We left for Europe on a Sunday afternoon and flew two hours to New York, then nine hours (overnight) to Rome's Fiumicino Airport. We splurged and paid $39 each for the "exit row" seats, and it was well worth it for five feet of leg room! The flight was surprisingly bearable, but sleeping for more than 20 minutes without waking on a plane is just not for me. And, the excitement of traveling overseas for the first time was too much to handle! I had the Italian language running through my head the whole trip. It was so exciting to know that as soon as our plane touched down, our day was just beginning.
Once we landed, I negotiated a passport stamp in Italiano. Ha! That will teach everyone else for not learning the language! Then, I was able to negotiate train tickets for all of us to Rome's Termini Station. We were only staying a few hundred meters away. We arrived at the station and Lori and Kelly chose to take a taxi, we opted to walk. Might have been a mistake since we were lost, despite my use of the Italian language, no one seemed to be helpful. Until I met a VERY Italian lady walking her dog, who spoke no English, and from the way she talked and gestured, we were WAY off base. So, we turned around and somehow ended back up at the Termini Station. Then, we walked ahead a few hundred meters and found our hotel. We were drenched in sweat, but happy to be there! We wanted the "real" traveler experience. No taxis for us!
Once we settled in, unpacked, and showered, we met Lori and Kelly for lunch at a street cafe.
Then, it was time to set out to see the sights on our own. We got a map and set out for the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps. Along the way we saw so many amazing sites we'd never heard of. It's amazing how many HUGE, OLD buildings are everywhere in Rome!!
The San Carlo Quattro Fontane - or Four Fountains.
The Fontana del Tritone.
View of the streets in Rome.
View approaching the Trinita dei Monti, or Spanish Steps.
It was all quiet and peaceful, then you walk around a corner, and BAM!! Thousands of people everywhere! And, tons of guys wanting to give you "free" roses (hint: don't accept the roses) and sell you gooey blobs that splat on the ground and reform into a creature. Both totally related to the steps. :) This is a view from atop the Spanish Steps.
Where's Waldo... I mean, Adam?
We had to try the gelato we'd been hearing so much about. And, it was amazing!
Then we walked over to the Fontana di Trevi, or Trevi Fountain. I was not prepared for how enormous the fountain was! Beautiful... couldn't wait to see this at night (more on that later!).
Next was the Quirinale, which we saw during our walk back to the hotel. As I understand, this is where the President lives. It was heavily guarded with officers with machine guns, but was not nearly as popular as our White House might be - hardly any tourists around. We did get to see a very official-looking car come buzzing out of the entrance!
It had been a long day and we were ready for bed by 8pm. We headed back to our hotels, and the Teatro dell'Opera, or Opera Theater was right across the street/alley from our hotel.
We stopped to rest on the cool grass outside the Opera (what little grass exists in Rome). This was my view at the end of a perfect day. So far, Rome had been unbelievable, like a Disney scene or the set of a movie, but it's real. I couldn't wait for the next two weeks!
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