Rome - Part Two

Well, I got a little sidetracked yesterday, but I am back to complete the day as I toured Rome and then boarded the ship! Anyway, after leaving the Fountain I headed directly to the Colusium – something many of us think of as quintessential Rome! One of the things that struck me was the cleanliness of the city – I am used to large cities being very dirty, smoggy and congested. Rome was very busy, bustling with life – but very meticulous, very clean. As I raced from corner to corner, enjoying the architecture and the people I suddenly turned a corner and there it was – magnificent! The Colusium and the Roman Forum were spectacular – both in daylight and again that night when I visited!

From there I hiked back to the hotel to meet up with my mother as she was the next to arrive in our group. We decided a rest was in order, but had the hotel arrange a driver and tour after the break. We also arranged a private guide for the Vatican the following morning and transport to the ship – approx. one our away.

We were picked up by our driver and whisked away to the great sites of Rome! Sidenote: The Drivers in Rome are Crazy!! There are no lanes pained on the wide lanes – just lots of cars, scooters, trucks and buses working to get to where they need to go! It was actually lots of fun once you got over the initial terror!  I also found during my hike that there are crosswalks painted on the street at the corners – but they are more of a SUGGESTION, not a rule! You simply ease yourself out into traffic until they stop or you do – its kinda like playing Chicken at 100 kph!

Anyway – we saw all the major sites and had a great dinner in the Piazza Novana that our concierge had arranged. I dropped mom off and headed to the local neighborhood bar for a nightcap and to chat with the locals – had a blast! More on that in another post!.