Rome - A City of Wonder

Day one:

I was woken up a few times in the night I was unable to use my ear plugs as I needed to hear my alarm in the morning. My room was directly facing the street so I head a lot of drunk people outside.

I got to the station early and unfortunately there is no air conditioning (and most of the drinks you buy in fridges are not cold - what’s up with that Italy?). Luckily on that train there was a window to open so it was a pleasant journey. It should have been around 3.5 hours but ended up as 4.5 as we kept being delayed. I also again realised it was such a good idea to switch bags as there is no space for luggage on the suburbian trains but there are racks above the seats!

I managed to find my way to the hostel and am quite relieved that the metro is only four minutes away. The hostel seems to be one of three in the same building with my room on the top floor. The room is huge which is nice and there is a super efficient air conditioner - I was in bliss.

I then headed out to a movie theatre that plays movies in English with Italian subtitles. They were playing the new Star Wars movie and I needed to see it on the big screen.

Now Star Wars - I think there are three camps. Those who like the sequels and don’t like the stand alone movies and vice versa then those who just hate all of them. There will be some who have liked all of them - but seriously why ?? the sequels are been crap.

I fall into the third camp - I think the sequels are terrible and I’m seriously debating if I will even see the final one. The stand alone movies have been really good. I will say the actor playing Han Solo was a bit cheesy (bad acting) but overall still a good movie. Rouge One has been the best out of all of the new Star Wars if you are looking for a recommendation.

Day two:  

I again didn’t have a great sleep but mainly as the air conditioning unit is loud but this is a small sacrifice from having a good nights sleep.

I had managed to pre-book a ticket to the colosseum a couple of days before and said I could visit after 2pm. I decided to do some washing this morning as there are only so many times you can wear shorts and tee shirts before they start to smell bad. Let’s just say that when I get back I will never take a washing machine for granted again. While waiting for it to dry I managed to watch the first episode of season two The Handmaid's Tale. If you have not seen the show please do as it’s quite relevant in today’s world.

I then headed over to the monument and had some pizza while waiting for my time to enter. Walking in you feel the history of what it would have been like 2000 years ago. I bought an audio tour but it was slightly frustrating looking at what the person is talking about when everyone else is taking selfies as you are in there way sigh.

Day three:

I had a good night's sleep and woke up around eight just before my alarm went off. I had decided that after yesterday’s heat I would go out in the morning before returning to my hostel and the shade for the middle of the day.

I took which was one of the most terrifying bus rides of my life. In Italy they have zebra crossings but unless you are walking across the road people do not stop. Let’s just say a few people were lucky today when this driver went past.

Made it to the Trevi Fountain only to meet all the people who decided they would also start early. I do feel the crowds would have got a lot worse the longer it went on so I’m glad I got there when I did.

I then headed off to H&M to find some long pants for the Vatican. I had not thought about it until I arrived and I don’t want to wear jeans in 30 degree heat. It took a lot longer then I realised and it was almost lunch time so hot. I was walking to my metro stop when I came across the LEGO store. I have not bought anything but minifigures at most of the stores as I have limited space in my luggage so I like looking at the window displays.

Again I headed off and realised I was almost at the Spanish steps. I didn’t take a photo as again it was crawling with people. After sitting awhile and drinking my allotted water intake (in this heat I’m making myself drink a lot of water each day) I headed back to my hostel. I was going to do some reading but ended up falling asleep and woke up around dinner time.

I then headed out for dinner and to get some supplies from the supermarket. I’m off to Pompeii tomorrow and I’m taking a bus so it will be an early start (bus leaves at 7am). Plus I’m not sure how many stores will be there so I’m worried about running out of water.

Day four:

Today was my big trip to Pompeii. I decided to take a bus as it was only around €8 each way versus around €40 each. I woke up with plenty of time but unfortunately forgot my sunglasses so it was a bit of a mad rush to the bus station. Thank goodness the bus I got are green like their logo otherwise I would have got lost.

Reaching the town I got lost (what’s new?) and then it started to rain. Then google maps said it was a 30 minute walk away. I attempted to communicate with someone asking where the place was, however, they didn’t understand. I gave up at that stage and decided to follow my phone. Luckily I was stopped by the information office who told me the entrance / exit was across the road! I am so greatful as she gave me an audio guide and the best places to visit.

So strange to walk in as the ruins are almost in the middle of town. It was just so amazing to see everything and to know it was once covered in lava. What amazed me is that any of the buildings survived let alone art works and objects. There was even bread and walnut pods that survived.

There was so much to see and my particular favourite was the gymnasium. The Romans knew luxury and even had their own pool. Everyone else I think enjoyed the brothel - maybe just for the picture menus on the walls.

A lot of the structures were being restored so there were a lot of locked gates and scaffolding around. I still think you got to see a lot. The other thing was that a lot of the artifacts unearthed are now located in the Naples museum.

Another thing I enjoyed was the lack of tourists. Maybe it was because it was a Monday or just a long way from Rome but compared to other tourist areas it was almost empty.

Day five:

Today was a rest day. As this is a long trip I’m making sure at least one a week I try to do as little as possible. So after a long sleep in I caught up with the blog and booked some more things for the rest of my trip.

I also finished A Room With A View and started the second season of The Handmaids Tale. Let’s just say I think this season could be better then the first.

Day six:

I have learned on my trip that booking tickets to skip the line is the key to a good holiday. That said I went to visit the Vatican today to see the Sisteine Chappel and St Paul’s Catherdral after booking my ticket last week. It was also a day I was somewhat dreading as the dress code calls for clothes covering the arms and knees.

Now let me start be saying that apparently Italians have rules they simply don’t follow. I went out and specifically bought long pants for today. Yet when I got there I can see a large number of signs along with a huge number of people not following it. To the extent that one girl simply looked like she was wearing a giant teeshirt. If she was wearing shorts they were small enough not to see them. So I feel slightly annoyed that I have sweated in pants when I should not have worried. Saying that if I had worn shorts I’m sure I would have been stopped. Murphy’s law and all that.

Getting back to the Vatican. After getting inside the art work is amazing. The cealings were the real wonder. To think someone had to be upside down when panting them is amazing. Plus in this heat without aircontioning would have been absolute hell. Now I found my favourite picture of the day. I think it’s pretty daring to show someone’s chopped off head.

It took a while to walk though to the chapel and I have to say I was not that impressed with the it. Didn’t help there was no place to stand as everyone was squished in. Even with that I thought the walk to get there was more amazing. I guess if you are religious it will hold more meaning to you.

After lunch I went outside in the boiling sun to cisit St Paul’s Cathedral. I heard there was a dress code there but was unwilling to take off my pants just in case. (Yes I bought shorts with me to change into.) I then got to the area and saw the line going around and decided not to join it. It went around almost half of the square and I estimated at least 2-3 hours if not longer. I was starting to feel sick from the heat so decided instead to go back and cool off back at my hostel. At this stage I’m more impressed with the Roman History then the Christian.

Day seven:

Today I decided to visit the Forum in the late afternoon to beat the heat. I managed to finish watching up to the latest espiside of The Handmaid's Tale online (the wifi has been terrible!). If you are not watching it you should do - it’s probably the best show since The Leftovers - another show to watch if you have not seen it.

Anyway had a lazy day then headed out only to find it had rained and cooled down a bit. I chose the right time to go as there were not many people around and the queue to get in a short (including buying a tickets). I downloaded an app by Rick Steves who has audio tours thought Europe. It’s so much better then just walking around as you get to learn info about the area - plus it’s free. I have done a few walking tours, my main issue is that I’m slow so usually for me it’s a race when I would rather take a few breaks and take time to soak up the atmosphere.

Going through it was amazing to think it was the heart of the Roman Empire and so many important things happened there. You don’t get a real sense of the area until you see it from the top (which I should have done first).

I then had my last pizza before heading back to my hostel as I have a very early flight tomorrow morning.