Today I woke up early and ready to see Rome! Thankfully, the hotel that my parents helped me find had an AMAZING continental breakfast that included everything from pastries, to cereal, to fruit, to meats and cheeses, with juice, coffee, water and more. It was a great way to start the day! I decided to walk to the Colosseum from my hotel by following the river which was good because the river was lined with lots of trees that provided shade on a VERY hot day! I passed many beautiful bridges and buildings. I also passed what I thought must be the "old version" of the Smart car since it was SO tiny!
After spending an hour walking to this area, and another 1.5 hours walking around the Roman Forum and Palantine Hill, I developed a pretty annoying blister on my little right pinkie toe. Since I'm not as much of a "Girl Scout" like my sister, Julia, who has EVERYTHING you could ever need in her purse, I had to fashion a tourniquet out of kleenex that Paquita gave me for "in case".
Then a nice person gave me a Hello Kitty bandaid so I was on my way to the Colosseum! I couldn't believe that I was actually at the place that I've seen in movies, and heard so much about! True to my book, the line for tickets was SO long and I was very happy to walk right past them and present my ticket to the lady. Then, I got in line to get an audioguide so that I could get all the historical information about this amazing place. The Roman Colosseum or Coliseum, originally known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, was commisioned in AD 72 by Emperor Vespasian. It was completed by his son, Titus, in 80, with later improvements by Domitian. (http://www.rome.info.com/) Something that I thought was interesting was that the Colosseum was in ruins for a long time and many people took parts of the structure to use as building materials for houses and other buildings around Rome. Later, it was decided to treat it as a historical structure and maintain it. 
By the time I was done with the Colosseum, I was so tired, thirsty, and hot since it was just about 2PM. I found a nice restaurant near the Colosseum per my trusty guidebook and was very pleased that it had air conditioning. Wearing a black shirt and being outside so much wasn't really working to my advantage! I sat down and ordered my first Italian meal, a caprese salad and magherita pizza. It was very delicious and I had a nice relaxing lunch while also writing in my journal.
After lunch, I decided to hop on the metro, which was also air conditioned, and go to the Piazza de Espagna. I found the history of it interesting especially since it had some very English style tea rooms next to it. The fountain was very beautiful and had people all around it. The funniest thing were these two Roman police men on horses who were getting a little annoyed at all the tourists asking to pose with the horses!
After spending some time there, I decided it was time to go back to my hotel for a short rest before dinner and going to see the Trevi Fountain in the evening so that I could see it all lit up. I couldn't resist stopping by a Gelateria on my way back to get my very first taste of Italian ice cream (gelato) and it was so delicious!
All in all, it was an amazing first full day in Rome and I just can't believe that I'm really here! Tomorrow, I have a tour of the Vatican set up and based on the fact that my parent spent about 7 days at the Vatican, I'm thinking there will be much to see!
So in my trusty guidebook, it said to go to the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill first since the ticket is good for the Colosseum as well and the lines there can be awful. It's just amazing how much history there is all over Rome. The Roman Forum was where commerce, business, prostitution, cult and the administration of justice took place. (http://www.rome.info.com/)
After spending an hour walking to this area, and another 1.5 hours walking around the Roman Forum and Palantine Hill, I developed a pretty annoying blister on my little right pinkie toe. Since I'm not as much of a "Girl Scout" like my sister, Julia, who has EVERYTHING you could ever need in her purse, I had to fashion a tourniquet out of kleenex that Paquita gave me for "in case".
Then a nice person gave me a Hello Kitty bandaid so I was on my way to the Colosseum! I couldn't believe that I was actually at the place that I've seen in movies, and heard so much about! True to my book, the line for tickets was SO long and I was very happy to walk right past them and present my ticket to the lady. Then, I got in line to get an audioguide so that I could get all the historical information about this amazing place. The Roman Colosseum or Coliseum, originally known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, was commisioned in AD 72 by Emperor Vespasian. It was completed by his son, Titus, in 80, with later improvements by Domitian. (http://www.rome.info.com/) Something that I thought was interesting was that the Colosseum was in ruins for a long time and many people took parts of the structure to use as building materials for houses and other buildings around Rome. Later, it was decided to treat it as a historical structure and maintain it. 
By the time I was done with the Colosseum, I was so tired, thirsty, and hot since it was just about 2PM. I found a nice restaurant near the Colosseum per my trusty guidebook and was very pleased that it had air conditioning. Wearing a black shirt and being outside so much wasn't really working to my advantage! I sat down and ordered my first Italian meal, a caprese salad and magherita pizza. It was very delicious and I had a nice relaxing lunch while also writing in my journal.
After lunch, I decided to hop on the metro, which was also air conditioned, and go to the Piazza de Espagna. I found the history of it interesting especially since it had some very English style tea rooms next to it. The fountain was very beautiful and had people all around it. The funniest thing were these two Roman police men on horses who were getting a little annoyed at all the tourists asking to pose with the horses!
After spending some time there, I decided it was time to go back to my hotel for a short rest before dinner and going to see the Trevi Fountain in the evening so that I could see it all lit up. I couldn't resist stopping by a Gelateria on my way back to get my very first taste of Italian ice cream (gelato) and it was so delicious!
After resting for a little while at my hotel, and watching MTV in Italian, I found the Trevi Fountain which is absolutely gorgeous! I went when it was still light outside so that I could see it both during daylight as well as when the lights are illuminated. There were lots of people around and so there was so much energy! The tradition of the Trevi fountain is that you are supposed to throw two coins into the fountain over your shoulder, while facing away from the fountain. One is supposed to be so that you come back to Italy, and the other is for a wish. I actually forgot to wish when I threw the 2nd coin, so I had to throw 3. It is just so beautiful!
All in all, it was an amazing first full day in Rome and I just can't believe that I'm really here! Tomorrow, I have a tour of the Vatican set up and based on the fact that my parent spent about 7 days at the Vatican, I'm thinking there will be much to see!
1 comment:
Sister, this is AMAZING. next time we are going together!!! :)E
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