When In Rome...

We are now enjoying some more warm weather in Rome, and three days in, we've been able to see most of the town. Fortunately our hotel is very centrally located, and we have been able to walk to the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, Piazza Novona, the Pantheon, Piazza Venezia, and today we took a short bus ride to the Vatican where we had a guided tour of the Vatican Museum before strolling through St.Peter's Square and getting some pictures of the square and the basilica.

So far, I'm getting the impression that some of our students would rank Rome's top attractions as:

#3: Any building that is air conditioned
#2: The movie theatre that is showing the new Harry Potter film (see #3 again)
#1: McDonalds

As we drove into town the other day, our bus drove immediately past the Colosseum, and we heard several comments of "oh, that's it?" or "I thought it would be bigger". Then, a few blocks later, we passed by the first McDonald's restaurant that we have seen in a while, and we heard a chorus of elation coming from the back of the bus. Expressions of "Oh my God! They have McDonald's!" and "I'm SO getting a Big Mac!" were heard several times. Fortunately, once the Big Macs were consumed, there was still some appreciation remaining for ancient architecture and the real sights of Rome. The Colosseum was really impressive, and it's really fun to visit all of the sights that you've only ever read about or seen in films.

It's hard to believe, but we are quickly coming to the end of the trip. We had our last formal excursion today, and the students only have 3 more days of classes (one of which being their formal written exam in class on Thursday). I think most people are starting to look forward to seeing their families again, but it also seems like a lot of very good friendships have been made, and many people are not looking forward to the trip being over...although I heard that they might be close to settling the garbage strike in Toronto? I don't think that anybody is looking forward to a stinky homecoming, so hopefully they sort that out for us. See you all on Friday!