Our hotel is located about 3/4 km away from the main train station so we grabbed our bags and the ipod with directions and headed off. We instantly knew we liked Rome. I don't know how we knew but we both commented on how comfortable we felt.
The street our hotel sits on is one of international flavours. McDonalds on the corner, Japanese 1/2 block up then a Chinese restaurant 1/2 block past the hotel. I want you to know that we have not tried any of these eateries but after 6 weeks of pasta, we have been tempted. And after being in Sorrento for so long it was nice to see we had a lot more options.
Our train got into Rome early so we decided in order to orient ourselves to our new town we would take the hop on hop off bus around the city. We didn't hop off but we were able to literally see all the big sights from the top of the double decker. I know some of you are probably shaking your head thinking what a tacky tourist thing to do, but we did it in London, Sydney and San Francisco and it really helps to get the lay of the land. Besides we were too late to get into most sights by that time.
Our first full day in Rome was spent going to the Collosseum and Forum. These two places were the big "must see" for us both. We walked the 2kms to the Collosseum through some very nice residential areas then we turned a corner and there it was. As we approached the building, we were inundated by refugees selling everything from scarves, tripods, and umbrellas to little plastic Collosseum key rings. Every few steps we were approached. This is just so different from any of our other experiences but we have since been told that if we thought Rome was bad, wait until we get to Cairo, it is 10 times worse! Of course lining the street are vendors with their "real" furla bags, rolex watches and ray ban sunglasses. Surprisingly, we saw people every day buying crap from these guys.
The Colloseum is an awesome sight. You hold your breath the first time you see it because you can't believe you are seeing it for real, at least that was our experience. The best benefit of visiting Rome in November is that the city is empty of tourists. We had no advance tickets and we walked in the door 20 minutes after standing in line. The tour guides outside try to convince you that the line is hours long (which normally it is) and if you take a tour you can jump the queue. We didn't need a tour guide as we had Rick Steeves on the ipod to tell us everything we need to know. His walking tour of the Collosseum was 45 minutes of nothing but information. These free downloads have saved us so much money it is unbelieveable.
I won't bore you with another history lesson as you really should see this one for yourself but suffice it to say we were awestruck by what we saw.
The Forum, which is across the road and down a bit is just as impressive. We got turned around trying to find the entrance of the Forum and as the Italians don't want to overstate things their signage is almost non exixtant. The entrance was all tarped over with no sign on it at all which was frustrating after walking the same 5 streets for almost an hour! That said, it really does drive all those history lessons home when you do arrive and actually walk in front of Julius Caesar's home and burial spot, which by the way, people still put live flowers on as you can see from the picture below.
After about 5 hours of continuous walking we headed back to our hotel. We both needed a nap before we headed back out to dinner. We decided to go the Hard Rock Cafe which we thought was a funny choice for our first night but it was so much fun. Firstly, the place was packed with people from every corner of the globe looking for a bit of Americana. Secondly, they had music, loud classic rock music, that both Joe and I love. The menu is standard burgers, fries, chicken wings and pulled pork sandwiches. It felt like we had travelled to New York City or Las Vegas all in the course of 2 hours. Good fun for something completely different from the last 6 weeks of travelling.
The next thing on our agenda was the Pantheon which architecturally speaking is a work of art. The duomo in Florence as well as the White House in Washington were both modelled after this creation.
One of the cool things about the Pantheon is it is wide open at the top so when it rains, it rains inside too. The romans built holes in the marble floor to allow the rain water to drain out. The day we were there it was raining so it was out of the ordinary to see it rain inside a building! The weather has been very unpredictable. Most days start our sunny but end with teaming rain or vice versa. We have become very good at dressing for all weather!
We have walked everywhere in the city preferring that over the crowded buses.
Yesterday we went to the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel. We decided it would be a good idea to take a tour as there is so much to see and I am glad we did. The tour we were on was 2 hours long and we were both overwhelmed by the information, art, history and education we were given. November is a great time to visit as our guide told us that we were one of his smallest groups he has had ever, 14 in total. We were able to move around without crowds, get close to statues and have uninhibited views of most things.
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| This tapestry of the Resurrection seemed to follow you as you walked by, very eerie! |
The Sistine Chapel by the way, took 10 years to clean using a brush smaller than a toothbrush and many people do clean it.
We have also visited the must see spots like the Trevi Fountain...
We also went on a walking tour of Trastevere and Jewish Ghetto neighbourhoods which provided many delights along the way.
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| This is the one of oldest Christian Churches in Rome |
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| Even the babies are stylish, look at how small these shoes are! |
Gucci
 Chanel |
| I had a pair of these boots when I was 14, the year was 1977. They came with a brush! |
Versace
Alberta FerrettiAnd you should see the boots...oh, the BOOTS!!!
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| Here I am waiting impatiently for Joe to hurry up. Notice the boots! |
I must tell you about meeting a representive from Giorgio Armani!
Our first day here, as we walked to the Collosseum, a man in a business suit pulled up in his car and asked us for directions to the train station. As this is probably the only place we would know how to get to (because we just arrived there hours earlier) we told him how to get there and he thanked us profusely, shaking our hands, and asking us where we were from. When we told him we were from Canada he said his wife was from Montreal and he LOVES Canada! He then proceeded to tell us that he was a business man visiting from Milano. He said he worked for Giorgio Armani showing us his binder with Armani ads in it. He said he was so grateful for our help, he wanted to give us a gift, but we had to promise not to sell it if he gave it to us. Leather jackets for both of us!!!
This is when the story twists. Our son Matthew had the same unfortunate experience when he was here 2 years ago. Different guy, slightly different story but the guy is trying to get money for fake (pleather) jackets. As soon as he started to show us the jackets we both burst out laughing and said "I don't think so!" in a very firm, we know your jig, kind of way. He sped off very shortly after that. This guy was soooo slick, I bet he gets suckers several times a day.
Aaahhhh Rome...you gotta love it!
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