Suitcase & Sandshoes: Roma!

Arriving by train was novel. We boarded at Revenna and stopped at Bolongna, where we had to change trains. Of course, that meant carrying our luggage from one platform to another. Now they have an interesting setup to do this. Two elevators are on the platforms - neither of which are available for passenger use. So, we had to lug our ever expanding and increasing bags down a huge set of stairs and then carry them back up an equally enormous set three platforms away. But a lovely young lad offered to help and insisted. He then demanded five euro! We soon realized there is a lucrative business in the lifts not operating! As our connecting train was not due for another three hours, we thought we would do lunch in town. Another lucrative business exists to mind your luggage. Another five euros PER BAG.....so twenty five eurow paid before we even left the train station. But the town was nice and lunch was good....

Now Rome....the eternal city. What a great analogy for wonderful old dame.

The train trip to Rome was great. We saw a lot of the country side which was quite rural and beautiful, just about right up to the outskirts of the city. After lugging our luggage about in Bolongna, an it being about 35 degrees, even though we thought our accomodation was quite close, we chose to catch a cab. As luck would have it, our hotel turned aut,to be about 400 meters from the station. Rome now has many one way streets to help fix the traffic and the cab had to follow the traffic. Cab fare was another 25 Euros!

The hotel Maikol is great. It is very well situated, close to everything. A family run business and very comfy old charm. A view overlooking a fairly busy Piazza Vittorio Emmanuelle. It was great to get into our room and open the windows, then the shutters and take in our first view of Rome!

We took a little walk about and got a little lost. No problem, saw things we didn't expect...Rome's China Town! Later, we went to dinner at Trattorio Lemononi. A couple more beers, wine, great pasta, bread....I am in Gluten Max heaven!

The next morning it was an early start and onto the Metro to get to the Vatican where the Pope had an appointment with us. The metro here is simple. They only have two lines. A and B. apparently every time they try to dig another underground, they find more ruins and have to stop. Anyway, line A got us to there in five minutes for next to nothing. Our tour of the necropolis was booked for 10.30 so after wandering around for a while we approached the Swiss guard in their red, blue and gold uniforms and got passed through to the excavations office. Too easy, yes, had i heeded my wife's advice and worn long pants like the booking confirmation stated, we would have been on the 10.30 tour. Instead I was sent away to dress myself appropriately and due to the kind heart of mr scavi moved to the 12 o'clock tour with a bunch of south Carolina school kids!

So after spending 49 euro on a pair of pants that I certainly didn't need, we returned to the excavations office and were passed through. No photos of this as its not allowed, but should be on everyone's list to do. Thank you Maz and Leigh for providing the information. The necropolis is an interesting place and our guide was a young Italian seminary somewhere in his early 20s. The final part of the tour ends up behind the wall of graffiti where through a small hole a glass box is visible. This box contains 15 bones, thought to be those of St Peter.

From the bowels of St Peters we soared skyward to the dizzying heights of the main dome of the basilica, some 870 steps, some ramps and a rope! There space near the top is quite narrow, one way up and one way down, and when I say dizzying I mean it. The view once you are there is well worth the walk as it would be the best in Rome!

Once down from our perch above the city, we explored the inside of the basilica, with it's many alters, ginormous marble structures and statues, Michelangelo's remarkable Pieta, we left St Peters and struck out for the Vatican museum and the Sistine chapel.

The Sistine chapel has signs everywhere before you enter saying No Foto, quiet as its a chapel, the reality of this day, the noise was deafening and the flashes blinding. When Cath was here 16 years ago, cameras were confiscated if you had the gall to tempt the guards by taking a photo. Every so often they made an appearance to shoosh people to little effect.

The chapel is a work of art no more to be said.

Onto a well earned beer and the trip home. Walking around the streets with a map that every tourist seemed to be puzzling over we literally stumbled onto the Spanish steps

The Trevi fountain

And on foot back to the hotel with aching feet, calves and thighs!

Day 2 was the colosseum, the forum, palatine hill, the Jewish ghetto and the police.

We set out on the 10 min walk from our hotel to the colosseum. Our tour of the underground and 3rd tier was at 9.40. Wow! This place is so awesome!