Corallo Rome

... hung out, had our FREE DINNER!! It was just a plate of pasta...but Free none the less with a glass of wine as well...good deal really. After dinner the four of us decided to go for some Gelatti (no big surprise with Leanne and I lol) and then we were just back at the hostel for the evening.<br><br>Day 1 in Rome we headed over to the Colosseum and the Palatine area...wow it was quite a site to see the Colosseum as you walked ...

... we turned around to see the moon rising over teh Coloseo. To see the bright full moon rising over teh Coloseo is just breathtaking. So we hustled over to take some great pictures. Somehow I'm going to have to get everone's pictuers before I start my scrapbook. Our group is very different, yet kinda similar, but we get along great. We are almsot halfway through and we are just getting cloaser and closer as a group. What a great blessing!

... the bag check and metal detector and then we were through. We heard about the seating plan very like a modern football stadium with white marble and limestone facings covering the brick which is almost all that's left. It is still a magnificent site though. Most of the walls are there to near the original height, you can clearly see the under floor preparation areas for wild animals and gladiators and one small section of the original seating still remains. The area of wall ...

... easier than taking public transportation and one price works for a 2-day pass! st. peter's basilica was pretty darn impressive...luckily since it wasn't sunday the lines weren't too awful and we were able to get in without any problems (to get into the basilica women &amp; men can't be showing too much leg or bare shoulders...luckily i left my leather mini-skirt and matching midrift tanktop at home...haha...)... saw the famous Pieta and walked ...

... early, I'm not sure if it was the anticipation, nerves or excitement, but sleep was somewhat hard to come by, well, for me anyway.. Anyway, we made it to the airport to check-in a couple hours before take-off, the line there was huge! Seemed like the only international flight going out that arvo, I guess that's Adelaide for you! While waiting in line, lo-and-behold, Brian spots a familiar face - Richard - he was going back home for a couple of weeks ...

... Apparently buda and pest were at one point 2 seperate cities until they were joined in some unknown year for some unknown reason by the chain bridge and called BudaPest. (Clever Hungarians!) So we crossed the chain bridge, took the tram up to the castle which was AMAZING!.. The view was so beautiful, our pictures just dont do it justice. Last mkinute thoughts on Budapest: Absolutely GORGOES! Awesome Shopping.. Dirtt cheap!.. VERY rude women!! (*****es!!! says cammy) After budapest ...

... our group we had a total of 5 rooms, each were the same price, but they were all very different (some small, some showers, some tubs only) The rooms were decent, but the bathrooms were terrible. It made Venice look good...........REALLY good!!! Our room had a "shower", right above it was a huge hole with God knows what crawling out of it...ugh. The staff was family run. Some of the members (the daughter, and manager) were nice, the rest were very ...

The bags are packed and the to-do lists are filled with checkmarks. I can't believe I'll be on a plane bound for Italy tomorrow! I don't even think it's really set in yet? Am I ready for illy coffee and darting vespas? For Sophia Lauren and tuscan wine? Not yet!!! I'm going to wrap stuff up around the apartment and update you all once I get over there!! Hope everyone is doing well!! Thanks for checking out my site... drop me a message!! elle

... were completely finished). Finally, we go to the lower floor to make our way towards the Sistine Chapel. We have to walk through a long gallery (The Gallery of Maps), which holds large topographical maps of Italy. The Gallery of Maps The ceiling looks golden and has beautiful paintings. Even though it is late in the afternoon, there is a river of people (actually more like a torrent) walking towards the ...

... Another couple of tourists were lost as well, and a passing "master" glassblower who was passing, took us in tow and lead us to the main canal. We followed the Walking Tour guidebook along the canal, particularly enjoying three loggia style buildings. These were designed so that the top floor sat above the street, running along the edge of the canal, with its windows able to be opened to unload and load the boats in the canal. The most exciting building however, has to be the ...