10/8/10: Rome, Day 9

The final day in Rome.

Today I visited the last "must-see" from my list of Rome. I have been told that seeing the Vatican before noon is not a good idea (too many tour groups). So I waited until around 1pm then headed off for my last stop of the trip: Vatican City.

The first stop was Piazza San Pietro. In this Piazza there is an obelisk that marks where, in 64 AD, St. Peter was martyred. This Piazza also contains St. Peter's Basilica, the largest church in the world.

After walking around St. Peter's and also walking through the tomb's of the former Pope's, I walked nest to the Vatican Museum.

I wish I had waited a little longer to go here only because there were still a lot of tour groups walking through here and it made it difficult to navigate at times. I was still able to see a lot, including the Gallery of the Maps and the Rooms of Raphael. Both were amazing collections of artistry that were impressive to look at. One of the last stops on this tour through the museum is the world famous Sistine Chapel. It is impressive to see in person and they had guards there to closely monitor anyone trying to take pictures, so this is the best picture I could get without incurring their wrath. Upper left hand corner is the fresco that is known all around the world.

I imagined the Sistine Chapel and the Michelangelo fresco's to be a little larger, but it was still pretty amazing to be standing there, seeing such amazing history right there all around me.

That is certainly one thing I have taken away from this trip - all this cultural history has been such a pleasure to actually finally see in person. I have been waiting years to make it to Rome, and Rome has certainly lived up to expectations.

After leaving the Vatican Museum, it was time to get a bite to eat then return to the hotel and get some rest. I have to get up around 4:30am so I can get ready for my car to pick me up at 5:30am. My plane leaves around 9:30am and gets back into LA around 1:30pm on Saturday. I am sure I will crash as soon as I get home, unless jet-lag rears it's ugly head again. If I think of anything else to post, I will do so. Ciao.

10/7/10: Rome, Day 8

Florence, Italy!

Today was the 2nd of my 2 planned day trips while on this vacation. I woke up early and was off to meet my tour group for a full day tour of Florence, Italy. With me on this trip were 3 new friends I had met while on my previous day trip to Pompeii: Bill, his wife Linda and their son, Jason.

We arrived in Florence around 11am and were immediately unleashed onto this city for exploring on our own for an hour and a half before lunch. I headed over to the Basilica di Santa Croce. This church contains the remains of a "who's who" of past Florence greats. The final resting places of Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli and other great artists with roots in this city.

After spending some time in this church, it was off to lunch, then it was time for our guided tour of the city. We walked through various piazzas, including Piazza della Signori. This particular piazza is famous because it is an outdoor sculpture museum. We were then off to the Duomo, an enormous church that was so tall and wide that no picture I took was able to even get 1/4th of the church in the shot! There is a painting on the dome of this church that is larger than a soccer field.

We ended our walking tour in the world famous Galleria dell' Academia. This is a museum that was created around Michelangelo's famous statue of David. There is a perfect copy of this statue in the previously mentioned Piazza della Signori because taking pictures of the original David is prohibited. Of course, why settle for a copy - so here is a picture of the actual original statue! Don't tell anyone!

There are also around 8 unfinished sculptures by Michelangelo in this museum as well as other various works of art inspired by him.

After the museum, it was back to the bus for our 3 and a half hour ride back to Rome. I am now exhausted and ready to get some sleep. Tomorrow is my last full day in Rome. I will be walking over to the Vatican and I look forward to seeing all sorts of amazing art there. I can't believe how fas this trip has gone & how fun it has been.

10/6/10: Rome, Day 7

Mmmmm....sleep!

I had my very first night of full, blissful & uninterrupted sleep last night. It probably has something to do with that crazy steep climb to the top of Vesuvius the previous day. This meant I got up a little later than usual today.

Once I got up and out on the town, I decided to just go walking around and see what I would stumble across today. I walked down to the Imperial Fora, a long street created by Mussolini to showcase the glory days and military might of Rome. It started at Palazzo Venezia and was a straight line ending at the Colosseum. Along this road were the ruins of forums built by emperors Nerva, Augustus and Trajan.

What I find amazing on my walks around Rome is that you can have a busy 6 lane street and right along on the side of the road are these ancient ruins. It is the most extreme version of the present living with the past that I've ever seen.

From these ruins, I walked to this quaint little church where I took no pictures and can't remember the name of anymore. There was some sort of ceremony taking place inside, so I didn't stay long. From there I walked over to the Vittoriano.

The Vittoriano is a 100-year old monument in honor of Victor Emanuel II, the first king of united Italy. From what I understand, locals really don't like this and refer to it as tasteless and over the top. It looked pretty cool to me though.

I then grabbed a bite to eat (Pizza!) and some gelato and came back to get a little rest before my day trip to Florence tomorrow.

Before I go, I want to talk a little about the drivers here in Rome. If you decide to come here to visit, just remember one little thing: ALL DRIVERS ARE INSANE!! They drive in the wrong lane, play chicken with buses, drive up on the sidewalk, run red lights way after the light has changed and most importantly: they don't care much for pedestrians. A crosswalk does not mean they will stop. You have to be bold and step out in front of moving vehicles if you want to cross the road. On rare occasions they might stop, but most of the time, they will just drive around you. Women with baby strollers, old people, young kids and nuns - drivers stop for no person. Don't let it discourage you, just be aware at all times when you are crossing the road and you should be just fine. As insane as these drivers are, I have yet to see or hear one accident and I have yet to see a damaged car either - so they must pay attention a little at least.

OK, time to rest. Tomorrow: Florence

10/5/10: Rome, Day 6

Pompeii & Mt. Vesuvius.

Today was the first of two day trips I will be taking while on this trip. I got up way, way too early and walked down to Piazza del Popolo where I met up with the guide and the rest of the group. We all hopped on a tour bus and headed out of Rome and headed towards our first stop, the ancient city of Pompeii. After about 3 hours, we arrived and began our guided tour around the ruins of this once buried city. In 79 AD, Pompeii was buried under 24 feet of ash in under 2 days from the eruption of the neighboring Mt. Vesuvius. It is amazing to walk around and see what life was like in 79 AD. Since most citizens of Pompeii had little time to pack up and get out, this city is a perfectly preserved snapshot of what life was like back then. I just was amazed at every turn at how wonderfully preserved this city was from 79 AD considering it was buried underground until the mid 17th century. You can still make out the grooves in the road from the wagon wheels. It was a cloudy day, but you can still see Mt. Vesuvius in the background.

After our guided tour was over, we headed to lunch. I made some nice friends from North Carolina who were visiting with their son. In a funny and cool coincidence, they will also be part of my tour to Florence on Thursday too.

After lunch, we headed up to Mt. Vesuvius. Unfortunately, it was cold, foggy and very windy up at the top of the volcano. I was not able to make anything out and wasn't even sure what side of the path the crater was on!

It was a hard hike to get to the top of Mt. Vesuvius, but after 30 minutes of walking uphill, I made it. I didn't stay too long as I was very happy once I got back to the warm comfort of the tour bus. After leaving Vesuvius, we drove 3 hours and made it back to Rome around 9pm. After entering this, I hope to crash and sleep well tonight. No plans yet for tomorrow. If weather is good, I might go to Vatican City, but I think most likely I will save that for Friday.

10/4/10: Rome, Day 5

Well, it was a mostly rainy day today.

Because of the rain, I did not sit in a park, reading. I also decided not to walk over to Vatican City in the rain either. Instead, I did some sightseeing closer to the hotel.
I walked by the Teatro dell' Opera. If I have some extra time on Wednesday or Friday (and if I can get tickets) I would love to see an opera here. From the Opera house, I walked to Plazza della Repubblica and walked inside the church Santa Maria degli Angeli. It's hard to describe, even with the picture I am about so show, but the inside of this church was just sooo big!

After walking around here, I walked to another church. This church, Santa Maria Maggiore, is actually only a 3 minute walk from my hotel room. This was one insanely beautiful building inside. Once again, this was so much larger than I expected. There was so much to see inside the SM Maggiore, so I just sat down for a half hour and watched. They have a lighting system that lights up different parts of the church at different times, so just when you thought you have noticed everything, a new set of lights come on and you see something new. It was very beautiful. There are several mini church halls inside this one and while I was sitting down, I heard mass in the one to my right. The singing was pitch perfect and quite amazing to hear. This was definitely one of the highlights of my visit so far.

After leaving the Santa Maria Maggiore, I walked off in search of Pizza. This was day 5 and I had yet to have a slice of pizza yet. I finally found a place where I could sit down and enjoy a pizza. I ordered the Quattro Formaggi (4 cheese) pizza, and enjoyed every bite. Tomorrow is my day trip to Pompeii and Naples & I can't wait to get that trip started!

10/3/10: Rome, Day 4

Ancient Roman Architecture and NFL Football - the perfect Sunday.

So I woke up this morning and had what has become the standard breakfast - The Hotel Raffaello continental breakfast. They have croissants, scrambled eggs, fruit, cheesecake, toast and several types of juice.

Today I walked over to see the Pantheon ("temple to all gods"). This building was actually built around 125 AD and is still in good shape today.

The Pantheon is widely considered the most masterful architectural feat of ancient Rome. I am still amazed at how wonderfully preserved it is. Considering that probably over 2000 tourists walk in it a day, it is in pristine condition.

From the Pantheon, I walked over to Piazza Navona. This Piazza was once the site of an ancient stadium, and still retains the shape of that athletic arena.

From Piazza Navona, I walked over to the Abbey Theater Irish Bar. It was here that I sat back for a few hours and watched good ol' American NFL football. After spending a few Euro's on beer and food, I headed back to the hotel for the night. I am not sure what I will be doing tomorrow yet. The weather will be a determining factor. I might take a day off and just find a park to read in, or I might go to the Vatican. I'll let you know what I decide.

10/2/10: Rome, Day 3

Alright, I've had my dinner and my caramel gelato so now it's time to relax for the night.

Today was a nice, easygoing day. I actually got some sleep, so that was nice. At first I was worried because I had woken up again at 2am, after only sleeping for 3 hours, but I was able to go back to sleep again.

My first stop today was the Spanish steps at the Piazza di Spagna. This was another "must-see" on my list for several years now. In my bedroom at home, I have had a picture of these steps hanging on my wall for years now. It was cool to actually see them in person. The place is a major tourist attraction, so it was very crowded by the time I got there, but it was still great to see. I spent close to an hour sitting on the steps watching the crowd below. It was very relaxing.

From the Spanish steps, I walked down to the Trevi Fountain. This is perhaps the most famous of all the fountains here in Rome. It was built in the 1700's and is another popular tourist attraction.

After spending some time at the Trevi Fountain, I headed off to dinner. I don't remember the name of the place, but I had a decent baked salmon there. For an appetizer, I had this garlic bread with tomato chunks on it. it was actually pretty good! I stopped off at the hotel for a minute then decided to get my gelato. When is a walk around the block not a walk around the block? When you are in Rome and leave the map in your hotel room! There is a gelato place not too far from my hotel, but I decided to walk around the block to see what else was around first. Well, next thing I know, i am walking down a street I have never heard of and am completely lost. I just happened to backtrack enough to find my footing again and walked back to the place that was close to the hotel. Some of the streets here seem to have a new name every 3 blocks, so that makes it hard to get a sense of direction sometimes. Tomorrow, I might attempt to get to the Pantheon (navigating these streets can be tricky) and I am looking for an American style bar to watch NFL football at.

10/1/10: Day 2

My feet are sore!

I just got back from walking all over the place! First, I'd like to start by saying that jet-lag really kicked my ass last night and resulted in me waking up this morning at friggin 2am! I could not get back to sleep, but I tried. I eventually went downstairs at 7am for breakfast and then was out the door at 8am.

My first stop was the Roman Coliseum. I think I've been waiting to go here for over 10 years now. I finally got there, before it opened and walked around the outside a few times. I was one of the first people to get in when it opened and for a few minutes, had the place almost all to myself.

I spent over an hour and a half walking around in there and would like to go back at least one more time before I leave Rome.

After leaving the Coliseum, I decided to just walk around a bit without looking at my map. I just followed a few streets here & there until I came across something that looked interesting and made me stop a while. Where I stopped was the Campidoglio (Capitoline Hill). There is a museum there that I walked around for a few hours, listening to the audio tour. In the 1500's, Michelangelo designed the outside square and the surrounding buildings.

After leaving there, I walked over to the Roman Forum & Palatine Hill. It is a little hard to describe, but picture over 20 square blocks of an archaeological site. There are so many old temples, churches and a few arches there too. I walked around for several hours and did not see everything there was to see. The Roman Forum was the the nerve center of the most powerful western civilization in history for the batter part of a thousand years. Here is what it looks like now:

It was a cool place to spend a few hours and take a lot of pictures. By the time I was done wandering there, I walked over to the arch of Constantine before calling it a day and coming back to my hotel room for a while and resting my sore feet. I am going out to get a bite to eat in a few minutes, then back here to crash and get some shut-eye. I haven't decided where I am going tomorrow, but with all there is to see here, I can't go wrong.