Today we got the train from Venice to Rome, which took quite a while – there are pictures of me working on the puzzle book below. When we arrived we got the bus that the hostel people said to get, but saw no sign of it. We finally found it – the only signage was their name on the door buzzer thing! We checked in, and went for a walk. 5 minutes later, we were at Colosseo, which looked great in the setting sun. We walked around Colosseo and found a tour bus to get on tomorrow to get an overview of the city. After that we had dinner and drinks, then planned out the things we want to see in Rome.

August 7 – Day 26

We got on the city tour bus and did a full loop of Rome, which is a good way to see where everything is (and decide what to go back to). After we had done a loop, we got off at the Colosseo and skipped a very long line with our Roma Passes (well worth the 20 Euro). It was really interesting, and amazing to be in something so old. While we were there we also looked at the Arc di Constantino. After Colosseo we got back on the bus, then got off at Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II, which is very impressive. Another few minutes on the bus got us to Fontana di Trevi, where we both did the coin over the shoulder thing, to ensure we return to Rome :) We got back on the bus to start heading back to the hostel, and got off when it ended its loop at Santa Maria Maggiore. It is a very impressive church, with a beautifully decorated ceiling. Had we realised how close we were, we could have walked back to the hostel in about 5 minutes. Instead we got on the bus again, went back to the Colosseo, and walked from there.

August 8 – Day 27

We used our last half hour of the bus ticket getting to Campo di Fiori. On the way from the bus stop, we saw a Da Vinci ‘Machines’ exhibition, which was really interesting. It was amazing to see some of the machines he had designed that had been built for display. We had a look around Campo di Fiori before continuing walking to Piazza Navona. We walked around the Piazza and went inside the church there – we like the churches, they all seem to have history, and are almost always free. We went to Basilica San Andrea Della Vale on the way to the Pantheon, which was one of my favourite churches so far. Then we kept walked to the Pantheon, which was really incredible. The rays of light shining through the roof are an amazing effect. As there is a huge hole in the roof, it gets wet inside when it rains. Luckily, the original drainage system still works :) After lunch, we were looking for drinks, and walked to Colonna Traiana, where our map said the Forum Pub Crawl started. Turns out, they must do a lot of crawling before they see any pubs, as it looked pretty dry to me! Without our drinks, we went to San Pietro in Vincoli, which was interesting, but not as impressive as the other churches we saw today :) We finally found a pub and cooled down, then went over to a water fountain to see what all the fuss was about. The water coming out was icy cold! Everyone was drinking it, so I did too. Hopefully I don’t end up hugging the bowl tonight. On the way home, we walked past Domus Aurea, which is old ruins with no explanation. We found nice cheap dinner, then headed back for cold showers. We have both been really surprised by the Gypsies – or lack of them. I felt more threatened in Paris than I do here. We only ever see one or two of them together, and they aren’t exactly intimidating – they mainly just lie on the footpath. Maybe it is too hot for them.

August 9 – Day 28

In the morning, we got the bus to Via Appia Antica, an ancient Roman street a little bit out of Rome. When we got there, we went into the Catacombe San Callisto. This is a network of tunnels 20km long, that Christians used to bury half a million deceased in. It was very interesting, definitely one of my highlights of Rome. We went down to the second level on the tour (there are four levels) which was 12 m underground. The bottom level is about 35m down I think. Also, it was 15 degrees C, which was a lovely break from the 32-33 deg C in the sun! On our way back on the bus, we got off at San Giovanni Basilica, which is absolutely massive, and one of my favourite churches so far. Simone was feeling sick for the afternoon, so we relaxed for a few hours, then headed out to the Spanish Steps (and surrounding streets) for a few hours when she was better. There is a sign at the Spanish steps that is absolutely priceless. Included in the list of thigs you cannot do are dirty the steps with meal or drinks (reasonable), make camp (a bit strange), and my personal favourite, “Using the area for defecating is prohibited”. I got a photo :)

August 10 – Day 29

We were told that we needed a day for The Vatican, so we booked a tour and went. The tour really isn’t a tour, it is paying to skip the line. I couldn’t believe that when our tour started, there was one guide, and about 250 people. We walked past the line, were let in to the Vatican museums, and that was it for the tour. We walked through the museums in a sea of people, which made it hard to enjoy. You cannot stop walking, as there is not room for the people behind you to get past. The last stop of the museums is the Sistine Chapel, which was impressive, but it was hard to enjoy. After that, we had to leave Vatican city, then wait for our tour of St Peter’s Basilica to start. This tour was also a skip the line tour. St Peter’s was incredible. It is huge. I thought it was very impressive, but the audioguide was a bit lacking. I would expect a religious slant when being guided through a church, but this one went a bit overboard. I didn’t learn much about the Basilica, and felt like they were trying to convert me. I guess I should have expected it. The reason you need a day for the Vatican is because of how disorganised they are. I enjoyed it, but there is a lot of waiting around, even when you skip the line. I was worried about the dress code before we went – I heard that shorts were not allowed. I think because of the number of people, they end up being less strict than other places. No one even looked at me, and I saw plenty of short shorts and bare shoulders. Afterwards, we went out for a few much needed drinks (after a long hot day), before heading back to the hotel to pack and get ready for Athens.