Location: Rome, Italy
Hello Hello, blog readers! I can’t believe I am typing these words right now, but today is day 68 of the program. How is it even possible that it’s been 68 days onboard with this crew? Time really has flown right by. We sailed around the BVI, crossed the Atlantic Ocean, and sailed around the Mediterranean Sea, all to arrive here, in Rome. I’m so proud of this amazing little crew and how much they’ve learned and grown these last few months. It’s safe to say we all have memories that will last a lifetime.
Now, about today! Today I ran through the student cabins like a mad woman at 5:15 am playing “unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield as loud as my JBL Go3 speaker could. To my great surprise, it worked! They all got out of bed in a matter of just a few minutes. I think it’s their new group record! Nora, being head chef today, prepared the crew some quick and easy overnight oats, given that it was such an early morning. Folks back home, if you ever need quick and easy breakfasts, let me tell ya: overnight oats and chia pudding are the way to go. By 6:15, we were off the boat and ready to start our epic day in Rome!
We ended up making it to the train station early enough to catch a train that was leaving 30 minutes before our booked train, so we hopped on that one instead (let’s go!!). By the time we got to Rome, it was only the bright and early hour of about 7:30 am. We knew our first stop was going to be Vatican City because we were told that that place gets crowded real quick. Safe to say they weren’t wrong. As we came up to the Vatican, lines of people filled the streets. We hoped in a line that seemingly felt right, and to our surprise, it moved quickly. After a couple of losses through security (rip to Andy’s soccer ball and a couple of water bottles), we were in! We followed the crowds into this auditorium-like building and thought, “Hmmm… this doesn’t seem quite right.” After some asking around, we found out the Pope was about to be speaking!
Now, what we did next may seem a bit crazy to some of you, but it ended up being the most epic choice. Yeah, we said nope to the Pope. Yeah… you got that right… we got up and left. BUT LET ME TELL YOU WHY. Vatican City is known for its insane lines and crowds, but with everyone listening to the Pope… IT WAS FREAKIN EMPTY. We had basically all of Vatican City to ourselves. No lines, no crowds, just a couple people wondering around a country by themselves (in case you didn’t know, Vatican City is it’s own country) pretty neat.
After some time wandering around our own personal country, we all gathered and made our way towards Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, and Trevi Fountain. Walking the streets of Rome was so beautiful. The cobblestone alleyways, ivy draping from windowsills, and old historical sites made some longer distance walks around the city feel like nothing. We popped into a few cafes and shops on our way around before arriving at an awesome little Italian restaurant for lunch. Everyone ordered an assortment of pasta and Italian dishes and even a tiramisu made on the tableside!
After lunch, we started our wander over to the Coliseum. This was my first time ever in Rome, and I was absolutely blown away by how massive and still intact it was. Everyone got to start their free time before dinner once we entered the Coliseum, so we all went on our own little wonders before meeting up for dinner at another awesome restaurant. We had an awesome waiter who chatted a bunch with us about sports teams and such. He even gave us a couple of free desserts! I got a pistachio tiramisu, and it was epic! Dang, I didn’t talk enough about all the food I ate! Well I guess the saying is “When in Rome,” right?
Then, we headed to the train station to catch our train back home. We were a bit early, and I saw that there was a train leaving sooner so we DARTED and when I tell you we JUST made it I am not exaggerating one bit. Like I was holding the train doors open with my body. Lol, it was hilarious. We all made it home safe and sound (and very, very super seepy sleepy)
That’s all from me for today. To my family back home, I love you all, and I miss you HEAPS! To this crew, thank you for the most amazing summer ever. Crossing the Atlantic with you all was nothing short of a dream. We really had the greatest crew. To Vela, thank you for being the greatest home I’ve ever had. Thank you for sailing us across oceans. Thank you for keeping us safe. Thank you for every memory you’ve created and every memory yet to come. I’ll see you soon.
Lots of love to everyone’s families back home. I can’t wait for you to hear about all the incredible stories your kids have to tell. Don’t tell them you heard this from me, but they’re pretty freakin special 🙂
– EG