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Day 5 & 6: Rome
"Rome"
Day 5: Rome
Arrived in Rome at 1 PM. As we walked off the train a man approached us and asked if we needed a hotel. He booked a room for us for 3 nights at Hotel Principessa Tea. It was a 25-minute walk away from the Coliseum. He walked us to a Taxi and sent us off. The ride was 5-10 minutes long and cost about $5. Checked in the hotel for $60 night which included breakfast. The room was rather small but we were satisfied with it for the price. Walked to the Hard Rock Cafe Rome and bought a couple of pins. I was amazed and in awe of being in Rome and seeing the architechture. Walked to the Fontana De Trevi Fountain. It was a large beautiful fountain which had lots of statues. Threw a coin in the fountain and made a wish. We later found out that we needed to toss in 3 coins for good luck. Oh well, Cathy and I only tossed in one coin each. From there we went to the Foro Romano. Bought a $8 Rome book. It was sad to see the ruins of the Forum. Walked down some steps and strolled through the ruins. We took lots of pictures. Most of the original structures were gone. Only huge concrete pilars were left. Walked to the Colosseo and was awestruck at the first site of the Colosseo. It was neat to imagine what went on in the coliseum. Bought tickets to enter the coliseum. We got jammed into a little space while standing in line for the tickets. Chatted with some American College students. Took a lot of pictures while marveling at the sites. The floor of the coliseum was gone and the seating was destroyed. It was a great experience. Managed to pick up a few pebbles from the Coliseum. Walked out of the Coliseum and stopped by Gran Caffe Rossi Martini to use the toilet, get a bite to eat and have a drink. It was a nice place and we sat outside to overlook the coliseum across the street while the sun was setting. The waiter was really nice and fun. It was great place and we had a fabulous time. We had entertainment as a couple of street entertainers played for us. The waiter borrowed the guy's guitar and started playing some American Rock and Roll. Made the long walk back to the hotel. Had some sandwiches and snacks for dinner in the room.
Day 6: Rome:
Had breakfast in the hotel (cold pastrami sandwich, hard-boiled eggs, cereal, croissants). Told the front desk to book us the Naples, Capri, Sorento tour for $126 each. Caught the metro to the Vatican, Piazza San Pietro. The Vatican was huge and there were lots of people there. Cathy estimated that the outside area could hold 2,000 people. I told her it could hold more like 50,000. I guess she's not good at estimating. Walked into the Vatican. There were lots of tourist walking around. Also noticed lots of nuns there. There were several areas to pray. We went outside and watched the funny dressed guards let people enter the restricted areas of the Vatican. Left the Vatican and took a picture of a really small car along side the street. Walked across the Teve River and took some pictures at the Castel S. Angelo. Then we headed to the Piazza Navona which was a large oval shaped open area lined with store and restaurants. Then we walked to the Pantheon where we had lunch at a sidewalk cafe. I had pasta and Cathy had the risotto funghi. We traded plates after eating half. The risotto was really good. Walked South to the S. Giovanni In Laterano and caught the metro back to our hotel. Rome had a very limited subway system.
