Curiosity is a great thing!

Thanks everyone for your comments! I must go back and digest them! There's a lot to be said about traveling light, but if you have or want a decluttered environment at home, it's a lot easier to "declutter" what you take on vacation. BUT --- and the airlines tell you this repeatedly -- DO NOT check your medications, important papers, laptops --- basically anything that cannot be easily replaced --- do NOT check it. Clothes? You can buy clothes anywhere, but you can't easily renew a prescription. 

And not having checked luggage gives you 100% flexibility to change flights (if yours gets delayed or canceled) or to adjust your plans. 

Thanks for the clarification about cathedrals and basilicas. I did NOT know that, and I didn't look it up. 

Someone mentioned on one of my social accounts the other day that my trip sounded way more interesting than theirs. Here's a very important thing to remember -- I look at almost everything through the eyes of a child!! And what is one of the things we love about children? When they start asking "Why". Why is the sky blue? Why is the air cold? Why do dogs walk on four feet? or whatever they decide to ask. 

Oh my— if you Google "children and curiosity," you get some interesting stuff. Things we know but didn't really think about. 

"Curiosity in children is but an appetite for knowledge!" OH MY --- that's me!!! 

OH -- Here's a quote from Albertein, "the important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing."

And that brings me to an interesting point. When I was on any of the booked tours, the tour guides were well-versed in their subject. They are licensed and probably need to demonstrate how much they know, so we, the customer, get the most information. Do you know how many people don't ask questions? Are they bored? Do they not care? Do they simply want the Coles notes so they can go home and tell everyone, they went to 100 places on their vacation, but don't have more than the basic knowledge? 

That thought boggles my mind. I know people get annoyed at me for asking so many questions, but I don't care. If I have someone with an expertise in my reach, I want to ask questions! Like what happened near the washroom on the plane yesterday. I'll tell you that in a second. 

And one more thing about asking questions. There are no dumb questions; perhaps others had the same question. And whether it is a tour or a class, when students ask questions, it makes the tour guide and the teacher more engaged. That shows people are listening and gives the leader a chance to explore more. 

OK -- so the Rome Airport isn't in the city of Rome, and it could take some time to get to it. My flight was at 8 AM and not international, as I had to connect through Munich. The lady at the hotel reception suggested I go for a 4 AM pickup, which was a bit excessive for me, but she said she is a worrywart and, with the potential for hideous traffic in Rome, that early was better. You know what? She was so helpful that I took her advice to respect her. 

I barely slept that night -- I have no idea, but sleep eluded me. Was I excited to get home? Was I not tired? Anyway, when my alarm went off at 3:25, I was now in a deep sleep and totally exhausted. But I packed up my few meager possessions and headed downstairs to catch my prearranged cab. 

OMG -- I swear it was Mario Andretti who picked me up in the cab. It took a bit of time to get out of the twisty streets of Rome, but thankfully, at 4 AM, there wasn't much traffic. Then we hit the autoroute, and well, we were doing 140+!!! Let's just say that we got to the airport at 4:30. Perhaps he was just happy to drive with no traffic!!!

The airport was busy, with planes leaving at 6 AM or perhaps even earlier. Since I was checked in, I didn't need to see the gate agent or check in luggage, so I went straight to security. It's funny the things you see people do. This was a first. A youngish guy had a small duffel bag with him, and he tipped its entire contents into the bin. Why? Can you tell me why he did that? Even the agent was saying he didn't need to do that, but he did it anyway. Good luck packing all that crap back in!

I found the lounge, which is a wee bit more comfortable than the general waiting area, and since the gate hadn't been announced yet, everyone was there. The lounge only opened at 5:30, and I was the first one in. I had a snack, then found the quiet room in the back and tried to sleep for a bit. 

I set my alarm because I didn't want to sleep too much. I felt better after about 20 minutes of sleep. I mentioned it the other day, but DH decided we could splurge on the tickets, and that gave me access to the lounge. 

The quiet room in the lounge

Then we were finally on our way to Munich. I swear we booked direct flights, but there mustn't be a direct flight from Rome to Toronto every day. But no worries. It was beautiful to fly over the Alps. At this part, there didn't seem to be much snow on the tops. 

Flying over the Alps 

But as I was looking out the window, I saw something I had never seen before. The contrails of OTHER planes, and while I'm sure they were a safe distance away, they were close. And these ones were going FAST. 

You can only see two in this picture, but there were three. 

Two other planes (military jets?) flying "close."

My guess is they were military jets, since they were flying circles around us. I mean that metaphorically, not literally. But they were coming and going. Not sure what they were doing, but it was pretty cool to see. 

OH -- there's more snow on the Alps. I believe that was just south of Innsbruck, Austria. The pilot announced when we passed over Innsbruck. I'm not that smart! 

The Alps near Innsbruck, Austria

And then there is the beautiful farm country, with the Alps in the distance. 

Germany's farming country

And there is a traffic circle. It's kind of neat to see these complex systems from the air, and you wonder how long it took to develop that, so everyone gets where they want to go. But after seeing all the things that were created in ancient times, when they didn't have computers to do it, this is probably very simple work! 

Traffic circle

I had to go through passport control in Munich, and again, my passport failed in the automated machine, so I had to see an agent. It seems that in Europe (I could be wrong), it is the police who man these stations, whereas in Canada and the US, we have separate border-control agents. Perhaps it's just a translation mishap. 

I found the lounge and then had to wait for about an hour for the final flight. 

At one point, I looked out the window and WHAT????? I saw this plane, literally flying beside us. OK -- that's an exaggeration as it was miles away, but it was literally flying beside us. 

Another airliner flying "beside" us

And then at some point, it veered to the right, and we stayed straight, or whatever happened! But they went a different way. 

The flight was pretty smooth, although at one point I got worried. There was zero turbulence, and then the flight crew announced that all passengers should return to their seats and fasten their seat belts. This is never good news to me. I'm a decent flyer, but I'm not a fan of being in a skinny metal tube hurling through the air at close to 950 KPH at an altitude of 40,000 feet, when there is turbulence. OMG—do you see what I just did? I use both metric and imperial. Good grief!!!! 

However, there was some slight turbulence, but nothing like on the way over. We even got in about 10 minutes early!!! I watched two Harry Potter movies, which I had never watched. Now onto number 4!! I slept for a bit (set a timer so I wouldn't oversleep, but didn't need it), then amused myself by watching movies, eating, and going to the washroom. I have no idea, but my bladder wasn't happy on the plane. Thankfully, it was close by. 

At one point, when I went to the washroom, one of the first officers was standing in the galley. I wanted to ask him about the plane that had flown next to us, but I thought I had better not. But shoot -- I should have!!!!

It was easy to get through the automated passport control here, and I breezed through the airport, skipping the luggage carousel since I didn't have any luggage. By the time we landed and I had made it to the car, it was probably 15 minutes or less. It's that easy when you travel light! 

I "cheated" and took a limo home. Hey, if DH can do it -- so can I. It saves the hassle of the chaos in the Uber line. And I just wanted to get home. All in all, it was about 17 hours of travel from the moment I left the hotel to the moment I got home. That's pretty decent!

Look who greeted me when I arrived!!!!! They were so happy. 

MOM --- You're home!!!!!

And within seconds, Murphy had her ball!! Of course she did. 

MOM -- let's play ball

And she was just a pain as she insisted there was a ball under this table, but when I got down to check, there was nothing. 

MOM -- there's a ball under this table! Yes -- Murphy - a GOOFBALL!!!

When I sat in the living room to relax, she got the blanket out in the middle of the floor. 

MOM -- look at me with my blanket

Where was Lexi in all this? Calm, cool, and collected. 

Now that I was home and had greeted the girls, what to do? It reminded me of when I got home from the hospital with M. We all sat on the sofa and then wondered what was next. 

I ended up reading a bit and did some Sudoku. I attempted to sew a bit, but struggled with the block pattern, so I abandoned that. Then I watched The Devil Wears Prada (never seen) as I want to watch the sequel. I'm all set and hope to see the sequel this week. Thank goodness I watched it on my computer at the kitchen table because I must have let the girls in and out about 100 times. They were so annoying. But they probably get the same kind of service from the house sitter!

I should have gone grocery shopping, as it was slim pickings for dinner last night and breakfast this morning. 

And there was my puzzle of Mount Etna, reminding me of the wonderful times we all had. I was going to pack this up and give it away, but I'm not going to do that. I'm going to pack it up so I can start the next one, but I'm going to keep it and do it multiple times because it reminds me of that trip. At some point, I'll give it away. 

My Mount Etna puzzle reminds me of good times.

I went to bed around 8 PM and woke up minutes before my regular alarm would ring. Hopefully, with all the cat naps yesterday, I've readjusted myself, and I shouldn't have any jet lag. Fingers crossed. 

And the best news? I have a quilt retreat at the end of this month, my regular classes (6 one-hour classes), and NOTHING else on my calendar. I'm practically giddy at the prospect, and I hope to make good use of that time. 

And on that happy note, I'm out of here. I bet the girls can hardly wait for me to take them for a walk!!!

And by the way -- it's ZERO this morning. Isn't this the month of May? 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

 

Off the beaten track in Rome

Sadly, this was my last day in Rome. I’ve got everything arranged and checked in for my long flight home tomorrow — well that will be today. I’m writing this the night before, so you have something to read. And then hopefully on Saturday everything will be back to normal - whatever that is. So as you read this, I’ll likely be on one of two planes. DH and I splurged on the fare, so don’t feel sorry for me and the long flights. 

As I’ve mentioned, I love traveling solo because I can do whatever I want, how I want, and spend as much or as little time doing it. 

Please do NOT judge me for what I am about to share with you. It’s MY vacation. And yes — I totally understand that I am in a very ancient city with many cultural things available. I also don’t want to spend my entire time in a queue doing what everyone else is doing. YES - I know you can buy skip the line tickets, but you are still immersed in huge crowds. I hate huge crowds with a passion. 

Here’s what happened. When I went to St. Peter’s Square which isn’t a square, but it’s called a square, I spotted a couple of geocaches on the app. Remember —- you can’t judge - this is my vacation. Well, both of them required taking a picture of something, which I either couldn’t access yesterday or didn’t have with me. 

So after getting things squared away at the hotel reception (booking a car at a ridiculous time in the morning), I was now off to return to Vatican City. And thankfully, the chairs were completely removed and the barricades were open. 

If I had just walked into the square, I would NOT have known this, but I discovered it by reading one of the geocaches. There are 142 pillars in four rows along each side of the semi circle. Many of you have seen them if you’ve been to the square. 

One side of the Colonade in St. Peter’s Square

But - did you know that if you stand on this circle which is the center of the semicircle, that the columns align and the four (one behind the other) look like ONE!!!!!

Center of one side of the Colonade

See how it looks like ONE pillar - the other three are hidden

And for good luck, I did the other side as well. 

The other side

Again, the pillars line up

So many people just walked right by or stood on the circle and took all kinds of pictures of themselves, but didn’t look once at the columns. 

How is this alignment possible? The Colonade of St. Peter’s Square was built between 1656 and 1657 by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. There are 284 pillars in total, with four rows. Each row of columns increases laterally with the one nearest the center having the largest diameter (1.42 M). So when you stand in the middle on those circles, the widest one hides the others. 

It’s pretty amazing and considering when they were built —-I thought the architecture was unique enough to warrant going back to the Vatican City. The circles were behind the barricades yesterday and even though they were just clearing the chairs, they wouldn’t let us into this area. 

One other thing to keep in mind is that Vatican City is an independent sovereign country. In the geocaching world, that means, you can get a virtual badge for finding a geocache within the country. Now that was super exciting and I hadn’t even thought about that until yesterday. I was NOT going home without this virtual badge. 

My virtual badge for Vatican City

And just in case you are interested, I have virtual badges for 13 countries, 11 of the Canadian Provinces/Territories, and 15 of the US states. Not bad considering I’m not a wide traveler 

Do not roll your eyes —- it’s my vacation. I also got a second cache which required taking a picture of yourself in the square with a flag from your country. I happened to have this on my backpack, so I got that one as well. 

Me with my Canada flag in St. Peter’s Square

Trust me — that was way more fun and exciting to me than standing amongst throngs of people lining for hours to visit St. Peter’s Bascilica. 

What was shocking is that so many people do NOT read. The owner of the geocache for the optical illusion, where he tells you exactly where to stand and what to send him in order to get the credit, just didn’t do that. I watched someone yesterday, as the workers were putting the chairs away, to take a picture of the circles. There is even a picturing on the geocache website saying the cache owner will delete their log if they don’t post the correct picture. Sigh….

I debated how to get there - should I walk or should I take the metro? I decided to walk - it was a beautiful morning. And by George - I think I may have finally got the hang of walking with Google Maps. I know - it should be easy, but my brain just didn’t work well with it, but I seem to be OK now. About time —- how many year have I been trying to get the hang of it!!!

A friend of mine saw that I was here and suggested I hit a second hand shop!!! I know —- when in Rome - it’s OK to do things that no one expects you to do. It was only fifteen minutes from Vactican City. Now here’s one more thing about the darn maps. If you look at a paper map, there seems to be a relatively straight line from the train station to Vatican City. Google Maps? It took the scenic route!!!

But it was almost a straight line to the thrift shop. 

The thrift shop

It’s not large, and it’s organized by the type of clothing and then by color!!! I didn’t buy anything, but it was fun to look. No jean jackets in case anyone in my sewing group is going to ask. 

Jeans, but no jackets

Then it was off to catch up with my tour group for the afternoon. It was near a metro station, but I decided to walk since I had time. The station was called Pyramid. I wonder why! This was across the street from the station. It’s called the Pyramid of Cestius built between 18 and 12 BC near Porto San Pablo. 

Pyramid of Cestius

I was a bit early, so I went to find some place to eat and use the WC. This pizza was pretty decent, but I have had better. 

Lunch

Our group was meeting outside the metro and it was clearly indicated on Google Maps. However one person was missing and she came running over a few minutes after we were to start the tour, while her husband waited at the train side of this metro station. No worries —- we all got organized. And they had been waiting at the train for 90 minutes. I get it that it’s a bit unnerving to wait for a tour at a random spot!! I always look twice and when you follow the links on Google Maps —- it took us to the EXACT spot. We were also told to arrive 30 minutes before and when she didn’t spot anyone, maybe she should have started asking questions. But I digress. 

While waiting, I needed the WC again. OH MY GOODNESS —- a self cleaning WC. Well, let’s give this a whirl. I inserted my .50 Euros and the door slide open. 

Self-cleaning WC

Yikes —- as I walked in the floor appeared to move and there was water everywhere. I think the floor sort of floated and as you stepped it sank into the water. Not much, but I bet if you jumped you would have got splashed!!!

The TP was metered out — maximum of ten sheets, but you had to press the button for that to happen. A place to get soap and water and blow dry the hands, although I couldn’t make them work. I think this was one of those things you must experience twice in order to get the full deal!!!! And there was a big yellow button on the side near the door which was a warning that your time was up. 

The self-clean toilet

Fortunately that light didn’t come on while I was in there, but can you imagine if the washing started while you were still inside. Imagine being in a car wash!!!! I had visions!!!! By the way —- the several car washes I’ve seen here look like the ones back home, EXCEPT there is no building around them. 

While I waited for the tour guide, I noticed these two cars in front of me. WAIT —- there were two Fords parked in front. They were the first NA cars I’d seen. Well, NA branded, but definitely not the kind of car we would drive back home. No trucks at all in the city and the cars are small —- well, they range from tiny to small. Although these two do look mid-sized. 

A Ford in Rome

One other thing I’ve noticed is that people YELL - a lot. I didn’t see exactly what happened, but a polizia walked between two cars to get to the metro and some lady (in one of the cars) started yelling her head off at the cop. As I watched, I realized that he parked his car behind hers so she couldn’t get out. Anyway —-she got out of her car and there was a shouting match. The cop let her stew for a while and eventually moved the car. 

I’m sure there was more to that story than met the eye. 

This is one of the gates to the Aurelian Walls which were built between 271 AD and 275 AD. I’m not sure if all the walls are still intact, but we saw miles of the walls as we drove in our bus for our tour. At one point (and perhaps still today), the walls enclose 3,500 acres of land!!!!!

Apparently, you can visit the walls and walk on top of one of the sections. That’s for next time. 

A gate in the Aurelian Walls

The tour I booked was not the traditional Rome tour and it took us to see some very unusual sites. As you know, I’ve been totally fascinated by the aqueducts on my Spanish hikes, so when I saw the opportunity to visit the Roman aqueducts, I was in. We had to drive about 16 miles out of the city. And well, you should know by now, that the traffic here is crazy. It’s rush hour all day, every day!!!!

But it was fascinating to hear the stories and did you know there are two aqueduct lines in these arches? 

Part of the aquaduct system

The aquaducts of Rome

Much of it was destroyed at some point because it was a way for their enemies to cripple the city by cutting off the water supply. Did you know that Trevi Fountain is fed by an aqueduct (Aqua Virgo) Obviously, not this one as it ends abruptly just beyond the left of the first photo. 

It was all super fascinating, but there was also another part to this tour —- catacombs!!!! I have never been to any catacombs and this was my chance. There are 66 catacombs in Rome!!!! Who knew! And apparently, they are not connected to each other. 

This is one of the largest with tunnels running up to 17 KM inside, although only about 12 KMs have been excavated. I’m guessing that is the TOTAL of all tunnels, not the distance from the entrance. We were not allowed to take pictures, but that didn’t stop someone (not from our group, but two people were asked to join our group) from taking a few until I told her it wasn’t allowed. She thought it was just flash photography. Apparently, she doesn’t listen and doesn’t read the signs. 

People are so ignorant or choose to follow their rules. It is a sacred place and you had to cover your knees if you were wearing shorts! Anyway —- no big deal. This picture was in the lobby and we were allowed to take pictures there. 

I cannot begin to describe the catacombs. First, there are no bones left —they were all moved into cemeteries many years ago. The catacombs were first started because it was against the law to bury people within the city. There’s a lot of history here and I believe at one point Christianity was illegal and well —it’s complicated. Christianity was finally tolerated after the Edict of Milan in 313 AD. 

For the most part, the people were not buried with valuables - that tradition started years later. Families were buried together in a room. 

But when you talk about catacombs —- it’s like a bee hive down there. Narrow aisles, niches in the walls on both sides, dark and well — I would NOT want to get lost down there!!!! Apparently the guy (Antonio Bosini) who originally discovered the catacombs in the late 16th century got lost for three days when he first discovered them.!!! There are 40 skylights (now filled in) that lit the place and many oil lamps were found with the dead. 

The thing to remember is that this was the RESTING place as they waited for something better - the resurrection of Jesus. So when we say Rest in Peace, it’s not technically the end. I’m sure I have not explained that well and others may not feel the same way. 

This was our small bus and the guy did a pretty good job despite the horrific traffic!!! 

The final stop on the tour was the Appian Way. This was the first major road in Italy and the first section was completed in 312 BC and its goal was to connect Rome to Brindisi in southeast Italy. Part of the road is cobblestone, which is NEW. One family, who was running out of money made part of the highway a toll highway!!! That has something to do with the Castrum Caetani, but I can’t find all the details. 

These are the rocks from back in the day. It sure reminds me of Pompeii. 

Original stones on the Appian Way

And then we got back to the Pyramid metro station where we were let off. The tour was supposed to last 3 hours, but I think the traffic added at least an hour. I forgot to pack snacks, so I was getting hungry. 

It was about 3 KM to the main train station and I wasn’t even tempted to walk.  I paid 3 Euro and took the metro. Hey —- if you’ve taken the metro in one city- they are all alike. Just find the station you are at - find the one you want to get to. Check the end station, so you know what direction to get on and you are golden. 

The metro

Within a few minutes, I was at the main train station. I noticed that there are NO ads in the cars, unlike in NA where there were ads in the cars back when I took the metro daily in Montreal (1980s). 

NO ADS

Once I exited the metro, I had to find my way out of the train station, but that was easy enough. There is the metro (several lines), the commuter trains, the high speed trains - all converged in one spot, but just keep watching the signs — it’s super easy. 

While this may or may not work for you if you travel solo, but traveling by train and getting a hotel near that central train station is key to getting around. At least that’s what I’ve found. All roads lead to the train station!!!

I was so tired and hungry by this time, I sat in the little sidewalk restaurant just outside the door to my hotel, I didn’t care —- I had a beer and a coke. 

 Then some bruschetta. 

With pasta!!!!

The hotel just dropped off my box breakfast for tomorrow morning so I don’t have to buy expensive food in the airport. Which is good since I’m getting there very early and my flight is at 8 AM. I’ll have loads of time to kill, so I have lots of food to eat. It’ll be a surprise to see what they packed, but the darn thing is heavy!

And that pretty much wraps up my day. It was an amazing dive into history and I have literally just dipped my baby toe in. You could spend the rest of your life understanding the complexities of European history. I learned a lot, had fun with my geocaching and checked out some unusual things that didn’t require lining up in a queue — something I am NOT good at. 

I would definitely come back and I see by Nina’s comment that I also need to get to Florence. I need to get to Germany one year to visit with her!! I keep getting offers from people to travel with them and I have a trip planned for next year already. But MUM’s the word until things get confirmed. Yes — I will be travelling with someone — but that’s OK. 

And on that note, I must get ready for bed. 

Wait — I have a question for you. What kind of traveler are you? Do you open your suitcase and dump everything in the drawers and bathroom and then require lots of repacking time. Or do you put everything back in the suitcase/backpack so the room looks tidy? I’m the tidy one —— when I get into the room, I only unpack what I need that night and the rest stays in the suitcase. So if I needed to pack right now, it would take me 5 minutes!!! Of course, I don’t have tons to pack anyway and it’s all in separate plastic bags (at least what’s in the backpack) so fewer things to pack. 

Have a wonderful day!!!!

Ciao!!!!!

Visit a city using a Hop On, Hop Off bus

A quick note about traveling by yourself. It can be intimidating and it can be extremely overwhelming, but I took the bull by the horns and just did it! And yes —- there are a few times when you think - maybe this isn’t a good thing, but once you get used to it — there is no turning back. Yes — I will travel more with DH, but he has to KNOW every single detail in advance and that’s just way too structured for me. Imagine me saying that — I’m a Virgo!!!

But if you don’t want to travel far, try something close to you — visit a North American city where language isn’t a barrier. Then explore and if you are lost —- it happens, just ask or use your phone!! And you never know what you will uncover!!! And if you get on the wrong train - just get off at the next stop and get on the next train going in the right direction. 

To make it even simpler — do a tourist day right where you live!!! 

This is my last day of exploring and I have three things to do. One is a tour I booked so I can’t miss that but it’s later in the afternoon, so all I need to do is get myself organized for my two fun things this morning. 

But let’s see what happened yesterday. 

I had started to walk to my first stop, then saw people selling Hop On, Hop Off bus tickets and decided to buy that instead of wasting my phone battery on guiding myself around the city. I am getting better but I swear that the walking version of Google Maps and me do NOT get along. 

Hop On, Hop Off map

I thought high season didn’t start until later, but I saw somewhere that high season is from April to October (I think that was the end) and so while my pictures may not show tons of people, there are tons of people here. The first stop is the train station. It seems that everything lives and dies near the train station and there is always loads of hotels and restaurants. And if there are buses and subways, they are usually close to the train. So stick close to the train station if you have a choice. 

I had walked near the first four bus stops the day before,  so there was no need to get off. I got off at stop number 5 which was Capitoline Hill. I saw a long set of steps which intrigued me. So I clambered up them. I believe there were 120 or so. I did not count, but heard it on the audio on the bus. 

I was all excited as I climbed to see what I could see. 

From the top of the 120 steps

Oh crud— -the steps lead to another basilica. While ornate, it was nothing compared to the one from the day before. 

The ceiling inside the basilica

This was obviously a much older building or the floor designers just threw the leftover bits of marble from the other buildings together. 

Floor in the basilica

And here seemed to be some crypts in this floor, while there were not in the other basilica. Speaking of tiled floors, I have a surprise, but I won’t reveal it until next week. 

Crypts in the basilica floor

I have my mini collection of shoes at home and looking for something from Italy. I spotted this sandal in this basilica and should have bought it, but I didn’t. I must look harder today or I might spot something at the airport. Drat — should have bought it. Wait — I’m going somewhere today where I might find something similar. 

Mini sandal

And the brickwork is amazing. They made a lot of skinny, long bricks in the day and weren’t afraid to use them in multiple places. I also saw these bricks in two rows creating a beautiful arch in some ruin. 

Brick work on the sidewalks

These are the ruins of the Roman Forum. You had to queue and pay to get into so many places and well, ruins are ruins. How many does one want to see before they all blend together? I know that many of you would gasp, but hey - that’s the beauty of solo travel. I don’t feel obligated!!!! Take a little bit of each thing I want to see. And yes —- you get lots of information when you have a tour, or you can buy a small box from vendors along the way that attaches to your phone with an audio tour. I did NOT buy that, but I suppose it’s a good idea, but I would be very upset if something happened to my phone. 

Roman Forum

There is a ton of history in Rome. And it never ceases to amaze me how it all exists in so many European cities. You have the very old ruins like the Colosseum which was built in 72 AD. Then you have buildings like the hotel I’m in. I have no idea what these buildings were when they were orginally built and then at some point, they were converted to hotels, which are very modern. It’s just strange to see the difference between them. 

And then I spotted these two monuments almost buried in bushes. 

Almost hidden monuments

They were to honor the veterans of the Italian campaign on the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Rome after the Second World War. At some point, this must have been an important place. 

Marking the 50th anniversary of Rome’s liberation

But there is also considerable construction going on, not just in the excavation of ruins, but the building of a third metro line!!!! Can you imagine doing that in this ancient city? It just seems wrong, but the traffic is crazy. Crazy in the quantity, not nearly as crazy as Naples in how they drive. 

Construction of a new Metro line

This massive building (Vittoriano Monument Panoramic Terraces) sits on one of the seven hills of Rome. I did not go in, but found out after that you could go to the top to get a great view of the city. So many things to do, so little time and if I miss something, then that’s an opportunity to come back. 

Vittoriano Monument

I got back on the bus and got off at the next stop which was the one closest to the Vatican City. Oh my—- all the WC (toilets) are in the basement, along with food storage and/or the kitchen. Oh my —- these were very twisty and I passed someone coming down. I took the outside (larger steps), while they maneuvered the narrow side. 

This is one of the many bridges that crosses the Fiume Tevere (Tiber River). It looks rather calm and low. There is a road long both sides and if I were to rent a bicycle here, that would be where I would ride it! You can do a tour by bicycle, but I’m not ready for that traffic chaos. 

Fiume Tevere (Tiber River)

And then I walked along the street towards the Vatican City. Again, it doesn’t look like there are many people, but there were people everywhere. You learn to take strategic shots to cut out as many as possible. There were shops and restaurants all along this walk. 

Walking towards the Vatican City

And there s St. Peter’s square. Apparently. It’s a big deal just to be standing in that square. I didn’t get to do a couple of things I wanted to do in that square because the center was blocked off as the Pope just held his weekly General Audience with thousands of people in attendance. The center section was blocked off and they were in the process of removing the chairs. Hopefully today, it will be wide open. This isn’t really a square - it’s a large circle!!!

St. Peter’s Square

There it was back to the bus - OH —- keep a couple of Euros handy in case you need a WC. Outside the restaurants, you might need to pay. 

I got off at the next stop and I swear my GPS went wild. I swear I was only 300 M from my next stop and then all of a sudden, I was 600 M. When I turned the corner there was the  Trevi fountain, not the Spanish Steps. I’ve no idea how that happened. It doesn’t look busy, but this square was filled with people. It was shoulder to shoulder. I squeezed in to take a picture. If you want to get closer, you queue up and pay. 

Trevi Fountain

Honesty, the number of people who need to take selfies (OK — I took a few). Not at this spot, but in others), but do you need to take 20? And I saw one couple, where the guy was holding the phone on a selfie stick, and after he took several pictures, she takes the stick and brings it closer and proceeds to take a whole lot more. Sigh!!!!

And then it was off to the Spanish Steps where people are so ignorant. I climbed to the top because that’s what one does and a couple were taking pictures. The girl was sitting on one of the large railings and was so engrossed in herself, that she didn’t hear or see the police woman walking towards her motioning her to get off. 

Flowers on the Spanish Steps

I spotted this on the way to the Spanish Steps  - it was a large mask made with big mirrors. It never occurred to me to look to the other side, but by this time, I was getting tired. 

A sculpture made with large mirrors

I was all twisted around, so I had no idea where the stops were for the bus and there were two in the area, so I decided to walk back to the train station. Can you believe my luck that I happened upon the last stop before the train station and the bus was right there!!! So I hopped on!!!

As I walked through the train station, I had been craving gelato all day, so I treated myself to it. That small cone was almost 5 euro, but well worth it. Actually, it wasn’t so small —- the cone was small, but the gelato was big!

Yum Yum

Then back to the hotel where I had a lie down for a bit and spotted this on social media. How cool is this? And so true. WE are our own worst enemy so many times. 

And this was my pumpkin soup at dinner last night. I could have eaten only this, but I also ordered pizza. It was a stretch to finish both, but I did.

Pumpkin soup

And now I’m about to get myself organized for the day. There is much to do and so little time. I read a comment from someone who said they were going to spend one day in Rome and seven in Italy and ended up spending all seven days in Rome. I can see that happening! It’s a wonderful city. We had rain last night but I see the sun is starting to come out. 

Just back from breakfast and my taxi is booked for tomorrow. 

Have a wonderful day!!!

Ciao!!!!