rome, day one

You know how you’re supposed to study abroad and come back a changed person? Independent, confident, self-reliant, and such/whatnot/all that jazz?

Welll sorry to feed the cliches, but it’s so true.

But the most drastic way I’ve cornily “grown as a person?”

I am SUCH A GOOD PACKER NOW.

First of all, I am a girl. Girls need their things. Outfit options, shoes, toiletries, shoes, accessories, and a pair of heels just in case.

Considering the 27 dresses (after a heartbreaking elimination) I packed in my two overweight checked bags on my way over to Dublin…you probably don’t want to hear about my sad, sad night packing for Spain. Fitting a week into a backpack was such a painful process.

But there’s a happy ending! From then on, I was a pro packer.

And with these packing skills under my belt, I set off with my parents for the city founded by Romulus and Remus, shown as little babies above.

First stop: the Colosseum. This massive arena was literally as in-your-face as my first photo on this post is–the second you emerged from the subway, it loomed in front of you.

Horse butts abounded in Rome

As did pretty churches,

pretty views, and sunsets.

Of course, I couldn’t let you down and forget an obligatory baked good picture.

We rounded off the evening with a visit to the Trevi Fountain

And ended the night on a lucky note with a wish at 11:11.