When In Rome...

So there we were in Rome.



We got off the train, and it was sheer madness around us. We had intended to buy passes to the hop-on-hop-off tour buses that take people around Rome, but we didn't know where to go. We tried to find an information booth, but couldn't seem to find one. We asked a guy where we mind find information and he told us to go to the other side of the train station. We walked over to the other side, and saw no information booth. We decided we would have to get a taxi or two, but the was gonna be lots of Euro.

As we stood there wondering what to do, up walks a Italian man who asks, "Information?" Rome blessing #2! I turn to him and with a huge grin and exclaim, "Yes, that's exactly what we had been looking for!" To our great joy, he turns out to be the owner of most of the hop-on-hop-off buses. Our new pal takes us to the office a block from the train station and has the girl ring us up for tickets that will take care of us for the next 24 hours (how long we would happen be in Rome). Then he walks us to stop #1 and gets us on a tour bus. At first we just rode the bus past sights and listened to the recorded tour till we were near our hotel and got off.

Reading maps was such a trial!! Each road seemed to have 2 names, and it was SO CONFUSING! So finally a light bulb went on in my head, I told them to follow me, and the next thing we knew, we were in front of our hotel. Thank goodness! Lets call that Rome blessing #3! Our hotel was the 5th floor of a building, one floor, that's all. But it was cool and we had skeleton keys.Finally, after a VERY long journey to Rome, with VERY little sleep, we were there, in a hotel room!
The man at the desk directed us to the street around the corner for some food. We passed 2 doors to the restaurant and each said we couldn't go in, so we went into the very next door, which was open, only it didn't lead into the restaurant at all, and the door closed behind us... no door knob. :( So as we prepared to break the door down to get out, here came this Italian girl down the stairs, "No, no, no!" she says, and pushes a button on the wall 5 feet from the door, and the door swung open. Ha ha, I'm still laughing, it was so funny! So we realized there was a door on the other side of the 1st 2, and went in. No one was there but us and it was 7 pm. Around 8 people began to filter in, and soom the place was swamped. They eat late there.

I had pizza... it was okay. They only make pizza with a thin crust, and I love thick soft crust, and there wasn't a ton of flavor, which my friend, Mr. Jeremy Tietjens, had warned me about, so I was prepared. Finally we hit the hay, and slept like rocks... okay, I still didn't sleep that well. One bed squeaked a lot, so everytime my friend moved, I'd hear her bed squeak and I'd wake up. Oh well.

So the next morning we ate at the bed and breakfast and headed to the Vatican City on foot, since we were near by. And that was cool!

You wouldn't believe the beautiful murals and sculptures inside St. Paul's basilica (the buliding we are standing in front of in the picture above).
There were bodies of dead popes inside the basilica, some bronzed, some crystalized. Kinda crazy to see, and I must say, they were sort men.


So then we went to the Sistine Chapel, and that, my friends, was an experience. The journey to the chapel was a long one. There was hallway after hallway, room after room, of murals, tapistries, sculptures, etc. It just went on and on, and there was so much beautiful and amazing stuff to see. FINALLY, we made it to the chapel, and alas, we could not take pictures. "Shh, no photo!" That's what this guy kept says, over and over. So once we had stiff necks from looking up so much, we headed to the next destination, Trevy Fountain.

So the tradition is to throw a coin over your left shoulder with your left hand into the fountain, and you will return to Rome again... so we tried it.



Somehow Melissa (the one in the balck hat) missed, so I guess she won't be going back. Then we had some gelato (Italian ice cream) and the cute guy working at the shop was flirting with me, so that was fun. On to the Colosseum.


So I really liked this place! As a side note, I LOVE Rome! You drive, or walk, around the city, and there is a random column from an old ancient building here, a historical building there, another clump of ruines there.... it's just so wonderful.

So back on track, the colosseum. We went with a tour group through this, so we were able to learn so much about the history and the structure of this building, and it was SO fasinating. The stage where everything took place is pretty much gone, reaviling the tunnels beneith where they kept the gladiators and animals they brought in for fights. It was pretty interersting to see.


I must also say, I'm so impressed when I see this stuff, the art in the the Vatican City, the architecture, all of it, it's so amazing and and detailed and... amazing, that's all I can really say. They didn't have the tools and machines we have now days, so the skills of the craftsmen is that much more impressive to me.


We were now running out of time till our flight back to Venice, I wanted to go see the truth stone (the face you see in Roman Holiday where you put your hand in it's mouth and if you tell a lie, it's supposedly bites you), but I was overruled and we went to the Pantheon.

The Pantheon was a building with a huge opening in the middle of the ceiling, so when it's sunny, rainy, snowy... the light and/or percipitation coming through the opening makes quite a sight, or so I hear, we didn't get to see it. By the time we found the Pantheon (we got a few bum directions from people) we were in a hurry to photograph and grab some taxies to take us to the airport.

Oh look at the time... later. Hope ya'll ain't bored yet.