Day trip number 2. Today feels different, I’m a bit rundown, Mamie is a bit rundown, the weather is grey and dark. I’m just not feeling it today, but we get to the train station and make our way to Napoli. It’s super close just an hour away. Mamie and I are excited to go to Napoli because this is where everyone told us to get our fill of seafood.

I felt like a true tour guide today, I spent all of last night trying to remember everything Mani, your parents’ tour-guide said about this Vatican property. When I arrived everything just came back to me.

One thing Mamie had on her list was the Sistine Chapel. Having experienced the insanity of the Vatican with your parents I wasn’t exactly keen to relive it so instead I brought Mamie to St. Peter’s square and basilica.

First day trip in Italy! Mamie took a cab to my place and we got to the train station with time to spare. Train travel in Europe Is next level. We went in a bullet train, which went up to 250km/h (you’ll have to ask you dad for the conversion into miles). What would normally take 4 hours in a car took us under 2 hours by train!

For Mamie’s first day in Rome we took it “easy”. No day trips just city walking, but it was a full day. Last time Mamie was in Rome it was with the Disney cruise and after that she vowed to never return to Rome again. I had a lot of work to do if I was going to change her mind about Rome, I’ve only been here a few weeks but I haven’t seen any of the “horrible” things Mamie was describing.

We had an early morning your parents and I. We had a call time of 8:30 am at the Vatican for a bus tour of the gardens and a tour of the Vatican museums. Since I was a last minute addition I didn’t get to do the gardens but I joined the group for the museum, which is what I really wanted to see.

I’ve been I Rome a couple weeks now, and to be honest it started a little low. Compared to Berlin, I’m not socializing as much and I haven’t made any true friends like in Berlin. It is very much because I’ve been staying home and cocooning, I do that when I’m overwhelmed. The classes I have been to felt a little too difficult but when I did the homework it felt too easy. Luckily the school has great support staff and they assure me that I’m doing great. Though I still felt rather low. Which is why a visit from your parents was such a welcoming grace.

I’ve made it to Rome! My arrival was much more civilized than my arrival in Berlin. No delays, my luggage arrived on my flight, my transfer car was ready to go. What a wonderful start to this leg of my adventure.