Day 5 - Exploring Rome
I think that was one of the best sleeps I've had in quite awhile. Despite the traffic going on beneath my room window, I managed to sleep over 12hours which really helped the jetlag and my cold. We woke up around midday and got ready to head out. The plan was to catch the Metro to Spagna to start our day of sight seeing. Within minutes of leaving our apartment, we bumped into the $40 woman #3.
Like OMG! She's duplicating!!! And less then 2 minutes after seeing the $40 woman, we bumped into Birds Nest.
I swear we're living in an area of freaks. We decided to head towards the metro before we had to deal with any other freaks otherwise our freak list will become too long.
It took us a few minutes, but we finally figured out how the metro and ticketing works. We hop onto the first metro and damn its clean. It puts Sydney to shame. We get off at Spagna, and the first thing we see is the Spanish Steps.
Unfortunately, parts of it were under restoration (I barely recognised it). Thats a problem we're going to see throughout Rome, and I suspect through out most of Italy. I can't be helped when the whole country is dripping with history everywhere you turn.
After grabbing a few photos, we decided to hunt down breakfast. However, we got distracted by some gorgeous buildings and monuments that were screaming for the attention of our camera. This, is also going to happen a lot throughout our trip.
We finally managed to find a restaurant/bar/cafe which looked decent. And when in Rome, do what the Romans do. Eat standing at the bar. The other reason is that its cheaper than sitting down.
Ham and Cheese on Turkish bread
Tomato and Mozzarella on Turkish bread
Cappucino
Other food on offer
After satisfying our hunger and caffiene addiction, we decided to head towards the Trevi Fountain. Not before stopping by one of the many churches all around Rome.
After stumbling around for awhile, we finally found the Trevi Fountain and its gorgeous!
The place was packed with tourists (As expected) all wanting photos of the fountain. There were also people tossing coins into the fountain, which we didn't bother doing for 2 very good reasons.
1. Euros are expensive
2. Legend has it that any foreigner who tosses a coin into the fountain ensures their return to Rome. We want closure!
Heading back past Via del Corso (one of the main roads in Rome that used to be used for horse races), we followed the signs to the Pantheon. The Pantheon is the only architecturely intact structure in Rome. The interior is certainly very impressive.
As we leave the Pantheon, we decided to sit outside for a rest before moving on. It was only then that we saw a sign stating that there are no singlets allowed, drinks, camera or mobiles. We broke almost every single rule when walking into the place. But then so did everyone else. *shrugs*
Next stop was the Monumento a Vittoria Emanule II. Not before stopping by the ancient ruins used by Cherry for her kidney sacraficial ritual and another coffee.
Macchiato
After a hike, we finally made it to the Monumento a Vittoria Emanule. The Monument of the Unknown Soldier. Again, this place was under restoration and a lot of the structure has been covered up by the scaffolding. Its been half way through the day, and I'm still awestruck by how breathtaking all these grand buildings are. And also how much the Italians cherish them. There is a security guard that mans the steps of this monument. He literally guards the steps. Anyone who dares to sit down on the steps immediately has a whistle blown in their face. Its perfectly ok to walk and trample on the steps, but no sitting whatsoever. After grabbing a few photos, we decided to sit on the stairs...outside the gates of the monument that is. And there's nothing the guard can do about it.
The plan was to eventually make it down to Bocca Della Verita (Mouth of Truth), so we decided to stop by the Roman Forums on the way as well as grab a few exterior shots of the Colosseum (Since there won't be much leisurely time on the tour to do that)
By the time we were done with the Colosseum, we were completely exhausted and had to take a pit stop. We grabbed a lemon tea each and sat outside the Colosseum. It was at this point that a massive tour group decided to walk by and stop right infront of us. I don't even know how to explain what happened next. I thought a porno film crew must've walked right up to us, because I swear the woman standing infront of me was having an orgasm (except for the fact that she's about 80!!). That, or she REALLY REALLY enjoys talking. I couldn't tell if she was talking or having an orgasm. This then started a laughing fit between the 2 of us. We were laughing so hard, we couldn't even work the camera that was already in our hands!!
After that invigorating event, we started what we thought was going to be a short relaxing walk to Bocca Della Verita. My arse it was short and relaxing. After hiking for a good 30mins, we finally find the damn thing, only for it to be shut! If you want to stick your hand in his mouth, you'll have to come back another time. That didn't stop me almost getting my head stuck between the metal bars trying to take a photo though.
By this time, I can't feel my legs. Wait, I can. Its called a throbbing pain. The only problem was we were really far from any Metro Station, which meant one thing. More walking. We walked along the Tiber river, through the back streets until we couldn't walk anymore. We stopped in a bar for another coffee.
I don't know why we didn't eat at the bar, but we were starving a good 15mins later, and stopped by a pizza joint to refuel:
Cherry tomatoes and anchovies
Tomatoes and rocket
After our coffee and pizza, we felt more energised to continue our hike through Rome's cobble stoned streets. That is until we got lost. So out comes the map. The free map I got from the airport was really good in the sense that it shows where all the tourist attractions are. The bad thing is, it doesn't show all the streets. We got ourselves a free map from Maccas, which seriously shows every Maccas in Rome as well as a lot more streets. As we're standing there reading the Maccas map, this American walks right up to us and goes "Are you trying to find Maccas?". Like what the hell? Can't we even read a map in peace??
We finally locate ourselves on the map, and realise we've got atleast another 20-30mins walk. Crap. To add to this, we had purchased 2 books on Rome which weighed me down another few kilos. By the time we got to the Metro and saw the Fountain of Triton, I couldn't even be bothered taking a proper picture.
Walking back home from the metro was one of the hardest things I've ever done. If I could've taken a cab for the 100m, I would've. As we dragged our feet to the front door, we noticed that there was and dessert joint right next to our apartment. At first we were tempted to get more coffee, instead, we settled on a few pastries instead.
By the time we got into the apartment, I could barely walk the 5m from my bed to the bathroom. I reckon I was going to have a great sleep after the long long day. Before that, I decided to upload the few hundred photos I took onto my laptop to do a bit of post processing. 4hours later, I was still wide awake even though my body felt like it was broken into a few hundred pieces. I don't know if it was the caffiene, or the extreme pain in my legs, but I didn't manage to go to bed until after 1:30am. Crap.
Coffee count for the day: 3
Like OMG! She's duplicating!!! And less then 2 minutes after seeing the $40 woman, we bumped into Birds Nest.
I swear we're living in an area of freaks. We decided to head towards the metro before we had to deal with any other freaks otherwise our freak list will become too long.
It took us a few minutes, but we finally figured out how the metro and ticketing works. We hop onto the first metro and damn its clean. It puts Sydney to shame. We get off at Spagna, and the first thing we see is the Spanish Steps.
Unfortunately, parts of it were under restoration (I barely recognised it). Thats a problem we're going to see throughout Rome, and I suspect through out most of Italy. I can't be helped when the whole country is dripping with history everywhere you turn.
After grabbing a few photos, we decided to hunt down breakfast. However, we got distracted by some gorgeous buildings and monuments that were screaming for the attention of our camera. This, is also going to happen a lot throughout our trip.
We finally managed to find a restaurant/bar/cafe which looked decent. And when in Rome, do what the Romans do. Eat standing at the bar. The other reason is that its cheaper than sitting down.
Ham and Cheese on Turkish bread
Tomato and Mozzarella on Turkish bread
Cappucino
Other food on offer
After satisfying our hunger and caffiene addiction, we decided to head towards the Trevi Fountain. Not before stopping by one of the many churches all around Rome.
After stumbling around for awhile, we finally found the Trevi Fountain and its gorgeous!
The place was packed with tourists (As expected) all wanting photos of the fountain. There were also people tossing coins into the fountain, which we didn't bother doing for 2 very good reasons.
1. Euros are expensive
2. Legend has it that any foreigner who tosses a coin into the fountain ensures their return to Rome. We want closure!
Heading back past Via del Corso (one of the main roads in Rome that used to be used for horse races), we followed the signs to the Pantheon. The Pantheon is the only architecturely intact structure in Rome. The interior is certainly very impressive.
As we leave the Pantheon, we decided to sit outside for a rest before moving on. It was only then that we saw a sign stating that there are no singlets allowed, drinks, camera or mobiles. We broke almost every single rule when walking into the place. But then so did everyone else. *shrugs*
Next stop was the Monumento a Vittoria Emanule II. Not before stopping by the ancient ruins used by Cherry for her kidney sacraficial ritual and another coffee.
MacchiatoAfter a hike, we finally made it to the Monumento a Vittoria Emanule. The Monument of the Unknown Soldier. Again, this place was under restoration and a lot of the structure has been covered up by the scaffolding. Its been half way through the day, and I'm still awestruck by how breathtaking all these grand buildings are. And also how much the Italians cherish them. There is a security guard that mans the steps of this monument. He literally guards the steps. Anyone who dares to sit down on the steps immediately has a whistle blown in their face. Its perfectly ok to walk and trample on the steps, but no sitting whatsoever. After grabbing a few photos, we decided to sit on the stairs...outside the gates of the monument that is. And there's nothing the guard can do about it.
The plan was to eventually make it down to Bocca Della Verita (Mouth of Truth), so we decided to stop by the Roman Forums on the way as well as grab a few exterior shots of the Colosseum (Since there won't be much leisurely time on the tour to do that)
By the time we were done with the Colosseum, we were completely exhausted and had to take a pit stop. We grabbed a lemon tea each and sat outside the Colosseum. It was at this point that a massive tour group decided to walk by and stop right infront of us. I don't even know how to explain what happened next. I thought a porno film crew must've walked right up to us, because I swear the woman standing infront of me was having an orgasm (except for the fact that she's about 80!!). That, or she REALLY REALLY enjoys talking. I couldn't tell if she was talking or having an orgasm. This then started a laughing fit between the 2 of us. We were laughing so hard, we couldn't even work the camera that was already in our hands!!
After that invigorating event, we started what we thought was going to be a short relaxing walk to Bocca Della Verita. My arse it was short and relaxing. After hiking for a good 30mins, we finally find the damn thing, only for it to be shut! If you want to stick your hand in his mouth, you'll have to come back another time. That didn't stop me almost getting my head stuck between the metal bars trying to take a photo though.
By this time, I can't feel my legs. Wait, I can. Its called a throbbing pain. The only problem was we were really far from any Metro Station, which meant one thing. More walking. We walked along the Tiber river, through the back streets until we couldn't walk anymore. We stopped in a bar for another coffee.
I don't know why we didn't eat at the bar, but we were starving a good 15mins later, and stopped by a pizza joint to refuel:
Cherry tomatoes and anchovies
Tomatoes and rocketAfter our coffee and pizza, we felt more energised to continue our hike through Rome's cobble stoned streets. That is until we got lost. So out comes the map. The free map I got from the airport was really good in the sense that it shows where all the tourist attractions are. The bad thing is, it doesn't show all the streets. We got ourselves a free map from Maccas, which seriously shows every Maccas in Rome as well as a lot more streets. As we're standing there reading the Maccas map, this American walks right up to us and goes "Are you trying to find Maccas?". Like what the hell? Can't we even read a map in peace??
We finally locate ourselves on the map, and realise we've got atleast another 20-30mins walk. Crap. To add to this, we had purchased 2 books on Rome which weighed me down another few kilos. By the time we got to the Metro and saw the Fountain of Triton, I couldn't even be bothered taking a proper picture.
Walking back home from the metro was one of the hardest things I've ever done. If I could've taken a cab for the 100m, I would've. As we dragged our feet to the front door, we noticed that there was and dessert joint right next to our apartment. At first we were tempted to get more coffee, instead, we settled on a few pastries instead.
By the time we got into the apartment, I could barely walk the 5m from my bed to the bathroom. I reckon I was going to have a great sleep after the long long day. Before that, I decided to upload the few hundred photos I took onto my laptop to do a bit of post processing. 4hours later, I was still wide awake even though my body felt like it was broken into a few hundred pieces. I don't know if it was the caffiene, or the extreme pain in my legs, but I didn't manage to go to bed until after 1:30am. Crap.
Coffee count for the day: 3
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