Thirteen Drury University students made a million memories in just 30 days
Storified by Brooke Hickman · Thu, Jul 25 2013 21:53:35
Thirteen Drury Students started their study abroad adventure to Rome, Italy on May 22, 2013. We departed Springfield, Missouri at 8:00am and headed for 30 days of laughter, studying, and challenges.
After a six hour lay over and many hours on a plane we arrived safely in Rome! We spent the first day settling in to our apartments and learning our way around the city.
Settling into our apartment in Rome. It's starting to feel real! Can't believe I'll be here for a whole month. #longtime #adventures
During our stay in Italy, we visited many places of Ancient Rome. Our favorites included the Pantheon, the Colosseum, the Forum, and the Trevi Fountain.
One of our first adventures was taking an elevator to the top of the Wedding Cake Monument (or as Haleigh and Mariah would say, the Birthday Cake Monument). This was our first view of the entire city. I think it is safe to say we were all amazed!
We visited both the Colosseum and the Roman Forum on May 26th. It was a beautiful day in Rome and we all enjoyed learning about the gladiator fights and Roman government. The Colosseum is one of the more well known places in Rome and we saw exactly why. The architecture was unbelievable. I think we were are amazed at how advanced Ancient Rome was in order to construct a building like the Colosseum and control the entertainment that went on daily.
We also had the opportunity to see many religious areas of Rome. One of my favorites was the Holy Stairs!
Walked up the Holy Stairs on our knees today. They're said to be the stairs Jesus carried his cross up and are preserved in Rome. #amazing
On June 4th, a few of us from class visited the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain!
We each took turns throwing a coin into the Trevi Fountain. Legend has it that if you throw a coin in the fountain, you will get to visit Rome again one day!
We also toured the Borghese Gallery and took a stroll through the beautiful Villa Borghese during class time one day.
One of the last things we did to end the Dr. Wolbrink's class on Ancient Rome was visit Vatican City. On our second day there we climbed to the top of the dome on St. Peter's Basilica. The view was outstanding!
For Dr. VanDenBerg's class, Isalm and the West, we got the chance to visit a Mosque. It was a great experience. It opened our eyes to the ideas and beliefs of Muslims. One of our favorite parts of the trip was sporting the headscarf all day in 80 degree weather. ; )
