Roma ROMAMA!

Ok let me start off by saying Rome is freakin' crazy. I don't mean that in a bad way, but nor do I simply mean that it is big or busy. Here are just a few of the bizarre things we have witnessed since our arrival -
-a drunk African man walking through a terrace restaurant singing 'All That She Wants Is Another Baby' by Ace of Base at the top of his lungs, which he's listening to on a cassette walkman
-two women walking out of a wine bar, one wearing a hijab,one in full naquib face covering, both wearing hotpants and one with only a sparkly turquiose glitter bra style crop top.
-buses not much bigger than a work van
-police smoking cigarettes in uniform in the station next to no smoking signs
-local men dressed up in plastic gladiator outfits trying to get you to pose for photos for a euro or two wearing an unrelated plastic crown while they smoke as well
-one young man on the metro with his eyebrows so severely shaped he looked like a disney villain
-many women with so much collagen injected into their lips they look like fish
-25 euro placards with a vague blessing from the pope where you can fill in the blanks
-toilets with extra jets to functions as a bidet using toilet water
-ute trucks with a cab for ONE that have three wheels and need to be perfectly balanced with their loads so as not to topple over.

I hope this doesn't sound negative - we have loved it here, it is just so unusual, diverse, and pretty much like stepping onto another planet. Lets start at the beginning.


Our train trip was livened up by the company of a sweet girl from Florence going to visit family in the south. She recommended we have drinks at a piazza known as Campo De Fiora and wished us a long and happy life together. When we arrived at our hotel, WRH Termini we were told that there was a small problem and that on our fifth night with them we would be moved... to a suite in a nicer part of town with a king size bed and "Ya-coos-ee!' (Jacuzzi if you didn't get that!). Gee, damn! We loved our room which had the silhoutte of a grandfather clock stencilled on the wall and a beautiful canopied four poster bed. We had a walk around the area, made some dinner and settled in for the night.


Monday morning we rose and bought ourselves two tickets for the hop on hop off city sightseeing bus. Very touristy, but so handy and the tickets allowed unlimited access for two days, with an audio guide. We went right the way round listening to all the local history and seeing monuments and buildings that we would just not have had time for had we relied on the metro or our feet to get us around Rome.




We stopped off at the Capitolina, a huge marble building with incredible sculptures and views. David dared me to run up the steps and so of course I did which was somewhat ridiculous! It was a great view from the top though, such a beautiful place.



We also checked out Arco di Constantino, the Roman Forums, the Pantheon, and Circo Massimo where they used to have chariot races. Looking at the circo, it was pretty similar to drag racing!



The next stop which was imperitive to me was the Trevi Fountain. It did not disappoint. It was extremely beautiful and very crowded. I splashed myself with the water - it is SO hot here! We both threw a coin over our shoulder for good luck as well.

I also loved another fountain though - one dedicated to the god Neptune. He is holding up a fish and drinking the water from its mouth.



One of my favourite sites was the Colosseum. It is pretty fantastic and just so iconic. I don't think you could really visit Rome without at least having a look.



Tuesday had a lot to live up to after Monday. We took the sightseeing bus again, this time to the Vatican Museum. The lines were dreadful but thankfully we had prebooked reserved tickets so although we had to pay a bit more, we didn't have to wait for several hours and we also got an audio guide. I really enjoyed the museum, especially the Egyptian antiquities, but I was saddened to see how much of the focus is on moneymaking. You are forced to go through about a dozen gift shops and you can actually buy blessings from the pope for 25 euro, which I think is dreadful.


After the Vatican we went to the Colosseum, and then for a drink at Martini's, the cafe over the road recommended by my Aunt. What a beautiful view!



We also went to a gorgeous little underground wine bar where the drinks are cheap, the music is African and the waitress nearly fell over herself to see tourists. We had found ourselves a local gem! Then we went for a Roman pizza - thin and crispy much like in Florence, and very yummy.
I will skip Wednesday as it was so different and not in Rome at all. See our next post for that one, a day in Pompeii!


On Thursday we moved over to the new hotel room. It is indeed nicer on this side of the tracks, we are closer to Santa Maria Basilica, we have a view from our window and a big spa bath beside the bed. We caught the metro to Vatican City and this time lined up for St Peter's Basilica which was magnificent. We drank water from the temple and I touched the foot of the statue of St Peter which is supposed to be blessed. So many people have kissed and touched his feet that they are wearing away. We also went down into the tomb of the popes which was quite eerie. From the Vatican we walked all the way to Piazza Nuvona where we had more traditional Italian food. Yum!


From there we walked back to the Trevi Fountain for our first gelato in Italy, and finally back to the hotel via Santa Maria Basilica. It was a lot of walking and a long hot day, but we are certainly making the most of our time in Rome!