1. hang out with thousands of other Romans at the same time: CHECK
2. get lots of free stuff: CHECK
3. trot past the Coliseum with a bunch of other people: CHECK

Let's go!

This past Sunday, my roommate, her friend, and I took part in the 10th annual Susan G Komen Race for the Cure. Listening to thousands of people belting out “We are the champions, and we’ll keep on fighting ‘til the end” while waiting for the starting gun to go off was heart wrenching and incredibly inspirational. While my girly emotions were chucked out the window when I was gasping for air and all gross and sweaty twenty minutes later, it was still a great experience.

The registration process in itself was quite exciting as it felt surprisingly like Christmas. I handed over 10 euros and they just kept handing back random stuff in return. Apart from my race number, they gave me a free shirt, bag, and lots of samples of who-knows-what that I don’t really need but are always super fantastic when I get given them for free.

Race day was equally as exciting – double the amount of free things! While it was slightly amusing watching everyone elbowing their way through the throng in order to get something else that was free that they so desperately wanted and needed, I soon discovered that I actually also needed that free stuff. In the end, my pursuit was quite successful as I finished with another free shirt, couple of drinks, and a photo courtesy of Samsung.

Through Piazza Venezia next to Circo Massimo

The actual race was amazing. Running through Piazza Venezia and next to Circo Massimo with thousands of other people was awesome, to say the least. Everyone was there to have fun and the atmosphere was truly unique. While my time will not be revealed in this blog post (somewhat disgraceful, to be honest!), it was still great to cross that finish line. And obviously my hard work warranted a well earned trip to G. Fassi to eat one of those delicious mouth watering gelatos afterwards.

Let’s hope there are many more races – and gelatos – to come!

As the time of the game approached, a group of 15 of us from the school attempted to find a place to sit and watch the game. After a couple minutes of wandering, we found prime seats in a restaurant that served dirt cheap dinners and had a big screen TV right in front of our tables. The group ordered pizzas and drinks, getting ready for the game.

The atmosphere from the kick off onwards was incredible. I have never seen a group of more passionate Barcelona fans in my life. And as the game progressed, two men from BBC started interviewing the group in front of us on their opinions of the game. The chaos was hysterical and unique.

At the end of the game, due to true exhaustion, I headed back to the apartment and slept. However, tales were retold the next day at school of loony fans that escaped past the Rome caribinieri and scrambled up the Trevi Fountain. Apparently quite a sight to see hundreds of fans lining the Piazza and trying to avoid the human barricade created by the police in order to revel in the moment while splashing around in one of Rome’s most famous fountains.

The night was great – getting to experience the atmosphere that is attached with hosting the Champions League final was thrilling and exciting. While completely unattached to the result of the game, it was still a blast to see all the fans cheering (or crying!) throughout the city.