ROMA!

We had a wonderful time in Rome.  It was really nice to get away for a while.  Jannis has had a lot to do at work lately so it was nice to not think about it.  We had 2 and a half days and managed to see most of the big things in Rome.  Upon our arrival things were a little chaotic and we found out that the only way you can get a bus schedule is to buy one.  We didn't want to buy one so we figured it out by taking a random bus in the direction we thought we had to go.  Eventually we found our hotel only to find out that they had overbooked the place and moved us.  It actually turned out really well because the hotel we got was a lot closer to downtown and the lady from the fist place gave us a ride in her car to the new place.  It was quite an experience driving in Rome.  Many of the streets are old cobblestone that has not been fixed for a while.  It was very bumpy, fast and crazy because sometimes there are actually no defined lanes.  She told us upon entry in the car that seat belts were not necessary but we chose to put them on anyway. 

 

So after that crazy afternoon we finally went on our way to see our first sight.  The Colosseum was great!  It was a great way to start our trip.  Rome blew us both away with how many old historical things were in every corner.  One time we went around a corner and literally found one of Paul's prisons and went inside. 

 

Of course we also tasted the local flavors.  We ate a lot of pizza, past and gelato.  It was all so good!  We found noodles in so many shapes and colors that we've never seen before.  

We also went to see the Vatican.  We were expecting to wait about 3 hours to see the Sistine Chapel but we were in and out in about 2.  It was so beautiful and all the colors and paintings were almost overwhelming.  The whole city was breathtaking.  The history is so rich... as a kid I remember always hearing and learning about Rome and actually to see it was really unbelievable.  

At night the city is so full of life.  This is a picture of the Trevi fountain.  Obviously there are mostly tourists around it but the atmosphere was wonderful.  There are street musicians, great restaurants, etc.  The Italian people eat later in the day because usually the temperature is quite hot during the day so they come and stay out later into the evening.  When your hotel in Rome says that it serves breakfast, don't expect much.  We got a glass of orange juice and a day-old pastry most of the time.  

We learned a little about life in Rome in our short stay.  We have some good stories to tell, saw beautiful things, reviewed our history and got to spend some great time together.