Ciao, from one of the world’s most iconic cities, Rome! There is nothing like walking around gargantuan historic monuments that you have read about your whole life. The Colosseum, the Pantheon, St. Peter’s Basilica – places I have marveled at in books, through pictures in the media, and stories, that are now clear pictures in my memory. I will never be able to articulate the way that viewing these sites resonated with me- it’s almost like seeing a whale for the first time while actively swimming in the ocean. The city is alive with contemporary delights like fast food and Zara, but retains a beautifully historic feeling and design of Italian architecture. If only these walls could talk!