Last day in Roma

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How sad to say it is our last day in Rome. John has done his shoulder in, so we are going to take it easy, in the hope that he is then in less pain on the flight home. Of course it would be the fault of my suitcase which he pulled along the cobbled road/footpath for 1km to our hotel. (he has been pulling my bigger one, and I his only slightly smaller one)

Yesterday we had some showers through the morning, but still managed to walk all day from 9.30am - 9.30 pm, with some short stints on the hop on hop off buses. Mostly although we have bought a 2 day pass, the stops are sometimes a distance in the opposite direction, then you have 15-25 mins, so it is often easier just to walk to the next destination.

As with our last trip we love Rome, it is a very beautiful old city with many grand buildings still standing from the 13/1500's. Many ruins though still preserved in Rome from much earlier times of Julius Ceaser and Ramses etc. Yesterday we managed to see the Roman Forum and Colosseum (just from the outside), Circus Maximus and Palantine Hill with it's ruins, then we spent some time around the Tiber River which is lined with deciduous Elm trees just turning yellow, and Campo dei Fiori (piazza with fruit & vege & flower markets (got some great photos)). We also enjoyed the Piazza Navona, a very large piazza with beautiful fountains and obelisk. Many cafes and restaurants line the piazza. Rome reminds me more of Paris than the other cities in Italy, with it's many domed churches, and tree lined streets.

We had a grand laugh whilst trying to get some tax refunds sorted before going to the airport. If spending over 150 in one shop on one day, they should give you a tax refund form, which allows you to get 12% tax back at the airport. You can also cash these in several locations around the city (but we have found out only within 10 days of the purchase - or you have to wait for the airport). We went to one, who explained that for some unknown reason, you can't cash it in Euros - even though in Venice we got Euros back? Not making much sense he then said he could only give us US Dollars which are of no use to us when we can't use it - he finally explained that we could have AUD but he was out of currency. We went to another tax refund counter at a different currency exchange which luckily was close by, and encountered Mr Bean behind the counter. We were trying very hard not to show our entertainment as there was a speaker on the outside of the booth, so that he could hear what we were saying. There was much kicking of each others ankles every time he looked at his computer screen (over the top of his glasses, with large Mr Bean eyes), stapled, stamped, folded with an extra sweep across each fold to fully flatten. It took him about 1/2 hour with him dashing between two computers, calculator, photocopier, stamp, and stapler to complete what took 5 mins in Venice. Anyway the entertainment factor was worth the 1/2 hour.

From there I think we went to Saint Peter's Basilica in front of the Vatican. We just enjoyed the magnificence from the outside piazza, as the line was enormous and we had been inside St Peter's and the Vatican last trip. From there we walked to the Piazza del Popolo where there were said to be a few magnificent churches, though there was also a rock concert in preparation in the piazza, then on to the Spanish Steps and sat until the lights came on in the evening. There were many many tourists milling around in this spot.

Finally we decided we would walk to the Via Veneto to the Hard Rock Cafe for some ribs. Much to John's disappointment after waiting 1/2 hour for a table, the ribs were in defrost mode and would be a few hours!

Today we will probably stay relatively close, and wander the Roman Forum ruins and some areas that looked nice on the way home last night on the bus.

I will upload Rome photos when I get home, as it is such a beautiful city that everyone should visit in their lifetime.
See you all soon!!

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