Roma

We had a great time last weekend in Rome. Thanks so much to Merche & Diego for letting us stay at their apartment. It was a beautiful apartment in the perfect location - right in the center of the city.

We arrived in Rome late on Friday night. We must've looked like tourists because we are pretty sure that our cab driver was in the mafia. He ended up charging us an arm and a leg for our cab fare to the city, but we paid him to avoid problems and to avoid being hit by any of the oncoming trains (as he dropped us off on the train tracks). We were just happy to be in Rome! I think I spotted the cab driver later in the trip dressed like a Roman Gladiator in front of the Coliseum, smoking and text messaging on his cell phone. Again, ripping off the poor tourists who just want to take his picture. Just kidding about it being the same guy as the cab driver - it probably was his brother or something.

We woke up 'early' on Saturday morning hoping to make it to the Vatican before the crowd. We stopped on our way for some breakfast - a café and cornette (like a danish). I think that my idea of early isn't the same as everyone else's. We waited in line for about two hours to get into the Vatican Museum (including the Sistine Chapel) and then fought with the crowds through the winding hallways. It was worth it! It was amazing to see all of the artwork, the elaborate ceilings, and the beautiful gardens. I couldn't take any pictures inside the Sistine Chapel itself, but it was amazing. I already had a crick in my neck from looking at all the artwork on the ceilings on the way to the Chapel - once we got inside it was just overwhelming. I could've stood there for hours admiring the work of Michelangelo, but it was jam packed with tour groups and I was feeling a little claustrophobic. I had to have an extra glass of wine at lunch to wind-down. (June, the Sistine Chapel is to me what Rachel Ray is to you. hehe ;)

After the Sistine Chapel we walked down the street and toured St. Peters Basilica and the tombs at Saint Peters. We saw the tombs/crypts of several of the past Pope's, including Saint Peter and Pope John Paul II. Even though I'm not Catholic, it was amazing to see the place that is the center of a whole religion. We took our time and walked through the Piazza San Pietro (the large square in front of the Basilica), enjoying the fountains and the history stories in our tour book.

We had a good Italian lunch of bruschetta, salad, pasta, and wine before heading over to the Spanish Steps. These steps are called the 'Spanish Steps' because the Spanish embassy used to be located nearby and they were designed by a Spanish man in the 18th century. The steps were beautiful, covered in pink azaleas. Can you find me in the picture below? (hint: I'm wearing a black top and blue jeans) :)

Next we took the subway over to the Coliseum. It was huge and amazing. It is a shame that more of it doesn't remain intact today, but to think that this structure has been there since about 80 A.D. is just mind boggling. The Coliseum used to be covered in marble, but at some point the Romans decided they could better use the marble in more modern buildings, so they started tearing it down. It is now protected as a 'church' and there are restoration projects ongoing to try to restore or maintain as much of the structure as possible.

As we were leaving to Coliseum the rain started to POUR down. I'm talking serious rain, flooded streets, inside out umbrellas, and no place to go for shelter. We had just grabbed a gelato, so we were stuck, huddled under our umbrellas eating ice cream in the rain. We tried to wait it out for a little while, but the rain wasn't stopping. We made a mad dash across town to the apartment and were soaking wet. We both only brought one pair of shoes and they were now dripping wet.

We changed clothes, waited for the rain to stop, and went out to dinner in the plaza outside the Pantheon (in our soaking wet shoes, sans socks). It was beautiful at night! We had some salad and pizza and enjoyed staring at the most complete ancient Roman building remaining today.

Sunday started out a lot like Saturday, with café and cornettes. We did a lot of walking on Sunday, but managed to avoid most lines! We stopped for photos at the Vittoriano Museum and the Piazza del Campidoglio before making our way to the Forum. The Forum was very interesting. We didn't have a map showing what everything was, so we had to use our imaginations. The Forum had the same fate as the Coliseum - many of the structures were taken apart to be used elsewhere in the city for modern buildings. Some of the larger archways and columns still remain intact.

We walked over to the Trevi fountain and threw in some money to ensure that we'd return to Rome one day. I just threw in $.01, hoping that it would ensure a return trip to somewhere else in Italy. (don't get me wrong, I love Rome, but I'd also love to see Venice or somewhere else) ;)

After lunch we made our way inside the Pantheon. The building is actually considered an architectural wonder and one of the greatest accomplishments of Ancient Romans, as the dome forms a perfect circle and is exactly as wide as it is high. The Romans designed the dome so when it rains there is a waterfall inside and the water flows out through nearly invisible holes in the marble floor! We were almost hoping it would rain while we were inside so we could see it, but no such luck.

We walked some more, ate some more Gelato, and made it to the Piazza Navona. This plaza is huge and very very busy! There are fountains, vendors, artists, performers, restaurants, hotels, and a church! We saw one guy performing with little dolls taped to his hands with the shoes on his fingers and he makes them dance. I guess he's 'famous' - he has dvd's and everything. He was entertaining, but a little bit scary.

Around the corner from the Piazza Navona is the Pasquino, or "the talking statue". People come and glue notes to the base of this statue. I couldn't read any of them (they were in Italian), but I'm sure they were all important.

The rest of the afternoon was spent walking, taking pictures, and walking some more. We went to the Portico d'Ottavia and saw an old theatre with a mansion built on top of it. It was really interesting to see the really really old building with the modern brick building on top. We crossed over the oldest bridge in Rome, the Ponte Cestio, to get to Isola Tiberina, a small island in the middle of the Tiber River. The small island is home to a hospital. We then crossed the Ponte Fabricio to get to Trastevere, where we ate dinner. We went to a small, off the beaten path, restaurant called da Lucia. It was funny because Juan ordered for both of us and then the waiter looked at me and asked what I'd like ;) In Italy there are first, second, and third plates. Usually a salad, pasta, and meat. We ordered one of each - to share. I guess people actually have all three if they're going to have a big and long meal.

Merche, Diego, and Santiago got back to Rome from their weekend away on Monday morning. We hung out in the apartment for a while and made our way over to Campo de' Fiori (a market area) for some beer/wine while Santiago ate his lunch. We went to the Piazza Navona to walk around, play, and chase some pidgeons before it was time for Santiago's nap. While Santiago was asleep, Merche, Diego, Juan, and I went out for some delicious pizza and macchiatos. It was great to have a few hours to talk with them and catch up.

The weekend was a whirl-wind to say the least. You need more than 2 days to see Rome. There are so many things we didn't get to see or do. It definitely deserves another, longer, trip in the future. Oh, and we got to check a few more things off the list of 1,000 Places to See Before You Die!

Next up - Madrid! We're leaving Friday night and spending Juan's birthday weekend Tapa hopping! Keep your fingers crossed for some nice weekend weather. I don't want to walk around in any more soggy shoes.