Rome in 7 Hours

There were not very many pictures to choose from today. I had an unexpected surprise last night and found out that a friend would be in Rome today for one day. Julie and her friend Jennifer arrived from the states this morning and have to leave first thing tomorrow morning to catch a train to Florence. They didn't want to rest, but decided to see as much of Rome as they could in one day. That's a pretty big task. I served as their guide -- which is pretty scary as we all know how lost I get. My motto...... I'm lost, but I'm in Rome, so what's the problem? So, fasten your seatbelts and come along for a whirlwind.
We met up sometime between 11 and 11:30 at St. Peter's Basillica. As far as I could tell it was the closest main attraction to their hotel. We were all excited to actually be able to find eachother in the crowds. We decided to see the Basillica since we were there and skip the Vatican because the line there was, as usual, very long.


I just love the church. It is huge inside and there is beauty all around. It doesn't seem to matter how many people crowd in, it doesn't feel claustrophobic to me. I took the first picture of the outside of the church while waiting for the girls. We all entered together and spent time oohing and aahing over everything. Jennifer was thrilled to see things she have only studied and dreamed about before. This picture is the center area and, of course, the crowds of people.

After exploring St. Peter's we headed into the center of town. We stopped for gelato and to buy a bus ticket for each of them. We found a majorly -- I mean majorly -- crowded bus to take us closer to the town center. I'm going to tattle here. When you buy a bus ticket, it's good for any time. You validate it by sticking it in a machine that's located on the bus. The first bus we got on was soooo crowded that there was no way to get near the machine or even pass the ticket through the crowd to allow someone else to do it. SO..... they stole a bus ride. I have a month pass, so mine didn't need validated. I didn't steal, just they did. I'm joking. There truly was no way to validate their ticket. No one checked for tickets, so it wasn't a problem. Although they DID check for tickets on our next bus ride.
On with the day. As we headed toward Trevi Fountain (thanks to a beautiful elderly italian woman who walked with us and explained the directions to me until she was sure we couldn't get lost) we decided to stop for lunch. We shared our own little buffet at a very nice restaurant with helpful waiters. We shared bruchetta, pizza, and proscuitto with melon. Yum! It was difficult to get up and keep moving. But, we had to keep going. We went to the Trevi and took pictures of both ladies tossing their coins to ensure their return. I was frustrated when I couldn't find those pictures tonight, then remembered I took them on Julie's camera. You'll have to trust me. Then we headed to the Pantheon, whose outside is being restored. We went in and looked around for a bit. And,

because I am such a good photographer, this last photo is of a bread shop across the piazza from the Pantheon. I forgot to take a picture of the actual building! Then we headed over to the Piazza Navona, which I made them do since we were so close. They enjoyed it and were glad I encouraged them to experience it. I stopped taking pictures here because there was too much to keep up with.

After Navona, we hopped a bus and headed to the Roman Forum and Colosseum (they're across the street from one another). We basically waved as we went past -- actually got out of the bus so they could photograph them -- then headed off to the main terminal so they could buy their train tickets form tomorrow's trip to Florence. They bought the tickets and we made sure we understood where they had to be in the morning. Then we took the metropolitana (subway). It was my first time on the metro. We got off at the Piazza Barberini where they were to meet the shuttle for the hotel. 6pm was the last shuttle for the night and we got there about 10 minutes until 6. We saw the shuttle pull in, we all ran across the street (not as easy in Rome as it sounds), gave quick hugs, and they were gone. How's that for a full day???

Italy Day 5 - Rome

Today was Mike's last day here in Italy and we spent it in Rome. The day began rainy and cold, but by the time we made it into Rome, it was sunny and warm. This first picture is of the Trevi Fountain. It was very crowded, but we were able to get a good view of the sculptures and take a picture of each of us throwing a coin over our shoulder to ensure our return to Rome one day.

We spent a good part of the day at the Roman Forum. It is the central area around which the ancient Rome civilization developed and is under constant archeological discovery. The remains of many ancient structures are in this area. It is difficult to take in all of the intricate craftsmanship here. At one point I thought, "This looks like the location of an ancient movie set in Roman times." and it occured to me, "Duh!! This is what movie sets strive to replicate. This is the original, silly!"

For this photograph, we were standing on one of the higher elevations at the Forum and I took a shot of the city with the Forum in the foreground.

The Forum is across the street from the Colesium, but I still didn't make it inside. I have a ticket to explore it tomorrow, so I'll head back to Rome..... alone this time, as my brother will have flown away to Miami by then.

We ended our night by seeing Swan Lake at an opulant, old theatre in central Rome. I wish I had brought my camera in the Opera House to take pictures of the curtained boxes in which one sits to view the ballet, the painted domed ceiling, the carvings on the columns, and the grandeur surrounding us. Originally, our seats weren't together, but we weren't comfortable with the view, so Mike found us better seats. Thanks, Mike. I stood for most of the performance, but it was fine because I was able to see the complete set and all of the beautiful dancing. The full orchestra added so much to the performances. We were both surprised to find that the ballet was 3 hours long...... it seemed to go by much quicker than that. It was the perfect ending to another busy but fulfilling day here in Italy.

Tomorrow I'll walk to the market and get some fresh bread and fruit, make breakfast, drive the 30 minutes into Rome, take a bus the remaining 40 minutes to the center of the city, and head to the Colesium. The rest of the day will fill itself, no doubt.