Roma wasn't built in a day, hay hay hay
Trip Start
Jan 09, 2008
1
44
70
Trip End
Ongoing
Where I stayed
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Friday, April 3, 2009
We found a great cafe and had a wonderful lunch in a wee alley and then grab a gelato and headed to the stadium. What a sight when you first see it, I was speachless (which is pretty hard to do), we finished our gelato in awe of this amazing building. We found a tour but we were a few euros short so the aussie bloke from the gold coast gave us an aussie discount.....top bloke. We had a tour around the colosseum and learnt all about it and then jumped on another tour (included in the price) for a whip around Pallentine Hill (where the first settlement in Rome was and the Emperors lived. After our tour we strolled down the old town past Romolus Temple (ever wondered why it's called Rome....after this guy killed his brother Remus) past some other temples, had a rest where Julius Ceasar's ashes are and then made our way to the Tiber river. After a few hours walking we decided to have a break in a bar and had a relaxing vino while watching the world go by. Found a lovely Pizzeria for dinner where Katheirne had a pizza and I had my first Calzone! Unbelievable! had another bottle of vino and some tirimusu and white truffle ice-cream for dessert. We then strolled up past the Vatican, St Peter's Basilica, Castel Sant'Angelo and back to the Colosseum. This is a beautiful city by day and a spectacular city by night! We then grab a metro train and back to our room to get some shut eye.
The next day we were up early once again to grab our tour of the Vatican city. Now I must say that we usually don't do so many tours but in this city you sort of have to if you want to know anything about the actual stuff your seeing. So grabbed a tour I would loce to say what we saw but there is just so much! We did see some frescos by Michaelago and Raphelo, Nero's bathtub (rare purple marble...none left in the world) and scuptures from Egypt and Greece well over 2000 or 3000 years old. After the tour we stayed with some Canadian girls had a look around the Basilica and then headed out of Vatican city. We did however have a last stop before we left......I wandered up to some Swiss guards (in the funny uniforms) and grab 4 tickets for the Palm Sunday service the next day. We had totally forgotten we were in Rome on Palm Sunday.....only the massive Palms on St. Peter's Basilica gave it away. We then had a great lunch and got some free Lemonchello shots after our pasta.....nice lemonchello! We stolled along the laneways and anyways to the Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Stairs and finally Piazza de Popolo. Later that night we were to a great little restruant, we were the only non Romans in there and it was amazing the food...there was heaps, the flavour....there was heaps and the bill.......was quite small actually!
Palm Sunday, sleep in......I don't think so. We stubbled up to the Vatican, meet our Canadian friends and waited in line with all of the other nuns and priest and young spanish people. After about an hour we were in and grabbed our seats, we were only 15 rows from the front......you could actually see the pope with your own eyes! The service was great, long and in Latin so didn't really understand it but could get the gist of it. Had communion with the thousands (the church is still standing) and finished the servicewith the sun beating down hard (I actually got burnt which was a strange sensation). When the service was finished the pope boarded the Pope mobile and started to drive off the crowd went nuts! It was like a rock concert, people were up on their cars and waving the hands, calling out, screaming! It was like nothing I have ever seen. We quickly went back to the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain before grabbing our bags and heading for the train. We only just caught the train to the airport so go our flight back to Edinburgh.
What a weekend so packed full of stuff but wouldn't wish it any other way except to have more time in this wonderful city. We had a wee bit tripidacion as you hear people going on about how amazing this city is and you know what.........they are so right. Anyway until our next adventure I bid the farwell and remember if you ever find yourself in Rome.....when in Rome......
