I looked down to the next door and could see that Sarah and Christina were on, but Casey and Andrea were nowhere in site. Scanning the rest of the car, I could see that there were huge amounts of space; people refused to move in and away from the doors. Because of the entire population of Rome's B line, we had to wait for the other two at our switchover station. Really, this was the worst part of Rome, but as it started this way and I wasn't terribly impressed with everything, I didn't enjoy it as much as other cities.
Finally, we made it to our hostel, which was more like a hallway with 5 or 6 twelve person dorms and a bathroom, kitchen, and three computers somewhere in there. Since it wasn't quite four o'clock, we had to leave our stuff there and come back later. We went back to the metro and made our way to Vatican City, as we wanted to see the Sistine Chapel. After stopping for some kebabs and gelato on the way, we followed the signs to the Vatican Museum (the Chapel is actually a part of it). The signs led us to the exit, so we decided to keep walking. And walking. And walking, until we got to St. Peter's Square. I am now proud to say that I have walked around an entire country, as we legitimately walked the entire perimeter. There, we learned that the museum was closed for the day, and went instead to St. Peter's Basilica. It was gorgeous.
Every time we see a church, we think something along the lines of "Oh my gosh. Not ANOTHER church, we've already seen 70," but this blew all others out of the water. I can't even believe how gorgeous it is inside. Pictures are definitely better for describing this.
Having exhausted all possible things to do at the Vatican, we went to the Spanish Steps (on the way, Casey and Andrea couldn't get out of the metro car because of the crowd around the doors...we had to wait for them... dumb metro!) and on to the Trevi Fountain. I've seen some pretty cool fountains (okay, let's be real, I've seen all sorts, some not so cool) and I have to say the Trevi is my favorite. We went at night, when it was all lit up, and the water was such a pretty color. All the sculptures are amazing, and I wanted to stay there forever, but the metro line we needed to take home closed at 9. So, we got (some more) gelato and went back to the hostel.
Wednesday we had an evening flight to Valencia, so we got to spend the morning in Ancient Rome. Actually, we first tried to go to the Vatican Museum to see the chapel. I had warned my friends the day before that we should go Tuesday, because Ash Wednesday was that week. We sort of abandoned that plan, and learned the hard way that Ash Wednesday is one of the busiest days for the Vatican. I can't imagine what it's like on Easter.
Anyways, back to Ancient Rome. I love history a lot, and it was really cool to see the places that I've learned about before, especially the Colosseum. Everything was in ruins, but the scale and quality of the remains were stunning. Almost nothing built today is going to be around 1500+ years from now, but most of the Forum and the Colosseum is still there, even after a run in with Mussolini. Sadly, we did not get to see the Pantheon, but I hope that next time I'm in Italy I'll get a chance to see it.
The trip to the airport was uneventful, but I would like to warn one and all that flying RyanAir out of Ciampino is a bad idea. Just... don't do it. Don't even think about it. It's badly organized, too small, and it takes a wicked long time to get there. Just don't.
Also, if you would like a different point of view on all this, really hate my writing style, or for some other reason want to read a blog not written by myself, my friends Andrea and Christina are also chronicling our adventures. I'm pretty sure you can find them in my followers tab.
And now, since it's late, this is my second post today, my internet is slow right now, and I'm tired and lazy, I'm not going to integrate pictures into the body of the post... they're all going at the bottom.
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| St Peter's Square on Ash Wednesday morning |
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| Yeah.. this is an exit |
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| Colosseum!! |
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| Trevi Fountain |
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| Inside St. Peter's Basilica |
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| Some Columns in Ancient Rome |
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| Kebab. Yum. |
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| St. Peter's Square, just before sunset |
There is a saying that says the further south you go in Italy, the more intensely Italian it becomes. Very different than the north. I can understand your mixed reactions to Rome because I have been on the London Tube when it was so crowded, you had to inhale and press in so as not to get smooshed in the doors....the dreaded commute. Tons o' fun. However, the intense crowd of humanity becomes forgotten when you see the history and art in these cities. Your photos are great and I am enjoying them all and your adventures so far.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of crowds....Easter service in St. Peter's Square is just that. Mobbed. You got to see things in their uncrowded state, which is rare in Europe.