What were you grateful for this week?A traffic-free Sunday. 

What was the most challenging part of this week?The language barrier with my host family’s housekeeper. 

Tell us about a “wow” moment you had this week.I helped them start setting up for my host child’s birthday party which will be this Friday. 

Tell us about your week! 

This week I tried really hard to get out more and explore the city. The weather has finally gotten nicer, so it was easier to walk around. I found a great gelato place and a bench with an amazing view in the park to sit and read for a few hours. I also made it to the Rome LDS (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) temple and it was beautiful. All of the design and art pays homage to Italy’s history and culture and it was a very needed trip, definitely worth the hour bus ride there and back. I also met up with a couple other Rome Abroad travelers for lunch in a part of the city I haven’t been before and that was really cool too.On Saturday, I took a day trip to Tivoli, which is 45 minutes out of Rome by train. Another Traveler was supposed to come with me, but she missed the train! That was sad, but it had some really lovely views, a garden at Villa D’Este, and an old fortress that I looked around. It was cold, but fun to explore somewhere new. 

Sunday was my highlight for this week though. When I woke up, my host dad told me Rome does something called “Traffic-free Sundays” every once in a while, where only buses, taxis, and official vehicles are allowed to drive, in an effort to clear some pollution. Not everyone follows this, but the streets were way clearer than normal, and way safer for a bike ride. He let me borrow his bike, and I went for a tour of Rome! It was amazing, one of my favorite things I’ve done in Rome so far. I went to Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, along the Tiber River, to the Colosseum, and even along the Appia Antica. It was so much easier to explore the city with that kind of mobility, and I found some beautiful parks and ruins I might not have without this chance. I’m also happy to say I barely even needed google maps to navigate! I’m starting to know my way around Rome, and I love that.