Blogs from Lazio, Italy, Europe - page 13

(this entry is on a 1-day delay, writing it the day after, so I apologize if I switch from present to past tense). The day started with breakfast at the hotel. It was a bit larger spread than what is normally included with the room. There was the standard, cereal, rolls, meats, cheeses and yogurt, but there was also a nice frittata (room temp), scrambled eggs, bacon and boiled eggs. The big plus is freshly made cappuccino or espresso. After a quick breakfast we meet Christina at her hotel and began our day. Most of the day was dedicated to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, but we started at the Campo di Fiori Market. We were going to take the bus but given the parade planning there are some significant delays. We ended up walking ... read more

I normally do not make my first entry of a new trip about the travel day. I mean for the most part you are just on an airplane, train, etc. This trip is different because we splurged on Business Class. We could not get the United Direct flight out of Newark to Rome because the cost was more per person than we ended up paying for both of us combined. So instead, we had a short layover in Montreal and flew from there to Rome on Air Canada. Having never flown any class higher than economy plus internationally before, we were not prepared for the experience. The leg to Montreal was uneventful as it only had one class of service and that was economy. It was only 90 minutes so no big deal. Well there was ... read more

You are not allowed to bathe in Fontana di Trevi If you have seen the movie La Dolce Vita you might want to pull an Anita Ekberg and wade into Fontana di Trevi and splash some water on someone who wish to stand in for Marcello Mastroianni. Our recommendation is simple: Don't! It is not permitted and you will face a pretty hefty fine if you're caught. But if you learn how they went about to shoot the iconic scene from the abovementioned flick then it probably isn't as interesting to get your feet wet in the most famous of all of Rome's fountains anymore. Anita Ekberg and Marcello Mastroianni never walked in Fontana di Trevi. They had a copy of the fountain made in a studio and that's where they shot it. The rule about ... read more

Before meeting Fiona I had started to save up for my next big adventure. We have talked about buying a house together, taking on her two kids and potentially having a child together. Once all this happens, big travel adventures will be limited. I have travelled and seen quite a bit of Latin America and North America but Asia is somewhere I really wanted to go whilst the opportunity was still there. Whenever I talk to people about travel, most people travel to Asia so I always feel I don't have much to talk about on this continent as my focus has always been Latin America. I talk to Fiona and ask if she'll be ok if I travel to Asia alone because I feel if I don't do this trip I'll have regrets and would ... read more

The change over from the new C Line metro is not quite finished yet so there is a 1km walk to the A Line at St Giovanni. It was sunny today with a high of 17degrees so we took the C Metro from Mirti to St Giovanni. The St Giovanni Basilica is fabulous especially when your'e not expecting it. It is the most ancient early Christain Basilica and was built by Constantine in 313AD. The skulls of St Peter & St Paul are kept as relics here. It was a seat of the papacy before it was relocated to the Vatican. Inside the basilica are buried 22 Popes. It is just as grand as St Peters Basilica. We continued on to walk around the Coloseum and Circus Maximus (600m long). Still hoards of people sightseeing...... read more