Well we are finally in Rome, our last destination on the grand tour. We farewelled our faithful Citroën C4 yesterday and arrived in Trastevere by taxi. It's relaxing to not be driving anymore.
Our substitute apartment feels like the eccentric owner is due home any minute. Honestly it feels like they've just left. There's all sorts of eclectic decorations and unmatched linen. I quite like it, feels like we're living like natives.
We've managed to get our bearings and stocked up the pantry. Unbelievingly we had Indian tonight. We were a bit over pizza & pasta and miss the variety of home. The pizza here is fantastic though, crisp and made with fresh ingredients.
We explored the Colosseum, Palatine and Roman Forum today. To look at the ruins of the Palatine and Forum you could be wandering through an Italian builders junkyard. Until you stop and think about the history of the place. We also bought a book & DVD that superimposes computer generated images of how the various sites and buildings would have looked over pictures of the ruins as they are today.
It struck me today that we were standing at the administrative heart of an empire that had covered nearly everywhere we had visited. Hadrian's wall and Bath in the UK, the Roman ruins we had visited in Taragona, Spain. Ares in France. Olympia in Greece. Ephesus & Constantinople (Istanbul) in Turkey. It seems a fitting place to finish our tour.
As for the Colosseum, all I can say is it was truly colossal and truly fascinating.
We then spent the afternoon wandering around the centre of Rome trying to find the AS Roma shop to buy tickets to a game tomorrow night. No luck but we now have the right address and hopefully will pick some up tomorrow. We wore ourselves out following misunderstood directions but managed to figure out the Rome metro and buses in the process though.
Our substitute apartment feels like the eccentric owner is due home any minute. Honestly it feels like they've just left. There's all sorts of eclectic decorations and unmatched linen. I quite like it, feels like we're living like natives.
We've managed to get our bearings and stocked up the pantry. Unbelievingly we had Indian tonight. We were a bit over pizza & pasta and miss the variety of home. The pizza here is fantastic though, crisp and made with fresh ingredients.
We explored the Colosseum, Palatine and Roman Forum today. To look at the ruins of the Palatine and Forum you could be wandering through an Italian builders junkyard. Until you stop and think about the history of the place. We also bought a book & DVD that superimposes computer generated images of how the various sites and buildings would have looked over pictures of the ruins as they are today.
It struck me today that we were standing at the administrative heart of an empire that had covered nearly everywhere we had visited. Hadrian's wall and Bath in the UK, the Roman ruins we had visited in Taragona, Spain. Ares in France. Olympia in Greece. Ephesus & Constantinople (Istanbul) in Turkey. It seems a fitting place to finish our tour.
As for the Colosseum, all I can say is it was truly colossal and truly fascinating.
We then spent the afternoon wandering around the centre of Rome trying to find the AS Roma shop to buy tickets to a game tomorrow night. No luck but we now have the right address and hopefully will pick some up tomorrow. We wore ourselves out following misunderstood directions but managed to figure out the Rome metro and buses in the process though.
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| Rome: Roman Forum & Colosseum |
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