Busy day, Roma style

Another day in Rome, and we got as much done as possible!

Started with a nice breakfast on the roof of our hotel (provided). The rooftop terrace is very nice, and it was a beautiful morning. We had fruit, yogurt, some meat and cheese, pastries and of course italian coffee. Filled and fueled us up for a busy day.

First stop, the Metro and Trenitalia for tickets. One for the Metro – a day pass – which is the inter-city transit. 3 more tickets for the Train – Trenitalia – 2 for Firenza (Florence) and one for Civitavecchia for our last day to get to the ship. Nice surprise that they only took cash – so we also got to use our first Roman ATM ;).

Then, we jumped on the Metro for the San Pietro stop – St. Peters. Man was it crowded. And hot. Squished up next to each other for 6 stops, then everybody got off. We should have clued in there – they all got off at our stop…

Walked to Vatican City from there, and what do you know – very very crowded, big lineup to get in. That could only mean one thing, apparently: a Papal visit. A very nice surprise to the day. So we went to the Vatican, and the Pope showed up ;). Spent a couple of hours watching him address the crowd in many languages, then headed to the Vatican Museum for our scheduled tour.

The tour was amazing – I have lots of pictures, and I really can’t describe it without them. Suffice to say that there was a lot to see and a lot to learn. Went through the Sistine Chapel as well, which words couldn’t really describe. I’ll try at some point, but since we could not take pictures (or even talk) when we were in there we could only stand in awe. From there we went to St. Peters and climbed the Dome for a stunning view of Rome. The climb was a lift halfway and then 320 steps to the top. Steps that got narrower and steeper, with the Dome wall closing in on you from the left (going up) and the right (going down). It’s a dome, after all. But again, well worth it with many pictures to show.

After the Dome, we went through the Basilica and took many pictures of what can only be one of the most spectacular churches in the world. Headed back to the Metro from there, with a thunderstorm heading over us. We had a quick bite at a cafe (pasta of course) and headed back on the Metro to the Colosseum.

The Metro stop is directly across the street from the Colosseum, so it was the first thing we saw when we stepped out. Again, stunning. It’s big – very big. We went inside and toured around, even climbing to the second level for some great shots. Well worth the time, even if the storm dropped in and rained on us ;).

After that, we had a distant look at the forum (with the rain and the miles we’d done, it was pretty much all we could handle). Headed back to the hotel for a rest and then back out for an italian multi-course dinner. Now it’s late and Mare is poking me to finish this and go to bed ;). See y’all tomorrow after Florence – lots to tell you I’m sure.