Roma

I've decided to try some new formatting, as the amount of text and pictures increased a lot today. The alternating view seemed like a good way to mix it up a little. 

   I spoke too soon when I said that I loved Rome yesterday. I ABSOLUTELY love Rome. The few hours that I had yesterday cannot compare with how fantastic today was. I am so exhausted right now because we kept so busy and saw so many wonderful places! My face is currently red from sunburns, but I’m not letting it get me down! It just meant that I spent a lot of time enjoying the Italian weather and a wonderful day!

    This morning I woke up to the light shining in through my fantastically large window. We left it open during the night to keep the room cool and when I looked out the window I was greeted with the view of our amazing courtyard. I can’t get over how picturesque everything about this place is. I have seen so many pictures and movies about Rome and you don’t realize how truly beautiful it is until you are there. I literally sat in the front of the window for most of the morning just taking it all in. We started a little later than we had planned because we were all exhausted from traveling yesterday, but it wasn’t really an issue. We ate the breakfast that was provided by Massimo (not Maximo, like I erroneously posted yesterday) on a fun little silver tray. I really liked it despite it being very basic with toast, croissants, jam, and milk. 

The view outside my window

For somer reason I was so enamored with breakfast

    Our first goal of the morning was to track down the Termini Train Station where we could buy a Roma Pass. The pass is an amazing deal that allows you to travel on all different forms of public transportation, gets you into two historical sights or museums for free, lets you go through special lines for certain museums, and provides free/reduced price entry for a lot of different sites. Essentially it is a beautiful thing to have when you are a tourist on a budget. We had a little difficulty initially, as we quickly found that the directions we got on Google Maps was not as reliable as we thought they were. We got turned around quite a few times before we managed to get to the station! It was fine though as we got to see a few different things as we made our way through Rome! Even the lesser known areas boast some wonderful things to be seen. 

    With our Roma Pass finally purchased we decided to get lunch. We stopped by a little café called Big Ben (how fitting) where I got to try my first authentic Italian Pizza. It was fantastic! I got a pretty basic pizza and I was in love with it. When we asked our waiter how big the pizza was he told us it was just a usual plate, but apparently a typical pizza plate here is huge. I didn’t need to worry because apparently I was starving because I devoured the whole thing. I also ordered a coke, which they provided in a tall and thin can. Most their sodas are served in these cans, and for some reason I find them hysterical! 

The fantastic pizza

The official pass provided by the city

    

It’s been a little intimidating walking around and trying to find different sites when we don’t fully understand the language. Fortunately there are plenty of English signs around as well, and so far most of the stores and restaurants that we have gone to, the workers have a basic understanding of English (enough to tell us what the flavors of gelato are at least). There have been moments that catch us off guard, but I think we managed very well!

    After our lunch we made our way over to the Colosseum! We decided to try our luck with the Metro, which went really well. Granted, it wasn’t too difficult because it was only a stop away from the station we entered. The station was right outside the Colosseum, so it was easy to get to and very easy to find. The thing is gigantic! It was much bigger than I thought it would be. We walked around it once to get a look at it, and then made our way inside. We used the first of our two free entries from the Roma Pass, and also got to skip a huge line to get in. I was surprised by the layout of the Colosseum. The outer ring of the structure has been pretty modernized. There are elevators, bathrooms, gift shops, bookstores, and whole areas that have been converted into a museum about the Romans and the Colosseum. It was all very fascinating. The outer layer then gives way to the inner circle where you can actually see the inside of the Colosseum. I was surprised at how much we could explore. Though we couldn’t actually go down into the center, we walked all the way around the perimeter at two different levels. It was so cool. Our little group broke off for a bit so Dallin and I walked around the whole thing twice, once on each level. At places like these I like to listen for the different languages, because tourists flock to these sort of locations. There were certainly a lot of us there, and it was a little reassuring to hear English every now and then. 

Why hello there beautiful

My panoramic shot of the inside. Never used that feature before

Myself, Lindsey, and Alli

Wait. Can I drink this? I CAN!? YAY!

View from the upper level 

Who knew it doubled as a museum?!

It's incredible how intricate the "under Colosseum" really was

After shot - So impressed

     We decided that we were all in need of a gelato break, so we found a little shop nearby and ordered some of the delicious nectar from the Roman Gods. We took our treat over to an outdoor staircase in a quaint neighborhood nearby. The whole situation was excellent. I was content to sit there all day, but there were more things to be done! 

I wouldn't mind living in one of those

Easting on the steps

    Right next to the Colosseum is the Roman Forum, a massive area that was once home of all the central activities in Rome. Now it just makes for a wonderful tourist attraction. We used the second of our two free entries to get in and then went exploring. This place felt like a playground for adults. Initially you have your arches and pillars, which are quite fantastic. But then we discovered secret stairways, stone bathtubs in the middle of a road, tunnels, graves, statues, and lots of other things that I suppose constitute downtown Ancient Rome. We gave ourselves a deadline for when we had to leave, and I found myself wanting for more time! There was so much to see and I think we only covered a portion of what was offered there! It was incredibly fun, and I snapped quite a few photos. 

A lovely day at the Roman Forum

The incredible view from them hilltop inside the Forum

(Mouth hanging open)

When you find a random stone bathtub, you have to climb in

A courtyard of some sort

We can't go anywhere without taking a groupie

More awesomeness

Enjoying the view

    We decided that we wanted to go over to see the Pantheon, and then make our way over to the Trevi fountain. As we were making our way over in the general direction of these wonderful things, we stumbled upon the Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary. Yep. That’s a thing. I had jokingly sent Jennifer a message on Facebook earlier this week saying we should pay a visit to this place. Jennifer is in love with cats, just so you know. We were walking along when someone pointed out a cat that was lying down in some ruins. You’d be surprised how frequently you just happen to run into ruins in this city. We then started realizing that there were in fact several cats living down there. Jennifer and I looked at each other and were like, “Did we seriously just find this?!” Yep. We had. We walked around the perimeter where we befriended many of these cats that had been saved and provided sanctuary. It was one of the most random things I have ever seen, but it was actually really cool at the same time. Jennifer and Lindsey were both ecstatic, and I was actually surprisingly intrigued by this place. 

Jennifer and her new friend

    After visiting the shelter for a bit….we struggled the rest of our evening. We found out after a while that we were actually walking in the wrong direction, and ended up turning around a few times. Eventually we got hungry and got some pasta and pizza at another little restaurant. Most places just provide seating outside, which we are not opposed to! This time around I decided to have some pasta, so I got the spaghetti carbonara. When they brought out the plate it looked deceptively small, but I was surprised at how much food I actually had on my plate, and I actually found it a struggle to finish it. I also got another coke in a silly can. 

    By the time we had finished dinner and walked around a bit more it was getting dark, so we decided to call it a night. I was initially frustrated because I wanted to continue adventuring, but the moment we hopped on the bus to return to the Bed and Breakfast, I immediately felt exhausted. Between the bus and the metro we managed to find our way back to our corner of Rome. We made a quick stop for more gelato, bought some soap and shampoo at a local store, and then came back to post pictures on Facebook and get ready for bed! 

    I am so blown away by all that I saw today, and I am excited to see what else we discover in the days to come. I may need to track down some sunscreen though if I want to avoid my face falling off. 

    

My first foray into Italian pasta

How is this place so beautiful