Rome!

We made it to Rome about 11:08 am on Tuesday. The train ride was so long...but we visited with an Australian couple who sat next to us for the last few hours of the ride. The were on a 6 week tour of Europe!

Our Vatican tour was scheduled for 12 noon so we rushed to our hostel, dropped off our bags, and literally ran to the metro station. We had to que forever to get tickets (our English friends have taught us the word "que," which means to wait in line). The machine was broken, so we ran upstairs, bought tickets, ran back downstairs, waited for the metro, ran in the general direction of the Vatican, stopped and asked directions, ran some more...Long story short, we missed our tour. Luckily, there was no wait for the museum so we only paid the general admission charge, which was much cheaper than the tour, and walked right in. We shared an audio guide so we only listened to the things that interested us. I had no idea that the Vatican Museum had Egyptian artifacts and mummies! Very nifty. It was cool to look at things that were dated before Christ!

There were also millions of statues. When we got tired of caring, we started having a little fun. We were taking funny pictures around the different statues. We got in trouble for getting too close to one...oops! Each room had anywhere between 1 and 4 guards. They just sat in chairs...seemed real boring. But they got a real kick out of our fun pictures. A lot of the rooms were being cleaned so as you walked into them, there was nothing but white walls and a sheet covering half of the room. In one such room, we stopped dead in our tracks and I said "this is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen" and Wendy quickly followed with "it moves me to tears." We could still hear the guard laughing 3 rooms away.

We made our way through the museum and into the chapel. I cannot believe how huge that thing is! It was very crowded, but very amazing to see. There was a sign that said you could not take pictures...but I did anyway. Oops! Just a few...

We walked around Vatican City for a short time, just to snap some pictures and say we did. The center was full of row after row of chairs. We decided the pope must be speaking...probably not, but it sounded cool. Not to mention, there were Greyhound size buses letting off loads of polizia (police). You couldn't walk 3 feet without running into the polizia or caribeaneri (military).

That evening, we went to the Trevi fountain. As we were walking, I was saying how it's odd that some things have become so popular. A lot of things we see are no more spectacular than the next, but for some reason it is the popular one. As I am saying this, we round the corner and I stop dead in my tracks. I had no idea the fountain was so massive! It's the size of a building...a big one! With the lights and everything, it was just beautiful! We stayed for well over an hour just looking at it.

The hostel is quite nice. We are in a room with 4 other people. Two of them don't have hostel manners (not quiet and turn lights on when others are sleeping, etc.). They don't really bother me because I use ear plugs and a mask every night, but they keep waking Wendy up. We are on the 4th floor (really the 5th by US terms). They do have a "lift," but a sign on the outside tells you it is faulty and they are not responsible for your safety if you use it. The man at the reception desk said it might stick between floors, but we will not plummet to the ground. That was good enough for us! You should see the looks we get from people when we push the button to use "old faulty." We like to think we live on the wild side.

Yesterday began by visiting the Pantheon. It was so neat! Mainly because I've seen pictures of it for years. It, too, was quite busy. But we were able to see it all, take pictures, and sign the guestbook. We went next to the Spanish steps. It was one of those things you go to, look at, and say "well, okay." Nothing fancy, just steps that everyone always sits on to ponder life...supposedly.

On our way to the steps, we went through an interesting part of town. We were surrounded by designer stores: Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Channel...all of them! The people were better dressed than even in Paris. The men are all wearing suits with pants that are a little too tight, skinny fit, and very square or pointed shoes. Oh, and the big reflective cop sunglasses are all the rage here. We stuck out like a sore thumb!

We meandered through a park, then took the buss to the Colosseum. A-mazing. We had to pinch ourselves when it first came into view. We just walked around the outside and wondered through the Roman Forum. We were amazed at the ruins and how well preserved some of them were! I know the pictures will not do it justice. We decided to come early today to see the inside of the Colosseum.

Last night, we found an internet/phone place, which is where I am now, and I was finally able to connect. The phone calls to the US are only €.08 a minute! I was able to talk to Keith for more than 5 minutes for the first time since we've been in Europe. I love this adventure, but I miss him so much!!! I told him that as soon as I get home, has to take me to Texas Roadhouse for a big steak and a HUGE Dr. Pepper! I love free refills...

We also treated ourselves to some real Italian cuisine. We were so excited to eat at this little café since we had not been to a sit down restaurant since we began our journey. We both ordered ham and cheese calzones...and they were very blah. We also ordered water, and paid €3 for it! All in all, very disappointing. After that extravaganza, we went to the train station to another small café to order hot chocolate. We had been told that it was amazing and we were not misinformed! It is very thick, halfway between liquid and pudding, and you eat it with a spoon. It was unbelievable. I'm definitely doing that again!

Today began early with our trip to the Colosseum. We walked right in with no que to speak of. We opted in on the guided tour, which ended up being nothing more than an information session with Q & A following. Although it wasn't the tour we had expected, it was very interesting! We learned quite a bit. For instance: the games would last 12 hours each day for sometimes weeks and weeks. The morning games were always animals fighting animals while the afternoon games were gladiators fighting gladiators. Gladiators and animals NEVER fought each other! Someone should have told Hollywood that! Also, the Colosseum was originally built for battle reenactments, but after 15 years the bottom floor was built up and the ramps were installed and it was never used for that purpose again. Finally, most of the gladiators were prisoners of war. They had to fight at different locations and make it to Rome (much like the superbowl) to be set free. Around 80 percent of those who made it to the Colosseum were set free. And yes, the Emperor did indicate whether or not a gladiator should be killed by giving a thumb-up or thumb-down.

Our next stop was Palintine Hill and the Mamertine prison. Both very neat places! After awhile, all of the ruins started to look alike and we decided it was time to go. It is now around 1 pm here and we are about to go nap and gear up for the rest of the day. We would like to just brows the streets and look around.

I have to say, Rome is nothing like I thought it would be. It's actually a very dirty town. There is trash all along the streets, graffiti on EVERY surface, and it smells bad. We have been told to be very careful here because pickpockets run rampant. We don't take a step without looking around and clutching our backpacks which are always locked. I do have to say, I have never seen a greater Police presence in any other city. You see a policeman or woman on every street corner just about.

Tomorrow we will head to Cinque Terre! We can't wait! It's so hot here that all I want to do is jump into any body of water. Oh, and Todd...I'll be sure to post that picture in Cinque Terre of the mountainside and houses with ME in it! =)