Europe 2016

We got into Rome early Sunday afternoon, set up there camp, and got ready to head out on our city driving tour, walking tour, and"walkabout dinner".

Matt, from Melbourne, Australia, had a perfect descriptor for Rome - Grand. I think it's absolutely spot on because it seems that everywhere you turn, there's a building or structure of some sort with awe inspiring scale and bravado!

Our driving tour took us all over Rome and helped with bearings. Some of the highlights were: the Circus Maximus (the site was used for chariot reaching in ancient Rome and the scale is enormous), some sort of key hole that you can look through (apparently it makes you feel like you're in three places at once: Malta, Vatican City, and Rome; I'll have to dig into that for next time), and the Tiber River. It's interesting that the roadway that follows the river is significantly higher than the river itself and that the city on the other side of the roadway often appears to be at the same level as the river. I'm not sure if this is to address flooding or what.

Our walking tour started at Piazza Venezia and focused on what is considered Old Rome. Some of the highlights were: the huge building at the Piazza Venezia (massive building with many columns and a statue of Marcus Aurelius (the Caesar from Gladiator with Russell Crowe), the Pantheon (got there just as it was closing, so couldn't get inside), and the Trevi Fountain (approximately €3000 are collected from it each day and donated to charity). We wrapped up at Piazza Navona and groups headed for dinner. The advice was to walk up the streets off of the Piazza because anywhere on the Piazza is quite expensive.

Eight of us picked a street and started out, virtually every restaurant has someone out front trying to entice you to come in with basically the same rap: "my friends, fresh, homemade pizza, pasta; free wifi". The of the place we decided on reminded me of Uncle Gavin, except with a very long ponytail. The food was great and they treated us very well! On the way back to meet everyone, we made a gelato stop - the pistachio is prenominal!

The group met up, took the coach back to the campsite, and (some actually) packed it in early to be as ready as possible for the big day ahead!

The next morning, we got going early and took the metro train to the Vatican for our guided tour. We arrived before 9am (opens at 10am) and the line was still hundreds of people long. Our guide provided an earpiece and headset, since there were over 40 of us and it wouldn't be possible to hear anything she was saying as the group moved through the mobs of people. That said, even with the headset, it was difficult to hear what she was saying - combination of a thick Italian accent and the technology not being the best. Oh well, it was fantastic to be there and see it for myself! The Sistine Chapel was amazing (no photos allowed), but pretty much everything else is also beautifully done with mosaics, paintings, or sculptures. St Peter's Basilica is enormous and the stained glass is gorgeous, while the Square in front is fantastic!

When the tour wrapped up, a few of us headed off to the Colosseum for the guides tour that we'd booked. Our Contiki Tour Manager thought it would take about 40 minutes to get there on the metro train, which meant we'd be very tight for time. The extra hiccup was that when we were leaving the Vatican, we excited through an unfamiliar area and weren't sure how to get to the metro. We asked one of the many police officers stationed everywhere and he suggested we take the 40 bus, which would take us to a piazza close to the Colosseum in about 10 minutes... That was an easy decision, especially since Contiki gave us metro passes for the day that were valid for trains and buses!

We arrived at the Colosseum meeting place with plenty of time to spare, so we had a bite to eat and I filled up my water bottle at the free water station on the street (still or sparkling, and it also had USB charging points). Cobey and Tom ventured to the pay toilettes (common throughout Europe), but they were apparently quite unfortunate.

Georgio, our guide, met us out front and took us through security. As with Rome in general, the Colosseum is simply grand! It was very interesting to see the scale of things and marvel at how people built such a structure 2000 years ago! It's hard to fathom, but the estimate is that more than 500,000 people were killed during gladiator-type events over the few hundred years that it was in use. It was interesting to learn that the foundation for the Colosseum was a massive lake that Nero had built for himself, but he was such a hated man that when he died, they destroyed any legacy he had built for himself. The Colosseum floor was made of wood and covered with sand, while the area beneath was a maze of rooms and access points that offered entry and exit points for people, animals, and even vegetation (trees were put out for use during hunting exhibitions).

After the Colosseum, we decided to walk to the group meeting point, which was quite a distance away, but we had a couple of hours and it would give us a chance to see more of the city. Our route took us past the Trevi Fountain again... The Trevi Fountain has been going through a restoration for quite some time, which was just completed about six months ago, so I was able to see it in all its glory - amazing! It's said that tossing coin(s) over your shoulder: 1 coin and you'll return to Rome, 2 coins and you'll find love, 3 coins and you'll get married. I tossed in 3, so we'll see!

We met the group at the Spanish Steps (closed for restoration). Renae recommended a place for inexpensive pasta, so a few of us decided to have a pre-dinner snack. Then we made a gelato stop on the way to the train - excellent!Read more