I'm doing as the Romans do. Today was one of the most relaxing days of the
whole trip, in spite of walking about 2-3 miles more. I started after i sent
that email this morning... about 11 or so... now it's 6pm and as far as i'm
concerned, my last day in Rome is over!
First stop this morning after leaving Termini station (by metro: always a good
idea whenever it's available) was Barberini fountain in the daytime, then Trevi
fountain in the daytime, along with a "croissant alla creme" -- mmmmmmmmmmmm
muy delicioso! Then down to Vittorio Emmanuel II monument for a couple of
pictures. That's one of the most modern sites I've seen in rome and it's one of
the most massive.... looks realy spectacular in the day and night! my guess is
about 2 times taller than the U.S. Capitol in Washington and just as wide and
long.
After that i was simply roaming around rome. Walked by the "Turtle Fountain",
across the Tiber river to Travestere and piazza santa maria - another fountain
there. Then.... and this next part was the best part of the day... about a 3
hour lunch in an outdoor ristorante. Very beautiful, very delicious, very
relaxing, and very expensive. 35 euros including tax & tip - i think that's the
most i've ever paid for a single meal in my whole life! but worth every penny.
and it was a good place to just eat, drink, and relax. Ate a big 4-course meal,
and after every dish arrived I kept thinking to myself "is THAT what I
ordered??? oh... ok."
And if you're wondering about the "drink" part... only 250 ml of vino della
casa - house wine - called zaragosa or something like that, i dont remember
now... from the extremely local Lazio region of italy. (Roma is capital of
Lazio). Anyway, that amounted to 3 small glasses over 3 hours. nothing like
what i had day before yesterday!
So that lunch took from 1:30 until roughly 4:30 -- just about when the lights
were starting to turn on in the city. I strolled down to Isola Tiburina - an
island settled during the middle ages and more or less kept intact since then.
Then across to Circo Massimo - Circus Maximus.... famous for chariot races
during the Empire (ref: the movie "Ben Hur"). Also overlooked by - and I'm not
sure if this is right or not - what's left of Emperor Hadrian's palace. or
Nero's palace. I dunno... somebody's palace. It was mentioned in one of the
tours, i forget now.
After that was a short metro ride to the next stop -- Colosseum in the night.
Before going on.... for those of you who've never been here yet and therefore
WILL BE coming here (yes.. you will), I very strongly recommend that your first
view of the colosseum should be as you come out of the metro station. Don't
walk there or take the bus. take the train. It looks incredible just as you
exit the station and it's right there in front of you! HUGE!
Anyway.. took a couple of pictures there, had a couple of people take my
pictures, i took their pictures, and moved on.... back to the metro and up to
Stazione Termini again, which is where i am now. Just north of the railway
station in a new internet place (the usual one has been closed last 2 days).
So today is my last day in Rome. And right now I cannot decide if I like Paris,
Rome, San Francisco, or Washington DC as my favorite world city. All of them
look much better at night than in the daytime, but they all have their own
"little things" that make them special! I've spent the least amount of time in
Rome than in any of the others... and i think even if i stay a month or even a
year i'll still not be able to take it all in. There's a lot left for future
trips, like the (what I've been told) most scenic view in all of Rome - after
climbing St Peters Basilica in the Vatican. Haven't done that on this trip.
Also did not go to any of the museums except Galleria Borghese and the Vatican
museums. But today I did toss a coin over my shoulder into the Trevi fountain,
so I know I'll be back. (It's good to believe in some legends).
Hard to believe anything else on this trip can top Rome.... but every time I've
said that on previous trips I'm always pleasantly surprised. There's still
Florence, Pisa, Venice, Madrid and Toledo to look forward to. Also a night in
London. Hopefully it'll stop raining in London by then.
Ciao,
me.
Trevi Fountain: The daytime view
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Vittorio Emmanuel Monument:
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Other pictures:The Barberini fountain (daytime view), Turtle fountain, Temple of Apollo, Isola Tiberna, Trastavere, Piazza Verita, Circo Massimo, and finally the Coloseo at night!
Table of Contents
January 2: Florence, Pisa (Galleria Accademia, Leaning Tower)
Barberini Fountain
Turtle Fountain
Temple of Apollo
Isola Tiberna
Trastavere
Piazza Verita
Circo Massimo
Coloseo