Roma: Day One

After a whirlwind 9 days of craziness, I am currently crashing in my London flat. Just about everything about my adventure in Europe was an absolute blast, and I can't wait to tell you in the States all about it! My suitcase is emptied, my laundry is drying, and it's time to start posting those pictures and telling those stories!

Hilary and I, having no Friday class, left Thursday afternoon out of Gatwick Airport for Rome, the plan being to stay there a few nights before meeting the rest of the crew in Venice on Sunday. No sooner had we touched down in Rome then the adventure started: after taking a train from the airport to the city, we accidentally exited the station, not at the front, where the main bus terminal was, but on a side street. The next hour was filled with asking for directions in a language we didn't speak, wandering about looking for a bus stop; at one point, Hilary resorted to drawing a bus on her hand to communicate what we were looking for. We finally found the correct bus route, and by a stroke of luck, when we got off the bus, we found two Italian girls who a) spoke English and b) lived on the street where our hotel was and were heading in that direction. Stumbling into the small little hotel at close to midnight, we found a very friendly staff who helped us drag our luggage up the stairs to our room and helped us plan sights to see over the next few days, drawing on a map where the bus stops were and showing us the easiest way to get from place to place.

The next morning started off much better, complete with sweet croissants, bread and juice for breakfast, and a lovely view from our window:



We began our tour of Rome at the Coliseum, where we did a tour of the outside of the building and the Ruins of the Palatine Hill directly across from it. We couldn't go inside the Coliseum due to protests that were occuring in the city; these same protests nearly involved the transportation workers going on strike, but they changed their minds at the last minute and decided to drive the buses after all, much to our happiness. We weren't really quite sure what all the ruckus was actually about, but it made for some interesting sights while in Rome.


Archeology work ongoing at the Coliseum:

One of two protest marches we laid eyes on:


We spent the afternoon working our way through the major piazzas and fountains of Rome, starting at the Piazza del Populo (Plaza of the People) and working our way south to the Triton Fountain, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and the Piazza Novarro.

Piazza del Populo:


Triton Fountain:


Preparing to toss in some money a la the film Three Coins in the Fountain, which is partially set around Trevi.


My favorite of the fountains was the Trevi Fountain, which I thought was simply stunning. Add a little gelato to the mix, and I was a very happy camper.
A fountain in the Piazza Novarro:



We spent the night wandering around looking at some monuments by night, before heading in the direction of our hotel. We stopped for dinner at an Italian restaurant called Domini's, where I had a Magherita (cheese) pizza.

More photos from Day 1 in Rome: Album One Album Two

Stay tuned for adventures from our second day in Rome!