Day 12
The cuisine options in every city were overwhelming...so many options, so many things to try. But, at some point, even though you are surrounded by these amazing new cultures with so many options, you just yearn for a little bit a familiarity. We don't typically eat very rich meals, so when we made it to Rome, I was very excited to find a place where we could get a grilled chicken breast and steamed veggies meal that included bread and wine/beer/soda.
After lunch, we boarded the bus to take us from our hotel to the area near the Colosseum. Our local guide was Hilaria, and she shared her knowledge about Rome with us as we made our way to the Colosseum, then through the ruins of the Roman Forum near by, and ended our tour at the Pantheon. Dinner with the group was family style and delicious, with the most amazing lentils I've ever had. Afterwards, for those of us who weren't quite ready to wind down, Daniela walked us to the Fountain of the Four Rivers and gave us a little bit more of an orientation tour.
The cuisine options in every city were overwhelming...so many options, so many things to try. But, at some point, even though you are surrounded by these amazing new cultures with so many options, you just yearn for a little bit a familiarity. We don't typically eat very rich meals, so when we made it to Rome, I was very excited to find a place where we could get a grilled chicken breast and steamed veggies meal that included bread and wine/beer/soda.
After lunch, we boarded the bus to take us from our hotel to the area near the Colosseum. Our local guide was Hilaria, and she shared her knowledge about Rome with us as we made our way to the Colosseum, then through the ruins of the Roman Forum near by, and ended our tour at the Pantheon. Dinner with the group was family style and delicious, with the most amazing lentils I've ever had. Afterwards, for those of us who weren't quite ready to wind down, Daniela walked us to the Fountain of the Four Rivers and gave us a little bit more of an orientation tour.
Day 13
We woke up bright and early to make our way to the Vatican via the city bus, which would be one way we could choose to get back to the hotel. The walls of the Vatican are tall, and you don't know what to expect until you get in. There are many buildings with a extensive art galleries; however, it is as though everyone is there for the same piece of art, the Sistine Chapel. To get there, you shuffle along a noisy, long hallway with what seems like every person who is currently in Vatican city. Then, suddenly, you're in the Sistine Chapel, where, for the most part, you can hear only murmurs and spend the entire time looking up, trying to take it all in at once.
We finished up our tour with the group and we chose to go in and see St. Peter's Basillica. Here, you can see the tomb of many previous Popes, as well as St. Peter. Then, we decided to walk back to the city center in order to really take in Rome...which was having a heat wave at the time. Needless to say, we made a few stops, for lunch and then gelato before making our way to the Trevi Fountain. Unfortunately, the Trevi Fountain was being restored, so we really didn't get to see it in all it's glory--guess we have a reason to go back again!
We woke up bright and early to make our way to the Vatican via the city bus, which would be one way we could choose to get back to the hotel. The walls of the Vatican are tall, and you don't know what to expect until you get in. There are many buildings with a extensive art galleries; however, it is as though everyone is there for the same piece of art, the Sistine Chapel. To get there, you shuffle along a noisy, long hallway with what seems like every person who is currently in Vatican city. Then, suddenly, you're in the Sistine Chapel, where, for the most part, you can hear only murmurs and spend the entire time looking up, trying to take it all in at once.
We finished up our tour with the group and we chose to go in and see St. Peter's Basillica. Here, you can see the tomb of many previous Popes, as well as St. Peter. Then, we decided to walk back to the city center in order to really take in Rome...which was having a heat wave at the time. Needless to say, we made a few stops, for lunch and then gelato before making our way to the Trevi Fountain. Unfortunately, the Trevi Fountain was being restored, so we really didn't get to see it in all it's glory--guess we have a reason to go back again!