European Excursion - Rome

Once again, my intense preparation paid off as I took my seat for the flight from Paris to Rome. I was seated next to another Groupon customer on the same London/Paris/Rome trip. When she explained that she and her husband intended to take a taxi from the airport to the hotel, I whipped out my alternative transportation card and showed her how easy it would be to simply take the train from the airport to the Roma Tuscolana station. It would be a forty five minute ride, as opposed to a lengthier and costlier trip in a taxi required to stop at traffic lights. I pulled up a map of Roma Tuscolana on my phone, before putting it on airplane mode, and was able to show her that the hotel was right around the corner from the station. Later, that afternoon, I ran into her in the hotel lobby and she thanked me for saving them time and money and said the directions were spot on and easy to follow. It felt good to be able to assist others with transportation details.

I was torn between jetting off on my own into the city center of Rome and waiting around to go in with Richard and Linda. I think if I hadn't been so fearful of the graffiti-clad neighborhood and of the prospect of Roman thievery, I would have ventured out on my own. Alas, I waited for Linda, whose phone had not been working during the trip. She had been desperately trying to make contact with her friend in Greece because they were supposed to spend a few extra days there after our time in Rome was over.

By the time we departed the hotel it was already late in the afternoon. Although we easily found the Ponte Lungo subway station a few blocks away, we were growing hungry and the machine refused to take Linda's fifty euro note (perhaps it didn't have enough to make change for the large bill). In the end, we stopped off at a little pizzeria near the station and had pleasant conversation with the proprietor there. His prices were reasonable and we enjoyed our time in his little pizza shop so much that we vowed to return the following evening.

After breakfast the next morning, we set out to find the I Love Rome Hop-on-Hop-off bus company because Linda and Richard had purchased tickets for that particular bus from the front desk. There were numerous city buses at the central Termini station, but eventually we found the bus with the pink heart. Just like the Paris bus, we were handed ear buds and directed to the channel for English translation. Unfortunately, it was raining, so our view was obstructed for the first part of our ride. When the sun appeared, we made our way to the topside of the double-decker bus, but found almost all the seats were filled with rain water. Still, I was able to perch on the edge of a seat and capture a few images of the city as we slowly made our way through the streets:

I loved so many of the solid, intricately-carved giant doors. It was always a thrill to glimpse the tiny side streets crammed with miniature cars and various shops:

The first stop where we actually got off the bus was the stop for Vatican City. We crossed the bridge and approached St. Peter's Basilica:

Unfortunately, by this time it was already close to noon and I knew I had to be at the Arch of St. Constantine, near the Colosseum by 1:25 p.m. for my pre-paid Colosseum tour. I split off from Richard and Linda (who were able to take the tour of the Vatican and see the famous Michaelangelo ceiling painting in the Sistine Chapel). While I waited to re-board the bus, I took a photo of this vendor who was selling the most intriguing collapsible bowl. I thought about purchasing one, but worried it would take up too much room in my luggage. (I found out later that Linda purchased one when she saw it):

It took quite a while to go all the way around the route again to get to the Colosseum bus stop, but I arrived with enough time to find a small side-street restaurant and have a panini:

Finally, I found the tour guide and embarked upon the most interesting aspect of my time in Rome - the Colosseum Ancient Ruins Tour:

Our guide, Stefano, regaled us with tales of how the gladiators rose from 60 stone elevators (cranked up on a coiled mechanism from below) and entered the arena to face animals and other gladiators.

The emperor would give the signal to indicate if he wanted the gladiator to kill or simply maim his opponent. Gladiators received tremendous fame and fortune for their participation in these deadly games. Spectators sat around the amphitheatre on marble seats:

We left the Colosseum and climbed Palatine Hill to view more ruins. The tour guide provided fascinating commentary. How I wish I could remember all of what he taught us!

By the time the tour ended, it was already past 5 p.m. and growing dark. I thought about taking the bus back to the Trevi Fountain stop. I had really wanted to see the fountain and perhaps even toss a coin over my shoulder, but instead I made my way to the closest subway station and returned to the hotel (practically running from the Metro station to the hotel because the neighborhood seemed a bit dodgy to be out in alone at night).

That night, Linda and Richard and I made our way back to the little Voglia di Pizza shop. While we were eating some pasta and trying more of the pizza options, a smart-looking young man entered the shop and I could tell right away that he was English. He said he was from Oxford, so I mentioned that I had studied for a summer in Oxford during my college years. He seemed duly impressed. I went on to tell him more about my past trips to England and of our current London-Paris-Rome trip. He marvelled at the excellent price we paid for such an extensive trip. He explained that he had just landed in Rome with a theatre troupe presenting A Picture of Dorian Gray. At only 21, he was cast in the lead role of Dorian. I felt an instant kinship with the young man, a lover of literature and drama and education. I was really enjoying our conversation until it turned to American politics - groan, my least favorite subject to discuss.

Linda and I met for one last breakfast the following morning and then I was off on my own again to traverse the final leg of my trip - the nine hour flight from Rome to JFK, a three hour layover, and then my final flight from JFK to Chicago. By the time I landed in Chicago, I was beyond tired and quite thankful someone else would be driving me back to the hotel. The clerk upgraded me, at no cost, to a suite, but I could have slept in a broom closet, I was so tired.

My four hour drive home went smoothly and I was thrilled to be back on my own turf. I ran into the leader of my writing group at the library and had such fun sharing tidbits from my travels. Tackling this daunting trip on my own, filled me with a new-found self-confidence and a determination to push into hard things more often.