Oh my goodness we walked a ton in Rome! We spent 3 night in the city of the ancients. When in Rome do as the Romans do. So we strolled down the Spanish steps, tossed pennies in the Trevi fountain, explored the Coliseum and the forum, got neck cramps looking at the ceiling of the Sistine chapel, and felt like a an Episcopalian gone rouge at St. Peter’s basilica.
The Trevi both day and night was my favorite spot on Rome. We always found ourselves being drawn back to the light blue water and the intricate façade of the fountain. The lights that shine on it at night make it even prettier after dark. It was the perfect place to sit and eat my favorite combination of gelato – lemon and fruta de bosque.
Our hostel was great (minus the nasty bathrooms). It was small with only 3 rooms of bunks housing at most about 2 dozen people. It had free pasta dinner which we all ate together in the main room/kitchen/check-in/common area. There were 2 old sofas and a couple stools and everyone crowded onto them and people who had wine or beer in the fridge shared and we shared our salad mix. It was a homey experience and one I really enjoyed. I like the litter hostels where you can get to know the other people staying with you. It makes for a much more fun experience.
We were there for 3 nights and made good friends with the people each night as new people came and old ones moved on. The last night a bunch of native Spanish speakers were there so I got to use my Spanish which I realize I miss speaking! I chatted with a couple guys from Argentina the whole night and acted as the spanish-italian translator between them and the old man who ran the hostel, not that I know Italian but I was better at guessing what each party was trying to say!
The Coliseum was not what I was expecting. I thought it would be a big circle with a hole in the ground where people used to run away from lions. Well that’s still true, it’s a big circle and people did run away from animals but through a maze of walls. I ran into Tess, a friend from Sevilla at the Coliseum and another, Sarah, when I was in Florence– it really is a small world we live in!
We spent at least half a day in the Vatican City (its own country!) First we went into St Peter’s Basilica which is really quite impressive. I counted over 20 confessionals and not one people actually confessing. While in the Vatican I didn’t get to see the head cheese ball with the little Bo peep hat. He must have been busy that day. We grabbed some focaccia with goat cheese and of course the daily (if not twice daily…) gelato and headed back to the main city.
There is so much to see in Rome but it is easy to see. Every corner you turn there is something waiting to be discovered. We stumbled upon countless churches and arcs, fountains and ruins. We walked into a random church near the river only to find out that it was built on top of 3 ancient temples to the roman gods and the eastern wall was built around the 3 remaining columns from the original temple.
The last thing I will say about Rome is its public water fountain system. Ask any local where to get the best drinking water and they will kick you out onto the street. Rome is peppered with water spouts that you bend over and take a swig from. You can fill up a water bottle over cover the end with your finger and cause the water to pop out of a smaller hole on top that you easily bend down to drink from. Just don’t go dipping your water bottle into the Trevi. I’m not sure that would taste as good.
Love and miss you all. Pictures to come tomorrow most likely. I am enjoying Paris with Emma and Reuben so much. We are having a blast. Today was a huge day for us so we are kicking back a little more tomorrow. We had to have walked at least 10 miles today and were gone for over 13 hours! I’ll write about it all soon! Love youuuuuuuuuuuu - At
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