When in Rome...
Trip Start
Sep 17, 2008
1
15
21
Trip End
Jun 04, 2009
Rome,
Lazio,
Italy
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
After a long day of travel that consisted of a 4 hour and 45 minute bus ride to Madrid and a 1 hour and 45 minute flight from Madrid to Rome, we finally arrived at our bed and breakfast that was so highly recommended on the internet. It was not more than an old refurbished apartment with a small lobby and three rooms, located on the 4th floor of a building in central Rome. That being said, it was more than sufficient and was a great value!
We arrived after dark on Saturday night, around 7:00, so we did not have plans to do any sightseeing, but we were very hungry and I (Tyler) had been craving pizza since we left the U.S. After checking in and dropping off our bags, we set out on the streets surrounding Rome´s main transportation hub, Termini Train Station. The area around the station is very dirty and there are many interesting if not shady characters mulling the streets in this part of town, but we did manage to find a couple of really good pizzerias. After sampling a slice or two from each place, we headed back to get some rest in anticipation of the full weekend of sightseeing to come.
We woke up around 9 the next morning to our "breakfast" that consisted of a few breakfast pastries and coffee (see the picture of Denise´s mini espresso), and then hit the streets with a map in search of Rome´s most famous monument, the Colosseum. After a short 10 minute walk we were there, and it was as impressive as we had imagined it. To avoid the long lines waiting to enter, we paid a few Euros extra and joined a guided tour. The tour included the Colosseum and Palatine Hill directly behind the Colosseum. Both places were amazing and we learned more about Roman history in 2 hours than in many hours of history classes in school.
The entire rest of the day we spent walking, taking pictures and being awed by the incredible amount of historic buildings that Rome has to offer. On Monday, our second full day in Rome, we set out for the Vatican early in order to avoid the crowds, but as it turned out, we never stood in line once during our whole visit. Seeing St. Peter´s tomb and the many fascinating displays in the Vatican Museum were the highlights of the day and after saying goodbye to the Pope (we really didn´t see him) at about 2 o´clock and set out back through town. Denise wanted to find some ruins close to the Pantheon where we had been told that a cat sanctuary was located. We found the cat sanctuary/ruins without any difficulty and even managed to discover that there is actually a cat clinic built into the walls of the ruins where abandoned cats have been taken in. Needless to say, this cat clinic got Denise´s award for best sight in Rome, although she was also certainly impressed by the other monuments.
On Tuesday we headed home happy and exhausted from a very full weekend. Denise said later that Rome made her feel incredibly small, being only one woman in the extraordinary history of the world and I agree. Rome is not only fascinating, but quite humbling as well.
