When in Rome

On our last and final day in Rome we went for the trifecta. We saw Trevi Fountain, Spanish steps, Pantheon, and Piazza Novana.

We started at the Spanish Steps.

Lots of tourists; basically it was a church at the top of a hill with lots of stairs leading up to it. Not very exciting. I’m sure with a guide telling us the history it would have been more interesting. However, it was just a bunch of steps to other church and another thing to mark off my bucket list.

(I am actually in this picture. Did anyone play "Where's Waldo"?)

Next we saw the Trevi Fountains. Although pictures and describing it to people who haven’t been there makes it seem very uneventful and just another fountain; it was my favorite of the ENTIRE trip! Still not sure why. It was beautiful, huge, and very peaceful. Ironic since there are tons of tourists taking pictures and throwing in coins. But still my favorite!

The Pantheon was awesome! Gianormous!! The outside was pillaged of all it’s splendor but the inside was mostly intact. The Catholics of course took it over and there are some popes and former monarchs buried there. But it gives you a glimpse of what Rome looked like in it’s pagan days and what the Colosseum coulda, woulda, shoulda looked like. AMAZING!!!

Last and certainly least was Piazza Novana. Our tour guide talked it up for the optional excursions like it was some big and great thing to see. We got there and it was two fountains on either side of the piazza (city square –or shopping area) flanked by cafés and pizzerias (restaurants) and people selling paintings in between.

We considered buying a painting for the house but soon realized that all of them were selling almost identical paintings. I really would have wanted an original –especially for the price they wanted – not a mass produced reproduction that I can find in the states! So we didn’t buy one and headed back toward the hotel to do some shopping. (I got me a pair of shoes –of course!)

Italy was definitely our favorite!!! We both agreed that we HAVE to come back some day! The food was fantastic. The sights were amazing. And the people were really nice!

(Nick's favorite restaurant!)

Ciao!! Arrivederci!! Au revoir!!! Cheerio!!!

Buen giorno!!

Our first morning in Rome we had breakfast at the hotel. We met a very nice older couple at breakfast that gave us a secret to getting into the Vatican Museum/Sistine Chapel. Go later in the day when the lines are not as long!!

Yummy donuts!

And then headed off to the included St Peter’s Basillica tour. The church was HUGE and amazing!! I think I enjoyed St Paul’s Cathedral a little more because it seemed more open had more light. St Peter’s was very beautiful and the largest of all the catholic churches in the world. On the floor they have stars showing the size of other famous churches around the world including St Paul’s. It’s interesting to see the size compared to other places we’ve already been.

Our next stop was to the Colosseum. This was Nick’s favorite place! We found out that all the marble, stone, and bronze that is in St Peter’s Basillica came from the Colosseum and other Roman ruins. The structures from ancient Rome are not falling down due to time or nature but by man. The Romans built their structures to last forever and the Catholic church came around hundreds of years later and pillaged the pagan temples for their own churches and temples.

We then headed back over to the Vatican Museum to find the Sistine Chapel. Our breakfast buddies were right! The museum stops accepting visitors at 4pm; so we got there at 3pm and walked right in!!! No lines at all!!

However, they don’t make the Sistine Chapel easy to find. You basically have to go through the entire museum to find it. It was not like the Louvre where we could get the Sistine Chapel (Mona Lisa) done and move on. Nope. Miles of hallways and thousands of paintings, carvings, and sculptures later we finally found it!

(Very blurry Creation of Adam)

Pardon the VERY blurry pictures; you’re not allowed to take photos in this room so all of these pictures are pirated. The guards were yelling (in a reverent whisper, of course) at everyone about not taking pictures or video. It was a little chaotic. It was also very beautiful! Amazing! I can now see why it would take Michelangelo 11 years to paint it.

I over heard a guide talking to some people and he said that Michelangelo originally painted everyone naked. The pope at the time didn’t like that everyone was naked and wanted him to cover all the genitals. Michelangelo refused to do it and told the pope to find someone else! The Pope called Michelangelo’s best friend and apprentice, Botticelli, to paint the fig leaves and robes to cover their private parts! Although I can’t find this lovely story on Wikipedia anywhere I still like the story!

In all the crowd and hustle & bustle of finding and being herded out of the Sistine Chapel we missed the painting of The Last Supper. ;( I guess that will just give me a reason to come back again!

On the road again....

The next day we were headed to Rome. Originally when we booked this particular tour it was because our journey from Paris to Rome was on an overnight train. Two weeks before we left on our trip (when all balances were paid –sneaky little so-and-sos) I got an email saying that the train was canceled and instead we would be flying to Rome and have an extra day there! Our flight was to leave Paris at 11:05am. We left for the airport around 8:45am and while standing in line to get through security we were informed that the flight was delayed about 1 ½ - 2 hours! So they told us to go get something to eat and hang out (in that airport there are no restaurants past security. If you want something to eat do before going through security!) Nick and I headed to a café for a beverage and while Nick was in line the security guy came by and said that the flight was going to be on time and start going through security! YEAH!!!

Nick and I headed to security, got our luggage checked in, received our boarding pass that said our gate was 10! YEAH! We might just be in Rome by 1pm and get a little bit of sightseeing in! Past security we attempted to find gate 10. But wait… all the gates had letters behind this glorious number 10 that would lead us to Rome and out of the hell of Paris!

Long boring story short the flight from Paris to Rome was DELAYED!! FOUR!!! HOURS!!!! They claim it was due to an air traffic controllers strike! WHATEVER!!!

We finally arrive in Rome, everyone (30 people in our tour group) got their luggage and we head to the bus. Of course we are not all staying at the same hotel –why make it easy?! And to make it worse there was an optional excursion for that night. Dinner, wine, and music for the low low price of 46 euros per person!!! (Eye-roll please!) So, half the bus still wanted to do the dinner (crazy people!). We had to stop at the restaurant to drop of the crazies, and then to the first hotel (ours was second of course!), and FINALLY we made it to our final destination at 10 PM!!!!!!

On the plus side, the room was huge compared to the last two we stayed in, had air conditioning and a KING sized bed, and a refrigerator!!!!! SCORE! We got our luggage to our room, headed back down stairs and asked the front desk for the closest restaurant that was still open. (I had my map of course!)

The concierge directed us across the street to Ciro, Ciro. Nick and I both ordered a pizza and it quickly became not only Nick’s favorite restaurant in the whole world but his favorite country too! Not only does Rome have a pizzeria on every corner but also a gelateria (Italy's own ice cream shops)! I think Nick has found heaven on Earth!