Amo la Roma e la Italia!

Well my flight to Italy left on Friday and I got there mid-afternoon. My hotel was cheap and nice (Hotel Victor) but was a hassle to get to. My only choice to and from Ciampino (pro. 'champeeno') from my hotel was by taxi which ended up being 20euro there and back. What made up for that though was the fact that the bus and metro to the city center is free! No joke!

So, first night I went to via Ottavia (a shopping road) to walk to Basilica di San Pietro (St. Peter's Basilica) to meet Nicole and Mel. We then went to dinner and then walked around the local area and visited a piazza (a market basically) and looked around and just enjoyed reading signs in Italian and seeing everything lol And also to get pics of the Vatican at night.

The next day, Mel and Nicole wanted to spend entirely at the Vatican but seeing as it was my only full day in Rome, I wanted to see everything else so we decided to meet at 4pm in the Basilica. I got up at 7am and was at the Colloseum by 9am (perfect time to go because there wasn't a line!). It was... amazing and my favorite place that I saw in Rome. It was incredible, even though it's just the ruins. I also got lucky that the day was very, very sunny so I had a great view of everything and it made for great pics.

Across from the Colloseum is Trajan's Arch and the Roman Forum and Palatino, all of which were impressive. I felt like I'd gone back in time and I find it... absolutely incredible how people live across the street from these things, still, thousands of years after they were built. I also saw an old Roman drinking fountain still in use by Caracalla's Baths. Anyway, then I walked down the street to Trajan's Column, Trajan's Forum and Augustus's Forum. Then I got a picture with Roman cops for my dad since he's a cop lol. Then I went to the Trevi fountain which was gorgeous and then went to the Pantheon and Piazza Nuovo and then to lunch and the Vatican.

By the way, the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel are only open from 9am to noon. !!!!!! I got there at 12:45. No joke, I was really really mad because I didn't expect to have time to go to the museum but I at least expected time to see the Sistine Chapel. Anyway, I went to an art gallery and the Museum of Rome instead and then went back to the Basilica to tour it and it's vaults, where I saw all the dead popes' tombs lol Nicole, who is Catholic, was in awe of everything and I mean, no doubt it's gorgeous but I couldn't help thinking 'this is what their money's going to?' Sorry but I was. Couldn't help it because it's all so ridiculously elaborate, I felt like I was in a palace and, honest to God, the Pope's (dead and alive) are worshipped more than God, Jesus or St. Mary there.

Everywhere I went there was a picture of the current Pope and the last one (for some reason I keep typing 'poper' lol) and yet hardly any Jesus or Marys. I thought that was weird.

Anywho, I'll put the pics up later but right now Sally is calling me for tea and Rummy/Uno lol

Ciao!