My adventure to Rome. Incroyable. Truly incredible.
Well here goes...!
I already detailed the Ryan Air drama. So, I got up around 930 on Friday, not quite certain what I was going to do. I walked outside to find that it was cold and dreary. So I decided to head over to Vatican City since I would be mostly in doors. Thus began my adventures around Rome. I ventured boldly to the INSANE metro. Asked for a biglietto from a street vender and headed down into the depths of the Rome underworld. Yeah, the metro is not so good. First of all, there are only 2 lines on it. Just two. And there can't be more than a few trains on each line. You're pretty much guaranteed to wait a while for the train. And you just better hope you can get on because they can be SO FULL. Apparently there are times when police have to stop people from getting on to the escalators and going onto the platforms, for fear someone will fall onto the tracks. It’s THAT bad. And if you plan on using them, keep your belongings close and in front of you.
When I got off the metro, I wasn’t sure where to go, so I used the little Italian that I know to ask where I can find San Piedro (St. Peter’s) and successfully found my way to the Vatican. I began the day in the Vatican Museums in which the walls and ceiling are covered with the art of Raphael and Michelangelo among other artists. It was much more crowded that I had expected, but everyone else probably had the same idea that I did---- Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s equals shelter from potential rain and good use of a crummy day. For while, I actually viewed and appreciated the tapestries and extravagant architecture and artwork, but I began to get frustrated with the crowds and just wanted to see the Sistine Chapel! So I hiked through the crowds and fell upon an ENORMOUS chapel, MUCH bigger than I had imagined. There were tons of people in there, which kind of ruined the experience for me. Nevertheless, the chapel is such an incredible array of art done by Michelangelo and Raphael. I was actually kind of bummed that the ceiling was so high up. It’s difficult to actually appreciate what you can barely see. And YIKES the people who work there are Nazis about photos and maintaining silence. The latter I understand and appreciate and I comprehend a no flash rule, but this was a no-photos-whatsoever rule. Of course, if you know me, you know I WILL GET my photo. I’m being all slick and placing my camera at chest level, facing it towards the ceiling so that I can still get a photo, when out of NOWHERE this little man brandishes a finger and shouts “Madame!” Hmm, way to break that “appreciate in silence” concept little man. Just after that, I hid away from all the employees to try to get a full scan of the room from the back and some random guy waves his hand in front of my camera as I’m taking a picture and proceeds to chastise me like a small child. PS. That didn’t go over well with me and resulted in an evil stare and a few worded rebuke in French, Spanish, and Italian (since the man said something to me as he thrashed his hand, but I didn’t quite catch which language it was in, and I was pretty sure it wasn’t English).
After the Sistine Chapel I pranced off to the secure entrance to the Basilica. Don’t concern yourself with the seemingly long line before the metal detectors. It moves quickly.
WOW. WOW WOW WOW WOW. It was incredible. Immense and absolutely breathtaking. I tried my best to take photos, but given the dim light and grandeur of the Basilica, it’s just impossible to capture its beauty. I could have wandered around in there for the entire day and actually did spend like an hour and a half appreciating its brilliance (and that’s a long time for me to spend in one place!). I wandered down into the crypt and ended up outside, before a line of some sort and discovered that it was a line to go up the cupola (the dome of the Basilica). Talk about a hike! I suggest paying extra to take the elevator up to the first floor because still after there are several hundred steps. The first set of steps isn’t too bad considering the fact that they are short and far apart, but spare yourself and fork out the 2 euros for the elevator. And if you are afraid of heights or get claustrophobic, be prepared. It’s tolerable, but I did see a woman crying because of one or the other.
First you find yourself at the base of the great dome, in plain view of magnificent mosaics. Then you venture up more steps to the very very top where this is another little dome that support the great dome. There you see a beautiful view of the Vatican gardens (unfortunately viewed only by tour) and of Rome. Absolutely worth it. It is a shame that it was such a dreary day and I couldn’t see the mountains outside or Rome, but still very much worth the hike and 4 euros.
After the hike, I went back into the Basilica, because it’s just so incredible, and then found my stomach yelling at me. So I decided to get myself some true on-the-street Italian food. Wow. The pizza is amazing. It consists of two fluffy pizza crusts on top of one another with a light sauce and delicious mozzarella cheese on the inside. For a bread enthusiast like myself, it’s heaven.
At this point I decided I must figure out a way to get a hold of my cousin Sarah, by phone. We had been emailing back and forth, but neither of us was able to figure out how to call each other. Really, it wasn’t such a difficult process, but given that we aren’t familiar with calling between countries in Europe, it was difficult enough for us! FINALLY I was able to figure out that you have to add a “00” in front of the number. I haven’t seen Sarah for a really long time. It’s crazy that we meet up in a foreign country! It was really nice to have someone to walk around with and talk to. We wandered about, just talking, ended up going to the Spanish steps (not so much exciting à mon avis), took a little break and eat real gelato…. OH HOW I LOVE IT. I think I had gelato like 4 times during the few days spent in Rome. And it was so cheap too! 2 euros! In Paris the same thing would probably cost 4 or 5 euros. I really appreciated the fact that Rome didn’t tear a hole in my pocket. Quite a relief from the expense of Paris.
Following that delicious gelato we wandered to Fontana di Trevi which was FABULOUS. GO THERE AT NIGHT. It’s very pretty. There are SO MANY fountains in Rome that are especially gorgeous at night.
Thus ended a lovely afternoon with my cousin and began another metro adventure back to the hostel so that I could eat the free pizza provided every night at 19h30. When I got back to my room in the hostel, I found Marie-Eve, the Canadian girl I had met briefly the night before. We chatted about our day (in French! Woohoo!) and she looked like she was getting ready to go out, so I asked her if that’s what she was doing. It was her last night in Rome, so she was going to a Roman restaurant to eat an authentic Roman meal with a guy (or rather, a man---- this guy is a lawyer, must be in his early 40s) she had met and hung out with earlier. She asked if I wanted to come along and at first I wasn’t sure if I wanted to pay for dinner… Ultimately I decided that I was in Rome and I need to go at least one night, so why not.
We hopped on a bus and headed toward the Piazza Nova area. Of course, got lost trying to find the restaurant, even though we walked RIGHT by it! There was no sign on the outside of it, so it was no surprise that we couldn’t find it. I decided to ask someone where it was. Walked into a cute shop on this little side street where there was a small group of people chatting. I figured one of them had to know where it is and I was hoping someone spoke English or French. Well, no. Once again I used the little Italian I know to ask for directions while Marie-Eve tried to ask as well by manipulating French words in attempt to make them Italian. According to Russ (the lawyer), it was quite the amusing extravaganza. We were all waving out hands about in attempts to understand one another. We thought we understood, so we thanked the Italians and attempted to find the restaurant… without any luck. We ended up talking a side street that tossed us out right back where we started with the Italians directing us. We saw the Italians, they saw us, and we all laughed. Given that it was clear we weren’t going to find it, one of the women proceeded to take us to the restaurant (which we had passed like 3 times). They were such nice people. I never had an issue with any Italians (except for a crazy homeless person here and there).
The Roman restaurant was perfect. It was 20 euros for a full course meal. There were no menus so we didn’t have to struggle with what to try. You were served wine with appetizers, one entrée with sides, and pasta dish, and dessert. It was quite good! And such a pleasant atmosphere under a heated and enclosed overhang, just off the main restaurant. The three of us had a wonderful time talking about anything and everything. We were there for like 3 hours, just talking. That’s what I really like to do. I’m not a huge fan of going out and partying, but I love me some good food and good conversation. After dinner, Marie-Eve insisted that we go to Piazza Navona and I’m certainly glad we did! It’s another plaza with 2 fountains--- beautiful at night. We looked at the time and noticed it was nearly midnight! Given that the buses and metros close around midnight, we hurried on our way to catch a bus back to the hostel. Marie-Eve and I said farewell to Russ who was off to collect his belongings and head to the airport for Kansas City, then we went over to the bar.
We were just going to get some water and go to bed, but what were we thinking?! We made friends with the bar tender and a few other travelers. I ended up talking to this Australian/Irish guy, Kaan, about politics and social issues and all sorts of things. More great conversation! We also made friends with the bar tender, Jeff, who Kaan referred to as Quentin Tarantino, because he slightly resembled him and did a good impression. I'm jealous because he knows 4 languages! I swear I'll get there one day! We didn’t end up going to bed until nearly 3am… and we were planning on getting up at 7:30 to go to Palatine… somehow we were actually able to do that, in spite of getting very little sleep.
Marie-Eve was catching a flight from Ciampino (chee-am-pee-no, in case you’re interested :p) to Paris around 15h00, so she needed to catch the Ryan Air bus at noon, which is why she waned to get up and out to see the Palatine before she left. I decided to join her because I had such a lovely time with her (and I got to speak French!) and I had yet to go to the Palatine and Colosseum. Jumped on a bus, got off a stop or two too late, but found our way to the Palatine. WORD FOR THE WISE: Buy your ticket for the Colosseum and Palatine AT THE PALATINE. It’s good for both and WOW the lines at the Colosseum are RIDICULOUSLY LONG. Plus, after you’ve ventured through the Palatine, you end up in the Roman Forum, where one of the exits dumps you right in front of the Colosseum.
We were very fortunate to have SUCH a gorgeous day. Not a cloud in the sky!! I had so much fun walking around with Marie-Eve. It was a bummer she had to go, but good news! She’s in Paris right now, visiting her boyfriend (he’s from Montreal as well, but studying abroad in Paris)! She’ll be here for two weeks and isn’t leaving until the day after her birthday! So I’m excited about that!!
She hopped on a bus to go back to Termini to catch the Ryan Air service to Ciampino and I headed to the Colosseum. Well, apparently on Thursday night, MTV hosted the Video Music Awards at the Colosseum, so unfortunately there was still a stage left in the Colosseum. That was disappointing because it kind of ruined a true view of the area, but still it was an incredible sight! I had wanted to get one of those personal electronic guides, but unfortunately I didn’t have enough money on me. I’ll just have to do that when I go back to Rome! :o)
I wandered about the historic area of Rome, seeing all the incredible ruins (nearly 2000 years old!! Still amazes me!!!), taking LOADS of pictures. Of course, I bought some gelato, limone (lee-mo-ne) e fragola (fra-go-la). I was so lucky to have such a gorgeous day. It was perfect.
On my way to the Pantheon I ran across something very interesting… a cat sanctuary!! How crazy is that?! It’s a huge chunk of land, right on the street but below street level, on which there are ancient ruins and CATS! I must have seen like 30 of them, no joke. Apparently there are well taken care of: there are signs that ask visitors not to feed the cats because they are well fed and it makes it more difficult to maintain the sanctuary with stray food. If you walk from Vittoriale to Pantheon along via di Cestari, you can’t miss it!
It was cool to see the Pantheon and the obelisk out front, especially because I read about it in Angels and Demons and it’s just about how I imagined it. And I had no idea that there is a huge hole in the ceiling of the Pantheon in which rain falls! On the floor there are 4 small holes that drain the water. It would be pretty cool to go there when it’s raining!
As I left the Pantheon, I had a dispute with an Italian man. He was playing the violin on the street and I wanted to take a picture because, well, just because. There was a girl next to me doing the same thing. He stopped playing and lightheartedly rubbed his fingers together indicating he wanted money for the picture. We both nodded and said okay, so he continued. After the picture, I went to give him some money but I found I only had a 2 euro piece and 15 cents. Since I still had to buy my metrebus ticket, I gave him the 15 cents and he began to scold me for not giving him more. I tried to tell him that’s all I had in a mix of French and Spanish, but he proceeded to give me the finger. Thus, another multilingual affront from yours truly.
After the Pantheon I was WIPED OUT, since I had only gotten about 4 hours a sleep the night before. I bought a metrebus ticket from the street vendor to head back to Termini and take a NICE LONG NAP. FYI: Tickets can be bought at just about any magazine/newspaper street vendor and Tabacci. Unfortunately I ended up on an old bus, and the roads were rough from Pantheon to Termini. I seriously thought I was going to puke.
I made it back to my room where I met another girl, Liz, who had just gotten into Rome and was tired herself. We both crashed in our beds. I set my alarm for 19h15, just in time to get out of bed and make sure I got some pizza.
I went down to the bar (where the pizza is served) and found Liz there. We talked a bit while having a drink. The pizza finally arrived and WOAH talk about birds flocking to a piece of bread. It was crazy! Kind of like my Ryan Air experience getting on the plane at Beauvais! The pizza was pretty plain, but whatever, it was free and I was hungry!
Liz and I sat and the bar and talked for awhile. Luka, an employee of the hostel and a genuine Italian, was on the job, but often came up to us and we talked. A little later, another employee, Alison, wandered over the bar and we started talking. She had just finished her last day working at the hostel and is now in Berlin. She told me about her experiences abroad and how she tutored in Seoul, Korea for $3000 a month!! Airfare and apartment paid for! Not bad eh? That would be SO COOL. After a while I asked where Quentin Terantino was (aka Jeff), because Joey was the bar tender that night. He was actually on his way because a bunch of staff members were going out to dance as a little farewell to her. Jeff showed up and I shouted, Quentin Terantino! He remembered me and sat down at the bar. We talked for awhile and Liz and Alison joined us. It was quite nice becoming friends with staff because I was able to work free drinks into the deal. Haha. But really, it was great because they were such cool people! I’ve meet the coolest people in my abroad experiences, especially in Rome. Around midnight, they were all ready to go and asked if Liz, Claire (another girl we met), and I would come along. I said I should go to bed because I want to get decent sleep so that I could be alive and well when I returned to Paris and had to write a paper for English class.
Well… it was my last night… and I said that I would go out if we went where there is no entrance fee… and that’s what we did! Alison, Claire, Liz, Luka, Jeff, and I went to “Old Station,” a local club (with American hip-hop/ rap, of course), just a few minute walk from the hostel. I ended up having a lot of fun. Of course, we didn’t get back until the 4:30 am, but it was definitely worth it!
I crashed after such a long but awesome day! I absolutely did not want to leave Rome!!! I had the most amazing time and met the coolest people. I feel like I truly got a full experience in Rome, even though I was there for just a few days. I saw incredible sites, ate dinner at an authentic Roman restaurant, went dancing at a Roman club, and met some incredible people with whom I will most definitely keep in touch!!
I am so glad I decided to go on the trip. Not only was it personally liberating to go off to another country on my own (though unfortunately I don’t have stamps in my passport to show it! Grrrr!), it was just an incredible experience and I wouldn’t change anything about it. It was intense at times, but I wouldn’t change anything.
I took some 200 pictures that I will eventually get up here. Once my internet decides to work I will be able to post Reims, Versailles, Strasbourg, Kehl, Paris (my museum madness), and Rome pictures.
I’m so grateful for this experience abroad. There’s nothing like it and it’s amazing.