I've been meaning to make this blog post for a while now haha. It's been over a month since I've been to Rome but I still wanted to write about it. So here it is, my trip to Rome.
It started off as a random conversation between me and my boyfriend, we wanted to go on holiday somewhere and he had always wanted to go to Rome. It was just before summer and we hadn't been going out that long but we agreed we would go to Rome someday together.
Who knew that someday meant a few months from then?
It's kind of crazy to go on holiday with someone you haven't known for that long. Especially if you are in a relationship with them. This would be the first time we were ever fully alone together for five whole days, and it's not like one of us could just leave if we had a fight. So I was a little bit nervous about it.
But luckily I had nothing to worry about. Yes, we got annoyed at each other (mainly because all of the walking and the heat really got to me) but we're still together now and so I take that as a good sign haha. I mean every couple has their disagreements and get annoyed at each other at time to time, why would going on holiday be any different?
Anyway, moving on to the actual trip itself.
Rome is breathtaking. Everywhere you go in Rome there are beautiful buildings, fountains and all of the pizza/gelato places you can imagine. I honestly had never been in a place with so many restaurants around every corner. It was wonderful.
On the first day we arrived in the morning but didn't arrive to our hotel until the afternoon. We hadn't really arranged transport to the hotel from the airport but we decided to take the bus, and then a train rather than pay for a taxi.
Public transport in Rome is very cheap - well taxis can be expensive due to traffic and they run on meters - but the train we took everyday from where our hotel was to Rome was only 1 euro. I found it hard to believe the train cost so little, especially when the same length of journey here costs about £6. So if you are ever in Rome - take the train!
Once we had been to our hotel and showered - we used the rest of the day to go into Rome. We wanted to see something so that our first day there hadn't been wasted and so we went to the Trevi fountain. It took a little bit of navigation to get there from Rome Termini but we found it in record time thanks to Google Maps.

It was beautiful. And way bigger than I thought it was haha. There were people everywhere so it was hard to find a way to even get close to the fountain but we managed it. We only stayed for a little while but we said we would come back the next day to throw a coin in and make a wish - at first we weren't sure if we could do that since it seemed not a lot of people were making wishes but you can still do it!


We actually ended up at the Trevi fountain every night we were in Rome. I'm not even sure how but we did haha. Sometimes it was just because we knew there were lots of shops and restaurants around it because it's a tourist spot, other times it was a complete accident. But it is not the worst place in the world to end up at.

One night we were there and my boyfriend decided to get gelato. He had had some before and he wanted more so this time he ordered a large cone. The first one he had gotten was small and wasn't enough and thought the large would be more fitting. Little did he know the large cone was going to be bigger than his head haha.
But he accepted the challenge of eating all of it, cone and all. It was a struggle but he did it and vowed never to eat that much gelato/ice cream ever again. The people next to us cheered for him when he had finished and kindly gave him some wipes to clean the gelato from his hands. This was also the night a couple got engaged at the fountain, so it was a night to remember for us all.
The second day we were in Rome we headed to the Vatican. It was an all day affair but it was so amazing. I can't even really describe to you what it was like but I did take some pictures that I think you'll enjoy:











We also went to St Peter's Basilica that day and while we were resting I decided to play some Pokemon Go. And I know what you're thinking - how can you play a video game when you are in such a beautiful city? But I just had to see what kind of Pokemon I could catch in a new place haha. I was able to catch some great new Pokemon and even take some gyms too, all while enjoying the view of this great city.








After visting the Vatican and St Peter's we ventured back towards the Trevi fountain to make our wishes, and to find a restaurant to eat at. There were so many to choose from that it was so hard to find one but we finally found a nice one. I liked this one because of the umbrellas attached to the chairs, I thought it was really cute.


I felt like I was in a movie, sitting outside having dinner in Rome. It was so romantic. I was also just in shock that we were able to sit outside at night and eat at all. In the UK it's always too cold/raining so you can't do that haha. But outdoor restaurants are everywhere in Rome and I think they are really cute.
There were so many restaurants that looked so pretty that we wanted to go in but we definitely didn't have time to go to them all haha. Normally you see them in the side streets you walk down to go somewhere else and they just look so inviting...
On Wednesday we headed to the Colosseum - another classic tourist destination in Rome, and the number 1 place we had to go to on my boyfriend's list. Again, it was so much bigger than what I thought it would be. I mean seeing these places on TV and in movies is never anything like when you see them in real life.







When we went to all the these tourist places, we decided to go and see them at our own pace and so didn't have a tourguide, but I do regret that a little bit. Mainly because I feel like I would have been able to learn a lot more if through a tourguide. However it is nice not to have to follow on a schedule and explore these places in your own time.
After the Colosseum we walked up Palatine hill - this was not my favourite thing to do. Here's a tip - don't wear all black in the sun - it's not good. But the view was worth it. I'll admit we didn't spend as much time there as we should have but I definitely didn't have the right walking shoes for the occasion haha.







That night we headed to the Spanish steps - which were unfortunately closed at the time. But we still spent some time in the plaza, people watching and admiring all of the designer stores. I'm not really sure why but the plaza surrounding the Spanish steps is designer heaven. There are brand names everywhere and one day I hope to come back to Rome just so I can shop there. I feel like it's Rome's version of Fifth Avenue and it's wonderful.


The next day we headed on a boat ride - not really sure where our destination was supposed to be or if it was some kind of tour haha - my boyfriend bought all of the tickets for touristy things. But all I remember was that we got off the boat and made our way to the Pantheon.
Again, another gorgeous place to visit. We walked around the area and found a plaza with the most beuatiful toy shop I have ever seen. I wanted to buy all of their dolls. It looked like something out of a fairytale.





That night we walked around town and noted a lot of shops and we agreed that we would come back into town on our final day and do some shopping. However when it came to finding the shops the next day we were out of luck. We couldn't remember the name of the plaza we were on and spent a lot of the day walking in a circle. It was maybe not the best last day to have in Rome.
Not to mention the traffic on the way to the airport! We had arranged transport with the hotel to take us to the airport. Luckily it was at a fixed price otherwise we would have been paying so much more money for the taxi. But we did make it to the airport with time to spare.
We were a bit worried our flight might be delayed or cancelled because at the time, it seemed a lot of earlier flights had been delayed but luckily we were able to get on our flight with no problems.
The trip home seemed to happen in a blur. I was so tired that I lost perception of time and everything seemed to take longer than usual. By this time I just wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep forever.
And at 2 a.m I was granted my wish haha. The next day I spent catching up on social media and uploading photos of my trip to Facebook. It feels weird to look at holiday photos after you come home. It's almost as if you can't believe you were there even though you have photographic evidence.
But it was an amazing trip, and I am really glad that I went with my boyfriend. I think it was a great bonding experience for us and has brought us even closer. It was also great to be able to explore somewhere new.
And as someone who went from never having left the country to going to New York and Rome in a matter of months, I can say I finally understand why people like to travel. It really does give the word holiday a real meaning to me. You separate yourself from your world and everything you know and are put into a different environment. A fresh start where no one knows you and a place you've never been to. It's intoxicating.
But at the same time I was glad to be home and sleep in my own bed. There's nothing like coming back to your home after being somewhere far. And I guess that's why I know I could never move away from here. I would miss it too much. Even though I do hate it sometimes, it's my home.
And so, that concludes my blog post about Rome! I'm sorry it took me so long to write but when I came home from Rome I honestly had no real words to describe it. Even now I don't think what I have written does the city justice but I still hope you enjoyed. And maybe next time when I go on holiday I'll post about it sooner haha.
~ Courtney x