Well, it is Monday now and the depression of it being our last day has settled in., No part of me wants to leave tomorrow. However, today was the day that we got to see the Pantheon at last! And what a sight it was! Although, it was not nearly as large as St. Peter’s Basilica, it was architecturally intricate.
People were right, the Pantheon is a sight that must be seen. Since it was our last day, it was pretty much just our day to see all the things that we hadn’t got the chance to and wanted to – the Pantheon being one. After the Pantheon, it was our intentions to head back to the hotel vicinity where Castel St. Angelo is and take a walk through there like we had been wanting to see all week!
Unfortunately, to our dismay it was closed. Fortunately, we had a great guide and were able to compromise and find something else to see, there is always something more to see when in Rome. So, we went to Rome’s Bone Church! The church, decorated in nothing but bones and skeletons, was beyond creepy, yet fascinating. The roof, walls, and all the décor was arranged and designed with nothing but bones. Each room, focusing on a different bone or bones as the focal point for the design of that room.
After the bone Church, we walked through a huge and beautiful park in Rome, ending with a bite from a small bakery before heading back to the hotel. After a few hours of rest, we met Josh at the Metro Station where we road the Metro and then got on a train to quickly get to the city where Josh lives: Frascati.
When we arrived in Frascati, we had a decent hour to explore the city. It was much smaller than Rome and Florence, with a lot less tourists, still beautiful no doubt. It seemed like more of a family city, where friends grouped together to hang out and children roamed the streets more freely and carelessly.
We eventually made our way to dinner, where we enjoyed an authentic Italian FEAST, complete with courses, alongside Josh, his wonderful wife, and their two adorable children. It was the first night that we didn’t just order our own food, Josh ordered for us, sending all types of different cuisines. By the end dinner, I felt as if I had eaten enough for all of us. It was nice to not rush through a meal, and to just enjoy the time with great company, I would love to do it again sometime in the future.
After dinner, we went to Frascati’s market, which was the best one that we had been to! Unfortunately, we had a small window of time before we had to catch the train, so not much shopping was able to happen. When we got to the train station and were boarding the train, I was torn when I found out that this was our final good-bye with Josh, I didn’t realize that he wasn’t going to show us off to the airport in the morning. Josh is one of the things that I will remember the most from Italy, although he is a New Zealander. He is such a good guy and an over all genuine person, with a sense of humor to match. It was a sad moment saying our last good-byes because I was going to miss him, and his accent. But, I am convincing myself that it was just a “see ya later” because I am going to be back, and I will see Josh and his “vegetables” again some day, hopefully soon. In this moment, I wanted to cry because I knew that my time here was over. The train ride back home was a last moment to savor before having to get back to the hotel and pack up for America in the morning. A sad time to say the least. I laid in the bed which I had adopted as mine for the past eight nights and drifted to sleep, dreading the wake up and absolutely the departure.