Day 5: Florence to Rome

Our last day in Florence was just a travel day. We took a train from Florence to Rome. Before we left the hostel we got a group picture of everyone who stayed in the hostel the night before. The majority of us were leaving at the same time.

It worked out nicely cause they knew how to get to the train station so we just mindlessly followed them and didn't have to worry about finding our way on a map. Alex and Britta were also able to make a quick stop to buy some postcards.

The 5 of us girls with our awesome backpacks on! We truly backpacked through part of Europe!

Getting settled on the train. It was nice we were able to spread out cause the train was pretty empty.

The ride wasn't too long, but we all brought books to read and we had our iPods. Actually Sarah didn't bring her iPod so she used mine and she played games. It was hilarious watching her play cause she was so concentrated and into the game.
Everyone has to notice Alex's wavy hair. Oh my goodness she LOVES her hair like this! She has only ever had her hair straight but I french braided her hair one night so she could sleep in the morning and she absolutely LOVED her hair like this. Haha on the train ride she kept looking at herself in the window and saying 'I really like my hair like this.' So after that she had me braid her hair several times. Now that we are home she is trying to figure out how to do it to herself but she is having a hard time.
I also braided my own hair but I didn't like it. My hair is a little too short for it and it hurts my arms too much to braid it myself.

Britta loved the graffiti on the walls along the train tracks. She wanted a picture with it and it ended up looking really cool with her reflection in the window too.

The views of the Italian countryside was beautiful. So green and luscious.
Alex caught me trying to take a sneaky picture of them. Note Sarah intensely focused on her game on my phone.


Alex always seemed to catch me. I think it was because she wasn't sucked into a book like Michelle.

Britta contently reading her book. The book I got for Michelle for her birthday. Now Michelle has moved onto the second book.

When we got to the hostel we were all super hungry so I pulled out my cacahuetes (peanuts) to munch on before we went to dinner. I was apparently really excited to have them. Here is something you guys probably don't care about but I think is funny: Sarah will only eat the whole peanuts, she won't eat just the halves. Just like she will only eat the folded chips. Reminded me of my Grandma Warren with the folded chips, but of course grandma wouldn't waste all the unfolded chips, she just likes the folded ones more.


I think we were all a little tired and bored from traveling all day. We took some weird pics.

Oh and I need to mention that not all of these pictures are mine so I can not take credit for them. All 5 of us girls swapped pictures so we could have pictures of ourselves too. I mean everyone know that you never really take pictures of yourself so by swapping pictures we have evidence that we were in all these places. Brilliant idea, a?
In Rome we were meeting up with a few more people and this here is Kat she was one of the ones we hooked up with. We also met up with Cameron, Marcos and Marcos' friend Juan. So that brings our total to 9 people in Rome.
Random pic in the entrance of our hostel.
After we got settled into our hostel (we stayed at a hostel named Ivanhoe hostel. I booked this hostel also.) we walked around and found a place to eat dinner.

Beautiful streets of Rome!

Looking at a menu of a little street cafe.

We settled on a place that was fairly cheap. Sarah and Kat didn't really want to eat so they went and walked around on their own while we ate.
Then after dinner we all joined up and went to the Colosseum, which was only a 5 minute walk from our hostel! If I do say so myself I did a pretty good job picking out a hostel in a good location. The only bad thing about our hostel was it was always really loud cause the workers blasted music in the hallway, but other than that it was pretty good.


We took lots of pictures in front of the Colosseum, we were just so excited to be in Rome at the COLOSSEUM!!! We decided to do a European picture too. For those of you who don't know a European picture is a picture where we all have straight faces. We have noticed through our travels that for some reason when a lot of Europeans take photos they don't smile. I don't understand it but that is what they do.

They we all looked in different directions. I couldn't keep a straight face I was smirking a little.
So I have to give you a little background for this next picture. Through out our trip we decided we were like a family and we assigned each other positions in the family based on our personalities. Haha we are losers but we fit the positions perfectly. I will start with the "dad" of the family. That would be Alex cause she is a no fuss type of person who can get things done. I am the "mom," shocker right? Just cause I always have snacks for people and I am pretty neutral and like everyone to be happy. Britta is the "older sister" cause well that is what she is in real life and she is responsible like an older sister. Then we have the two little twins Sarah and Michelle. I don't really know why they are twins I think it is because they are on the same level intelligence wise. Ha. They both have a tendency to wonder off, not pay attention, and get lost. So that is our happy family and we are trying to pose as our roles in the family.

We didn't know what we were looking at but they were some ruins and they looked cool. Michelle, such an true Italian in her Italy sweatshirt.

In front of the Roman Forum.

We of course had to do a funny picture too.

We then headed over to the Trevi Fountain and of course of gelato along the way. SO yummy! Poor Sarah and her stupid gluten allergy had to have a cup instead of a cone.
The Trevi Fountain at night. I was the only one who threw in a coin. They all wanted to do it in the morning so they could get pictures of it. I figured I would just do it twice!
Later that night we were hanging out in the hostel before we went to bed and we were not making fun of, but simply observing the fact that Alex does the same "Alex pose" every picture she takes. This is my impression of the "Alex pose" it is pretty spot on if I do say so myself :) Hand on the hip with the leg popped up and her head tilted.