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Published: March 18th 2009
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Now we move to Rome...
Ben and left our lovely stay in Florence Monday morning (March 2) on a train to Rome. The ride was slow, but I really do love the relaxed nature and views that trains provide. Also, an advantage to trains is they go right into the city you're traveling to. So when we reached Rome, the only thing left was to find our hostel. We always start off finding our hostel with enthusiasm, and once we realize how far it is, start to drag. But the weather was so beautiful it was hard to complain. Once we found our humble abode for the next few days, we couldn't get in. The owner of the...sort of bread and breakfast wasn't there. Another couple staying in the hostel ended up letting us in, and from there we chose a room and unloaded. After about a half hour, Andrea finally showed up and checked us in. Now we were ready to head into town. We started walking towards the historical part of town, and ended up running into the Coliseum. Starving, we decided to sit at a Pizzeria and have our first real slice of Italian pizza along with
The Pizzaria
Where we ate with a view of the Coliseum the world famous Roman Bruschetta: all of this with a view of the Coliseum. After we explored around, getting acquainted with the city.
We moved from lunch, exploring around and finding the Pantheon. We took in the views, enjoyed the vast dome, and took a sheltered break from the rain. Not wanting to miss out on the night view of the Trevi Fountain, we headed there and were mesmerized. I'd seen the fountain during the day, but at night, it was completely different...really, a whole new magic. We took a billion pictures, threw in our coins, and just enjoyed the night (although a bit rainy). Right across from the fountain, there was a small shop filled with fresh cheese and fantastic snacks. We bought dry mozzarella, some traditional Roman Gorgonzola, and some fresh parmigiana along with a bottle of wine and some bread for the cheese. As we headed back to our hostel to snack and sleep, we were able to experience Rome at night. All the ruins were lit up, and once we hit the Coliseum, it was fantastic. The ancient building looks amazing at night, and proves to be a must see sight. Once we ended up
back at the hostel, I passed out, wanting to have plenty of energy for the next day.
When we woke up the next morning thinking it was going to rain, we headed towards the Vatican. When we hit the Coliseum, the sun was shining, and we changed our plans. After debating, we ended up buying the Roma pass (which includes free entry into two Roman sights without waiting in line, discounts on the rest, and free transportation for three days). We headed to the entrance of the Coliseum while being hounded by people offering expensive tours, and ended up in the Coliseum somehow, for FREE (and without using our pass)! We showed someone our Roma pass, but they just ushered us through...oh well. We enjoyed the Coliseum, more for Ben's benefit than mine because I'd already been, and after headed towards the Roman Forum. The Forum is a huge area full of ruins that boasts the home of Caesar Augustus. Ben and I enjoyed the ruins by climbing on them : ). (this was allowed...or at least there were no signs prohibiting it!) We saw great views of the city, as well as beautiful parks and dwellings from thousands
of years ago.
The Forum was an adventure, and after we climbed the steps of Capitol Hill. Just a warning...don't sit down on the steps of the Capitol Hill, or you will be whistled at by the guards, as I learned the hard way. After, Ben and I headed to Piazza Navona and then onto the Spanish steps. Piazza Navona was disappointing to me because it was full of scaffolding, which I guess should have been expected because it's the off season. The Spanish steps were beautiful though. The only other time I'd been there they had been covered by scaffolding, so I got to enjoy it fully this time around. At this time I was ravaging, and all I needed was to enjoy a delicious panini on the steps...as the Italian's say, perfetto!
We headed back to the room after the Steps and just hung out. We watched a movie and ate more cheese. It was very relaxing, which was needed after a long day of Rome-ing. We woke up the next morning and headed straight to the Vatican. We moseyed out way through the museum, seeing beautiful works of art and even more incredible ceilings. I've
been to the museum once before, and I loved revisiting because I ended up noticing so much more than the first time around. Be careful if you enter the museum and get too involved in the ceilings...your neck will start to hurt! The museum ended up at the Sistine Chapel, which I consider myself blessed to have been able to see twice now. The place is truly a work of God. It was beautiful, breathtaking, and apparently the one day of the year that no one gets in trouble for taking pictures. Ben and I spent forever in there, just gazing at the works of art on the walls and the ceiling. Following the Sistine Chapel, we made our way to St. Peter's Square. Before entering the Cathedral, we decided to climb the dome. Over 500 stairs later, and gasping, we stepped out onto the ledge and saw an amazing, and windy view of Rome. Trying to get pictures was almost impossible. Hair all messed up by the wind, and nervous, I descended the stairs (which were much more dangerous than the stairs in the leaning tower of Pisa). Instead of climbing all the way down, we picnicked on the
level of the twelve saints that line the top of the church with our remaining cheese and bread. Once we made it all the way down the multitude of stairs, we stepped into the Cathedral. Its massive size still surprised me. I was able to point out all of the cool points to Ben, and I rediscovered some things from the first time. Thinking we were finished, we headed out, only to learn that the entrance to the Popes' tombs were free. So we headed down to the crypts to see the tombs. The highlight of that little excursion was seeing the tomb of Saint Peter.
The morning in the Vatican was long, so we headed just outside the walls for a bite to eat. On the way out we noticed the Swiss Guard and got a few pictures with their crazy outfits. We ended up going to the same little boulangerie that I ate in three years ago in Rome. Lunch was fabulous, and after we headed to the Castel de Sain'Angelo. The castle is SO old, and being in it was like being in an ancient fortress. Ben had fun playing with the old cannonballs, and I
enjoyed the views from the top (especially those of St. Peter's Square). We even saw the path of the Pope, which he uses to escape the Vatican in case of an emergency.
I enjoyed the bridge to the castle probably just as much as the castle itself. It's so pretty, and the view of the Tiber is magnificent. Wanting gelato, we walked down the river finding NONE and leaving a major sugar whole in the pit of stomach. In search of ice cream, and a nap, we headed back to the hostel, grabbing some homemade gelato near our place. After a nap, Ben and I headed towards the Trevi Fountain in order to find a cute restaurant to eat at. Once we found a restaurant, and ordered, both Ben and I were super excited for our dishes. I got four cheese gnocci, and Ben got alfredo pasta. As soon as these much anticipated dishes were set in front of us, we dove in head first. I ate a few bites, thinking it was just me, until I realized that something in my gnocci tasted awful. I had Ben try it, and sure enough he detested it as well. I
guess not all Italian food can win the prize for most scrumptious. Ben's meal was fantastic though, and he was generous enough to share a bit with me, and after I treated my, not-so-full stomach to another small gelato (there's always a solution...). After returning to our hostel, we got packed up, because the next morning we had to leave our hostel by 5am to catch a bus to the airport for our flight to...Prague!
Ciao!
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