Ok my last post didn't have that many positives but my stay got better! It's crazy that in the last 2 months I have met so many people that just added me into their groups as I have been traveling. From my boating excursion, to multiple lunches and dinners, to PRIDE and I even became a tour guide for a group. I am so thankful to everyone who joined me on my adventure.
My first time out in these Roman streets was last Friday. I went to the Trevi Fountain because I LOVE romcoms and all the ones with scenes shot in Rome show the fountain. Of course it was PACKED with everyone trying to get the perfect pic for IG, myself included! But it was so worth the fight through the crowd. Then I headed to lunch and had the most delicious pasta ever and ended up meeting my first group in room that let me crash their party. It was a couple and their daughter from Texas (of course) and after laughing at their convo a few times and a few beer cheers, they invited me over and the fun began. We talked about everything has we drank lots of drinks lol and just vibed! Can't wait to hear about the daughters experience going to college in Wales! yes, I am invested. After that I headed back to my cabin in the woods and slept like a baby lol.
Saturday I went back and forth on if I really wanted to go on the Vatican tour or not but I decided not to and just settled for my favorite way to be a tourist and just see it from the outside :) it was cool or whatever lol. I spent the day walking ALL over Rome, my watch said I hit 13.7 miles! After the quick trip to the Vatican, I turned my GPS off and roamed around. I ended up on the high end store side of town and kept walking! Stopped for lunch and had ravioli. Set back out, hit the Colosseum (didn't go in there either), saw the gay side of town and found out it was Rome Pride so I asked what time it started and no one could give me a real answer lol. Should have seen the red flag lmao but whatever, it's pride! So I walked up to where I heard it would be and y'all... I understood why no one could give me a time lmao. It was so unorganized, I felt bad. It also was more of a protest vibe vs the party vibes we have in the US. It honestly made me a little sad so I left. I was going to head back to my cabin but as I was walking back towards the fountain, I got suckered into trying this roof top bar. Which I ended up meeting more amazing people so I was so worth it. As I sat down, I was a little meh about my table because it was hot af and I was in the sun burning. But when in Rome.. I was sitting for a few minutes trying to pick a drink and 50 Cent In Da Club comes on and I hear these group of Americans bust out rapping! I swing around so fast and we all start cracking up because there was another woman who also was from the states in the corner and caught the vibe with them. Of course we ended up pulling our tables together and the whole get to know you process begins. Turns out the group of 3 were from NOLA and just finished a travel nursing gig in Seattle and decided to take a 9 week trip all around Europe. The beautiful black woman grew up in Connecticut but has been living in the Virgin Islands for the last 2 years and wanted to spend a month in Italy. We had a great time just talking about traveling and living life. So after a few more drinks I headed back down to the gay side of town to see how the pride after party was going. It was still strange lol so I grabbed some dinner on another roof top place with a great view of the Colosseum and it was night was it was all lit up. Beautiful. I sat next to this gay couple from London and talked about traveling and life and we enjoyed our dinner and view together. After, I met back up with my NOLA people and finally joined the Pride after party. It was definitely the weirdest way to end the night but I did have fun! We took a taxi back and man you would have thought this man just robbed a bank the way he was driving lol but we made safe and I CRASHED! Needless to say Sunday I didn't do anything lol.
Monday I was going to have lunch with the first family I met but it fell through but on my way into town, but ended up connecting with a group of people from outside of Manchester that was staying at the cabins in the woods too. I told them my plans fell through and they invited my to hang with them all day, I became their impromptu tour guide. Not gonna lie, I was proud of myself for being able to navigate Rome without a map! We got lunch together, I had this absolutely amazing, delicious truffle ravioli that I can still taste, I may or may not be drooling over it right now haha. I then took them to the fountain where we took the best picture and met this group of people who were visiting with their school and were on a scavenger hunt! They had to interview 2 people from different places and stage a fake proposal in front of a monument. We could let them down! of course we helped them out lol. I wish I would have got the proposal on video! it was hilarious.
Tuesday I joined my UK friends again and spent the day at Lake Bracciano and... I WENT TO A CASTLE!! I was so freaking hype, my first European Castle and I actually did the tour. It was so cool, I was nerding tf out and we were the only ones there. We hit the lake after and it reminded me of Lake Tapps back home. I think I will forever be spoiled by the greek beaches but it was definitely great to take a swim after walking around Bracciano in that 90 degree weather!
Yesterday was my last day in Rome, I am sad to leave but this is not the last time y'all will see me in these European streets! But after talking with my fam last week, I'm heading back to WA to spend some time with my ggma and gram, I want to love on them in person right now. I'm not sure when I will be opening She Is High Key back up but it will be sooner than later now that I am back in the states! Make sure your keeping up with me on the @SheIsHighKey Instagram so y’all know when to order all things CBD Bath and Body Care! My layover is in Frankfurt, Germany right now and you know I had to try some German beer! Definitely will have to hit up Germany on my next worldly adventure.
Thank you all for following along with me on this journey, it has truly been an eye opening experience and NO trip is perfect, obviously. But getting the chance to just sit with myself, heal, learn, grow and get to know Aquila with out feeling like I had to be doing something for my business, family or friends or even making money allowed me to sift through so much. I am thankful for everyone in Austin that helped me out by buying my products and all the stuff I sold from my apartment because I was able to live off of that for the past 2 months. I am incredibly thankful for my family who supported this trip every step of the way. And most of all I am so proud of myself for taking this trip. It felt easy to leave at first but after getting to work on me, priorities shifted and I feel like I see life in such a different way. Until the next adventure <3
Stay Blazed!
Key
