Days 11 &12 - Roamin in Rome

So the last time I updated this thing we were just arriving in Rome; now were about to leave. One or two things happened in between.

The first night we got into Rome late, due to the sorority girl situation that I mentioned last time. Too many door handles to turn, too little time. So we ended up arriving in Rome at about 8 pm, and had to go find the hostel from there.

The place we stayed the first night was really far away from the city center; we had booked it because there was nowhere else available any closer. It did have a bed, shower, and miniature kitchen (pretty much, it was somebodys apartment) but beyond that, not much else. The woman at reception was listening to Zeppelin II, though, which was a nice morale boost. We hadnt heard anything better than 4-year-old pop hits since crossing the Atlantic. But we only had to spend one night there, so it wasnt that bad. We made our way down to a pizza place, then off to gelato to cap it off, and moved out in the morning.

The next day, we planned to hit up the Vatican since it would be closed the next day (Sunday). Wed heard that the lines for the Vatican Museum get ridiculously long, so we should wake up at like 6 am in order to get a good place in the queue. We woke up at 9 or 10. But since this was the only day the Vatican would be open, we had no choice but to suck it up and give the line our best shot.

Fortunately for us, there was really no line at the Vatican Museum when we got there at about 12:30, by some miracle. Were crediting it to the fact that much of Rome takes a sort of siesta in the early afternoon, so that might deter some of the crowds. In any case, we werent complaining. We waited for about 30 seconds to get into the Museum, and it was all downhill from there.

The museum itself is pretty incredible. There are tons of pieces of precious and acclaimed art held there. Having been in art history, which gave me the ability to sound like a barely-educated art snob, I can say I personally enjoyed seeing some early Christian art by Duccio & Cimabue, and later stuff by Caravaggio and Rafael. Pretty much the most famous pictures in the museum that everybody ends up liking, but whos keeping track. However, as Im sure most people know, the main attraction of the Vatican Museum is that it leads up to the great crescendo of the Sistene Chapel and its ceiling, which was painted by Michelangelo. One things for certain: they sure make you walk through a lot of stuff you have no interest in seeing before leading you to the Sistene Chapel. But at least for me, it was pretty worth it. Every inch of the wall and ceiling is painted in great detail, highlighted by the creation of Adam & Garden of Eden scenes on the ceiling, and the last judgement on the wall behind the altar. The work is really incredible, and you can just imagine Michelangelo in the chapel with his cronies day after day, creating a collection of masterpieces on its blank walls.

We also saw Saint Peters Basilica that day, which is right by the museum. The line for this was a lot longer, but seemed to move pretty quickly. We made it from the very back of the piazza to the tickt booth in about 30 minutes. Inside here, too, is pretty incredible. The design is the most immaculate of any church weve visitied (Westminster, Saint Pauls, Notre Dame included) and the scale the most impressive. The sheer size, attention to detail, craftsmanship, and engineering of the building are ridiculous, especially considering how long ago it was built. Id still consider it an amazing feat if it had been constructed in 2009. To think of people building such a place before electricity or intense machinery is beyond me. The church is highlihgted by an immense brushed gold border along the top of the walls, as well as the imaginatively twisted legs of the altar and stained glass window behind it. And it looks immaculate. Well done, Romans.

After seeing the Vatican, we were pretty much spent for the day. We ended up getting some pretty delicious panini at a local bar, then calling it an evening and moving back to our (new) hostel, which is located just blocks from the Termini train station -- a much better place to be. We ended up cooking some dinner for ourselves, which was a delicious option for only 8 euro each. After that, we went out on a mini pub tour with one of our friends from UConn, who just happened to be staying on the floor above us -- weird. Going out was fun enough, but the best part of it all was walking back and seeing the Colisseum and the ruins of the Forum for the first time, lit up at night.

The next day we faced the challenge of doing just about everything else there is to do in Rome. Ambitious, but inspiring. We started off at the Colisseum. Just like Saint Peters the day before, the Colisseum was an amazing sight, and definitely worth the 12 euros for admission. More than anything, its a testament to the power and capability of the Roman empire around 300 AD -- even beyond its height. The colisseum itself is an immense configuration of tiered seating around a large arena on the floor - the same setup that sporting arenas are based on even today. And althogh the colisseum is definitely would have been an amazing signt to event-goers back in Roman times, I thought the best part about it was the exposed infrastructure that spectators never would have seen. Underneath the arena floor, and stretching for about a half-mile down the road, you can now see a serious configuration of labyrinths, chambers, ramps & lifts that the Romans would have used to prepare for the events that were hosted there. Just seeing the sheer size & complexity behind the colisseums events highlighted what a ridiculous achievement this structure represented for civilization almost 2000 years ago.

From there we moved on past the ruins of the Roman Forum to the Pantheon. While this was pretty interesting on its own right, the best part about these few hours were the fresh watermelon we got on the way there, and the pizza & gelato that we had once we reached the piazza (on Mr Dauers recommendation, believe it or not). After stuffing ourselves beyond belief, we kept on walking toward the Trevi Fountain. The fountain itself is in a nice enclosed piazza and depicts some very intense scene that the langage barrier kept us from figuring out. But what we did gather was that if you throw a coin into the fountain, it ensures that youll make a quick return to Rome. I dont know if I believe that, but it was probably worth the .10 euro that I donated to the cause regardless.

In the overwhelming head of mid-afternoon, we persisted on to the Spanish steps in northern Rome, which as far as I can tell are just what you might think they are ... a whole lot of steps. 135 to be exact -- we counted them all as we walked up them with the few other brave tourists who chose to persevere through the heat while most of them relaxed in the shade. After that, we were beat as usual - it was about time to retire.

When we got back to the room Jon decided that it would be a good idea to take a nap. I not being very into naps thought Id go out to a nearby piazza with a book and some limoncello to relax and enjoy the days fading sunlight. I sat down against a fountain amongst some pigeons and some young children who didnt know that you probably shouldnt be playing with pigeons. Just as an aside, Rome has pretty much the nicest weather you could hope for on this planet. There hasnt been a cloud in the sky, and weve heard that it only rains about 5 days in the entire month of June. The day started out about 70 degrees, climbed to around 90, then dropped back into the 70s as the sky grew darker at about 9. That said, it was a pretty enjoyable plan, pigeons or not. I got through 2 chapters of Slaughterhouse Five, and headed on back to the hostel.

Since we were still stuffed from lunch, we didnt really get dinner. But we did end up snacking on some wine, cheese, & chocolate... just as healthy. We met up with our friends from the floor above and spent the evening playing some card games. Although we started with about 6 people, the crowd grew to 12 eventually and we had to move the operation into the hallway. As many complaints as I could have about hanging out in hostels, meeting people never seems to be one.

Now that its getting late, I have to shower, pack up my pack, and get ready for some power-sleeping. Our plane leaves at 9 a.m., which means we should get to the airport by 8 at the latest, which means we should leave here by 7 at the latest, which means I should probably wake up at 6:30 at the latest. Not really my strong suit. But considering the circumstances, I think (hope) I can manage. A last few days relaxing in Barcelona before returning to the real world? Probably worth the early alarm.

Last stop tomorrow.