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Published: August 23rd 2008
ROME........
Wednesday 20th
Rome
Introduction to Rome
I am completely in love with Rome!!
I know that it’s expensive, the people are rude and the queues are long. But I love the streets, the Ruins; the people that are rude, the different taste of food, the fact that I’m speaking my version of Italian to Romans and my children and Kurt are saying “Bene Grazie” and slowly gaining the confidence to also speak a little.
From the moment I arrived I have loved everything!!
Our apartment on Via Gregorio VII Settimo no 242, is amazing. Actually the décor reminds me of Nonna’s house. Lots of brown furniturne. Lots of clean brown furniture!! There are 3 good size bedrooms (2 double and 1 twin) two bathrooms, tiny kitchen and decent meals area. Plenty of space for 6 bodies.
By far the best feature of the apartment is the balcony. It overlooks the main street which never quietens down, not even in the evening…and at the moment, according to locals it’s pretty quite because everyones on holidays. But in 2 days everyone’s back. I’m looking forward to that, because the atmosphere will be electric!!!
When we arrived Lorenzo the owner’s son, gave us a run down on everything from average prices for a good plate of pasta to the reason why the euro has made everything so expensive. (did I mention he wore cute camouflage pants, had striking blue eyes and sexy salt and pepper hair (my weakness!!) I love Rome!
Meanwhile, his mother who’d come to collect her washing drying on the balcony, asked him if we’d yet paid. To which he replied, Not yet, Mum… they’re Italian” She didn’t seem to care and asked again and he said in an embarrassed voice “No not yet…they’re Italian…they speak Italian!”
He generously offered to drive Kurt and I around the city once he’d dropped his mother off at the station. She was 82 years old (and according to her son her eyes weren’t that good!!) parked her car at her daughter’s home and at the station happily waved us off and went to catch her 3 hour train ride to Tuscany where she has another home!!! Lorenzo drove us around and highlighted things like the closest bus stops and supermarket. He drove us through so much of Rome that the we
got our first glimpse of the Vatican and other touristy site.
He delivered us to the closest supermarket and Kurt and I walked into a Roman supermarket and started to buy some groceries. Well we could only buy what we could carry!!! You should have seen Kurt’s face when he found Basmati rice and chutney…he was thrilled.!! (The next day when my Mum asked a sales assistant about two different packs of chicken he looked at her, shrugged and said. “What do you think I am? The butcher?” He worked there for God’s sake!!)
An amazing thing about Romans that we’re finding is….the average person in the supermarket or at a bus stop is generally so helpful but it’s the Romans that are paid to help you like the sales assistants and information clerks who barely acknowledge you when you approach!
Thursday 21st August
Rome (Colosseum & Palatine Hill)
Today we caught a bus and visited the Colosseum. Although we’ve all seen photos and my parent and I have seen it before; it was still an amazing sight. The sheer size of it was astounding. The queue was so long that we decided to go
to the Palatine Hill and purchase a combined Palatine/Colosseum ticket which would enable us to avoid the long queues and go through the pre purchased tickets queue at the Colosseum.
We intended to spend very little time at the Palatine Hills which was a posh ancient neighbour because we thought it was just ruins and Rome is full of ruins. Palatine Hill is where Romulus killed his brother Remus and founded Rome in 750BC. My parents have been to Rome a few times and each time the tours briefly stop at a lookout over the Palatine Hills.
Once we entered the Palatine hills we were astounded by the sheer quantity and quality of Roman ruins. We walked around in the heat for 5 hours reading out passages from the Lonely planet guide. At one stage we were so tired and hot, and grateful we’d reached the end that we sat on the grass and had a picnic. But that wasn’t quite the case. My parents who were fascinated by so much around them kept walking and found another massive section of ruins…even better than the first.
So we refilled our water bottles with incredibly cool water at the
Palitine hill
The palintine hills were much more amazing than we all expected.many fountains scattered around the ruins, and continued. At one stage my Dad went to a different section and when we finally found him, he was hot, red faced and sweaty but so thrilled with what he’d been able to see. The kids were amazing, although they complained long and loud about the heat and amount of walking, they were still amazed by many of things they saw. I’m sure their favourite moments were when they wet their caps and hair and were allowed to walk around with their hair dripping down on their t-shirts. (They looked like the ultimate tourists with the Fly Emirates pack back.)
We all agreed that if we had any time left over, we’d all go back and do the Palatine Hill again!!
Off we went to the Colosseum which was incredible and huge and fascinating, but truthfully a little bit of an anti climax after the Palatine Hills. We all agreed we should have seen them in reverse. Kurt has developed a fascination with Arches. He loved the shadows casted by the sunlight and took many, many photos of arches in the Colosseum. It will be interesting for the kids to see
the movie ‘Gladiator” now that they’ve seen the Colosseum. We had our bags screened at the Colosseum by security guards who were more interested in checking out the women than checking our bags. But at Flumincio Airport there was no screening of bags at all!!
We caught a bus home and walked into our apartment dead tired but really, really happy with our day. While dinner (left over pasta, of course) was heating up we all sat on the balcony and had a drink. P.s Wine and alcohol is rather cheap, so Kurt and my Dad also love Rome! Bottle of 750ml Gordon’s Gin $16 AUS
Friday 22nd August
Rome
Emotional Blackmail!
At the moment, Kurt, Mum and Dad have gone for a walk hoping to find a telephone card which will enable my Mum to make phone calls to Australia. Nonna’s getting withdrawals from not seeing my Mum everyday and my Mum’s getting reminders from Sammy, to call her mother whom she called only 2 days ago!!!
My Mum’s going to try and ration her mother to only one call a week, a far cry from the 2-3 calls a day when in Melbourne.
Firts meal in Rome.
Doing it Tough here! Food
We’ve decided to have a lazy morning and head out after lunch, which will be some type of chicken cacciatore with eggplant and a touch of pesto. I know people talk of how expensive Italy has become, but most prices at the supermarket are reasonable considering we’re in Rome. That means we can really have nice dinner without having to sell off the kids!!! Kurt will have his cacciatore with rice, my parents with pasta and the kids and I will probably with fresh bread.
Just for interest.. prices converted to AUS being generous and doubling the price of euros.
Apples $4.00 per kilo
One red capsicum cost $1.00
UHT Milk 1 Litre $1.30
Onions 1 kilo $2.00
2 pack margarine 500gm $4.00
500mg of minced Pork $4.00
Watermelon $1.00 per kilo
Chopped Chicken thighs 800gm $4
Bread is sold by the kilo and averages between $4 - $6 per kilo.
Gin...700ml......$17!!!!!!
Things that I thought were expensive
Beef any type of cut $20 per kilo
After lunch we’re going to see the Spanish steps and perhaps the Trevi fountain.
Katelyn Says,
Well so far so good and
Kids asleep
The Kids were begging to go to sleep ,,,here they are asleep at 6pm. there is probably one word that can describe Rome and our holiday so far, just let me get my dictionary ….oh there it is, here goes…. “Fantasticexcellentlazygreatfancylovelyexpensive”. Now only beautiful people like Nonno (well he’s told me that 100 times at least) can read it.
Well yesterday we saw Nero’s (the emperor for ancient Rome) house in ruins and we saw the Colosseum which was magic. It was so big and old, it was lovely.
Nonna took a photo of Joshua and people dressed up as gladiators, then they asked Nonna for 5 euros which equals = $10!! (Dad said they got ripped off!)
Joshua and I were hot, sweaty and bothered so I had a brain wave, there were plenty of fountains around …. so what did we do?… dunk our heads into the fountains (and every fountain after that) , it was lovely!!
We passed the Vatican on our way to the Colosseum but that’s another story
Well Rome is Rome and exactly the way everyone describes it in Australia…rude, they love beeping horns, and couldn’t care less and apparently swear.
Take care
Katelyn
Joshua Says
ROME
We also went to
Our Abode
This is the place we are staying at....looks like Marias Nonnas place inside the Palatine.
The Palatine is the hill where Romulos killed Remus
Every time Katelyn and I saw a water fountain we would fill up our hats up.
Dunk each other’s head in a pond and I realised it was salty .
We were there for hours then we went to the COLOSSEUM it was massive it didn’t feel real.
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pereena
non-member comment
WOW!
I'm so glad your all well and loving your trip. The photo's are simple amazing. Maria your running updates are so wonderfully detailed, I feel like I'm on the trip with you. Love you all xxx