Rome

I’m continuing my series of posts on the places I visited on my Mediterranean cruise - today I’m in Rome.  

It’s big.  You cannot do all you want to in a day, obvs, so this was a taster tour of the city and we definitely were able to see a lot in one day. 

We took a train into the city from the cruise port.  The journey is about an hour by train and longer by bus.  

We mooched around the Vatican then hopped on a hop on/hop off bus for the rest of the day.

Be prepared for:

The Good Stuff

1.  Amazing architecture everywhere you look. 

2.  Attractions that do not disappoint.  The colosseum was even better than I anticipated. 

3.  Beautiful hot days, so take a sunhat and water. 

The Not-So-Good Stuff

1.  Queues.  And this includes the hop on stops which lack organization so it becomes an every man for himself situation I’m afraid, but you quickly adapt to the dog-eat-dog approach (see 2 below!). 

2.  Urban warfare.  By the second hop stop I’d already got into an altercation with a (big) bloke (and I don’t normally altercate!).   I’m only here to tell the tale because his wife told him not to be silly and to back away, perhaps for his protection rather than mine because turns out I can be quite feisty if someone tries to muscle-in in front of  my man!

3.  Disappointment if you don’t book for the attractions way in advance. 

4.  Grouchy service.  We gave up trying to get a coffee.

“When in Rome, eat gelato” but served without a smile.

5. Public toilets.   When in Rome, avoid needing them.   For they exist but you need Mastermind and Crystal Maze advance training and an Enigma machine in your backpack to solve the toilet riddle.  My experience is just too long for this post!

6.  Swarms of street hawkers, dubious begging and street hustlers, every.step.you.take.

Yes, there seems more bad than good here but it’s only because I just want to warn you of the things to be aware of before you set out so that you can enjoy your experience and focus on the history and beauty that abounds.

And just as Rome wasn’t built in a day, thorough sightseeing can’t be done in a day either.  Plan for a long weekend to be able to take it all in, and get those tickets in advance. 

And with that, my job here is done, so here is my suite of photos of my day in Rome.   In no particular order, as is usual with my travel posts these days.  There’s a one minute video clip at end the too!

 

The Colosseum - amazing, as is the Forum. 

The Tiber. 

The Tourists. 

St Peter’s Square and Vatican.

Beautifully impressive architecture at every corner. 

It’s impossible to have too much Colosseum!

A wedding taking place at ... you guessed it, the Colosseum. 

This might be called Trajan’s Arch, but my brain’s feeling a bit vague at this point. 

Again, that Colosseum, but from a slightly different perspective.

And finally. My attempt at an arty shot. 

So, what were your experiences of Rome?

And if you haven’t been there yet, I do hope you get to see Rome sometime soon.  

If we go back, we’ll go for several days and with a solid plan that includes a transport and toilet stop strategy!

A la perchoine,

Mary x. 

Here’s a one minute video clip, but with a warning - includes messy hair footage..