! 2) Because the sand was black, it was really hot! I needed to like, run to the water otherwise my feet would get burned! But it was still a lot of fun, and we stayed there for about 3 hours before heading back to our hotel.

After showering, we decided to head back out to Oia to watch the sunset again (and try to take more photos) But before we left Fira, we went to a fish foot spa! We paid 10 euros for 15 min, and they basically had us put our feet into tanks of water where little fish would nibble away at your dead skin cells! SO COOL! And it felt really neat: it was all tingly and actually not that ticklish!

They're eating my feet!!

Afterwards, we felt like our feet felt a little softer, but it wasn't a huge difference. When we arrived at Oia, first thing we did was find a gelato place that had amazing reviews. Called Lolita's Gelato, it's owned by two brothers and they handmake their gelato with fresh ingredients! They had a visanto flavor, made with REAL visanto, which is the dessert wine made in Santorini! It was SO GOOD. (Totally out-shined the other chocolate hazelnut scoop I got) Totally going back tomorrow to get it again! (And so we can take more sunset photos) And the whole store itself is super cute! (Although on the expensive side at 4.30 euros for 2 scoops...)

Chocolate hazelnut on top, and Visanto on the bottom (it's white but you can't really see it...)

Once we finished, we walked around Oia in search of good locations for photos. We got some nice shots, but Stephanie kept looking for the postcard view and we couldn't figure out where it was! Finally, after the sun had set already, we walked down this tiny alley to a set of stairs that brought us to the PERFECT view. But it was too dark already! >.< So that's why we're going back to Oia for the THIRD time tomorrow!

Sunset at Oia!

We left Oia around 9:40 to make it back to Fira for dinner reservations at 10pm at a restaurant called Salt&Pepper. It had great reviews on tripadvisor, and we were excited! So at the restaurant, there is really only one woman working all the tables, and she is awesome! She's super nice, and so funny! We had walked in earlier on in the day and asked if we needed reservations, and she said yes, but they didn't have open tables until 10pm (Turns out that was perfect for us since we were gonna be in Oia) And then we asked if she needed our names, and she was like, "don't worry, I'll remember you! And if it gets busy and I don't remember right away, just remind me and it will be okay!" Anyways, by the time we arrived the restaurant was pretty empty, since it was so late. When we asked for her recommendations, she was like "just order one main and one starter, that will be enough food" because she would also give us free bread, snacks, and dessert. So sweet! So we ordered a grilled eggplant Santorini style, and then pork spare ribs as our main. The eggplant dish was made with white eggplant, which is a specialty here! And the pork ribs came with yummy french fries! (I think those are also a thing in Greek food haha) The food was good; not amazing, but definitely a good value for the price. And dessert was these little ice cream bars shaped like hearts! We ended up paying only 22 euros for our whole meal + drinks, and left very full and happy!

Day 24: Exploring Santorini!

It was awesome sleeping in this morning! Didn't get up until 10AM! Then left the hotel around 11 to visit the main square and find a supermarket to buy water. (The tap water here is drinkable, but because it's just desalinated seawater, it has a weird taste) The walk to the main square isn't too bad (about 10 min) but all the streets here are really narrow, and there are no sidewalks until you reach the town center... Also, the sun is REALLY bright here! Like, I don't think you could survive without sunglasses haha.

At the supermarket we bought water and fruits/veggies (because I haven't been getting enough veggies in my system just by eating out) and then stopped at a fast food place for gyros before heading back! The gyros pita we bought was only 2.30 euros each, and it was super tasty! (Although not as big as the ones back home) But we were super happy to have had such a cheap lunch haha.

In the afternoon, we headed to Akrotiri to visit the Red Beach. Basically, public transportation in Santorini just involves taking a local bus from Fira (the capital, where we are) to one of the other towns on the island. The buses are these big coach buses that run from Fira to ___ at specific intervals throughout the day. Then you just climb on, and the ticket collector comes to collect your money while onboard. The bus ride from Fira to Akrotiri cost 1.80 euros, took about 20 min, and on the way we were able to see some amazing views of the coastline! The bus dropped us off at Red Beach, but it was a further 15 minute walk to get to the actual beach. You could either walk along the coastline, or along a road. The red beach itself was really neat! The cliffs have a reddish-brown hue, but what I thought was the coolest was the sand itself was a mix of red and black! (The other beaches on the island are mainly black, from the volcanic rock)

 View of Red Beach from the trail; Red&Black pebbles!

The main beach area was filled with umbrellas and beach chairs for paying customers, but we opted to explore a little section that was blocked off from the main beach, that was accessible by a sloped trail. There were a lot fewer people, but it was definitely more rocky. We waded around and took pictures, and just enjoyed the not-that-cold water! (Warmest water we've seen yet) After about an hour, we headed back to the bus stop, to go back to Fira to take a bus to Oia to watch the sunset.

Once we were back in Fira, it was another coach bus to get to Oia. The fare was 1.60 euros, and also stopped at a number of smaller towns along the way. Once we got to Oia, we were a bit overwhelmed by all the small streets and the maze of white buildings. (ie: There are no street names, and almost all of the streets are pedestrian walkways) We walked around in search of good sunset viewing points, and then decided to eat dinner at a restaurant terrace to watch the sunset. Apparently all the tables at the edge of the terrace were already reserved, but we were able to get a table with a decent view of the sea. Then we slowly ate our meal as we waited for sunset. Although the actual setting of the sun is super fast (like 5 min total), it's so beautiful! The sun turns really red, and then you can literally watch it inch its way below the horizon. But camera photos don't do it justice >.<

Amazing views!

Right before the sun started setting!

After we left the restaurant, we went to a few spots to take pictures of the island at sunset. However, as the sunset quickly turned to night, and the sea and sky became pitch black, our photos didn't come out as nice anymore. :( But definitely planning to come back to take more shots during sunset! (And wait until later to eat haha)

Oia at night!

On a side note, we went inside this really cute jewelry store, and Steph and I both bought a cute piece of handmade jewelry! (I bought the necklace, she a bracelet of the same design)

Loved this delicate necklace!

Then we caught the bus back to Fira at around 10:30PM, and stopped for some frozen yogurt because Steph wanted dessert. (they had mini waffles that you can put yogurt + toppings on!!) So yummy! By the time we got back to our hotel, it was around 11:30, and we were ready to crash.

Day 23: Moving on to Santorini!

This morning, we woke up super early to catch our flight from Rome to Thessaloniki! (aka we left our hostel at 7AM) Took a shuttle bus from the train station to Ciampino airport, this tiny little budget airport that mostly just flies Ryanair. If you didn't know already, Ryanair has huge discounts on flights but is pretty much a money-sucker in every other way. (ie: You have to pay a fee for online check-in, because they don't even have a check-in at the airport, and you have to print your own boarding pass, and you have to pay a freaking fortune just to check a bag >.<) I ended up paying the same cost as my ticket to check my bag! (But they also have super strict carry-on restrictions so there's no way I could have gotten around it with all the stuff I had haha) And for our flight, they actually made people verify that their carry-on's fit into their measuring containers prior to boarding!

SO cute. At the duty free shop in Rome.

The amazing things you see in the bathroom!

Other than boarding late and then taking off later than planned, we had a fine flight to Thessaloniki. But once we got into Greece, holy crap was it a shock to see Greek letters everywhere in place of our English alphabet! Stephanie and I were soooo confused trying to make sense of the Greek... haha. On the plus side, almost everyone we've talked to here speaks English, and their English is really good! Whooo things won't be totally hopeless!

So we got to Thessaloniki at around 2PM, and our flight to Santorini wasn't until 9:30PM, so we decided to kill time by going to into the city to explore. Apparently it's the 2nd largest city in Greece, and also considered somewhat of a co-capital, since it rose to prominence in the Byzantine times. We took a bus that ran from the airport to the international bus station, but we were sooo confused once they started naming stops, because the one we wanted to get off at (Y.M.C.A) didn't show up on the broadcast. Sooo we basically took a bus tour through the city and rode the bus all the way until the end of the line haha. Then we decided to just board again and ride it back, in hopes of being able to recognize the stop on the way back (it takes a slightly different route on the way back to the airport). We ended up getting off where we wanted, at the White Tower, which actually was not that impressive at all. Stephanie was super hungry, so we found a cute little Greek restaurant to eat at! (But no idea what it's called) I ordered what I thought was a "salad" but ended up being some boiled vegetables with tomatoes, and the garlic bread we shared had olives and anchovies on it! Afterwards we were both a little hesitant about how much we would like Greek food during our stay.... >.< (Other than gyros haha)

Cute menu! (the name of the restaurant is that big thing at the top haha)

Afterwards we stopped at a bakery, where I bought a tart and Steph bought a mini cake, although mine was just OK, and Steph complained that hers was too sweet (it ended up being all mousse instead of cake). Bored and out of things to do, we decided to just catch the next bus back to the airport! So overall, not a great first impression of Thessaloniki... haha. BUT one redeeming factor: The Thessaloniki airport has FREE WIFI! Which is pretty much the only reason we survived our long layover! (And how I've been able to catch up on writing)

My peach tart!

Our flight to Santorini was super quick, only 1 hour, and our hotel had a shuttle to pick us up from the airport! It's so nice to have a private hotel room again! And we finally get to sleep in tomorrow!

Day 22: My Feet are Tired...

If I were to describe my experience in Rome this trip, it would be "Meh..." Why? First, there's the crowds. I don't really remember Rome being this crowded the last time I visited 4 years ago, but maybe I was just too excited to be in Rome for the first time. It seems like we run into a tour group at every single sight we visit, and just experiencing that ginormous line to the Vatican Museum on Sunday was an eye-opener. Secondly, the locals here aren't that nice. (Stephanie had a pretty bad experience with one while she was out walking around) Third, the city is big, so walking makes you very tired. But their public transportation doesn't cover enough ground to make it worth it to constantly be taking public transport either. Anyways, more examples in this post...

This morning we woke up early to go to the Vatican Museum at 9AM, when it opened. Our reasoning being that it wouldn't be so hot yet (and thus make standing in line more bearable) and there would likely be less people. I guess everyone else was thinking the same thing, because when we got there at 9:30 there was already a pretty long line. It didn't seem too bad at first, but then every time we turned a corner there was MORE LINE! We literally stood in line for almost 2 hours, and that is just a bad start to our day. Even worse, when we came out of the museum around noon, the line was WAY shorter! Like, probably half an hour wait! [**Tip for future visitors: Either come in the early afternoon, or reserve your ticket online for the extra reservation fee] Although while we were standing in line, we met a guy who was also from the bay area! (Oakland to be exact)

As for the museum itself, I didn't enjoy it that much, solely because there were SO many people there. The popular rooms got super crowded, and you felt like you had no space to just stop and ponder any of the works. (Except for the contemporary art section, because it was right before the Sistine Chapel and everyone was just rushing there) All in all, I was less than impressed by the Vatican Museum. Even the Sistine Chapel was crowded and the whole time the workers were like "keep moving, no photos, etc" At least we got some neat shots of the winding stairs! (Although it's more of a ramp than a staircase)

Is it sad that this was probably my favorite thing at the Vatican Museum?

Afterwards, we headed over to see St. Peter's Basilica, which also had a long line to get in. >.< At least this time, it was in the shade. Once inside, you realize how massive the church really is (although it also looks massive from the outside) But the part that Stephanie and I were looking forward to the most, ie the streams of light coming in from the skylights, couldn't be seen because the sun was already straight overhead! T___T So tip for people coming in the future, come in the morning for the most dramatic effect!

St. Peter's Basilica!

Because the visit to Vatican City took so long, we weren't able to make it in time to Campo dei Fiori before the outdoor market closed at 2pm! But on the way, we were able to visit Frigidarium, this neat gelato shop that dips your cones in melted chocolate! It was really cool, but also made the cones messier to eat, because the gelato started melting and dripping down the sides in between the chocolate shell... >.< When we got to the square, the market was already closed so we just grabbed some foccacia sandwiches at a bakery there. Then feeling super tired, we decided to just head back to the hostel and rest a bit before we went to see the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill later in the afternoon. We took a bus for the first time in Rome since we were nowhere near a metro stop. The first bus that came was SUPER full, and we couldn't even get on! The 2nd bus we made it onto, but it was still super crowded! So the whole bus ride back to Termini station was pretty squished and super hot. NOT a good impression of the bus system... The metro is so much nicer! (Although the metro was also super squished this morning when we went to the Vatican, probably due to rush hour)

Pistachio and Stracciatella, covered in dark chocolate, all in a waffle cone!

We actually didn't end up having much time to rest, but we had to head out again before 6pm so that we could make it to the Colosseum before closing. This time we explored the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, although all I really did was walk around feeling hot and tired. And because we got there around 6:15, we only really got 45 minutes inside before they started closing and began to herd us out! Like literally, 3 different park employees blew their whistles at us and pointed us towards the exits, while we were walking towards the exit. They must have really wanted to close up and go home!

Panoramic view of the Roman Forum!

Afterwards, we tried to find a place to get aperitivo, but instead ended up at a fancy restaurant which offered aperitivo but not that much food to go with it :( However, we ended up getting really YUMMY cocktails! Mine was St. Germain, Vodka, blackberries and soda, and Stephanie's was I forget what but also super yummy. Afterwards, we tried again to meet up with Ian (successfully this time!) at a restaurant his orchestra group was eating at near the Trevi Fountain! Whoo meeting up with more people in Europe! Even if it was only for a quick chat... Afterwards, we finally went to the Trevi Fountain at night! Beautiful, as always. And then it was a tiring walk back to our hostel. We had such a busy day, but can't say all of it was enjoyable... :( I just remember getting back to the hostel and showering, and then realizing how TIRED my feet/legs were. Glad to be leaving Rome tomorrow! haha

Love this!

Day 21: Visiting Churches!

Today we got off to a late start: we didn't leave our hostel until 11AM, and we made a quick stop at Santa Maria della Vittoria church, mostly to see the Ecstasy of St Teresa sculpture by Bernini. The church itself was really neat! Very ornate, despite its small size. Definitely worth a visit, especially because it's less crowded than most of the popular sights in Rome.

Amazing sculpture by Bernini!

Afterwards, we headed to the Spanish Steps to try to meet up with Stephanie's friend Ian for lunch. We waited there for about half an hour but he didn't show, and later we found out it was because his tour group's schedule had gotten switched up and he actually had to leave before we arrived... :( For lunch, we went to this cute restaurant called That's Amore! The restaurant manager actually looked a lot like Nathan Adrian when he smiled!! So cute! Stephanie was so excited, she even took a creeper photo of him hahaha.

Spanish Steps!

However, the lunch was pretty filling (I had carbonara), and afterwards we were both feeling pretty sluggish. Stephanie found another big church to visit, so we walked over to San Giovanni in Laterano. The walk was actually quite long, and it was so hot and sunny outside we were super tired by the time we got there. The church itself was very large and impressive, and super ornate! However, we were so exhausted we ended up pretty much passing out on the seats for a good 10 minutes before we had the energy to walk around the church. But there are amazing sculptures that line the nave. It was pretty empty when we first arrived, but then a bunch of tour groups arrived later and messed up the atmosphere >.< Sigh, I hate big tour groups in Rome... But if you don't mind the trek, this church was also a really neat place to visit to avoid crowds!

Afterwards, we walked back to the Colosseum, so we could catch it when it was less crowded and hopefully less hot as well. The line to get in was pretty short, and then we took our time exploring the inside of the Colosseum. Stephanie then decided she wanted to save the Forum and Palatine for tomorrow, so we just headed back to the hostel afterwards! (The ticket is valid for 2 days) And more because we were lazy than frugal, we decided to just buy a dinner to-go from the supermarket in Termini station, so we could just eat dinner in our hostel. I bought a pasta salad and green salad (much needed veggies!), and some focaccia, although both the pasta salad and focaccia were disappointing :( We did save money though!

Inside of the Colosseum!

Back at the hostel, there was this guy who said he was flying home in 90 minutes, so was going around knocking on doors trying to get people to drink with him at the hostel's bar. He ended up buying everyone shots and opening a bottle of wine, so we had 2 tequila shots and a glass of prosecco! The sad thing is, we're pretty sure he missed his flight because he never ended up leaving... (And he was too drunk to care!) While we were down there we also met a guy from Phoenix! He just graduated from ASU as well! I was so happy to meet another Arizonan!! Haha. There were also a lot of Australians. I swear we've met more Australians than Americans in our hostels so far!

Side note: There are so many olives in the cuisine here! :( And we're heading off to Greece soon, which will be even more olives! (I can tolerate sliced olives on pizza and stuff, but I can't stand whole olives, especially the green ones!) I end up just picking them out or giving them to Stephanie... >.<

Day 20: Sundays in Rome are No Fun....

Frustration of the moment: Freaking everything is closed in Rome this weekend! We keep finding nice restaurants to go to, and then they're all closed. T__T And it's so hard to find hours for restaurants online...

This morning we woke up early planning to go to the Vatican Museum since every last Sunday of the month is free admission! However, Stephanie needed to shower in the morning, and even though she woke up early, one of our other roommates apparently got up and just jumped into the shower right before she had a chance! Later she said that she was still drunk and had tried to shower with her clothes on this morning LOL.  Anyways, by the time we got to the museum, the line was HUGE, even though the museum hadn't even opened yet. It literally stretched all the way to St. Peter's Square, which was probably a couple thousand people. o_O

The line stretched all the way around the outside of St. Peter's!

We stood in line for a bit waiting to see how fast it would go, but then decided the couple of hours we'd wait in line wasn't worth the admission fee we're saving, and decided to go explore other parts of the city. In retrospect, we totally should have planned to go to the Colosseum or something, because then there would probably be less people over there... Instead we walked back across the river and visited Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, and the Trevi Fountain. I personally LOVE fountains, so these are some of my favorite spots in Rome! Planning to visit the Trevi Fountain again at night, when it's lit up! Afterwards, we went to a fancy gelato place featured in the NY Times! I got their special honey gelato, but even though it was good I don't think it's worth the high price... (It was 2.70 for a small! Usually smalls are 1.50-2, and give you WAY more gelato too)

Fountain of the Four Rivers

Pantheon

Trevi Fountain <3

Around 1 or 2pm, we ran out of energy and things to do, so we headed back to our hostel to chill for a bit. I ate my "lunch" of random snacks/dried fruit and then napped, while Stephanie tried to go out for lunch but couldn't find anywhere good that was open... And we didn't head out again until 6 haha. We tried to go to the Colosseum, since it was supposed to be open until an hour before sunset, but then when we got there we realized the last admission was at 6:15pm >.< (It was now 6:40) So instead we looked for a place to eat. All the places we had looked up were closed (Sundays are ridiculous here!!) but we wandered into a side street and found a cute looking family-run Italian restaurant. We ordered a bruschetta to share and a pasta each, and Stephanie ordered a 1/4 liter of house wine! (The 1/4 liter was the same price as a glass, but then we realized it was probably because they were of comparable size because the glasses here were huge!)

The bruschetta was good, but I was super disappointed in my pasta! :( It was some sort of pasta with cacio cheese, pepper and truffle, and even though I didn't know what pasta it was, I figured it would just be some sort of noodle. Nope! It ended up being these flat squares of pasta that had a sponge-like consistency; the texture was like the spongy flatbread you get at Ethiopian restaurants, and totally did not mesh well with me! I don't even remember the name, but definitely going to think twice next time I try to order a pasta I don't recognize! >.< Luckily, I was already pretty full (from snacks and from filling up on the free bread), so I didn't mind not eating much pasta. (Stephanie ordered fettucine, so I was able to share some of hers as well!)

After dinner, we went to the gelato shop right next door called Ciuri Ciuri. It was super cute, and I got a almond and stracciatella gelato! The almond was really good! (Stracciatella not so much) And then I was SUPER full afterwards. >.< We headed back to the Colosseum to watch the sunset and then take photos. It's so pretty at night when it's all lit up! Afterwards, we walked back to our hostel and called it a day. Too much walking today, my feet are tired :(

Almond and Stracciatella! (Stracciatella didn't have enough chocolate though...)

Colosseum at night!

On another random note, there are spigots all over Rome with free running water, to fill up your water bottles! (Some people also just drink from it) It's interesting because in Florence and Cinque Terre, all of them were faucets you had to physically turn on to get the water. But here they're just always running! I wonder where all the excess water goes...

Free water at the Trevi Fountain!