Queue Up!
9.19.16 Monday - Rome, Italy
FYI, "queue" is european for "line".
We saw on Facebook today that our cruise ship was damaged in a storm just a few days after we disembarked; it had set sail for another cruise the same day. We're glad to know that there were no major injuries and that the friends we made that are working aboard the ship are alright! Article HERE.
This morning we had big plans! We got up and got ready and had breakfast, I forgot to tell you all that yesterday Daniele had three extra croissants and gave them to us, two of them to give to a homeless person and one to save for later in case we got hungry! We ended up giving them to a gypsy because we had to get going to church and she was the only homeless person we saw on our way, she still asked for money.
Anyway, breakfast was okay, we're not sure the name of the woman who made it, I know there are multiple people that work there but Daniele and Livio (who we didn't get to meet) are the owners and there isn't always someone there at reception round the clock, they just find out when you're coming and make sure someone is there, and of course someone is always there for breakfast.
Our first stop of the day was the Colosseum, where the ancient Romans used to feed people to animals for sport as well as compete in sport-like events. The structure looked different on the inside than we'd thought and the outside was spectacular! The entry fee was just 12€ (quite a good price compared to the 10€ we'd paid for the Castle of St. Michael the day before!) for entry to the Colosseo, Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forum. We walked all the way around the Colosseum, maybe twice. We then walked through gardens and climbed up Palatine Hill to get a beautiful view of the rest of the grounds including the Roman Forum. Palatine Hill is one of the 'Seven Hills of Rome' and is one of the most ancient parts of the city. It stands 40 meters (131 feet) above the Roman Forum; the Roman Forum is a plaza surrounded by the ruins of multiple important ancient government buildings. Many processions, trials, and gladiatorial matches happened on these grounds! It was beautiful!!! We could see everything and it was a great vantage point for photos. We walked around a bit more and then headed to the next stop on our agenda, the Musei Vaticani (Vatican Museum).
We had a couple of pit stops on the way, first one was San Pietro in Vincoli (Saint Peter in Chains), the church where Michelangelo's famous sculpture of Moses stands. It's being restored but we were still able to view it. Next stop was the Basilica Santa Maria del Vittorio where you can find a sculpture called, "The Ecstasy of Teresa." Unfortunately the church was closed until 330p and it was only 1230p. We took the subway again to get to the Vatican Museums, I think EP is getting used to it now 😉 And we had to stop to get a gelato since we knew it might be a bit before lunch. It was good, EP got 'caffè' and I got caffè and crema (cream)!
The line for the museum wrapped around the Vatican walls and we were stopped multiple (SEVERAL) times by tour guides asking twice the price or more to skip the line to get in. NO THANKS. I even did a dance for one guy because I was in my tennis shoes. I can wait alllllll day, sir! A priest was ahead of us and he thought it was pretty funny. We also met Gina from Korea while we were in line. EP went to the B&B to change her shoes and I got scared she wouldn't find me so Gina let me iMessage her. She chatted with us and told us her story, she speaks great English!!! She had been to Paris first, where her jerk face boyfriend was really nice to her and then they came to Rome and broke up, I guess he wasn't interested in trying long distance which begs the question, why have bothered in Paris, then? He's from there and they met in Korea, she loves France and is learning French, wants to move to Paris. She was so sweet and we felt really bad for her but we were glad she found us and was able to enjoy the rest of her trip. She also told me she ate dog once when she was little because her parents gave it to her, they do eat them in Korea, but she thought it was disgusting!
We waited for about an hour and forty five minutes to get into the museum, which we were aware might happen. What we did not expect was to be herded through the museum like cattle (would have had the same experience if we'd paid extra for the immediate entry and "guided tour). We also didn't realize it would take another hour and a half to get through the museum (and that's WITHOUT stopping to look at ANYTHING). We finally got to the Sistine Chapel, which is an amazing work of art and so many years ago I can't begin to think how it came to be. However, the experience was tainted by everything before, the fact that we were hungry, and the constant "SILENCIO" blaring through a speaker into this 'Holy' Chapel while we were trying to admire Michelangelo's work. It also doesn't help that he never fancied himself as a painter and saw the task as a chore; according to the Internet he viewed himself a sculptor.
We basically RAN out of the museum (which probably took another half hour) and to our favorite lunch place, Zigaetana, where we enjoyed our favorite ravioli as well as some rosemary focaccia, which we'd not tried before. We also each had a small beer!
Back to the B&B for a necessary nap and to finish packing and weigh our suitcases, which of course we didn't do. We got up around 730p or so and freshened up to head out to dinner. We tried the bus, which worked out okay, to get to Margherita for dinner. Lourdes had recommended it and it was great! The wine wasn't the cheapest we'd seen but it was delicious, as was our pizza and tiramisu for dessert. We LOVE Italian food... Have I mentioned that yet?
Cheers to our last night!
We got back to the B&B and of course we were wide awake, we kept laughing knowing we had to be up at 530a to catch our bus to the airport. We were able to finish packing and both fell into fitful sleeps. The end of vacation is so bittersweet!