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May 26
Very early start this morning. We took our last vaparetto ride (those 72 hour rolling tickets were definitely worth the money), and got to the train station just before 8am. Then we had a four hour train ride to Rome. Finally we see why you need reservations for some trains. Until this point, we never saw the train cars more than half full. This train was packed, and people had soooo much luggage with them. I feel like I have too much and all I have are a carry-on size bag and a backpack. Many people have those extra large suitcases, and then seem surprised when it is hard to get around with them, or there is nowhere to put them on the train. Pack light people, pack light. The train ride was mostly through tunnels, so we didn’t get to see much scenery, but the train was going really fast (250 km/h).
We arrived in Rome just after noon, purchased our next train tickets for when we leave Rome and go to Florence, and took the metro to the B&B we are staying at. The Rome termini station is the only place so far where I have felt
I really needed to watch the people around me and keep track of my possessions. There were a couple guys hanging out around the self service kiosks where you buy the train tickets, and they were giving “help” to people even when they didn’t ask, and even told them “no”, and then expected a tip. I stood in a way to block them from trying to touch the screen when Filip was getting our tickets, or we might end up with something we didn’t want.
We met the manager of the B&B and got the keys to our room. It’s kind of like an apartment with multiple rooms that they rent out, and a communal kitchen that you can use. We got ourselves situated and decided to go for lunch at Ristorante L’Insalatiera, a restaurant that offers many vegetarian and vegan options. It was great. It seemed to be a family owned restaurant. The woman waiting all the tables was very nice, but didn’t speak much English. Also, the menu was only in Italian. I had looked briefly at the menu online and had translated it, so I already had an idea of what I wanted, but had I not
done that I might have been confused. After lunch we did a lot of walking. We went to Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, the Monument of Vittorio Emanuele, Area Sacra (home to 350 cats), Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, and Piazza di Popolo. It was exhausting, and we decided we would want to go back to a few of those places, maybe at a different time in the day, to try and see them without so many people, or to see them lit up in the evening. I had my left over curry cous cous for dinner, and we walked around to find something for Filip. He ended up getting some pizza which he thought had artichokes on top, but was actually potatoes, haha.
May 27
Let me start by saying I have never been in a city with so many motor bikes, smart cars, and other small cars like smart cars. Traffic is absolutely crazy. Also, some of the places and ways that people park their cars and bikes are a bit insane. Places that would get you ticket and towed in a heartbeat if you tried that in the States. I wish all the bikes and tiny cars had
to do with people here wanting to be more conscious about greenhouse gasses, and their carbon footprint, but I think it really has more to do with having a smaller vehicle that is easier to park because parking is so hard to find here.
Today we wanted to get to the Vatican early as we knew it would be busy, well, that didn’t happen. We ended up getting there around 10am and waited in a long line to get into the basilica. On our way there, and while we were waiting in line there were many tour guides that approached us or talked to us as we walked by about joining their tour and skipping the line, if you're willing to pay the price of course. They are very persistent, but we knew we wouldn't want to be walked around on a tour, even for free. An easy way to deal with them is to say "I don't understand. Do you speak Czech?" in Czech, and they will walk away. Fortunately the line moved quickly. We were through the security screening and inside within half an hour. For some reason there are people that think the lines don’t apply to
them. Not only do they just join in wherever they feel like it (the front of course), but they walk through and around people standing there to get even closer to the front, as if the people waiting for the line to move forward aren’t actually trying to get to the same place. We walked around the Basilica for quite a bit as it is so large and there are so many detailed sculptures and paintings to see on every wall and in every corner. Then we thought about where to go next and decided on Michelangelo’s Dome. Since we don’t mind a bit more exercise, and it was cheaper, we chose the option to take the stairs the whole way (551 stairs, 5 Euros) vs. the elevator + stairs option (320 stairs, 7 Euros). There were amazing views at the top and it was well worth it. At first you get to a point at least halfway up the basilica, where you can see the walls that are towards the ceiling. You can see, and in my case realize, that what you though were paintings on the ceiling are actually mosaics created from millions of tiny pieces. It was
Area Sacra
See if you can find 350 cats in the pictureunbelievable. Then if you walk up the next 320 stairs, you get to the top, outside the dome. So many people were up there that it was hard to move around, but it was a great view. I would definitely suggest doing this if you’re ever in Rome, but it does take a bit of physical fitness, even if you use the elevator, and the part that the elevator doesn’t go up is the hardest part. Some of it is quite narrow, and at some parts you are leaning sideways because you are actually going up the side of the dome.
By the time we’ve finished all this we were ready to eat. We still wanted to see the Sistine Chapel, which was in the museums, but we knew we could spend hours there, so food came first. Since we were close, we decided to go to the same place as yesterday since we both enjoyed it so much, and because it is close to the Vatican. We were greeted by the same woman as the day before and she gave a bit of a chuckle since she recognized us, and she gave us the same table. The food was
again good, with Filip and I both trying new dishes today. After lunch, we decided to take a break rather than go back to the Vatican area, so we went back to our room. That evening we went to the Trastevere area which is supposed to be more of an upbeat, party kind of area, according to the manager at our B&B. Also, I found a tattoo and piercing place that I wanted to stop by because I lost my nose ring in Venice, and I’m afraid if I wait much longer, I will have to get my nose pierced again. Well, there was only one guy that worked at the shop, and he said he had nose rings, but was busy, and asked if we could come back tomorrow. We said sure, but then went into a jewelry store close by and asked if they had any, fortunately they did, so I purchased mine and we were on our way. We stopped at a place for dinner in the area, but they didn’t have much for me, so Filip ordered and I decided just to have some of the fruit we had back at our room. On the way
back to our place we walked along the Tevere river.
-Molly
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Renata
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Coffee Machine
Hi Molly and Filip, It is a shame that Filip was not able to make a coffee using this little coffee maker because we had one at home when he was a child:-)) I hope you enjoy every day of your trip!