I have made it home and I'm mostly rested. I'm getting used to the time change again and getting all the regular post vacation things done. I cleaned out my wallet and was a little ashamed to see how many gelato recipes I had. But it was everywhere and it was delicious! So I'm going to start on my full blogs now. I apologize in advance if some of it is repetitious but you get pictures now so that should even it out. I hope!
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Day 1
We left Friday morning and arrived Saturday morning, even though we didn't have to travel for 24 hours thankfully. It's always tough to arrive in the morning to try to get adjusted to the local time. We did fortunately get a room when we arrived and had a chance to relax and then head out. As the best cure for jet lag is motion we wandered around our new neighbourhood. We headed up to the main train station, Termini, to see how far it was and where it was for some of our upcoming plans. We saw a crazy amount of little junk stores and pizza takeouts. Rome isn't hurting too much badly with any of the lingering recession like I've seen other places. But July and August are crazy warm and busy with summer holidays, so September and October are a busy time to visit. Especially when it's unseasonably warm, about 26 and humid today. I drank a lot of water while touring today. And tomorrow I should really put on sunscreen because as much as I might want a tan I know that the chances are better it will turn in to a burn.
Our hotel is pretty nice. It's in a decent location and a good size for a European hotel room. We are really close to the things that matter, the train station and corresponding metro station. We do have the AC on and it's supposed to be nice the entire time we're here. AC is good because I had read that sometimes the heat and AC are only available based on the time of year, not the actual weather.
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| s. Maria Maggiore church |
During our wanders we came upon a church, Santa Maria Maggiore. Which isn't surprising as it's only a few short blocks away from the hotel. It's free to get in but the clothing guards are out at the doors to make sure people are properly attired. No uncovered shoulders or knees. They will refuse you entrance. And if you really want you can buy a scarf from one of the guys wandering the square trying to sell a myriad of random junk. Including scarves and selfie sticks. It was a really ornate church, what with all the gold on the ceiling and the ornate mosaic floor. Which I did notice was a real trend with most of the churches.
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| Inside of church |
We did find a gelateria and I had my first gelato of the trip. I plan on having some as much as I can because I just can't get it at home. Also, I don't feel that bad because it's in these really small little containers so it's not like having ice cream at home at all. But I won't bother you with the types I had, but green apple is delicious!
After the church we headed south and saw a sign for the Colosseum and veered off to check it out. It's amazing and astonishing to see all the history. I mean, at home we are in an uproar over buildings in the 19070's being torn down. Not some much for buildings from the BC era.
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| Me in the Colosseum |
As we approached there were people offering skip the line tours. We didn't really have any plans of touring it but we were there and had the time. I did have a friend mention that it was a good idea so we went for it. It was a really good tour. They explained the history, showed you the highlights and gave some time to wander around.
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| Former shop in the Palatine |
We also had a tour of Palatine hill, where the palace the emperors used to live in, and the Roman Forum included. The guy giving that tour was really able to bring the ruins back to life.
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| Il Vittoriano |
On our way back we walked past Il Vittoriano, or Victor Emmanuel monument. It was built for the king who first united Italy, about 200 years ago. It's a completely different style of building that you see everywhere else in Rome but really stands out. We thought that it was closed to the public, but learned otherwise. We were just there after it had closed.
We had a quick dinner at Burger King. I know, I know. But sometimes you just want fast and cheap and familiar. And otherwise it was just all touristy Italian restaurants anyways. We did finally make it back to the hotel. We were a little bit lost because the streets aren't really straight so it's easy to think you're supposed to be going the other way. But right now sleep feels really awesome so I'm going to rest up for our big day tomorrow!
As we approached there were people offering skip the line tours. We didn't really have any plans of touring it but we were there and had the time. I did have a friend mention that it was a good idea so we went for it. It was a really good tour. They explained the history, showed you the highlights and gave some time to wander around. 
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