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My mom is visiting from the states for a couple of weeks, so Ben and I decided to take advantage of Grandma and go off on a kid - free adventure (which is a rarity these days). Thankfully Grandma agreed that she was comfortable enough and willing to babysit the boys for a couple of days so we could get away.
It's amazing how much easier traveling is without kids. When we take the boys somewhere I usually spend hours preparing and packing all of the clothes, toiletries, diapers, wipes, snacks, drinks, toys, and paperwork. This time it took about 10 minutes to pack and about 15 minutes to get ready to go in the morning. The drive to Hahn was a breeze, getting through security was painless (at least for me. Ben had problems with his belt) and we sat around drinking macchiattos and eating pastries until boarding.
On the plane they were selling bus tickets to transport you from the airport to Termini Station in the center of Rome. I had already booked TerraVision bus tickets online, thinking I was being smart and limiting any hassle. Unfortunately that turned out to be a bad idea. I booked the wrong time, as did several other people, so there was a huge group of people waiting for the bus. We waited for about 10 minutes and the bus never came. We ended up paying to get on a different bus that two open seats. So, my professional travel advice is: Do not pre-book a bus ticket for your arrival, just buy it on the plane because you never know if you are going to land on time. However, DO pre-book your departure bus ride. You don't want to get left behind and miss your flight.
Once we arrived in Rome, we checked in then took the Metro to the Spanish Steps. The steps were a nice to sit and read my Rick Steve's book while Ben played with the camera. They were built from 1723-1725 to link the Bourban Spanish Embassy to the Holy See and has the Trinita de Monti church at the top.
After climbing to the top, we stopped at the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch then headed to the Trevi Fountain. That place was a mad house. We followed groups of Asian tourists and eventually found it tucked away in a small square. I was expecting to be able to see it from farther away, but you turn a corner and "bam", there it is. We snapped some quick pictures and got out of there. It's an amazing fountain, but the crowds almost ruin it.
At this point the original plan had us heading back to our hotel, but since Rome is turning out to be a much more compact city than what is portrayed on a map, we continued walking to find the Pantheon. It was built by Marcus Agrippa as a temple to all of the gods in Ancient Rome, then rebuilt by an emperor in 126 AD. Almost two thousand years after it was built, the Pantheon's dome is still the world's largest unenforced concrete dome. the Pantheon is still used as a Roman Catholic Church dedicated to "St. Mary and the Martyrs" but informally known as "Santa Maria della Rotonda. We went inside and were pleased that it wasn't crowded. A voice over a loud speaker told us to be quiet in several languages (which ironically defeated the purpose of being quiet). We admired the dome, found Rafael's tomb, and left. Around the outside it looks like the Pantheon is sunk into the street. That is because the city around was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt on the rubble around it.
On our way to the Piazza Vinezia, we ran across a random church. Ben saw someone go inside and wanted to follow. I was hesitant because it was so quiet that I felt like I was intruding. We went inside anyway and were blown away!! The church was called Chiesa del Gesu and every inch of it was decorated with beautiful frescoes, sculptures, and gold accents. The ceiling was completed painted and there was a mirror on the floor so you didn't have to hurt your neck while you admired it. If you ever go to Rome, this a church not to be missed. Ben was more impressed with this little church than St. Peter's Bascilica.
After that wonderful discovery we wandered into the Largo di Torre Argentina. We had no idea what it was, so we took some pictures and moved on. The next day, while we were on the Colosseum tour, we found out that this is where Julius Ceasar died.
We kept walking and made it to the busy traffic circle in Piazza Venezia. There was no light directing traffic or pedestrians, just a lightly painted white line on the pavement where you were supposed to cross. The only way to cross it was to step into traffic and pray that everyone was paying attention and stopped. I didn't really want to die that night, so I suggested that we turn back. At that moment a nun walked right past us and into the street. No one would dare to run over a nun! So, we quickly followed her across. We ran into a few more situations like that during our stay (trying to cross busy streets without dying, walking down unlit alleyways hoping not to get jumped) but if we waited long enough a nun would show up and we survived. Thank God for the nuns!
From the Piazza Venezia we saw the Italian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Colosseum in the distance. It was illuminated in the darkness and looked so magnificent that we had to walk down to it.
After getting several pictures of the Colosseum and Forum in the night lights, we got some gelato, and walked back to our hotel. My feet and legs hurt and this was only the first day! We saw more than we had bargained for and enjoyed every minute, but tomorrow we have 6 hours of guided tours, so we had better rest up.
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