This past month, Jordan had two weeks off from work. We decided that a trip to Rome would be the perfect way to spend some of this time. I had always wanted to visit there ever since I saw a few of the old classic movies, such as Roman Holiday and Three Coins in a Fountain. You can just imagine my delight when Jordan said he wanted to go there during his summer leave!
So after a few weeks of anticipation, we made our way to Rome. We flew from Munich to an outer airport. This meant that we had to take a taxi from the airport to our hotel. Here is something you should know if ever traveling to Italy. Italians are horrible drivers. As I sat in the taxi, I watched countless cars speed past with crushed in sides, fronts, and backs. Drivers don't transition from one lane to another; they like to spend much of their time straddling two lanes at once. I found myself clenching the door handle with a sweaty palm, slamming my foot down on an imaginary brake, and praying to myself that I would live to actually see the inner part of Rome. These things just happened on the highway, so you can imagine that I became even more stressed when we reached the narrow streets on the city. There were so many scooters, pedestrians, and other vehicles that the cab driver zoomed past. At one point I could have stuck my tongue out of the window and licked a man on a scooter that was driving beside us. It was terrifying.
Finally we made it to our hotel and began our journey through the city. We were located a couple blocks away from the Tiber river. This meant we had a nice location that was an equal distance to the Vatican on one side of the river and the rest of the sights on the other. For our first night, we decided to roam the streets and find Trevi Fountain.
After walking for a long time, we finally made it there. It was everything I had hoped it would be. Absolutely beautiful and so much larger than I expected. We found a spot and gazed over the fountain for a while, but eventually decided to move on because it was extremely crowded. That night we made our way to the Pantheon, the Coliseum, and the Forum. So we did a lot of walking, but seeing everything lit up at night was amazing.
The next day, we dedicated our time to the Vatican. We went in the morning and stood in line for about an hour to get inside. Luckily, we were in the shade, because at 9:30 the heat was already too much. We made it inside and began the long day of touring all of the different museums, halls, and rooms. It was breathtaking. We both agreed that the entire trip could have been spent there. Each room was unique and ornate. From the floors to the ceilings, we were in awe.
Finally after a few hours of walking through crowded rooms, pushing past tour groups, and maneuvering around typical tourists, we made our way into the Sistine Chapel. This was the main thing I wanted to see. As we walked into the smaller-than-expected chapel, we were immediately heard yelling. "DO NOT TAKE PICTURES!" followed by, "QUIET!" The chapel was so extremely crowded, that it was almost too hard to enjoy the masterpiece above our heads. I was a little disappointed that we couldn't take pictures. It was also sad that I didn't feel like I could actually take in all of the phenomenal work that was above me. It was uncomfortable and if you stood on one spot too long, you would get shoved aside by another observer. We eventually struggled through the crowd and made our way to the exit.
After grabbing a quick lunch of pizza and downing two bottles of water, we made our way to St. Peter's Basilica.
It was even hotter at that point, so I was so grateful to enter the cool building. First of course, we had to go through security, and make sure we had the proper clothing. Women couldn't wear shorts or short skirts, their shoulders must be covered, and men had to be wearing long pants. I understood the reasoning and I was grateful to have a dress with a shirt I could put over it. Some people were not so lucky. A woman in front of me was denied access when she stuffed napkins under her straps and tried to convince the security guard that it was acceptable. The Basilica was beautiful, and whenever I enter a place like that I feel a complete loss for words.
The next day, we headed in the opposite direction to see the Forum and Coliseum. I was just as excited to see these as any of the other places. Having watched a number of shows and movies about gladiators and Romans, I was so excited to be going to the places where these shows were based. First, we took a long walk to find the entrance of the Forum... and by long I mean LONG! My husband, who is trained in reading maps, managed to take us around the entire area. The entire time he claimed that we were just enjoying the sights, when really we were just lost. This was not my idea of fun. Walking around in upper 90's heat, choosing the sunny side of the street to walk on, and not having anything to drink leads to a sweaty and slightly grumpy wife. Eventually we "found" our way to the entrance and made it inside. The entire time I walked around the Forum, I kept thinking about the events and people who once roamed these streets. It made me feel so insignificant, in a very good way.
After the Forum, we made our way to the Coliseum. This part was AWESOME! As I walked around the arena and looked down onto where the fighting once took place, I kept picturing the gladiators and others who had once been in that area. It was crazy to think of what happened there.
We walked around the entire Coliseum and saw the old stairs that were used to reach the upper levels. We also were able to see the areas beneath the arena that were used to house the animals, slaves, and gladiators. It was impressive. We finally made our way to the hotel and after showering and washing our dirty feet we passed out on the bed, only to realize that it hurt to lay down because we had sunburns!
On our last day, we were only left with a short amount of time before we had to head to the airport. We again, walked through the city towards the Pantheon. We went inside the impressive building and spent some time enjoying the architecture.
Even though we were in Rome for a short time, we were able to experience so very much! I learned some valuable lessons while I was there too! Number one, if possible try to visit in the off season! While we enjoyed everything there, it was so very crowded! Walking down the street was shoulder to shoulder. If I could have gone at a different time, I would to avoid the heat and the crowds! Second, get ready to be harassed by people trying to sell you stuff! At every "touristy" location, we encountered people who wanted to "take" your picture, "give" you an umbrella, and "show" you around each location. Don't be fooled... they want your money and they think shoving merchandise in your face is going to convince you! One night while having dinner, a man walked up to our table and tried to "give" me a rose. I declined. He then wanted to see if I needed a fan. Again I declined and told him no thanks. Finally he went away, only to return five minutes later with lighters that were "goot luck." At this point I was beyond annoyed and tired of being nice, so I yelled and did the Italian thing with my hands adamantly explaining that he needed to go away. He got the hint.... finally. This leads me to my third realization. If I could ever chew someone out in any language, I would do it in Italian. It just sounds so angry and the way they use their hands is very passionate. I loved it!
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