When in Rome... (part I)

As another great trip comes to an end, I'm enjoying getting to relive everything I did through the works of my blog. My trip to Rome was very different than my trip to Barcelona for several reasons: a) I was with my host family instead of friends which meant getting my proper nights' rest and being awake at normal hours of the day b) staying in a luxurious 5 bedroom apartment in the heart of Rome instead of a hostel c) my meals consisted of more than just cereal, a kebob, or trail mix. With all this said, there's definitely pro's to both types of trips and all I can say it I can't wait for mine and Leslie's next trip at the end of May to Amsterdam :)

As each day in Rome came to an end, I tried to write a bit on what we did that day so it would be easier to fill you all in on everything. There was just too much we did and saw so I'm breaking it into two parts, half so you guys can have a breather reading it all and half so my computer can have a breather from all the pics I'm uploading... Enjoy!

Tuesday: When in Rome.. learn the lingo.

Today’s lesson came when we had our second round of gelato for the day and I said “Grazie!” (meaning thank you) to the ice cream man. He knew I was American but appreciated the effort so he smiled, and added an extra scoop for free :) ... at least I think that's why he gave me extra?

The whole crew woke up bright and early to catch a 7am flight out of Charles de Gualle. After a quick flight, we had a driver take us to our apartment that the Ricke’s rented for the week. The place was legit! It was a very spacious 5 bedroom flat with 2 big living rooms. They insisted on letting me pick first so after clearly identifying which one the master was, I chose a close runner up room equipped with its own balcony and bathroom... and as I mentioned in my last post, a bidet haha! Side note- it was not used but rather when nature called felt all the more royal and important by just the looks of it. Sort of like the yin to a toilets yang. Once we dropped off our obnoxious amount of luggage, it was time to hit the streets of Roma! We walked around for hours just getting familiar with the city (yet again, as priorly mentioned, only Josh their 2 year old and I were the only ones who have never been). Before dinner time, I had already seen the Colosseum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, Arch of Titus, Arch of Constantine, Victor Emmanuel Monument, Trajan’s Column and Forum, the Column of Marcus Aurelius, and more. If you’re thinking, wow, how can she remember all those?! Don’t worry, I had to look some of them up to remember. By the time we got back to the apartment, I was not only exhausted, but had a feeling of confusion, like what else is there to see?! Clearly MUCH more but my overall first impression of Rome was pretty great. It’s mind boggling to me how old the places I’m visiting are... Thinking things were built BC?! I still can’t wrap my head around it but the city has done a great job of preserving so much of it.

Wednesday: When in Rome... wearing your walking shoes.

At 10:45 we finally got everyone out the door for our set 9:30am departure. I guess that is pretty much expected with four boys running around. First thing on the list was to get our “Roma Pass” which is good for 3 days and allows us to get into any museum and the best part... not wait in line! We decided to take the metro over to the Colosseum for our first real visit of our trip. All I can say about the metro here is what a pain! It is not the least bit convenient and once again, made me appreciate Paris that much more. The metro here is more remote with a lot less locations, very confusing with hardly any signs of where to go, and the sides of all the metro cars are grafettied and you feel like you’re in a dungeon. Note to self and others: “when in Rome”... walk.

Once in the Colosseum, it was breathtaking. Looking into the “pit” where the gladiators fought was such a jaw dropping moment. To think that 75,000 people would sit in this arena and cheer on their favorite man who was fighting for his life is crazy. I began to wonder if Hunger Games got their plot from this era. Walking around and reading all about the history was really cool. Some of my favorite things I learned included the gladiators were usually men convicted of crime and this was their punishment instead of the guillotine or being crucified and while the gladiator games lasted, the whole concept was designed to appeal and honor the public. It was free to the entire public and not only did they get to watch these guys basically kill each other, they got to enjoy a feast while lots of meats, fish, and fruit were served to all. 

After the Colosseum, we walked directly across the street to the Forums. I’m still not sure exactly what happened here but my understanding is that it was a place to meet, do business, politics, and shop. The entire place is basically ruins with certain areas preserved. My favorite was the 3 surviving Corinthian columns of the Temple of Vesta which is dedicated to the Vestal Virgins. These chicks were badass. The summary of these ladies were that they were selected from noble families and were the only women priests in Rome. Their job was to keep an eternal sacred flame inside the temple and were a high status in the roman society. But the kicker was they had to serve for thirty years and must remain virgins. If a Vestal disgraced herself she was buried alive. A little rash don’t ya think? There were a ton of other ruin temples, arches, and basilicas that are a part of the Forum. I could go on for days but I’ll spare you and just show you some pics below.. their worth a thousand words anyways, right? One fun fact you can’t really make out in the pictures are areas of ruins are far lower than where we stand... that’s because there was so much debris, the city now stands 25 feet high than it used to.

By the time we finished cruising through the Forums, everyone was well ready for lunch. I have to say, the food here is great. The pizza, pasta, gelato... that’s amore! After lunch, we walked around several huge churches of which I can’t remember their exact names but I know 2 of them had had Sainta Maria in their names and one of those is one of the 4 major churches here... which one? I’d have to play eenie-meenie-minnie-mo. And name the 3 others? Umm... moving onnnn. Wrapping up another power cite seeing day, we walked through their main shopping street, Corso, that led to Piazza di Spagna which I loved! It’s a really cool, trendy area but you definitely know you’re in THE touristy area by the buttloads of people sitting on The Spanish Steps and/or taking pictures all around you. Turned out our place was not far from there at all so we walked back and had a nice, much needed night in eating salad and pasta for dinner followed by sharing funny youtube vids with the boys and I the rest of the night. 

I have to note my favorite part of today came from Paul, the 13 year old. After the countless monuments, statues, and churches we saw that the boys had zero interest in at all, Sadia, with her guidebook (which she hardly needs, the woman is a walking encyclopedia) pointed up to at least the 15th statue of the day and asked “Who can tell me what tower that is...” By this time, it had become routine for no one to answer and Sadia to go ahead and give us the answer but this time, with no subconscious filter, for that I’m sure, Paul blurts out “The tower of douchebag.” How does a 13 year old boy who lives in France and speaks English as his second language even know that word?! I immediately crack up and then he says very quizzically “what’s a douchebag?” 

The alley way of our apartment

Gelato !

Trevi Fountain- this place is always PACKED. Even walking home Saturday night at 1 in the morning there are the same amount of people here as during the day

Victor Emmanuel Monument- on Capitoline Hill that honors Italy's first king

About the most interested the boys looked the whole week
(probably because it's only the first day)

Road leading up to the Colosseum 

Roman Colosseum! One of my favorite things I saw

Me, Thom, and the boys in front of the Arch of Constantine 

Sam taking a break in Josh's "poussette"

Arch of Constantine and the Colosseum on the right

I forget what important statue this is but inside is Musei Capitolini

The Forums

Piazza Navano

Piazza Navona- very popular area. It was built over the Stadium of Domitian which was built in 1st century AD and where the Romans would come to watch the "agones" aka athletic games. This is why this piazza is in the shape of a track

Fountain in the middle of Piazza Navona- representing the 4 major rivers of the ancient world

Colosseum :)

 

Inside the Colosseum

On the top floor-- on the left they remade part of what the stage looked like and as you can see there was a lot of stuff going on underneath as well

 

View of Arch of Constaintine from the Colosseum 

Inside the Forums- straight ahead is the Arch of Septimius Severus. This was a triumphal arch built in 203 AD to commemorate the victories of emperor Septimius Severus and his two sons 

1 of the 4 major basilica's: Saint Maria Major dedicated to the Virgin Mary 

Inside Saint Mary

Pantheon!

The symbol of Rome.. you see this everywhere. The SPQR stands for  Senatus Populusque Romanus "Senate and the Roman People." The image of the middle is all about the foundation Myth of Rome with the she-wolf finding and caring for Romulus and Remus. 

The famous Spanish Steps at Piazza Spagna

Me after day 2 of 8 hour cite seeing