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Published: September 28th 2008
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Return to Rome
Our return to Rome proves to be far less dramatic than Julius Creaser’s return to Rome. We arrive via train from Venice on Tuesday, 2 September. We had previously visited Rome for 5 days this past February. We immediately notice the sweltering heat compared to our last visit where we had to bundle up. We also notice that the number of tourists has increased tenfold.
Upon arrival, we check in with the TIC at the train station. This one specializes in booking accommodations. We chat with a guy at the TIC and explain we are looking for a two-star accommodation near public transportation. He attempts to steer us towards a 4-star place and keeps insisting that it is a great deal. We tell him we will discuss our options and depart from the station. We head to the hotel we stayed in previously, but they are booked. We check right next door and they had room for us at a respectable price. Our plan is to stay in Rome for two nights before heading to Athens.
Although we arrive in the early afternoon, we are both bushed from the extended train travel. We check in
to the hotel and head over to our favorite little Italian restaurant, the La Familia Restaurant. It’s a cozy little family place with great food at a reasonable price. After eating dinner we head back to the room for some well deserved rest.
On Wednesday, 3 September, we wake up early so we can take advantage of the one full day we have in Rome. We decide we will check out a few of the sights we didn’t see on our first visit as well as return to some of our favorites. We jump on the Metro and head back to the Coliseum. The entrance line to get inside was unbelievable. We decide to head over to the Palatine, but the line is just as long. We have never been into spending a lot waiting in lines, so we head down the road to the old Roman Forum. Believe or not there is absolutely no line to get into the Forum. Admission to the Forum, Palatine and Coliseum are inclusive with one ticket purchase. We wander around the Forum for a while before heading right to the Palatine. Palatine Hill dates back to the official beginning of Rome which
dates back to the 21st of August of 753 BC. Rome is given its name from Romulus. If you haven’t read up on the story of Romulus and Remus, it is quiet an interesting story. Palatine Hill was the home of the elite of ancient Rome. Emperor Augustus built his home here and his complex overlooked the Circus Maximus where the famous chariot races were held. I won’t bore you with a lot of historical facts, but Palatine Hill was most impressive to both of us.
From Palatine Hill, we headed back to the Coliseum. Surprisingly to us, there was no line. Many of the tourist were taking a mid day break to beat the heat and we took full advantage of it. Inside, we marveled at the sheer magnitude of this ancient public gathering place. It’s amazing how many arenas and coliseums today are built on this same basic concept and design.
After the Coliseum, we returned to a couple of our favorite sites to include, Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. These are both two great places to just sit back and watch people. We sit at each of these places for a while before closing out
our long tourist day and retire to the room.
I will add that Rome is a very interesting city. We have read horror stories of travelers being scammed and pick pocketed in Rome. Rome has a high population of gypsies and just plain old dirt bags that want to separate tourists from their money and possessions. We are always on guard when visiting Rome. We are fortunate to be able to avoid any incident in Rome by practicing good judgment and situational awareness. Even when riding the crowded Metro, there are certain things you do to protect your possessions. I put the day pack in front and wear it “marsupial” style—in front. Thieves have been known to unzip a pocket, steal your goods and zip it back without you even knowing about it. Other resourceful thieves carry razors and cut open a pouch and steal the goodies. As I said, we were wise and kept all of our goodies.
Again, we did not take a lot of photos in Rome. This is because I have about 2,000 photos from our trip in February. Enjoy the photos we have posted.
Rome is a city we would return to
after we see the rest of the world. We close out our chapter in Rome. Our next stop on our Grand European Tour is back to Athens, Greece. We also close out our rail travel. Our Eurial pass has now expired and we will now be paying for all of our transportation.
Stay tuned for our brief Athens Update.
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Jack and Judi Wrighter
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Birthday
Happy Birthday Lynne!(a little late). Hope it was a good one. We are still enjoying your trip from afar. Looking forward to the next blog.