Busy describes our schedule for the past few days. Very busy. From one tourist attraction to another, we never seem to stop. Since we arrived, we have visited the Vatican, the Colosseum, the Forum, Palantine Hill, the Panthon, Castle Sant Angelo, Pompeii, and now Florence, were we arrived today. A few notes on everything we did and saw:
Colosseum, Forum, Palantine Hill
Colosseum: Wow. Huge. Large. Big. Cool. Hot. Like an Oven. Turned on high. You bake like a cake. Over 80 elevator shafts in floor of Colosseum. 1/3 of original size still standing. Great views of Forum from top. Beautiful at night. Lots and I mean lots of tourists.
Forum: Lot of bricks and broken pillars. Beautiful ruins. Get a guide. Awful audio tour. Thank the Lord for Rick Steves, which without we would have wondered around aimlessly, very frustrated. Hot. You bake even more then the Colosseum. Wear sunscreen next time. Bad sunburn received. Ouch.
Palantine Hill: Those emperors had it good. Walked around ruins of 170,000 square foot house. Rick Steves saved us again. Love that man. Beautiful view of Forum. Favorite part of the day.
Things I LOVED about Rome:
The cappuccinos.
The gelato.
The food.
The ruins and sights.
The cappuccinos.
The fellowship with the Siebens, our hospitable hosts. We had such an amazing time with them, and they were so gracious in opening their home to us. What a wonderful example in hospitality. After our Colosseum experience, Mrs. Sieben took us to a lovely picnic in a park, which was delightful and delicious. The Siebens took us out to dinner one night, where we sampled authentic Roman food, showed us around the city, and I even rode on Mr. Sieben’s motorina through the streets of Rome. I am so grateful for the time I got to spend with them!
The weather.
The cappuccinos and the gelato.
The coffee bars.
The flower shops.
The motorinas and piazzas.
Sitting outside the Pantheon listening to music and watching people mill about. So relaxing.
The cappuccinos. ( slightly obsessed.. ok REALLY obsessed)
The people.
Pompeii:
After many train rides, we finally reached Pompeii, where Lilo, our guide, met us. What a great day. The city is beautifully preserved, having been first discovered in the 1700’s. We walked among many ruins of houses, amphitheaters, villas, streets, and squares. The people were so advanced. The frescos and mosaics were beautiful, along with the balmy mediterranean weather. Great day, great fun, great place. Highlight of trip. It was intriguing to learn about and so cool to walk where history was made so many centuries ago.
By the way, sorry for the lack of photos in this post. I haven’t had time to add any to Facebook, and our little hotel in Florence has really slow service, making it impossible to upload photos.
Florence:
We arrived in Florence today, which is so beautiful. It was overcast and cool, raining for a little bit, but not too bad. We walked around the town, which is considerably smaller than Rome. It’s quiet and picturesque, quaint and charming. The streets are lined with colorful shops and the people are friendly. We toured the Pitti Palace, walked along the Ponte Vecchio, ate gelato, and shopped. One of my favorite parts of the day was the art gallery at the Pitti Palace, which displayed some original works of Rafael. He was an incredible painter, very, very talented. We toured the gardens at the Palace, which were quiet and cool, with birds chirping and fountains bubbling. After a long day of traveling, walking and sightseeing, we headed back to our hotel, which unfortunately is in the middle of the druggie section in Florence. Great. But we are safe so far, and hope to remain alive through the night!;) And if you are wondering, no, Bailey has not dropped off the face of the earth, but has rather just been very lackadaisical in posting. Well, goodnight from Florence, and hopefully I will be posting more photos tomorrow!