Bad news….it’s supposed to be even hotter today AND we are going to be spending the entire day out in Rome walking around.
Up at 5:45; off the boat at 6:45 to meet the private transfer to Rome. We had thought about the train from Civitavecchia, but didn’t trust it to run on time AND figured it would be jammed packed with the number of ships in port.
Arrive in Rome at 9 am….we meet the vans back to the boat at 5 pm over near the Colosseum. Dropped off at the Vatican.
We had made the decision to skip the Sistine Chapel before we arrived….too much of a line and everything we had read led us to believe that this wasn’t the way to go with Fric and Frac. BUT, we had to walk past the line to get in to the museum to see it.
The line was at least a quarter of a mile long at 9 am. and five to six wide. took up almost all of the sidewalk. So for us to get through, I basically had to ploy the role of a snow plow; me and my backpack must have hit over 100 people making our way to St. Peter’s Square.
But, we made it, and then went to the line to clear security. Again, the advantage of doing a private tour is you are ahead of the groups; the line for security was 4x as long when we finished here….
the Swiss Guard…
the plan was to climb the steps to the cupola….the first ‘stop’ on that trip was just above the letters here. Suzanne, confronted with temperatures that are threatening to turn her into a sweaty puddle, declines to join Fric, Frac, and I on this adventure.
This view is from the roof…..it’s a good thing that Suzanne didn’t come because this was at least 3 times as hard as Pisa. You can pay to take the elevator, but, we choose not too….it wasn’t that much more (7 euros instead of 5)…..
The first stop; inside the dome. Another climb up to the cupola awaits. I should mention I’m carrying the backpack again today; it is loaded down with water.
So I’m basically dead when I get to the top…..the last part of the climb is all stairs and stairs in skinny circular staircases; you’re pushed up against the side of the doom so there’s not a lot of headroom.
But I’m glad we did it; something that the boys will remember….
Looking down….before we head up….
Pano from the top….
Another pano from the top
After St. Peters we walked over to Piazza Navona….the next few pictures are taken as we walked (and fried). Filled up our water bottles a public fountains we ran into along the way….
Finally made it to Piazza Novana…..walked through a nice neighborhood; stuck to the shade when we could….
After Piazza Novana we headed to the Pantheon…
You see that fountain in front? More water filling here….
Inside….
Inside Pano….
One of the downsides of Rome (and the cruise approach to Rome) and one of the downsides of the having Fric ad Frac here is that you don’t really get the time to really check things out. In London, at St. Paul’s and at Westminster Abbey, we did the audio tours and took our time. Here, the boys aren’t that interested in the tour and we just didn’t have the time if we were going to see what we wanted to see today. Suzanne listened to the audio for St. Peter’s while we climbed, so, filled in some of the ‘gaps’ as we left there, but, not the optimal way of going about it…
Some flowers on the Trevi-Pantheon walk…
more from the walk….
a good view down the path…..
to the Trevi Fountain….another picture without a ton of people in front that I had to work to get…
This boy was frustrated by the pace of the walk….always wanted to go faster.
They threw their coins in, so, they must be coming back. I screwed this up; I didn’t read and didn’t listen, and didn’t realize that you were supposed to stand back to the fountain and throw the coins over you back. I guess I’m not coming back….
Every big city we try and stop here so that Suzanne can collect her pin. Barcelona, Florence, and Rome so far.
Last stop was a guided tour of the Colosseum. Really cool; could not get the music from Gladiator out of my head; especially as we stood here getting ready to enter the arena…..
Pano at the Colosseum. Turned out pretty well. Didn’t realize until we arrived (and I had seen it in the pictures and didn’t understand) that the bottom is the basement; the floor of the arena was on wood supports and has collapsed (and is rebuilt in the earlier picture)
A view down one of the basement corridors…
View from the third floor. Can only get down there and up here by paying the bucks…
Pano from the top of the Colosseum
Picking up the pilot as the Breeze leaves Civitavecchia…
The Breeze…heading to Salerno (south of Naples)
Yup.
Rome Stuff:
- Pickpocket alert still on high but no issues….took the Metro and had to transfer…no real issues..
- Lots of sleeping boys on those vans to and from the port; it’s a 90 minute drive….
- Just not enough time to see everything and really appreciate it. That, and the heat, I’m sure will make this Suzanne’s least favorite stop of the trip.
- We are drinking a ton of Orange Fanta and Orangina…..just some awesome stuff there!
Breezy Stuff:
- Went to the Hasbro game show night; no boy or adult picked. It was fun but I don’t know if we’ll go again since the second night is Venice, and we’ll be out when the show starts I bet….
- Dinner is a blur two days later….think we just settled for burgers from Guy’s Burger Joint….had the chili burger which tasted better than what I had seen the boys eat earlier….
