First we learnt how to drink water out of a traditional Roman fountain then we skipped a line of 500 people waiting while we went to a special entrance.  Our Guide's name was Rachel and she showed us around the Vatican City which is another country but we did not need our passports! Rachel explained some of the differences between Greek and Roman sculptures, the Greek sculptures were often nude and idealised face while the Roman sculptures where more realistic and clothed.  The tapestries were huge and made out of silk and wool.  Before we reached the Sistine Chapel we saw many works from Raphael then we entered the Sistine Chapel, it was amazing!  Michael Angelo worked for 4 years on the ceiling and insisted on working alone.

After we left the Sistine Chapel we went to St Pauls cathedral, it was gigantic and full of paintings and statues of 'horses' .  We saw people praying and popeing! We have been very lucky with the weather and again today we had beautiful sunshine so we went to a famous fountain to get a few souverniers.  We saw lots of street performers it was very busy and the Piazza was full of life!

In the evening we went out for our final dinner in a local Italian restaurant.  As an extra treat we had a performance from a guitarist and singer, she was very loud but had a great voice.  She sang 3 little birds from Bob Marley and somewhere over the rainbow as well as lots of Italian songs too.  Now we have to go and pack; Hania, Malak and the horsies.

Day 3:
Today we had an early morning departure from Florence to arrive in Rome around 1 . We had the same bus driver again Lorenzo! He drove us to Rome as quick as possible, so that we had time to eat an early Lunch.  After that, we arrived at the Hotel Diana, where we dropped of our luggage in a rush so that we  had time to go to the Galleria Borghese and explore the ancient and stunning pieces of artwork. We had a set of challenges ( kind of like a scavenger hunt) that we had to complete in the 2 hours.

The Borghese was home to works from Caravaggio and Bernini and was housed in a big mansion set in its own grounds which is now a park open to the public.  Our walk from the gallery through the park gave an excellent opportunity to take some pictures of the Rome skyline as the sun was setting.  This was followed by the first of our landmarks 'The Spanish steps'.  Our guide explained that the steps where not built straight like many traditional Roman steps, they expanded in areas so to hug the landscape.

Dinner was a huge Pizza and salad and tasted great.  After dinner we took an evening walk through the city stopping off at some beautiful landmarks as we made our way back home.  First we stopped at the Pathenon where Rapheal is buried, then it was onto the Trevi fountain.  It is said that if you flip a coin into the fountain you will return to Rome.

hello, today was a very interesting day. well... first of all we woke up and had our first breakfast in Diana Hotel. then we went to to the Forem and looked at the ancient ruins. it was very fascinating and breathtaking. can you believe that they broke down palaces and marble buildings just to get marble, bricks, stone, etc. what a shame. the teachers told us that we could go around in one area and eat lunch, most of us picked the same restaurant.  then we went to the Colosseum and had a great time there. i would say that the best part of the day was going Segwaying. go to Google and type Segway then you will know what it is. we went around the Colosseum and around the city for around 2 hours. it was AMAZING! BTW this is written by Layal Farahat. Hi Mom...

Day 2:
A majority of us woke up early, then we all had a delicious breakfast, provided by the Hostel that we're currently staying at. We stepped outside and were met by a 8 degree cold rush and met our tour guides, Tania and Angela. Our tour guides took us to a cathedral, along the way we admired the beautiful Italian architecture, learning about the different cultures that affected the city's spectacular structure. 
The enormity of the cathedral, internally and externally, in addition to its detail, was absolutely breathtaking! The fresco in the cathedral that covered every inch of the place, inspired many of us. 
Later on we continued to the Uffizi gallery, which showed the development of art throughout the history of Italy. We spent several hours in the gallery and were only able to learn about a small fraction of the never-ending artworks. By the time, we were done, we were absolutely starving.  
For lunch, we split up and had Italy's most famous food: PIZZA!  It was mouth watering. Lets not forget dessert, which consisted of the famous gelatto (in other words, ice cream).

After lunch we went to another church, that was restored after it had been partially burned down, the section that remained intact had allowed us to see a comparison between the difference of artwork throughout different centuries. 
Finally after loosing so many calories from the long walks, it was shopping time!! Although some of us decided to challenge themselves with another 470 steps to the top the cathedral's dome. 
After countless hours of sweat-worthy bargaining and sightseeing, we went back to the hostel.

After relaxing for 2 hours in our rooms, we yet again found ourselves hungry... that's when dinner came along, with its delicious pasta, chicken, (and most importantly)  dessert. 
The last event of the day, was an interesting musical treat, by the body percussionist, Lorenzo. The child within us and the teachers got unleashed, we found out that some of us, e.g. Mr Corfield, lacked musical rhythm. It was painful.
And with that we mark the end of Day 2, in Italy. 
Mr Corfield: Does anyone know how to say goodnight in Italy?
Nadeen, Aysha, Kristen: Italian Sir.
FROM ALL OF US: Bonne Notche
By Nadeen, Kristen and Aysha<3

After a very early start and a long day travelling we have finally settled down for some rest.  A good flight and transfer was a blessing and our tour guide Ellen was full of information on our transfer from Rome to Florence.  She was keen to explain some of the history behind the country and the development of the Italian language.  A quick turnaround in the Hostel was followed by a nice meal in a local Italian restaurant with plenty of charm and atmosphere.  Tomorrow it's all about Florence, Michaelangelo's David and the Uffizi gallery.