A Day in Ancient Rome

Day 2 (well technically day 3) in Rome began with a brisk walk past the National Monument Of Vittorio Emanuele II towards the Colosseum. The monument is across from Piazza Venezia (another Piazza!) and commemorates the first King of unified Italy. However, they wanted to build it so fast that they used poor quality marble and it needs cleaning constantly. So while we were there they had the scaffolding up so they could scrub it clean before the tourist season hits. It was still epic though.And then, as we turned the corner, I saw it. The ancient ruins, the Roman Forum, and the Colosseum in the distance.
I was on cloud nine. I have always wanted to see the structures of the Ancient Romans. I mean, they were architectural geniuses. Not to mention they were brilliant in war tactics, city planning, and empire ruling. I think the epic-ness of their empire is apparent in structures like the Colosseum.
The Colosseum (or Flavian Amphitheater) was finished in 80 AD and could hold up to 50,000 spectators. Here, gladiator battles, Classical plays, animal hunts, and even executions entertained the people of ancient Rome.
Afterward we did a quick run by the Arch of Constantine and took some wonderful Kodak moment photos and were off to Palantine Hill.
Palantine Hill was one of the seven hills of Rome and supposedly where the she-wolf that saved Romulus (the founder of Rome) and Remus (his twin brother) lived. It sits above the Roman Forum on one side and the Circus Maximus on the other. It's no wonder why this was a popular place for Roman Emperors to build their palaces.While there isn't a lot of the palaces left, you can still see how grandeur they were meant to be. They overlook amazing sites and the trees and gardens that surround them make it one of the most peaceful places in Rome. I swear, I could have sat up there all day enjoying the quiet

Below is a view from the top of the hill. Despite the peacefulness of it all, we were on a mission to see the Roman Forum before it closed, so off we went.
This was my favorite part of our tour through ancient Rome. It was so nicely preserved and if you closed your eyes you could imagine the cobblestone streets and all the buildings as whole. Laura had lent me her Rick Steve's "Italy" book and it served as a self-guided tour through the forum. As he said, "If you think this is just a pile of rocks, remind yourself that Cesar once leaned against these rocks."
It's usually not so busy during the off season but Kim and I paid a visit to the forum the day before the Ides of March, the day in which many Italians still pay homage to Cesar's death.

I fully enjoyed my day in ancient Rome and spent it blissfully geeking out over every structure and stone ruin. To say the least, this day had gone over much more smoothly than the day before. While we were still weary of Rome, we felt we had gotten to know it better and were a little more confident in ourselves.

Roma: Day 1

This is how my Spring break trip to Rome started out. A 3:30 cab ride to Dublin airport, a 24 Euro fee for a heavy bag, and a five hour delay did not put me in the best of moods. Oh boy, is RyanAir the best! The worst part about five hour delays is that there is no bed anywhere to rest your head, so you find other ways to entertain yourself.
This was how we entertained ourselves. I have never been so enthralled with wrestling. I mean, I thought I was pale but this guy is border line ridiculous.

Needless to say, getting on the plane to Rome made me jump for joy. When we finally took off I started laughing out of pure bliss. I mean you don't really realize how long five hours is (let alone seven when you arrive the specified 2 hours early) until you have to spend it in an airport.
Rome, the Eternal City, is nothing like I imagined. Literally nothing. I mean, there was still the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Trevi Fountain, and all that jazz but just walking to those places was different from how I imagined them. Movies can't really capture Rome. But to be completely and blatantly honest, I wasn't as enchanted with it as I thought I would be. I mean it's still beautiful, don't get me wrong. The buildings, the monuments, the food. But the people create a really hostile environment that sometimes ruined the obvious awesome fact that I was in Rome.

As a city, it wasn't exactly tourist friendly. And even though I tried desperately (as I always do) to be just like Rick Steves and travel Europe through the back door by acting like a local--I almost preferred the touristy things. I mean...let's face it, I'm a tourist. I don't know what's going on half the time and even though I speak some Italian I'm not nearly as good at it as I once was.

The expansive panoramas of the Roman skyline and the savory taste of real Italian pizza were sometimes not enough to help you forget the waiters who leered at you as you walked down the street, harassing you to eat in their restaurant, or the multitude of beggars who sat on street corner after street corner.

But it was still beautiful, despite all of the rude people and painfully awkward moments. The buildings and cobblestone streets are amazing. Our hostel overlooked the Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore, home to the oldest church in Rome bearing Mary's name. We even had a balcony that we used to our full advantage.
It's so bizarre to walk through the streets of Rome and see a ruin that must be from the Roman Empire, or to see newer buildings using the foundations of ancient ones. Down the street from Laura and Natalie's hotel is where Cesar was murdered. No more than five minutes away. In any direction there's an over abundance of historical places to see and take in. Let's just say, I hyperventilated a lot.

After our exhausting journey to Rome, Kim and I spent the majority of our first day getting settled and caught up on sleep. We met Natalie and Laura for dinner and drinks that night and then headed back home to sleep some more. It was necessary.

The next day, our tour guide Laura, showed us all the epic sights of Rome that were free (because let's face it, we're poor college students and free in any sense of the word is welcomed).
But before we actually got to the Tiziano (where Laura and Natalie live) we had to take the bus.
First on the list was Campo de' Fiori, which is a large outdoor market surrounded by a bunch of a adorable shops. It's busy and crowded but really neat to check out. I can't say I bought anything there but it was fun to walk through all the same.
Throughout the day we stopped to get snacks which is probably the thing I miss most about Italy. I loved the fact that you ate about eight times a day and you were still hungry for more. Gelato must be heaven sent. The texture of gelato is great but it's the taste that is life changing. The snozberries taste like snozberries! Literally, if you get strawberry flavored gelato, you will be sure that it was made with real strawberries and oh boy does it taste like it. I could have eaten it all day. Below is Kim and I enjoying freshly made Cannoli. Yum!
While enjoying our delicious snacks we walked to the Piazza Navona and this is when I realized that there were a lot of piazzas in Rome. A lot. We must have seen around 10 just in that one day. But if there's two things I think America needs more of it's gelato and piazzas. Back in the ancient days this is where Romans would go to watch games. Of course, it looked a lot different back then.

It's also home to the Fountain of Neptune and the Fountain of the Four Rivers. Below is a picture of part of the Fountain of the Four Rivers which was under construction when we went so it was kind of hard to get decent pictures of. I really wish I could have gotten closer because this thing was massive. Their hands were the size of my face alone. It was insane.
Here are some pictures of the Fountain of Neptune which I really enjoyed. I mean, look at that octopus...it's great.
The Pantheon was next on the list and one of the things that I absolutely had to see. I suffered through a semester of Art History listening to Professor Cushwa go on and on about Roman architecture and how great the pantheon was and yadda yadda yadda. I had to see it for myself. Conclusion? It's pretty great.
I gave it a thumbs up.

Not only is it giant (which seems to be a recurring theme in my European travels) but it's also really interestingly laid out. It's circular so when you walk in it's sort of weird to imagine it as a church. However, as the name suggests (Pantheon means every god), it wasn't always dedicated to one. It used to be a temple dedicated to gods of ancient Rome. To this day, the Pantheon can boast the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome.
Then, off we went to the Trevi Fountain which once again pays tribute to Neptune. It's said that if a visitor throws a coin into the fountain, they are sure to return to Rome again. Two coins into the fountain will ensure a new romance. And three coins thrown with your right hand over your left shoulder is good luck. All of the coins that are thrown into the fountain go towards a shelter to help Rome's needy. It's ironic, then, that this is the place where I was almost pick-pocketed. I felt something jostle behind me and I looked around to see a girl of about 16 with her hand in my purse. Thank God I caught her too because if she would have taken my wallet I'd probably still be stuck in Rome.

Despite my mishap with the thieves of Rome, I enjoyed myself all the same. I even made a few wishes and threw some coins into the fountain for good luck.
The Spanish steps came next and let me tell you, they must be the hangout spot or something because I have never seen steps as crowded as this. Just the street leading up to the steps was jammed pack (but that might have something to do with all the fashionable stores that lined it). We sat down and enjoyed the Italian sun for a little while because we were exhausted. Despite everything being relatively close by and within walking distance we were getting more and more tired by the minute.
My favorite part of the photo above is the man glaring at me for taking it. He does not looked pleased.

I suppose I started this blog entry a little bit on the negative side but I truly did enjoy myself. It was stressful and busy and constantly on the go but fun nonetheless. The only thing that sort of put a damper on this fantastic day was the bus ride back to the hostel and our walk to the Tiziano (the hotel where Natalie and Laura live) for dinner.

The bus ride incident of 2010 is as follows: The number 64 bus takes you from all over downtown Rome back to Termini Station which is four blocks away from our hostel and therefore a really nice way to get back. At night it's relatively empty but during the early evening it's jam packed.

So here I am, standing on the bus when all of the sudden this creeper starts to move closer and closer to Kim and I. I turn around to see that he's rubbing his elbow against Kim which is rather odd and extremely creepy. Kim, as would I in situation if I had the chance, books it for the next available open seat and manages to get a seat alone behind the bus driver. Leaving me and Mr. Elbow/Heavy Breather standing side by side.

Now he starts to do the same thing to me which just becomes more and more awkward. My brain must have shut down at some point because I couldn't think of how to say "stop it" in Italian and the only thing that kept popping up in my head was "Non mi piace" which literally translates to "this does not please me."

It starts to become crystal clear that this pervert must have something wrong with him because Kim and I (who refused to look at him) feel like he might have been doing something extremely inappropriate on the bus that day.

Eventually I turned around and basically gave him a death glare, said no and tried to squeeze next to Kim. He backed off only to return a little while later and Kim and I booked it off the bus and back to our hostel. It was an odd experience to say the least.

On the way back to the Tiziano for dinner that night, Kim and I had another traumatizing event when we were walking down the street and an older gentleman exposed himself. I mean, really?? What is wrong with these people?? We proceeded to complain to Laura and Natalie who took us out for authentic Italian pizza which pretty much cured all my former problems.

Italian pizza is fantastic. I can't describe to you it's greatness. And when you order a pizza, they don't give you a slice, they give you a whole pizza. But it's so light and delicious you can eat the whole thing and still be hungry for gelato afterward. It's fantastic.

I'm pretty sure Laura and Natalie were still pitying Kim and I for our experiences and so we all went to this Irish pub near their hotel called Scholars. We ordered some drinks and were minding our own business when an American man named Dean showed up, handed us a journal and said, "This is my journal. It's called Chaos. I want you to write whatever you want in it." So...we did. We wrote about how exposing yourself and being a heavy breather on public transportation is not a way to get a girlfriend and how he must have picked the four most awkward people in the whole bar to write in his journal. He didn't seem to mind though.

Apparently Dean and his brother DJ (who was also present in body but maybe not mind) are meteorologists who live in Napoli. Considering Dean was born in Ohio and DJ was born in Texas I don't really think they were real brothers. My other clue? Dean had to tell DJ what their father's name was. Probably the only reason we talked to them was because of the hilariousness of the situation and because Dean bought us a free round (which is always a plus). He kept pushing us to go to another pub with him but we eventually just left when he wasn't looking, saving us the trouble. It was a good night overall.

And this is only day one! Just wait till I update day two.