Eurotrip 2011 – Rome 26-28 Apr

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We arrived in Rome early in the morning and considered going to Naples for Pompeii but decided we could spend less time traveling and more time exploring Rome. Naples will have to be on another trip.

Our lodging in Rome was a modern chic apartment room which we liked very much. After settling down, we went straight to the legendary Colosseum! The stadium appeared out of place in modern Rome with traffic and the Metro station just across the street. We tried to imagine how it was like thousands of years ago where the Roman Empire was in its heyday. It reminds me of Russsell Crowe and the movie Gladiator.

Next stop was the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill carrying more ancient ruins of pillars, temples, market places and gathering places. I like Rome for its history. The thought of a once powerful civilization occupying this city with its own culture, people and wealth intrigues me. It seems many things today came from or were influenced by Rome. Language, government, religion, war, art…etc
It was off to the Trastevere beyond the Tiber River. The weather so far has been great. Cool temperatures with minimal encounter with rain…couldn’t ask for more. Dinner was good and we were to come here for dinner for the next 2 nights for the yummy food.

On our 2nd day in Rome, we visited the Vatican City. The Vatican Museums were huge and it took us 3 hours to finish viewing the exhibits. I liked the room with the Tapestries, and also the room with Raphael’s paintings. But my personal favourite was the Sistine Chapel and Michaelangelo’s paintings under the ceiling and the painting of the Last Judgement on the Sanctuary wall.

The 3rd day in Rome we visited the Palazzo Massimo Museum which was pretty forgettable after visiting the Vatican Museums. After that, we visited the Spanish steps and the Trevi Fountain. It was drizzling but we liked the Fountain. We both threw coins into the fountain to ensure our return to Rome. The Spanish Steps didn’t look all that impressive to us. We were also conned by some fella into buying a rose. It didn’t cost much but we didn’t like the way he went about it.

We visited the Pantheon after that. This building has massive pillars and a big ass dome with an oculus which allows light to shine through the dome. Originally built as a Pagan Temple, its conversion to a Roman Catholic Church ensured its survival and functional use of the building to this day.

We liked Rome…with dinner at the Trastevere once more, we pondered what other wonderful sights or experiences we may encounter. We were only 8 days into our holiday and it seemed a long way more to go. Felt really good.

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