When in Rome

Before booking this escapade, S and I discussed where we should have a long layover on our way back to the States. It's a fairly "cheap" way to see a new place since we were already across the pond. We have done this once before on our South Africa trip a few years back. We did an eight hour layover in Brussels to see S's cousin studying abroad at the time and popped over to Paris for two days or so on our way back to Texas. The rest of the Bahrain group spent the weekend on the way home in Amsterdam. I want to go there someday, but I had my heart set on Rome, the eternal city. We used this trip as a belated one year anniversary as well! Talk about killing a few birds with one stone.

Those that know me, know that I am a planner and list maker. I consulted with the master, Rick Steves (RS), to plan our itinerary for the short time we had in Rome before catching our ship. The plane landed just before 7am and we took off for the exit to begin the Rome escapades.  We were in luck, a shuttle driver was in the vicinity and was able to drop us off at the street of our hotel, for just a Euro or so more than the train. I was in awe when we drove into the city and saw a portion of the ancient Roman aqueducts and the Colosseum! We stayed at a cute hotel near Piazza delia Repubblica called Hotel Aberdeen, a recommendation of RS. Our room was not ready yet, so the desk guy was so kind and let us store our baggage at the front desk and even put it in our room. We checked in and then he gave us a map and circled things to see and told us what buses to take, etc. We hopped on a bus that took us to the Vittorio Emanuele monument (the huge white building in honor of the first king of Italy). It was very impressive.  First stop of the day was at the Colosseum/Palatine Hill/Roman Forum area. Rick suggests that if you don't have tickets for these yet, to get them at the less visited Palatine Hill. THANK YOU! That was brilliant tip. The line to enter the Colosseum ticket area was incredibly long while we walked straight up to the ticket counter at the 'hill. We roamed the hill and forum while listening to some podcasts. 

One really fun thing that you should do if you ever find yourself in Rome is to have a water bottle that you can refill at nifty fountains all over the city. I believe the water comes from the aqueducts, how neat is that!! 

Next we wandered over to the Colosseum. Wow. It was such an amazing experience to be somewhere with so much history behind it. RS told us to scoot along to the left side of the lines because those people are waiting for tickets. We did as we were told and walked right in! Thinking back on it, we might have gone in the group entrance, oops!! Well, that mistake saved us a good chunk of time. The Colosseum was one of my favorite things in Rome. Another podcast filled us in with the history of this amazing place.

Next up was the Vatican! We took the Metro over there. I wore capri pants and made sure that my shoulders were covered because the dress code is strict at St. Peter's basilica and the Sistine Chapel. We stood in line to enter the basilica and when we did, I was in awe. The place is HUGE and gorgeous. 

Michelangelo's Pieta is a beautiful and heart touching sculpture. It is behind bullet proof glass now because a crazy man took a hammer to it in the 70's. This is another must see when in Rome. 

After walking all around the cathedral, we waited in line for the elevator to the dome! You have the option to walk the whole way, or take an elevator part way. My feet, especially my poor toe, thanked S for letting us pay a tad extra to take the elevator :) We still had to climb a ton of stairs, but boy was it worth it for the view! We walked around the dome area getting a good 360 degree view of Rome. 

On the way down, we stopped by a little gift shop and got an adorable tiny angel playing a French horn tree ornament! After the dome climb, we headed over to the Vatican Museum entrance. That took some time to get to as we dodged all the street vendors begging us to purchase knock off purses, sunglasses, key chains, and paper parasols. I told myself I shouldn't complain about the heat after our stint in Bahrain, but it was super warm so I mentioned it to S several times.... Our main focus of the museum was to head to the Sistine Chapel! I read that there are roughly 4 miles of exhibits in that museum. We definitely didn't have time for that.  I admit, I didn't know much about the chapel other than the neat Creation of Adam fresco by Michelangelo. We weren't allowed to take photos in there so I hope you can take a look at my friend Wikipedia. A lady got in biiiig trouble for doing so, especially when she argued with the docent guy. It was all in Italian so I didn't really know what was being said.

At this point we were starving after sharing a panini and coke for lunch. So we wondered back to our hotel. I took a few photos of the Piazza delia Repubblica before we hunted for a dinner spot. RS helped us pick dinner at a wonderful eatery, Ristorante da Giovanni. They weren't quite open yet, but they let some very hungry tourists in to snack on bread before ordering dinner. I don't remember what I ordered, I just remember really liking it. Maybe it was ravioli. Looking back, for both of the nights we were in Rome, I didn't venture out of the hotel after dark because I had worn myself out. Oh well. 

The next morning, we slept in a bit and had breakfast at our hotel. They let us check out and keep our baggage behind the desk again. We took the bus over towards the Pantheon. I'll admit, it's not pretty on the outside as you walk from behind the structure, but it sure is inside! It is so impressive. The building is 142 feet tall and 142 feet wide. The dome is made out of concrete and it becomes thinner the higher you go in the dome. There is also a neat pattern in the dome to help cut down on the weight. Pantheon, meaning to every god, was originally built to honor all the Roman gods. Now, it is a Catholic church. There is a opening at the very top of the dome that lets light and rain enter the building. The floors are slightly sloped to allow for water run off and there are drain holes built into the floor. 

After checking out the Pantheon, we wandered over to the Piazza Navona, home to some really neat Bernini fountains. Then we walked down to Campo de Fiori, a market area to check out the scene. There were vendors there selling fruits, veggies, flowers, and trinkets. We were starving at this point and decided to return to the Pantheon area to eat and people watch. We ate at a little cafe on the square called Ristorante M. Agrippa, in the shade. I ate an entire margarita pizza myself. Margarita pizza is named in honor of the first king's wife, and the colors of the flag are represented (basil/green, sauce/red, mozzarella/white). I was also on a hunt in a pharmacia for sunblock since I gave mine up so they wouldn't take it at the airport. I appreciate the price in the States. For a 3ish ounce bottle, we paid like 13 Euros!!! sheesh!

It was time to run, we had to catch a train to Civitavecchia. I had no clue how to pronounce that place, so S and I called it chicken pizza. We hauled our carry on luggage to the Termini train station, purchased tickets, and then went to where we thought we would wait for the train. A guy said we were in the wrong place so he lead us over to the right track. He then proceeded to bug us incessantly for money. Sir, where I come from, you help just to help and don't do it for money. To be honest, we didn't have any spare change to give him. I could have given him some Bahraini fils but I think he would have been more upset at us. After 5 or so minutes hounding us, he left the train in a huff. Finally the train took off. Next up, cruise adventure!

I forgot to mention that S and I had a game going on. We played "spot the Scarabeo." A Scarabeo is a type of an Italian scooter and I have one at home! Her name is Milan. We began this game last year in Hawaii, but with Mustangs. In both locations, we saw tons of what we were looking for and even gave up counting.

Me on Milan and S's motorcycle (I call it Bandit)