Rutali and I couldn't meet up and leave with everyone since we had a class that met at the Uffizi museum, but we ended up meeting with Roshni later on at the train station and we took the Regionale train down to Rome. A few hours later which was the result of a few delays, we made it to Roma Termini, the main train station in Rome, and the first thing we did was buy a map. We made our way to the hostel, which was on the same street as the Turkey Consulate. The only reason why I bring it up is because it had armed guards around it everywhere in part because of the recent protests against the Turkish government. But other than seeing a real M16 rifle, it was just another boring street. Our hotel, called Hotel Lella, was a cozy 2 star hotel ran by a man called Ali. This man, upon seeing Rutali, Roshni, and Monish who joined us later, bent over backwards to try and help the "Indian" people. Simply put, he said that he would go to the end of the world to track down something if we really needed it. But anyway, we decided to drop our stuff off and just walk around.
Main train station in Rome, Roma Termini
Piazza della Republica
Entrance to Hotel Lella
Our Room
We decided that it would have to be the Rome on 'Roids tour since we got in later than we expected. The first thing that we stumbled upon, and later learned that that was the way most things were designed in Rome, was the Trevi Fountain. It was filled with tourists, and we snapped a few pictures before we went on and tried to find dinner. We then continued for awhile and found our way into the Jewish quarter, and we found ourselves at a nice restaurant where we enjoyed a meal under a full moon. After dinner, Monish pointed out the fact that there was a sign that showed the exact date that showed the Jewish occupants in that quarter got deported out. It was a really crazy sign to see.
First touristy spot!
Date that the Jewish quarter in Rome was deported to Concentration Camps
The next morning we got up pretty early to go see the Vatican. We figured we woke up before all the other tourists did, until we got onto the subway and it was packed in the direction that we were headed. Rome is interesting because it only has two major subway lines, that kind of make an L shape. An entire side of the city doesn't have access to the metro. Furthermore, the construction laws state that if you try to build something underground and you end up finding some kind of artifact, you legally are required to excavate X amount of space around it, and if you find even more stuff than the city takes away your land. That is why it is so hard to build things underground and so Rome is relegated to two lines. But anyways, we squeezed onto the train and made our way to the Vatican.
The second you get off, there are people everywhere asking you if you want to go on a tour with them. We just walked right passed all of them and walked right into the square. However, we saw the long line and we finally succumbed to asking someone about information, and then he said that the first 20 minutes were free and if you liked what you heard you could continue. When we arrived, we saw this guy named Angelo who was with a large group of Americans, and when he started talking, he sounded like he was just cracked out. He was speaking a mile a minute, basically detailing the Vatican at the time of the conception of the idea to what happened 5 minutes ago. I joked to Monish that he wasn't giving us a tour, he was more like selling energy futures. BUt we decided that the tour was legitimate and the kinds of information that he was giving was alot, so we followed him and paid our money and proceeded to go on the tour. He expunged alot of "false" truths behind some of the more famous pieces in the museum. He gave us a great tour, and then he said that he would meet us at the other end of the Sistine Chapel, and that we weren't allowed to take pictures. So what I did was I took pictures as much as I could until we had to leave, and below I have some of the better ones. Also, at the end of the tour, he told us that his company, Livitaly, was ranked really high on most travel websites, and looking online it is true. I would definitely recommend him as a tour guide for anyone who wants an entertaining and educational experience.
Immediately after the tour, the four of us jumped in line to climb to the top of the basilica, and for €7 euros we could walk the 551 steps, or pay €5 and take an elevator for more than half and walk the rest. We decided, to Roshni's dismay, to climb the entire thing, and it was interesting because when we started to get to the top, the staircase started to tilt to the side and the stairwell was really narrow. Our legs definitely got a workout, but when we got to the top the views were breathtaking.
Subway station at Republica
Using the machine to buy our 24 hr pass
Pretending to be an Italian postman
First glimpse of the Vatican
Our amazing, albeit cracked out, tour guide named Angelo
Vatican Museum
New World Slamming into the Old World
Da Vinci loved this piece so much he replicated this attention to detail everywhere
Last Judgment
Sistine Chapel
St. Peter's Basilica
Climbing inside the Dome
The Shot of the Vatican
Each one of these statues, of Jesus and his disciples, is 14ft tall
Requirements: minimum 6ft, of good appearance, physically fit to learn 6 different martial arts, smart enough to learn 14 languages.
Perk: After their service, they return to their country where they get paid 3x the salary of any job
Shoutout to Angels and Demons
After our time in the Vatican, we made our way back onto the metro and transferred until we got to the Colosseum. It was easy to get there because the stop on the subway leads right to the Colosseum itself, and this time although there was a long line we decided to take matters into our own hands and just stand in line. It got us in in no time, although the only complaint was that only EU citizens get a discount while us students did not. We tried to say that we were studying in Florence, and that made us EU citizens, but they weren't having any of it. So we forked over the standard rate and we walked in. I'll be honest with you, the Colosseum was smaller in reality than how I thought it was going to be. Don't get me wrong, it is definitely epic in scale, only I thought that the Colosseum was going to be gargantuan. We walked around the Colosseum and we just discussed what it would be like to fight in this place and our love for the movie Gladiator. Also, I dropped a few historical facts since I thought it was the appropriate time to do so, like how they flooded the Colosseum once to stage a sea battle, and how the area underneath was the staging area, and how they had executions between all the major fights as a way to "keep the crowd entertained." After that, we went to the Palatine ruins, which used to be a huge palace. There used to be a rotating room that slaves would pull using pulleys so the royal family could sit and get a 360 degree of Rome. Although it was now in ruins, the expanse was ridiculously big, and we ended our time there under the Arch of Titus, which was beautifully engraved. From there we made our way to the Spanish steps, and once we got out of the subway we were just a small fish in a large raging river of tourists and locals. We literally had to squeeze our way through the current until we made our way outside, and even then it was just insanely packed. And it didn't get better when we got to the steps. We turned and looked and there were people sitting everywhere, and when we tried to climb the steps we were climbing over people. I did get a picture of the steps though, but the winning picture of the weekend goes to the view from the top. I got a chance to catch the sun setting over the Vatican to give it a face that most people don't get to see. I snapped what must have been over 2 dozen pictures in those few minutes of that view, just to make sure that I had a good and working picture. Enjoy.
Colosseum!
Caesar! We who are about to die salute you!
Tried bringing a piece back, failed with this one
Palatine Hill Site of an ancient palace
Arch of Titus
Spanish Steps
Sun setting with the Vatican in view
We ate at a Chinese restaurant that wasn't that bad, and we laughed the entire time over petty jokes, and the good times continued to the Trevi Fountain, where we played chinese poker and I almost died laughing over a joke that comes down to one word: "Or...". Rutali wanted to go get dessert and I said that I would stay and save our great spot, and Roshni said to come too, and all I said was or... And we all died laughing. What made it even funnier was that Rutali wanted dessert, but didn't want gelato, and when you looked around while sitting at the Trevi Fountain all you saw were gelaterias. So I was like, "really? you really don't want gelato?" And we went on a quest for dessert that ultimately meant eating fruit from a fruit cart. But because the fruit was delicious it all worked out. We ended up trudging back to our room because our metro card, which we bought a 24 hr card had expired, reduced us to slowly making our way back to our room, where we passed out immediately.
Trevi Fountain
Everyone has one, so I went out and got one
The next day we woke up and checked out and proceeded to go see the Pantheon. We bought our metro ticket and got on the subway. Then, all of a sudden, a large group of teenie-bopper girls stormed on and pushed against everyone, literally pancaking all of us into strangers. Then one of the girls shouted that she got pickpocketed and showed her friend how her purse was empty, and then Monish started to freak out because he couldn't find his wallet. So we hopped off of the metro and tried to find it. And then we called over a cop who called the metro officials, and we found what looked like his wallet on the track, so they came back with some tools to try and scoop it up. They were delayed because the metro continued to run, and we sat there while they tried to scoop up the wallet. And when they scooped it up, much to our dismay, it wasn't Monish's. So he and Rutali went to the police station in the train station and Roshni and I moved to go see the Pantheon before we had to go. We walked down Via Dei Condotti, which much to our surprise, was the 5th ave of Rome. All the really upscale brands had stores there and everyone on the street was dressed alot more elegantly than we were. But no matter, we walked on until we literally, and again of course, stumbled onto the Pantheon. It was lower than all the buildings around it and it was situated in what seemed to be the lowest point of the square. We walked in, and I was amazed at how big it was inside. It was deceptively big, with an intensely high ceiling and the big circle opening in the middle lit up the entire floor. We walked around and I didn't realize it was a church, so all of the religious icons threw me off for a second. Also, there were members of the Italian Monarchist group there standing guard at I believe to be Umberto I's remains. I thought that was really interesting, to have a guard there just standing protecting the ashes if you will of a former king. But we walked around and I took alot of pictures and then we decided that we had to go back to make the train. On our way back, we met a street performer who looked like he was a bush. Roshni caught him before I did and I jumped back after what I thought to be a harmless plant started moving. I took a picture just to let you guys back home know that everyone is doing their part to save the planet, even if that means dressing up as a plant.
The 5th Ave of Rome
Pantheon
The ceiling
Italian Monarchist standing vigil of the royal tombs
Inside the Pantheon
Even street performers are going green
5 hours on the train and 4 albums played through multiple times later and we arrived back in Florence. It would be the last time I travel before midterms, which were fast approaching. I know you want me to save you a seat in the library, but I figure for your sake I won't. What I will do is save you a seat on the plane next to me, because right after our finals I am going to Spain and Greece for my fall break. I know, I know, its going to be awesome. But here, take these books and run as far away from me as possible. Thanks.
Rod Stewart - These Foolish Things
A cigarette that bears a lipstick's traces
An airline ticket to romantic places
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
A tinkling piano in the next apartment
Those stumblin' words that told you what my heart meant
A fairground's painted swings
These foolish things remind me of you
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