Roma Day 2

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Sorry, it has taken a while, been so busy with Christmas etc. So here goes, day 2 in Rome.

Well, what a night last night was, it must have been, ow my head. Lauren sprawled all over the bed, kicking me out and waking me up, ''where’s the water, urrgghhhh'' I crawl out of bed with the possibly the worst ever red wine headache ever recorded, damn you body clock, always waking me early. There must be something in the water here, as i felt immediately better, still a little wobbly, but better. None the less, I thought I'd have to get up anyway as I find it impossible to sleep again once awake. I shoved my jeans and t-shirt on and checked the watch, the amazing Casio, the legend, a 10 Baht bargain from Koh Phangan the year previous, It had served me well, today, i wouldn't agree; 6.30AM. I knew waking Lauren up was definitely not an option, I looked around, picked up the map, iPhone and wallet as I needed to change some money as last nights events left huge holes in our pockets and headed out to find some famous Italian coffee and plan the day ahead.

Rome was different now, completely different, gone are the scooters, gone are the Italians high on caffeine, just a few road sweepers cleaning the debris from the carnage previous, a sole old lady passes on her way to buy the gazette. I had a walk for a while, nipping into Termini to find a little advice or help on where to go and what to see. We saw so much yesterday, but even so, the map is littered with amazing monuments and places of interest, it was about picking the best, we didn't have time to see everywhere, but; there’s no harm in trying.

I'd walked for long enough now, after snapping a sign reading TORIA in the middle of the street, I knew Lauren would love it for her sister but I'm surprised it came out so straight. I walked through Termini, shops we're beginning to open their doors, signs being laid outside and people arriving at work. remember the days when I worked weekends, dark times. I realized after a few minutes that I wasn't getting no help from here so decided to grab some coffee and plan our day myself. As I walked out, it had changed, in such a short time, Rome had gone from asleep to awake in just a few moments, It was lighter outside, the sun had arose and shone upon this beautiful city. Now the scooters where in full flow, people headed off to work, some in a rush, some walking in a world of their own, beggars now aligned the street holding cups out for money the newsagents bringing out boxes full of souvenirs. I settled in a little cafe and asked for an americano with milk and also asked for the WiFi key and sat there reading the map, deciding to let the world now what we we're up to with a little status update. the coffee here is amazing, ''once I get home, I'm buying a coffee maker', none of this instant ever again'' I went back to risk the wrath of waking Lauren, she had to understand we had so many places to visit today.

''Psssssssttttt, Lauren. PSSSSSSSSTTT, LAUREN'' and what came back from under the quilt I couldn't understand, blurrrlllyyyuuuuuu, or something like that anyway, I gave her water and she just got up, this water really is AMAZING, this has never happened before in the memory of man. A quick shower and we we're both ready to head to the 7th floor for some breakfast. We got upstairs, the breakfast was simple, I didn't mind, I don't really like attempts at full English breakfast, so the coffee, bread and cheese was fine and we took a danish pastry and croissant with us for later. Back downstairs we went and we we're rather pleased with the simple but very tasty breakfast offering. A packed the daysack, camera, wallet, cardigan (just in case) and a couple of sneaky Peroni's left from last night. We we're ready.

We walked to Termini and followed the main road up towards Spagna, we could have just got the metro, but the weather was lovely again. Up another steep hill, across another road and walking on as close to the buildings as we can, no pavements again, we reached the top and then down again. Once again we knew we was close, but we couldn't find what we we're looking for, just then we saw the top of a Roman's helmet, like a small red peacock and we headed over. Knowing he'd want money for photo's we kindly declined and walk towards the top. They was huge, just looking down them, seeing the microscopic people at the fountain at the bottom, they we're amazing, The Spanish Steps. We have no idea why they are called that and we didn't look up the history on them (Sorry again). Walking down then was rather scary too, they has either been cleaned or it had rained, as we we're very lucky not to slip over, down at the bottom, the look up was as amazing but with so much to see, we knew we had to get on, a few pics and we're on our way. We opened the map and decided closest option would be the Trevi Fountain, so we chose the direction and headed down a small road. Immediately I knew my mistake, this wasn't a road I wanted to be walking down, not with Lauren anyways, Louis Vuitton, Calvin Klein, Prada, Gucci, Versace, Fendi and so many more that Lauren will have remembered, I needed to get off this street before I took a shot in the wallet I probably will never recover from. Left turn, quick, Lauren looking back over her shoulder but I insisted we carried on with the day and she could see them later. Speaking to a work colleague, she said the fountain was hard to find then it would just appear, and my she was right, walking around for a while and then BOOM! Right there, it was gorgeous and huge. We stopped, walked over and both took a coin, made a wish and threw it into the water. The moment was beautiful, we both stood in awe of this masterpiece. My favourite I heard Lauren whisper. We spent 5 minutes just in silence looking at the fountain, thinking of all the places we'd been and all the places we have planned to have been but this was inspiring. We left feeling great, the reason we chose Rome was obvious, I needed a drink, Peroni? I thought glancing at the Casio; 10.15Am, Better not. We stopped at an ice cream parlor and Lauren picked up a rum & raisin cone and we left heading up some small alley ways. We walked for a while, all the way up to Via Corsa (I think) and to Piazza Del Popolo and decided to head towards the Vatican. Flunimenco subway time, we love trying to learn the underground and it didn't take us long here either. Next stop Vatican City. We headed down the subway to be greeted by a Jamaican guy singing away on his keyboard and was so funny, Lauren took a shine to him and had a dance and a couple of photo's so we gave him a few euro as he'd made us giggle. Climbing the stairs after the short 3 stop subway ride we we're immediately hounded by people selling us tours of the Vatican, this time they had us surrounded so we sneaked into a coffee bar to avoid them and ordered a deserved cup of coffee and a pizza slice. When we were ready to brave it, walking towards you could feel that this place was going to be big, another COUNTRY inside Rome? The smallest country in the world. We went in. A circle, a huge circle and statue slap bang in the middle, surrounded by huge pillars and you could see the top of Saint peter's Basilica. A queue had formed the whole circumference of the circle. We decided we'd queue up to go to the top of the Basilica. It was massive, but was moving very quickly, we got in after about 40 minutes (apparently according to the touts outside it was 3 hours lol). 5 euros to walk, 7 euros for lift. We'll walk please, can't be that bad can it? 551 steps! We should have got the lift ha. Walking and walking, stair by stair, we got to a view point looking down inside the Basilica, Lauren was feeling a bit scared of heights as we snapped a few pics and on we went, the corridors where getting narrower and the stairs sharper and we knew we were getting close when the walls began to slant inwards, we we're nearly at the top. Lauren now experiencing a full on panic attack as we we're walking lent on the inside wall, still climbing. We reached the 'checkpoint' one last push, vertical spiral stairs with only a rope to hold onto, the breeze was coming in through the top and we climbed once more. Daylight, we had made it too the top. The view was magnificent, the whole place was huge, you could see the end of Rome, Saint Angelo Basilica standing right in front of you, looking down on the circle with all the pillars. Lauren was too scared to come to the edge but I saw it all. Amazing, the best view I have ever seen in my life. Getting down would be another thing, the same amount of steps, but down the spirals, down the slanted wall, the narrow walls, a child crying out and the steps got steeper and then we we're there, back we're we started looking up at Michelangelo’s amazing masterpiece dome. Beautiful. We was very hungry after all the climbing so we headed back out for lunch and decided on a lovely looking ristorante just outside the Vatican walls. Wine madam? Lauren loving the attention she was getting before me, she hated in Thailand how I got served first and even asked in some places. ''Yes please, what would you recommend'' He came over with two very large glasses of red wine and it was to die for, the nicest wine I have ever tasted, fruity and mellow, beautiful. Lauren ordered what she'd been pining for all weekend, carbonara and I opted for lasagne. I can honestly say I have never tasted lasagne like it, not the usual layers but rolls of pasta filled with a gorgeous filling covered in bolognase sauce and came in the pan it was cooked in, Excellent. Lauren was enjoying her Carbonara when we exchanged a little bit and I could see she was jealous of my choice so I let her have a little more. We was going to head back to the Vatican but after another 'vase' of red wine and the free glass of prosecco as we payed we saw the sign for Stadio Olimpico and since we've seen the Nou Camp in Barcelona, we we're both excited to see where Roma play there football. A quick look around to find the bus stop and a euro each and we we're on our way there. Easy. We hadn't a clue where the stadium was at all, but was told we shouldn't miss it so on the bus we kept glancing left and right for any signs. Only about 10 minutes into the journey, there it was the Olympic Rings standing proud on a red brick wall, This must be the place. We jumped off hoping this it was, it must be, but we couldn't see the stadium, this was the Olympic pool, we walked around to find a large training pitch with a full size running around around it and looked left. It was there, in its full glory, glass windows surrounding it, it was huge. You could sense the atmosphere this place would create on match day. Tomorrow Roma vs Juventus, and we are going home in the morning. Gutted, could I stay another day? I don't think it would have gone down too well at work. We decided to have a little sit down and take it all in, opening a Peroni a piece whilst Lauren did her mere cat hiding around a large ball, we drank and had a laugh until our time on the bus tickets had nearly expired. Waiting for the bus took ages, 17 minutes left on the tickets and we hear that the inspectors get on the bus and can be brutal, no ifs no buts your ticket expires, that’s it, fine, so we we're worried when with 5 minutes to spare, the bus turned up, we jumped on watching a every stop looking to see if an inspector was waiting, we'd have to exit the middle if he came on the front. We got there, we was 7 minutes later than our tickets but we made it, fine free. We walked back through the Basilica walls and pillars and headed straight down towards Saint Angelo Basilica, It was starting to get dark and we could see the glowing lights through the windows of it, it was huge, running out of time we decided against going in, a few pics from outside and we headed home. I haven't a clue what happens here when it goes dark. Do the streets switch around, as we we're lost again, its seems the wine might be a little potent over here as twice in two nights, same place, we couldn't find our way back. Walking full circle twice to end up where we started. A good hour passed until we finally hit Termini, phew back to the hotel with a bottle of red to get ready for the night. I'd been looking for a nice restaurant online before we left, and had one in mind but trying to book a table was going to be tough as with all the excitement I’d forgot. Lauren headed to reception to ask if could make a reservation for us there and if we could borrow an iron. The place was booked up until 10pm, we didn't mind, we had plenty of time and with our ratio of getting lost pretty high we accepted, booked it, unfortunately he wasn't allowed to lend us one and as my pants were a right mess, I popped out to find a laundrette. Disaster all closed, looks like i'll be heading out in jeans tonight. I got back a little upset as I wanted to wear the suit pants and shirt, Lauren suggested something that I thought was crazy,''why don't you use my straighteners?'' Genius, took a little longer than an iron would, but it worked, crisply ironed pants and shirt. Happy I was. Lauren decided to wear her long red dress and looked amazing. I couldn't wait, I checked the map and I had an idea we had been close to the restaurant earlier in the day (I was secretly trying to notice it today whilst we we're out) but it didn't matter, I’m sure we'll find it easy enough, we now knew our way around Rome, didn't we. On our way to the subway, we need to pick up our tickets, another 1 euro for 75 minutes, which I find amazing when we pay £3.50 for a half an hour journey only by bus, picked them up and called Lauren over, ''pick a scratch card, any you want?'' Lauren not the gambling type didn’t look so convinced, ''go on, its only one for your birthday'' ''OK, I'll have the red and yellow one, Portafortuna. I Found a coin and passed it to her, dieci, uno, dieci, uno, dieci. ''There you go, you've won, you've won 10 Euros'' Lauren extremely pleased with herself ''I’ve won the lottery'' she yelled. The shop keep didn’t looked too pleased with us new found fortune and inspected the ticket then slowly handed over our crisp 10 euro note. ''thanks mate'' as we dashed down the subway stairs. We jumped on the next available sub and was well on our way to Piazza Del Popolo. Map in hand, I knew Via Corsa directly in front on me and the road we was meant to be on forked to the right, we walked down and realized that this part was a lot quieter than we'd been before, no longer scooters or people rushing about, it was very serene and silent, a lovely spot for some fine dining I thought. 100 yards down, we stepped up to it and peered through the window and looked at the menu on the door. 'Ad Hoc' It looked marvelous, I don't think I’d ever seen a menu so nice, filled with truffles and dishes I couldn’t pronounce but in English sounded to die for. 9.30pm, a little early we went round a corner to find a nice quiet bar with chairs on the front. We stopped inside to order drinks, A lone Italian man watching and shouting at the TV, as his team let a goal in. ''Ciao, 1 corona please and Lauren?'' ''Long island iced tea''. One wont do no harm, will it? We settled outside, the waiter came out with a fresh bowl of salted peanuts followed by our drinks, The iced tea was probably the strongest drink ive ever tasted. Too strong in fact, Lauren enjoying it though, when the waiter came back with little toasted pizza's, ''compliments'' Thank you so much. We finished our drink, Lauren very giddy by now, the tea obviously had the desired effect, we headed back round the corner to the restaurant. As we walked in, this place was amazing, I loved it straight away, the walls lined with wine, top to bottom, side to side, full shelves of cookbooks and magazines, it was dark stained wood, it was magnificent, I’d never eaten anywhere like this and Trip advisor was correct, this really is top class. Lauren turned to me told me she loved me, she was in awe of this place. We was taken to a nice corner, a small table covered with red napkins and the biggest wine glass I'd ever seen, to our side, hundreds of bottles of wine from all over the world. 'Lauren was crying at this point, so happy this is where I brought her, I couldn't believe either, it was lovely. ''Can't believe they let someone like me in here!'' She whispered. Here come the menu's. The wine list, wasn't like any back home, this was a full book, I have no idea how many pages, and each individual bottle explaining, percentage, origin, taste, what it goes with, there were some even up to 500 euros, I thought id better stay away from that end of the price range or this may just be the last meal we ever have. I settled on one for £35 (because I liked the explanation of it… honest). I decided on the fillet of beef and cheesed fondue and Lauren decided on the salmon pasta, being in Italy and all that. Out came the prosecco again, this time it was nicer, lovely and crisp but the bubbles seemed to mix with the iced tea and Lauren was getting a little drunk again. The waitress came over with a platter of bread and oils, to which we thought would have been added to the bill, but it looked so good, with at least 6 different breads, which we're all explained to us by her we just had too. We chatted away, loving the atmosphere, a group behind us very passionately discussing something in Italian frantically waving their arms at every opportunity, would you like to try the wine (I knew it wouldn't make a difference to Lauren he he) but she did and said it was lovely. We we're just getting tucked into the bread and olives, when we we're once again greeted by the waitress, ''compliments of the chef'' a lovely looking small mushroom starter, my eyes lit up, knowing Lauren didn't like mushrooms, ''I'll be having two starters'' I grinned. ''This looks gorgeous'', Lauren replied, my head sinking, I knew one day I would get her to eat mushrooms, but why today, it did look gorgeous. I think Lauren had got over her fear of mushrooms and gave it go, agreeing that they tasted nice, but she didn't like the texture of them. We we're both having the time of our lives, in a restaurant that excelled anything else I’d ever eaten, we couldn't wait for the main. The wine we we're drinking was heavenly, and we couldn't stop drinking it, chatting away, looking around at this wonderful place. Our mains arrived. The beef fillet looked gorgeous, perfectly placed in the center of the plate, with cheese fondue perfectly swirled around it, the salmon, again was perfectly placed, and looked just as good. The taste was something else, perfectly cooked, as asked; rare to medium, the juiciest beef I have ever tasted and the nice mild cheese flavour of the fondue was perfect, Lauren dipping into her pasta and salmon, also admiring the taste explosion going on. This was the best meal I think I’d ever tasted. I really do, I could see Lauren eying up my beef, so again we decided we could swap dishes, (twice now, I’d picked the best meal). I didn’t mind, this was all for Lauren and she loved it. We finished up, held hands and took in what had just happened, this was perfect but it was time to leave. We asked for the bill, and we couldn't believe it, surely there's something wrong here. 76 euros? Really? The nicest meal, wine, the starter, the bread? We paid, left a tip as you would, this was worth every penny and more, and as we we're given our coats a lady came over and handed over a bottle of wine 'This is for choosing to dine with us tonight' she said. Perfect. We left, feeling extremely happy with ourselves, we'd had a perfect time in Rome, but sadly it was getting onto 11.30pm, the subway closing was 12pm so we had to go. Along the way we spotted a crowd gathering in the street being intrigued we popped over. An old man, painting, using nothing but paint and knives, a layer of blue, a layer of dark blue, a layer of white another layer of blue, covering the whole A3 page. He took a knife blade, and starting at the bottom and working an outline, ''I wonder what he's painting?'' we both looked at each other puzzled. A quick wipe of the knife blade and we in again, an outline of a dolphin appeared. Oh my god, gasped Lauren, as he quickly outlined two more dolphins in a blink of an eye, a ship then was carved into the paint, perfectly, revealing the light blue, he carried on slicing through the paint effortlessly, but going through only the amount he wanted, revealing a moon and waves, we wanted one. Then he peeled it away from the easel, and passed it too his side, ''10 euros please?'' he said to an Italian man along side him and as quick as you could blink he was set up for another, ''what colour sir'' he asked the next in line. That’s when it hit us, we we're so far behind, ''how long will we wait?'' Lauren asked ''come back tomorrow, There isn't time''. There wasn't, it was too late, ''we go home tomorrow'' Lauren sighed. As much as I knew lauren wanted a painting, it was impossible. Too many people, as he started to carve away his new painting, this one greens and blues. I felt a tap on the shoulder, 'hello' an Italian man stood there, attempting to speak as much English as he knew, with his wife behind him, speaking Italian, we had no idea what she was saying. ''You leaving tomorrow?'' ''Yes'' Lauren jumped into life. ''My wife says, its OK, you have our place, we come back tomorrow, ok?'' Lauren couldn't believe what he was saying, ''are you sure?'' I asked getting an elbow in the side from Lauren. ''Graci, Graci'' Lauren repeated to his wife, I thanked the man and we found we was next in line. The man finished up the next one, and turned to Lauren, ''What colours would you like?'' ''can you do a beach with a couple standing on there?'' Lauren asked, ''No what colours would you like'' he replied, it was then I realized he does the one style in any colour you choose. ''Blue & white please'' I asked. Again he went at it, covering the paper full with blues, dark and light and whites and immediately carved in the first of the dolphins, watching him in amazement 2^nd, 3^rd dolphin, the ship, the stars and the moon carved into the paint so finely it was perfect, the waves added it was done, signed and paid for. 10 euros, ''Thank you so much'', we looked for the couple who had given us this, they had gone, so kind and we we're so happy to get the chance to take this memory. We we're now late, and dashed for the subway, hoping to get there with only minutes to spare, running down the steps and onto the already waiting sub, through the doors and made it. Phew. We had made it back to Termini, this time with no problems headed back to the hotel. Lauren grinning so happy with the night that had happened, how it turned out, I couldn't of asked for any other more perfect outcome. ''Thank you'' Lauren said. ''Its been perfect''. Not one to let the side down, we knew we couldn't fly home with the wine. (we only had hand luggage). We decided to open it and celebrate the weekend just gone, chatted and laughed the night away, looking at Rome, from the 5^th floor window. The moon in the sky. A night ending perfectly. Night.

*Of course there is a slight alternate ending…. where I swigged the free wine, demanded we go to the chicken shop and passed out on the bed fully clothed. But this shall do. Beautiful writing A* - see teacher

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Photos

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Spanish Steps

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Fountain at the bottom of spanish steps

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louis vuitton

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Trevi Fountain

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Lauren's singer mate

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The queue, we waiting in to go iside the basilica

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Tha amazing view

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on th'wine again

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hmmmmm lasagne in the pan

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Stadio Olympico

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saint angelo basilica

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The bridge @ Saint angelo basilica

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All ready for our meal :) x

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We're Rich :)

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Plenty of wine @ AD Hoc

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awwww :)

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Yum Yum

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Our Picture