Roma: day 1

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Roma: Day 1

Arriving in Rome wasnt as easy as we would have liked.  The bus station in paris was a shit show, as they over sold the bus tickets, leaving many travelers waiting for later buses.  The panicked crowd, all running and shoving there way onto each arriving bus, screaming in various languages, included Justin and I. Once we finally boarded our bus, we were stuck in traffic that only those from dc can sympathize with.  Now, it was blatantly obvious we were going to miss our flight to Rome.    Once we finally did arrive to the Paris-beauvais airport (which for the record is nowhere near Paris) we were left at the wrong terminal.  So with our super heavy backpacks we booked it to the other side of the airport.  We arrived at the correct terminal to find our flight to Rome delayed.    Thank god!  I have never been so happy for unreliability.  If you want to be late and still make your flight, fly ryanair.   Also, try not to fly out of Paris-beauvais.  

We landed in Rome around midnight, caught a friendly cab driver who allowed me to brush up on my really bad italian, and made it to our charming hotel before 1 in the morning.   Not bad for a nights work.  

We are staying at hotel San Pietrino, near the vatican.  We are a few metro stops away from the city center, but the hotel is cheap, has friendly english speaking service, and air conditioning.  After the flight we slept hard to prepare for the marathon day which we had today.  

This morning began with the colosseum.  Though I had bought print at home tickets, I wasn't exactly sure the extent to which we would be standing in lines.  Generally speaking I hate crowds and lines so my goal was to be early and beat the crowds.  Now if you know my husband, he isn't exactly an early bird.   But, my nagging won out, and we were out that door by 800am.   We soon discovered the print at home tickets are well worth the extra 4€ you pay for them.  We didn't beat the crowds by any means, but we skipped the line!!!  The same was true for our next stop the roman forum.  The colosseum and forum were crazy old and cool.  To walk among such old buildings, with such history, like where Julius Cesar was assassinated for example, is amazing.  We were dorks again and listened to the Rick steves audio guide, and again it was well worth it.  The background knowledge he gives you not only helps you to better understand the exact object you are looking at, but also helps you to recognize other impressive sights as well.  And it's free.  

After our tour through ancient Rome, we headed to the adorable neighborhood across the river called Trastevere.  SO cute, and also quite nice to get away from the crowds.  We ate lunch at Dar Poeta, and had an exceptionally great meal, red wine included.   After that busy morning, (and more likely the wine), we needed a nap.   Now I didn't feel bad about this, as most of Italy naps around the late afternoon anyway.  We were just submerging ourselves in the culture.  

We awoke, a tad later than we wanted, to see the rest of Rome at night.  Our first stop was to the Spanish steps to watch the sunset.  Because we slept too late, we watched the sky get dark instead, it was almost as pretty, I'm sure.  After, we strolled to the famous trevi fountain, where Justin made a wish.  We then walked to the pantheon, piazza novana, and the campo di fiori.  We had a small pasta dish, then bused it home as the metro line was closed for repairs.  All in all, a quite perfect day.  

On a side note, Italians really do have a big slow lunch, nap at midday, hang out in any open public space in the evening, then eat a late meal, kind of culture.  I wonder if any of them work.  It's nice though to be on their schedule.  I just don't understand how they aren't one million pounds!  

Tomorrow, it's the Vatican then off to SIena!

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