Italy – Free Time

15/06/2010
We headed to Hannover by train and arrived at Simon’s apartment in time to enjoy a cookout. It was great to just relax in the company of great friends. Early the next morning we got back on the train and boarded the plane to Rome. After a short flight and a train to the central station, we walked in search of our hostel. The address we had was correct, but the building was unmarked and check-in was held at another hotel that was several blocks away. The luggage had become quite heavy by this time of the trip. We enjoyed our first real Italian meal and settled down for the night. The following afternoon we set out on an audio guided bus tour of the city. We traveled to the Colosseum that evening to view this massive structure and appreciate the Roman architecture against the night sky. The following day included a detailed tour of the Colosseum. I was shocked to find it was dirty and vandalized with engraved graffiti. Before leaving Rome, we visited the Vatican Museum.
Pisa was a smaller town, but the famous Leaning Tower was an enjoyable sight. The tower was visible from our room window. As we ascended the spiral stairs of the tower, the lean was quite obvious. We wrapped up our trip with a visit to Venice and the surrounding islands. The ancient buildings were separated by narrow alleyways and boats traveled its many waterways.
On our way back to the Bonn Airport, we stopped at the Munich Train Station where we watched the television as the German World Cup soccer team won with four goals. The excitement displayed within the train station was truly amazing and I was jealous that I had never observed that much excitement in the United States regarding a soccer game. After our arrival in Bonn we met up with Dr. Wasser and Olaf for lunch by the Rhine River. We spent the afternoon searching for a few more souvenirs. We stayed in the AIB student dormitory that last night. We were both ready to return home by this point, for even as much as we enjoyed Germany, I was looking forward to my own bed and seeing my pets.

-Knut
(a blog by Greg Hoyt)