It was sad to leave Venice as there was still so much to see but Rome was calling. When you are going to a hotel called Beverly Hills in Rome one doesn't have high expectations and unfortunately the hotel was as we expected.
Our guide thought we were rather strange not to be going on any of the optional tours/ dinners in Rome but we considered we could manage ourselves. While tours are very convenient, there's nothing like the freedom of choice in doing what you want and when you want it and not being tied to the group for every outing.
We saw lions almost as soon as we started walking in Rome.
I think I'll remember Rome as the "great walks and many, many steps", the closest I've come to being run over ( saved by Jonathan ) by the loony drivers, the Vatican and how lucky we were that unlike later tour groups, we weren't in a queue in the heavy rain.
Me with some lions in Vatican museum
Swiss guards at Vatican
A very rare wedding at the Vatican ( of course we were there)
Bramante Staircase closed to public at Vatician
The Vatican was impressive and even though we were not there at the high tourist season, there were still thousands. It was an impressive place as one would expect.
I imagine it would be remiss of me not to mention the Sistine Chapel. There is no doubt it is a beautiful area but it certainly did not feel like a Chapel. To me it was a place between one area where the guide left us ( to go to the loo) and the point where we were to be collected, and if we weren't there, then we would have to find our way to another point to meet up with the guide. When we entered the Chapel it was a bit of a road block of people just standing there and being moved out of the way. It wasn't quiet or a serene place like Fatima or many of the Cathedrals / churchs we have seen.
The other included part of the Roman tour was a visit to the Colosseum which was a marvel in itself.
Kermy with his Spanish and Austrian friends.
While the tour group departed for a rest and a dinner, we continued with 'our walking and steps'and visited the Forum and went back to 'our building' from the night before.
I loved all of this.
Jonathan is there on the Spanish steps - take my word for it.Our own adventure also extended to the beautiful 'Tomb of the Unknown Soldier' building that we discovered by accident our first night in Rome. We had walked so far - many klms - and still hadn't done what we wanted and this place was closed at night. We sat on the steps below the closed golden gates ( like many others) and when we decided to leave, I just 'bumped down' a few steps to get me moving as I was too tired to do anything else.
The next day we returned, when the building was open, went inside the gates and the building. There were so many steps ( no sitting on the steps allowed when the building is open) and all we had at the top was 2 coffees!!
This was only one set of about 20 of the external steps. Then there were at least 20 -30 more internal sets of steps. Why did we climb them? Because we were curious, crazy and because they were there!
We deserved medals!
Then we heard a commotion at the adjacent church and there was another bride who had walked up the 140 steps to the church -that had chandeliers in it. ( Chandeliers? )
The floral arrangements (alone ) inside and outside the Church would have cost thousands but perhaps the 'Godfather ' arranged it all.
140 steps to church
Front door of church
Then, outside the church, down below, a band started up
Later, when we had descended, we came across yet another bride from a civil ceremony!
And to cap it off, I found another lion.
Rather than optional tour group dinners, we walked our way to various interesting places and had interesting meals and then caught taxis back to the hotel. I just kept my eyes averted from the flow of traffic to avoid getting heart failure at the driving. Yes, every car in Rome does seem to have a bump or dent or scratch or both.
I was sorry to leave Rome. So much more to see and do!
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