Turin is really a beautiful city - very Baroque architecture and not a lot of people, though it is Italy's fourth largest city. We get into our hotel right away because it's after 4 by the time we get there. We hunt out the only Irish pub in the city to watch the USA vs. Ghana game. Finally, we get some real french fries. These are actually cooked. And the burger is pretty decent, too. Florence had the most AMAZING food (cheap and sooooo good), but we're getting tired of Italian. We've been eating it for almost two weeks straight, so we're glad of the change of pace.
Unfortunately, when you spend time in a pub, you tend to consume a lot of liquids. I was very dehydrated and had 3 giant cokes (by the way, Italy and Germany have the best colas, France is the worst) and soon I have to go. I go into the back, to the bathroom, and they're Turkish toilets. Look them up, they are horrifying. Hoards of girls would go to the bathroom together back there - I can only assume it was to give each other moral support because it is horrid. I don't really drink much for the rest of the night. Sad to say, America lost, and we go back to the hotel a bit dejected.
The next day we get up and take a guided tour of the 2nd floor of the Palazzo Reale - which is the royal palace of the Savoy's. The apartments itself were very beautiful - a lot of furniture, so you can really get a feel for the place. Unfortunately, you have to do this floor with a guided tour. Which is only in Italian. So they give the non-Italian speakers audio guides, which you can listen to instead as you follow along behind the group. Unfortunately, the guide moved so fast we couldn't listen to the whole recording of every room. Fortunately, most of the commentaries would devolve into what the artist was trying to express in the paintings on the walls (I'm more interested in the day-to-day aspects of life, what went on in the room, etc). We're also not allowed to take pictures. You can't take pictures anywhere in any museum in Italy, so by now I'm getting pretty peeved. I'm also getting really good at shooting from my purse. Will post pictures later.
Afterwards, we grab a mediocre lunch (it's Sunday, so most restaurants are closed) and head to the Egypt museum. It's supposed to be the most extensive museum of Egyptian artifacts outside the one in Cairo, and it did not disappoint. It was started in the 1800's by the Savoys and has grown a lot since then. I know Skip loved it, and I thought it was pretty cool, too.
Overall, Turin is an underrated city. There's supposed to be quite a few palaces outside of town that are amazing, but we didn't get to them this time. It's also supposed to form a white magic triangle with Lyon and Prague and a black magic triangle with London and San Francisco. Don't know if I believe that, but it makes a nifty story. We wanted to take the black magic tour, but it was only in Italian on the day we were there. Not very useful. Turin is making a big effort to expand it's tourist industry, it's just not quite there yet. But it was still a good stopover to Geneva, which is where we fly out of tomorrow!
I can't believe it's been a month already. I feel like we've been here a long time and yet not at all. There's still so much I want to see! But I wouldn't trade this experience for anything - it was amazing and I feel so lucky that I had this opportunity. Thanks to everyone who helped make it possible and we'll see you all real soon!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Florence
Florence is utterly cute. It would be beautiful if it weren't for the hoards of tourists. But you can generally ignore them as long as you watch where you're going (I got bumped into so many times by people walking backwards and taking pictures). We got into the main train station around noon and only had a short walk to our hostel. The hostel was actually a redone hotel, so it was almost half hostel/half hotel. All the amenities of a hostel but none of the camaraderie. We leave our packs there to go get some lunch and then head back to get our room. We spend most of the day just walking around and exploring - Florence's downtown is pretty small and compact, so it's really easy to navigate. It's also a little confusing when you start wandering down the teeny alley ways. We also make a stop in the Disney store and I am very disappointed to find that they don't sell music. No Italian Disney music for Lauren.
That night we wander around some more and hang out outside the Palazzo Vechio (which is open till midnight if you feel like doing some late-night sight seeing) where this American dude is singing. He's actually pretty good and he's gathered a huge crowd - he sings the Beatles, John Denver, and some American classic rock, so pretty harmless stuff. Everyone in Florence seems to stay up really late, too. When we were heading in around 11:30 the streets were still buzzing. Most of the gelato places were doing a rousing business and most restaurants were still open, too. Wandering around at night was great because we got all the good, warm weather, and none of the sun (which is awesome because I've already gotten a bit of a weird burn/tan from my t-shirts).
The next day we do the Uffizi, which actually takes only a couple of hours. In my opinion it's a bit overrated - there's the couple Botticelli works and couple Da Vincis, but the rest is just okay. I don't know why you have to reserve a month ahead, but judging by the line outside you clearly do.
We wander around some more that night - coincidentally it's the day for the patron saint of Florence so there's lots of revelry to be had. We watch the fireworks along with a huuuuge crowd (watch being a loose term - we really just tried to crane our necks around a corner without toppling into everyone). We wanted to get gelato at this place we discovered earlier, Grom, but it had a huuuge line around 11, so we thought we'd just try the next day. We had discovered this place in our guide book, dubbed a local favorite, but they had run out of vanilla by the time we got there. Their other flavors were very good, but we really wanted to try the Madagascar vanilla. We get to it the next afternoon and it was so worth it.
The next day we do the Duomo, the Medici Chapels, and the Accademia. The Accademia wasn't hard to get into (we didn't reserve ahead) - we waited in line for maybe ten minutes before getting in. Though, when we were leaving the line was getting long, so I guess it just depends on when you hit it. The Accademia is also overrated. You have to pay 10 euros just to see David. Now, he's kinda worth it, but I just wish there was more. I mean, there's Michelangelo's Prisoners series, but you're there all of a half hour to see these, which are all in the same room. Everything else in the museum is by amateur artists and really not that impressive. If you want to see David, do it, but realize that you'll be there all of a half and hour, if that.
The Duomo felt like a hospital. It was the only place we've found that enforced the dress code of no baring your knees or shoulders. When someone comes in dressed inappropriately, they give you an aqua pull over foam-like thingy that you have to wear. Nearly half the girls were wearing these over their shirts or around their waists, so when you're sitting on the side you feel like you're in one giant mental facility. The church inside isn't that impressive. It's actually kind of a let-down, but it's free so I suggest waiting in the five minute line to see what all the fuss is about. And yes, I was wearing shorts cause it was so gosh darn hot out so I got to wear the little blue thing around my waist, too. I was very annoyed.
The Medici Chapels are pretty nifty, or would be if they weren't completely covered in scaffolding. Even the inside of the chapel, which is supposed to be awesome, is covered in sheets and scaffolding and plaster for a restoration. Very much a let down, but at least the crypt that Michelangelo did was untouched. That was pretty nifty.
We get gelato twice that day because Grom is just that good. We find out later that it's a chain, so if you're ever in Italy you must look it up and get the gelato of a life time. Their vanilla is amazing and their coffee ice cream tastes like you just did a shot of espresso. We wanted to watch the guy singing American songs again, but instead they're having an orchestra play outside the palace. They're playing ABBA so it's an ok substitute. Afterwards, we try to hunt down the four ninja turtle inspirations among the statues outside the Uffizi, but can't find Raphael. We figure he must be behind the scaffolding (yes, everywhere in Europe is undergoing restoration) and go to get more gelato.
It's sad to leave Florence, but we're getting homesick so it's on to Turin!
That night we wander around some more and hang out outside the Palazzo Vechio (which is open till midnight if you feel like doing some late-night sight seeing) where this American dude is singing. He's actually pretty good and he's gathered a huge crowd - he sings the Beatles, John Denver, and some American classic rock, so pretty harmless stuff. Everyone in Florence seems to stay up really late, too. When we were heading in around 11:30 the streets were still buzzing. Most of the gelato places were doing a rousing business and most restaurants were still open, too. Wandering around at night was great because we got all the good, warm weather, and none of the sun (which is awesome because I've already gotten a bit of a weird burn/tan from my t-shirts).
The next day we do the Uffizi, which actually takes only a couple of hours. In my opinion it's a bit overrated - there's the couple Botticelli works and couple Da Vincis, but the rest is just okay. I don't know why you have to reserve a month ahead, but judging by the line outside you clearly do.
We wander around some more that night - coincidentally it's the day for the patron saint of Florence so there's lots of revelry to be had. We watch the fireworks along with a huuuuge crowd (watch being a loose term - we really just tried to crane our necks around a corner without toppling into everyone). We wanted to get gelato at this place we discovered earlier, Grom, but it had a huuuge line around 11, so we thought we'd just try the next day. We had discovered this place in our guide book, dubbed a local favorite, but they had run out of vanilla by the time we got there. Their other flavors were very good, but we really wanted to try the Madagascar vanilla. We get to it the next afternoon and it was so worth it.
The next day we do the Duomo, the Medici Chapels, and the Accademia. The Accademia wasn't hard to get into (we didn't reserve ahead) - we waited in line for maybe ten minutes before getting in. Though, when we were leaving the line was getting long, so I guess it just depends on when you hit it. The Accademia is also overrated. You have to pay 10 euros just to see David. Now, he's kinda worth it, but I just wish there was more. I mean, there's Michelangelo's Prisoners series, but you're there all of a half hour to see these, which are all in the same room. Everything else in the museum is by amateur artists and really not that impressive. If you want to see David, do it, but realize that you'll be there all of a half and hour, if that.
The Duomo felt like a hospital. It was the only place we've found that enforced the dress code of no baring your knees or shoulders. When someone comes in dressed inappropriately, they give you an aqua pull over foam-like thingy that you have to wear. Nearly half the girls were wearing these over their shirts or around their waists, so when you're sitting on the side you feel like you're in one giant mental facility. The church inside isn't that impressive. It's actually kind of a let-down, but it's free so I suggest waiting in the five minute line to see what all the fuss is about. And yes, I was wearing shorts cause it was so gosh darn hot out so I got to wear the little blue thing around my waist, too. I was very annoyed.
The Medici Chapels are pretty nifty, or would be if they weren't completely covered in scaffolding. Even the inside of the chapel, which is supposed to be awesome, is covered in sheets and scaffolding and plaster for a restoration. Very much a let down, but at least the crypt that Michelangelo did was untouched. That was pretty nifty.
We get gelato twice that day because Grom is just that good. We find out later that it's a chain, so if you're ever in Italy you must look it up and get the gelato of a life time. Their vanilla is amazing and their coffee ice cream tastes like you just did a shot of espresso. We wanted to watch the guy singing American songs again, but instead they're having an orchestra play outside the palace. They're playing ABBA so it's an ok substitute. Afterwards, we try to hunt down the four ninja turtle inspirations among the statues outside the Uffizi, but can't find Raphael. We figure he must be behind the scaffolding (yes, everywhere in Europe is undergoing restoration) and go to get more gelato.
It's sad to leave Florence, but we're getting homesick so it's on to Turin!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Rome Day 5
Today was the day of the Vatican. We purchased tickets online beforehand, but loved our guide the other day so much that we wanted to go on the Vatican tour they did. So I called up the office using Skype and changed our time to 1 - about the time the group was supposed to get there. We meet up with the new guide - a very chipper teeny Canadian named Monica - at 11. She's very energetic, but very, very short, so we're always straining to see her. She leads us onto a bus which takes us to just outside the Vatican. We cross the Bridge of the some-odd Angels and learn more about crucifixion than I ever wanted to know in my whole life. Supposedly the bridge is part of this long pilgrimage where you're supposed to 'suffer and die along with Christ'. Millions do it every year for the fun of it.
So we learn about all the angels on the bridge and head over the river for some lunch. After lunch we head into the Vatican itself and stand in line for tickets. There's absolutely no line so our reservations would have done us absolutely nothing anyway, but Monica told us that yesterday (the rainy day) the line was over two hours long. All the luck of the draw, I guess. Our tickets work out just fine and we get into the Vatican Museums. She leads us through, pointing out all the major works on the way to the Sistine Chapel. We don't see as much as we would have if we were alone, but I think it was worth it. She told us a bunch of stuff I would not have known (where Michelangelo got the inspiration/faces/bodies for the chapel, etc) and I liked getting guided through. It set me up for the next time we get there. I'll know where to go, what I want to see, etc.
We get through the museums, lots of fun stuff there, and it dumps us right into the Sistine Chapel. No pictures allowed because Kodak owns the rights to the ceiling since they paid for the cleaning a while back. They left a couple patches to show you how dirty it used to be - yikes. So you stand there, head craned back to look at the ceiling and the massive walls that are awesome. And all the while the guards are going "SHHHH" and "NO PICTURES". They're very angry in the Vatican.
The tour ends in front of Saint Peter's Basilica. We go in (free - yay!) and it's massive. I know I should feel completely impressed, and I am on some level, but I've seen so many churches and massive rooms and ornately decorated palaces that it's almost too much. I swear I'm going to be throwing up marble by the end of this trip. But it was beautiful and ginormous. Everyone's taking pictures of St. Peter's tomb, which is only part of it because the real part can only be seen on a special tour that I tried to book a month in advance but was refused. Cause when it comes to Christianity, you have to book everything months in advance if you want to beat out the evangelicals. But that's okay - the cathedral and the museums were quite enough. I have the urge to watch EuroTrip again and see how the end scene compares with my view of the Vatican, but that will have to wait till I get home.
So we learn about all the angels on the bridge and head over the river for some lunch. After lunch we head into the Vatican itself and stand in line for tickets. There's absolutely no line so our reservations would have done us absolutely nothing anyway, but Monica told us that yesterday (the rainy day) the line was over two hours long. All the luck of the draw, I guess. Our tickets work out just fine and we get into the Vatican Museums. She leads us through, pointing out all the major works on the way to the Sistine Chapel. We don't see as much as we would have if we were alone, but I think it was worth it. She told us a bunch of stuff I would not have known (where Michelangelo got the inspiration/faces/bodies for the chapel, etc) and I liked getting guided through. It set me up for the next time we get there. I'll know where to go, what I want to see, etc.
We get through the museums, lots of fun stuff there, and it dumps us right into the Sistine Chapel. No pictures allowed because Kodak owns the rights to the ceiling since they paid for the cleaning a while back. They left a couple patches to show you how dirty it used to be - yikes. So you stand there, head craned back to look at the ceiling and the massive walls that are awesome. And all the while the guards are going "SHHHH" and "NO PICTURES". They're very angry in the Vatican.
The tour ends in front of Saint Peter's Basilica. We go in (free - yay!) and it's massive. I know I should feel completely impressed, and I am on some level, but I've seen so many churches and massive rooms and ornately decorated palaces that it's almost too much. I swear I'm going to be throwing up marble by the end of this trip. But it was beautiful and ginormous. Everyone's taking pictures of St. Peter's tomb, which is only part of it because the real part can only be seen on a special tour that I tried to book a month in advance but was refused. Cause when it comes to Christianity, you have to book everything months in advance if you want to beat out the evangelicals. But that's okay - the cathedral and the museums were quite enough. I have the urge to watch EuroTrip again and see how the end scene compares with my view of the Vatican, but that will have to wait till I get home.
Pompeii
We decided to take a day away from Rome and journey down to Pompeii. We had originally planned to do a day trip from Naples, but when Naples got cut, we were determined to still fit in Pompeii. It wasn't too bad - 1 hour 10 minutes down to Naples on the bullet train and then 30 minutes on the Circumvesuviana commuter rail. Pretty easy to figure out. We get to the station in Rome and I go to buy tickets at the machine while Skip goes off to find breakfast. Within two seconds some creepy dude comes up trying to 'help' me decipher a machine that's already in English. I think he was a little taken aback when I told him in no uncertain terms to go away. I think tourists are usually more polite and skittish. Another minute, I've put my credit card into the machine and I'm just waiting for it to spit it back out with my ticket and another stupid woman comes up to me and tries to 'help' me. When I tell her I got it, she still asks for money on the way out. Seriously, does this work on people? Rome was the capital of beggars, no doubt about it.
Skip rejoins me and I yell at him to never leave me alone at a ticket machine again and we get on the train. It was a very easy trip to Pompeii - just follow all the other tourists. When we get there it's sprinkling again. Europe is constantly raining. The line for the tickets is a bit long, so we go over to the map window first. We want the map and the free guide that tells you what all the sites are about. She tells us we need to buy a ticket first. K. Stand in line, buy the ticket, want the book. She's out of English maps. It's just barely noon. Seriously? We get stuck with the stupid audio guide we have to pay for and then don't use much because nothing in Pompeii is labeled. You have to figure out what you're looking at from the map. That is in Italian.
We get food at the cafeteria there before walking around some. Pompeii is huge. Half of it hasn't even been dug up yet. We find all the major sites - house of the faun, tons of baths, temple of Jupiter, temple of Isis, the theater, the whorehouse, etc. In the supposed red light district we find a hundred people trying to file through the main whorehouse. I don't know why. Everything's pretty faded and it's barely bigger than a NY studio apartment. Ah well, we came, we saw. It was great, except most of the artwork and furniture that was recovered is now in the Naples National Archeological Museum. Next time we'll go to Herculaneum - supposedly better preserved and very little looting done. But I'm still glad we went to Pompeii - if you get far enough away from the entrance (where all the horrid tour groups gather) you can get down some streets with no one on them. It's pretty nifty walking through god-knows-how-old ruins all by yourself. We didn't get to the Colosseum, cause that was allll the way on the other side of town. Maybe next time. We caught a train back into town around 6. We were going to take the cheap regional rail back to Rome, but we timed it badly and we'd have to wait an hour for the first one to get here. Then it wouldn't even get us home till after 9. So we splurge and get the bullet train back, which gets us into Rome around 7. We can still wander around a bit and get dinner before the sun really sets (which is somewhere around 10 in Europe).
Skip rejoins me and I yell at him to never leave me alone at a ticket machine again and we get on the train. It was a very easy trip to Pompeii - just follow all the other tourists. When we get there it's sprinkling again. Europe is constantly raining. The line for the tickets is a bit long, so we go over to the map window first. We want the map and the free guide that tells you what all the sites are about. She tells us we need to buy a ticket first. K. Stand in line, buy the ticket, want the book. She's out of English maps. It's just barely noon. Seriously? We get stuck with the stupid audio guide we have to pay for and then don't use much because nothing in Pompeii is labeled. You have to figure out what you're looking at from the map. That is in Italian.
We get food at the cafeteria there before walking around some. Pompeii is huge. Half of it hasn't even been dug up yet. We find all the major sites - house of the faun, tons of baths, temple of Jupiter, temple of Isis, the theater, the whorehouse, etc. In the supposed red light district we find a hundred people trying to file through the main whorehouse. I don't know why. Everything's pretty faded and it's barely bigger than a NY studio apartment. Ah well, we came, we saw. It was great, except most of the artwork and furniture that was recovered is now in the Naples National Archeological Museum. Next time we'll go to Herculaneum - supposedly better preserved and very little looting done. But I'm still glad we went to Pompeii - if you get far enough away from the entrance (where all the horrid tour groups gather) you can get down some streets with no one on them. It's pretty nifty walking through god-knows-how-old ruins all by yourself. We didn't get to the Colosseum, cause that was allll the way on the other side of town. Maybe next time. We caught a train back into town around 6. We were going to take the cheap regional rail back to Rome, but we timed it badly and we'd have to wait an hour for the first one to get here. Then it wouldn't even get us home till after 9. So we splurge and get the bullet train back, which gets us into Rome around 7. We can still wander around a bit and get dinner before the sun really sets (which is somewhere around 10 in Europe).
Rome Day 3
While I was in Germany, I made friends with this Australian girl who had just been to Rome before coming to Munich. I was chatting with her about the various tours in Rome and how expensive they were - at least 40 euros a person - when she told me about this awesome 20 euro tour she went on when she was there. All I had to go on was a name - Justin - and the hostel she stayed at - Yellow Hostel. So last night, after dinner, Skip and I journey to Yellow Hostel, which is alllll the way over on the other side of the train station to find out about this tour. We sneak into the hostel and find the front desk, who very nicely books it for us and then tells us where to go to meet the guide. We're feeling pretty good about this - a 20 euro tour in Rome is a darn good price.
In the morning we wake up early and head down to the Colosseum, which will not be included in our tour. It starts to rain. Torrential rain, right as we get inside. Luckily, we get to skip the line outside because we have the Roma Pass. So we get inside, the rain stops a few moments later. We get the audio guide and start exploring. We get through maybe 3/4 of the upstairs when it starts to torrential downpour again. Now we're hiding together under one of the arches, trying not to get too wet. The rain stops again. We finish up the upstairs and continue downstairs. The rain starts again. I'm really hating the weather in Rome at this point. We manage to finish up only slightly soggy and head off to meet our tour guide.
Our tour guide was a guy named Tad and he worked for this company called Rome(ing) Tours. It was a small company generally booked people through Yellow Hostel or the Roundabout Bus Tour thingy (the one where backpackers can jump on and off and go to various hostels). Occasionally they get people through word of mouth, like us.
Tad is very entertaining - he's from Iowa, so not the usual Irish tour guide, but we can forgive him that because he's still pretty entertaining. We start off at the Circus Maximus and learn all about Roman history in the space of 15 minutes. Then we move on back into the heart of town and he tells us about the Mouth of Truth. I've never watched Roman Holiday, but I must after this trip. He tells us all about Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck and how many people come and spend 8 euros just to stick their hand in this stone thingy's mouth. It was discovered in the middle ages and the church came up with the whole 'mouth of truth' explanation. He goes on to explain how it also was most likely used in the water filtration system in the city. Like the kind that filters out toilet contents. He said he'd make fun of us till the end of time if we went and stuck our hand in there. Skip and I agreed to pass.
We move on to the old theater in Rome which is now an apartment building - Sophia Loren lives there among many other rich people. If I win the lottery I'm soo buying a spot there. We see bunch of other monuments and stuff I never would have paid attention to/noticed before. He points out the balcony Mussolini liked to speak from (now covered with scaffolding so we didn't actually see it) and and the pizza parlor that is now over the spot Caesar was killed at. Lots of fun facts like that. We stop at a gelato place along the way and have Oreo gelato - one of the best inventions ever. We stopped by again the next day and the next - but he never had it again. Supposedly the guy that runs the place is mean. We thought so when he didn't bring back the oreo.
We ended up back outside the Colosseum. We try to make a stab at Palatine Hill, but they won't let us in cause they want to close early. Rome really does remind me of Paris sometimes. Feet getting very tired, we head back to the hotel and get pretty good pizza on the way
In the morning we wake up early and head down to the Colosseum, which will not be included in our tour. It starts to rain. Torrential rain, right as we get inside. Luckily, we get to skip the line outside because we have the Roma Pass. So we get inside, the rain stops a few moments later. We get the audio guide and start exploring. We get through maybe 3/4 of the upstairs when it starts to torrential downpour again. Now we're hiding together under one of the arches, trying not to get too wet. The rain stops again. We finish up the upstairs and continue downstairs. The rain starts again. I'm really hating the weather in Rome at this point. We manage to finish up only slightly soggy and head off to meet our tour guide.
Our tour guide was a guy named Tad and he worked for this company called Rome(ing) Tours. It was a small company generally booked people through Yellow Hostel or the Roundabout Bus Tour thingy (the one where backpackers can jump on and off and go to various hostels). Occasionally they get people through word of mouth, like us.
Tad is very entertaining - he's from Iowa, so not the usual Irish tour guide, but we can forgive him that because he's still pretty entertaining. We start off at the Circus Maximus and learn all about Roman history in the space of 15 minutes. Then we move on back into the heart of town and he tells us about the Mouth of Truth. I've never watched Roman Holiday, but I must after this trip. He tells us all about Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck and how many people come and spend 8 euros just to stick their hand in this stone thingy's mouth. It was discovered in the middle ages and the church came up with the whole 'mouth of truth' explanation. He goes on to explain how it also was most likely used in the water filtration system in the city. Like the kind that filters out toilet contents. He said he'd make fun of us till the end of time if we went and stuck our hand in there. Skip and I agreed to pass.
We move on to the old theater in Rome which is now an apartment building - Sophia Loren lives there among many other rich people. If I win the lottery I'm soo buying a spot there. We see bunch of other monuments and stuff I never would have paid attention to/noticed before. He points out the balcony Mussolini liked to speak from (now covered with scaffolding so we didn't actually see it) and and the pizza parlor that is now over the spot Caesar was killed at. Lots of fun facts like that. We stop at a gelato place along the way and have Oreo gelato - one of the best inventions ever. We stopped by again the next day and the next - but he never had it again. Supposedly the guy that runs the place is mean. We thought so when he didn't bring back the oreo.
We ended up back outside the Colosseum. We try to make a stab at Palatine Hill, but they won't let us in cause they want to close early. Rome really does remind me of Paris sometimes. Feet getting very tired, we head back to the hotel and get pretty good pizza on the way
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Rome Day 2
We sleep in a bit on day two because Venice had us completely exhausted. In the morning we buy the Roma Pass from the front desk (still not sure if it was worth it or not) and head over to Capitoline hill. On the way there we hike up the Vittorio Emmanuel II yay-me monument. It's a giant monument-building-thing to himself. It's got an okay view of Rome - we couldn't find the elevator all the way to the top (Italians don't really like signs) but it was still cool. They have a tomb of the unnamed soldier there like the one under the arc du triomphe. Behind it are the Capitoline Museums. They're ok - some good marble sculptures, a couple interesting rooms with weird ceilings, but the only thing really worth it is the straight on view of the Roman Forum. Really awesome, but probably not worth the price of admission.
Afterward we go down into the Roman Forum. We skip the audio guide in favor of our guidebook's explanation of stuff. It's adequate and we're able to make out what most everything is. I also notice that there's no audio guide markers along the way - a common practice in Italia. They give you a map with the numbers on it and expect you to decipher everything. Of course the map is only in Italian. We'll run into this problem again later. The Roman Forum is amazing - everything is so gosh darn old, but pretty well preserved. All dug up thanks to Mussolini. Yay?
Later that night we go to Hard Rock because we're kind of sick of pizza and pasta. The cheap food in Rome is only mediocre anyways. For the good stuff you have to go to the good restaurants, which cost a bit more money than we want to spend at the moment. So it's blessed hamburgers for dinner. And we also run into a new problem - the Italians don't know how to cook french fries. And this is a chain restaurant we're at. But no, everywhere else we get french fries - the Irish pub, cafes, anywhere - they are generally soggy and undercooked. Sad, but true.
Afterward we go down into the Roman Forum. We skip the audio guide in favor of our guidebook's explanation of stuff. It's adequate and we're able to make out what most everything is. I also notice that there's no audio guide markers along the way - a common practice in Italia. They give you a map with the numbers on it and expect you to decipher everything. Of course the map is only in Italian. We'll run into this problem again later. The Roman Forum is amazing - everything is so gosh darn old, but pretty well preserved. All dug up thanks to Mussolini. Yay?
Later that night we go to Hard Rock because we're kind of sick of pizza and pasta. The cheap food in Rome is only mediocre anyways. For the good stuff you have to go to the good restaurants, which cost a bit more money than we want to spend at the moment. So it's blessed hamburgers for dinner. And we also run into a new problem - the Italians don't know how to cook french fries. And this is a chain restaurant we're at. But no, everywhere else we get french fries - the Irish pub, cafes, anywhere - they are generally soggy and undercooked. Sad, but true.
Rome Day 1
My first thought of Rome is it's just like Paris. There's a ton of modern buildings, banks everywhere, people always trying to sell you something, and random ruins just sitting in the midst of it all.
Our hotel was not that hard to find - only a couple blocks from one of the few metro stops. It was more of a chore to get through the train station actually. Half the metro line was under construction, so you had to take a million escalators and u-turns just to reach the proper metro platform. The hotel was ok. But just ok. Window looked out on the stairwell....but at least it had air conditioning that worked well. And the bathroom was clean. The internet was crap and too expensive, but we ended up getting better internet from a random connection anyway. All in all, it would do.
It was situated only a couple blocks from the Trevi Fountain, which ended up being our go-to spot. When in doubt, just follow signs to the Trevi and we could find our way home from there. We never actually spent much time at the fountain because #1 it's just a fountain and #2 there were constantly people trying to sell you stuff and take your picture for money or just generally asking you for money. Go see it, take a picture, and move on before someone can wrench your camera out of your hand and then charge you for it.
We take a detour to an Irish Pub to see US vs. Slovenia - I say Irish pub only very loosely. The staff was entirely Italian (highly unusual for an Irish pub - even the Vienna one was all Irish) and they charged through the nose for everything. They also refused to serve anything but burgers before 5 at night. At 4:55 I ask for a brownie - She looks at the clock and say "not till 5". Like that extra 5 minutes is really going to make the difference. Their loss - never going back there again. Stupid fake Irish pub.
We went to the Pantheon that first day, too. It was also really close and free, so why not. It was humongous and full of people, but really awesome. It certainly doesn't disappoint. I just wish it was still a roman temple to the gods instead of a church. By now I've seen a ton of churches, so one more (even the Pantheon) is just meh.
We wander around some more and get some mediocre food at the Piazza Navona (you really do pay for the view and not the food). Then follows Trajan's column, some more general wandering, lots and lots of marble monuments, and lots of sleep.
Our hotel was not that hard to find - only a couple blocks from one of the few metro stops. It was more of a chore to get through the train station actually. Half the metro line was under construction, so you had to take a million escalators and u-turns just to reach the proper metro platform. The hotel was ok. But just ok. Window looked out on the stairwell....but at least it had air conditioning that worked well. And the bathroom was clean. The internet was crap and too expensive, but we ended up getting better internet from a random connection anyway. All in all, it would do.
It was situated only a couple blocks from the Trevi Fountain, which ended up being our go-to spot. When in doubt, just follow signs to the Trevi and we could find our way home from there. We never actually spent much time at the fountain because #1 it's just a fountain and #2 there were constantly people trying to sell you stuff and take your picture for money or just generally asking you for money. Go see it, take a picture, and move on before someone can wrench your camera out of your hand and then charge you for it.
We take a detour to an Irish Pub to see US vs. Slovenia - I say Irish pub only very loosely. The staff was entirely Italian (highly unusual for an Irish pub - even the Vienna one was all Irish) and they charged through the nose for everything. They also refused to serve anything but burgers before 5 at night. At 4:55 I ask for a brownie - She looks at the clock and say "not till 5". Like that extra 5 minutes is really going to make the difference. Their loss - never going back there again. Stupid fake Irish pub.
We went to the Pantheon that first day, too. It was also really close and free, so why not. It was humongous and full of people, but really awesome. It certainly doesn't disappoint. I just wish it was still a roman temple to the gods instead of a church. By now I've seen a ton of churches, so one more (even the Pantheon) is just meh.
We wander around some more and get some mediocre food at the Piazza Navona (you really do pay for the view and not the food). Then follows Trajan's column, some more general wandering, lots and lots of marble monuments, and lots of sleep.
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