Rome

Rome was a wonderful town, but I would never want to live there. For me, it was too big and chaotic. It was nice to spend two days there, and I probably could have filled another day, but after two days, I was ready to leave for a calmer place. I remember feeling a little overwhelmed when I first saw the city on the very first day. But looking back, I am sure that it is really not too different than any big city in the US. For me, the biggest issue was the public transportation. The public transportation spoils me. In Germany, each bus stop is labeled and has a time table for every bus/tram that stops at that point. Thus, you know when the next bus you need is coming. Not in Italy. They have the buses listed and give the stops for each bus, but there is no timetable. Thus, you just have to wait. Some buses come every ten minutes, others come less frequently, but for someone not from Rome, you have no idea how long you must wait for a bus. Once you catch an Italian bus, know you have the difficult task of knowing when to get off. Unlike in Germany, there is no announcement of the next stop. As a result, I had to watch each stop and search for a name outside of the bus to know where I was and when to get off. More frustration came as there were readable maps that show all the bus lines. This is helpful when needing to know where a bus stop is exactly and to know where two buses cross paths to make transfers easier. Moreover, Italians jam so many people on a bus that you cannot move and bags are smashed. I have ridden some full buses, but never to this capacity where the doors could not shut. The metro was more regular, but went to fewer locations and the only place to transfer from one line to the other was at the train station, where major construction was going on. Since that closes metro stop was a ten minute walk, it was also less convenient. Had things with public transportation be easier, it would have made the time in Rome less stressful, but it didn’t damper the city or the sites.

I arrived in Rome about 5pm on Wednesday October 6^th. I planned on taking a bus to my hotel, but when I reached the street level, I could not find where it stopped. So I went back into the station and rode the metro. As I mentioned before, the metro was a good walk from the hotel and lugging by bags and being exhausted from the previous days made the walk difficult. The hotel was again a convent located southeast of the Colosseum in a mostly residential part of Rome. I checked in and went to my room. By the time I settled in, I was ready for dinner. I walked a block to the main street, but found only one restaurant and they did not begin serving dinner for another hour, so I stopped at a take-out restaurant and bought some pasta for dinner. I decided then that I would eat my big expensive meal at lunch and then pick something up on my way back to the hotel so that I would not have to wait so late to eat. I went to bed early that night.

I rolled out of bed on Thursday, had a simple breakfast of rolls, butter and jam, and juice that was provided by the convent and then headed to the Colosseum. It was amazing. Words cannot describe my joy at seeing it after waiting so long. I bought my ticket and an audioguide and toured the stadium. It is amazing how much is left after 2000 years. I took my time walking around and taking tons of pictures. Finally when I had seen everything, I left, but I think I could have spent a half of day just taking in its grandeur.  From there I climbed the Palatine Hill and walked through the Roman Forum. If I had to do it again, I would have bought a guidebook or taken a tour because there was no information in either of these places. So I just wandered the Palatine hill looking at what was left of a palace and some other building that I not 100 percent sure exactly what they were. The Palatine hill did have a nice view over the Roman Forum and luckily for me, Rick Steves had some information on the Roman Forum in his guidebook, so I was not as lost here. I again took lots and lots of pictures and then I climb the stairs to Capital Hill. I didn’t linger there long, as it is still the location of the national government. By this time it was lunch time, so I decided to treat myself. I choose a restaurant recommended by Rick Steves that conveniently was on the way to the Pantheon. I cannot remember its name and no longer have the guidebook to Italy. However, this place was a whole in the wall that was originally a wine store. I sat in the front dining room with floor to ceiling shelves full of different wine. I ordered a drink and the lasagna. It was delicious! It looked more like a pasta dish and included peas and pieces of hard boiled eggs. I took a picture to show you.

After lunch, I stopped and ate some gelato and then walked to the Pantheon. It was amazing, but a little disappointing because they were working on it and half of the building was covered with scaffolding. However, the inside was construction free. I loved the ceiling, especially with its hole in the center. I was surprised by the decoration inside. I thought it was bare, but there were two graves, one being Raphel’s, statues, and an elaborate alter. It was packed, but still amazing. Here, and especially in Florence, I was surprised how many Americans were visiting, many with children, this time of year. From here I walked a short way to Trivi Fountain. As I expected, and had been warned, there were tons of people. I navigated the crowd to take pictures and to through my coin in. I didn’t stay long, because of the chaos. Next I headed towards the Spanish steps. I got a little lost, but walked in a circle and was quickly able to find where I was. At times it was hard to know where I was because there were not street names on every corner. When I found where I was on the map, I decided to go a different way that would take me along the major shopping streets. All the famous fashion brands have shops near the Spanish Steps. Louis Vuitton, Versace, Prada, Cartier, Dior, Valentino, Gucci. I couldn’t afford anything, but unlike some other places I have visited (i.e. Palm Beach), the area where these stores are located did not feel as ritzy or snobbish. It was if these were normal stores where everyone shopped. As it was not yet four in the afternoon, and I did not want to return to my room, I jumped on the metro and headed to Trastevere, a borough of Rome across the river from the sites I had just seen. I had read about it and it was recommended to me by one of the teachers I am working with. It is the only remnants of Medieval Rome and is what I consider stereotypical Italian. It has small streets with colorful buildings. Cafés line the sidewalks and clothes hang from lines that run from one building to another.  I had also read about the church of Santa Maria in Trastevere that is one of the oldest churches in Rome and still had original Roman columns. It was beautiful. The apse was completely covered in mosaic tiles. There was gold everywhere. After visiting the church, I walked around Trastevere until it was starting to get late. I took a bus home, stopping to get pizza for dinner and read before bed.