If it hadn’t been for Paris before Annecy I don’t know if we could have handled the metro ourselves! That time in Paris taught us how the metro works and how to navigate and figure out where we need to go, and for that I am truly thankful! We navigated the metro like a pro. (But really there wasn’t much room for error…there are only 2 metro lines in Rome.) When we finally got off at the right stop we walked out of the metro right to the bottom of the Spanish Steps. Then we began the hunt for the hotel. Rome is hotter then Florence, and dragging a suitcase through the streets while wearing a backpack isn’t very fun. Especially when you have no idea how to ask for directions. This is the point where, although I was ecstatic to be in Italy, I began to miss France. Since I have become “The Dad” I was volunteered to ask for directions. As I went up to either shopkeepers or police officers and pointed at the address hoping that that meant something we were finally given good directions. (most directions consisted of “go straight…then there would be a fork in the road…) and arrived at our hotel. Since we couldn’t check in until 2 we dropped off our bags and set off to find the Pantheon.
We ended up finding it about 5 minutes from our hotel and then we decided to get some pasta. I ended up trying some delicious risotto and Whitney opted to try Penne al Arrbiata since she had tried mine the day before. When she ordered it the waiter warned her “It is a little bit hot.” Since she had had it the day before she told the waiter that that was fine. But after about 3 bites she looks at Lucy and I and says, “A little bit hot?? This is the pasta from hell! I feel like I could breath fire!” As Whitney made herself eat the pasta (since as she at it seemed to be the only way to slightly dull the heat…that is except for in-between bites) Lucy and I couldn’t help but laughing. I offered some of my risotto and that seemed to help…but not enough. And water is too expensive and precious here to have between bites. Finally the heat subsided and we ventured inside the Pantheon. It was incredible! I remembered watching some History Channel programs on Roman architecture and couldn’t believe that I was actually here! The exact proportions of the Pantheon were breathtaking!
After the Pantheon we wandered over to Piazza Navona. We admired the beautiful fountains in the center of the piazza and at the ends. Interesting fact…in the summers when Rome was at its hottest, ancient Romans used to use the fountains to flood the piazza and help cool it off! Since the fire in Whitney’s mouth wasn’t completely subsiding we decided as a group that it was necessary to get a E.G. (Emergency Gelato).
This helped Whitney a ton and Lucy and I felt like this was not something she should go through alone…so we got some too! (Tough decision. lol) We made our way back to our hotel and were finally able to check in. But the best part about checking into our room was the air-conditioning! We cranked that sucker and froze our room over! We decided to take a quick siesta before heading out for more fun (since the Romans do it, we had to do as the Romans do!!). After our nap we hopped onto the metro and zipped over to the Colosseum! It was amazing! So much bigger then I had thought it would be! But since we were there and hour before closing we decided to wait til the next day to go into the Colosseum itself. (The pass for the Colosseum also includes the Forum and the Palatine Hill and we didn’t think we could do that in an hour!) So we just admired from the outside!
Afterwards we walked over to the Circus Maximus (the old race track) and then crossed a bridge over into Travestere. Travestere is a small section of Rome that is across the river. One of my friends that is from Rome said that I had to visit here if I wanted to see what the “real” Rome is like. So we decided to venture over for dinner. I loved it! There were people everywhere! And the main square (Piazza Santa Maria) is the local gathering spot. Kids come here to play their games of soccer and even during major soccer events they put a screen up in the piazza so that everyone can come together to watch the spectacle! I ordered a 4 cheese pizza…and cheese I got. It was some of the strongest cheese that I have ever eaten…and having lived in France, that’s saying something!
After dinner we did a “Night Walk Across Rome” that was outlined for us in our travel guide. We walked past the French Embassy, a couple happening piazzas including Piazza Navona, the Pantheon at night, the supposed best gelato in Rome (Giolitti’s), the Trevi Fountain, and we ended at the Spanish Steps. I almost loved Rome better at night! Because it wasn’t nearly so hot people were out and about. And the best part about all these people was that most were locals! I would guess that most tourist were in their rooms asleep from their long days in Rome (we realized that there is a reason the locals take siestas! And we were glad we did the same!) We headed back to our hotel and called it a night!
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