Rome

Day 0 – Prologue

Posted on June 29, 2014

Every good journey deserves a good prologue.

This one kind of had to suck. Almost 14 hours for the flight from Brisbane to Dubai. We arrived in Dubai and it was hot. 33 degrees hot. And that was at 5:00am.

Four hours later, we were on another plane to Rome, this time only 6 hours (yay!). Luckily, the in-flight entertainment system had a whole category for Disney movies.

Finally we arrived at our destination and drove to our apartment, which is where I am now (it’s 4:15pm here now). We’ve just settled in and will soon be adventuring out for the first time. Chapter 1 awaits!

Oh and here’s a quick shot from our apartment window. We’re lucky to be pretty much in the heart of the city. It all seems very Italian.

Rome Street

Day 1 – Rome

Posted on June 30, 2014

So Rome is pretty cool.

The day started with a walk from our apartment to Vatican City where we subsequently lined up to see St Peter’s Basilica (the enormous church). After 4 hours in the merciless sun, we finally got to go in.

This is it here:

St Peter's Church

St Peter’s Church

It was pretty empty when we arrived (about 9 in the morning), but soon enough the whole area was packed. It was a Sunday, so probably busier than usual. Also got to see The Pope come out and speak a little to everyone after the sermon things were done. Was pretty cool though I didn’t understand anything he said.

After he finished though, we got to go inside and it was very grand. Here’s just a few photos from hundreds:

After that was lunch and a huge amount of walking in extreme heat back to the apartment to recoup. Which is what we are currently doing as I write this, and boy did we need it. Thought the only thing that would help would be a Sensu Bean or PokeCenter. Had to settle for water and air conditioning, but it’s working out.

We will be heading back out later this afternoon, so might be more to come.

Day 2 – Rome

Posted on June 30, 2014

When in Rome, eat Gelato.

We had an early start today and bought some breakfast to eat on The Spanish Steps. Lucky at that time there’s hardly anyone out.

Afterwards we started the substantial walk to The Colosseum. Stopped at The Soldier’s Monument on the way. That thing is huge.

The Soldier's Monument

The Soldier’s Monument

When we got to The Colosseum, we went inside and looked around for about an hour. It’s pretty interesting, but there’s a lot of other people around which diminishes the enjoyment a bit.

The Colosseum

The Colosseum

Of course it was supernova hot; enter Gelato. All the Gelato you want.

After a rest, we headed back to our apartment, stopping at a few churches on the way and buying some groceries for later today/tomorrow. We’re going to be making lunch here today and then heading out tonight for dinner.

Day 3 – Rome

Posted on July 1, 2014

Holy paintings Batman.

Today we visited the Vatican Museum. It took over an hour of lining up to get in (and that was even when we were early). It’s a huge place. Hallway after hallway, room after room we walked.

There was so much to see with every step; paintings, statues, ceilings – all intricately detailed. There were a lot of people around which made it annoying at times, most noticably in The Sistine Chapel.

Speaking of, it’s quite spectacular. There was a rule of no photos in the Chapel, so the crowd of people actually helped provide some cover for mischief. I still only managed to sneak a few no-scopes of the ceiling, and of those, only one came out well.

Here are some photos of the Museum and artworks.

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