Third weekend in a row of traveling and whew! has it been a whirlwind! Thursday after eight hours of class I packed for Rome and at 11 headed to my friend's house who lives in Midtown which is walking distance to the train station which (we thought) was where the bus from Turin to Milan Malpensa airport was. I took a quick nap in her roommates bed and at 2a.m. I left with my friends to head to the station. We got there around 2:30 and thought it was a bit strange when the bus hadn't come to pick us up by 10 til 3. Of course at 3a.m. (the time the bus was set to depart) we realized we were very far from the right stop, ran for a while, and then gave up hope.
We called a taxi who told us that he couldn't take all of 6 of us in his car. After lots of mumbles and grumbles and deciding to take the 5am bus which would lead to us missing our flight, the taxi driver took pity on us and drove us. 2 hour and 230 Euro later (yikes!) we arrived at Malpensa ready to board. We had an uneventful plane ride thankfully but for some reason we weren't done with our bad luck for the trip.
At Fuimincino airport we got hassled by some sort of car service. Tourist information wasn't open yet and we thought that 8 Euro was a good deal for heading to Termini the main train station. It was a good price but of course we got dropped off in the outskirts of Rome and had to take a train to the main station.
Luckily we found our hostel all right, and then we began our day. The weather called for a 90% chance of rain which we were bummed about until we saw the sun, mixed with some gray clouds, and a 60 degree day. We walked to the Coliseum and took lots of pictures, sat and fended off little guys trying to see us glass cubes with pictures inside them. How many languages should I learn to say no in? We hoped on the Metro to the Spanish steps and then sat in a Mickey D's to rest our feet before climbing to the top. Afterward we walked on Via del Corso and went in and out of shops til we reached the Pantheon.
I've really learned to appreciate Piazza culture. You just sit on the steps, people watch, eat, drink, listen to music and just be. It was really nice to take in the feeling of the city instead of rushing around going from museum to museum. I got to meet my cousin Connie for dinner because we was studying in Rome was three weeks. It was really fun to see family. For desert we got gelato at the famous Giolotti and I got a delish cone with champagne and chocolate gelato. We walked over to the Trevi fountain and threw our coins in for good luck. We had a wonderful first day in Rome and had a much needed 8 hours of sleep.
Saturday morning we took the Metro to the Vatican. I've been there twice before so going into the museums and the basilica wasn't a top priority of mine. Good thing considering the line was almost out of the Square. We walked over to the castle and saw all of the vendors selling various crap along the river. Kelsey and I split off from the group and strolled along the Tiber river to Trastevere.
We had a nice sit down pizza lunch in Trastevere, walked along the piazza, then visited the church. It is truly amazing how beautiful these churches are with such incredible detail. We walked into Campo d'Fiori but hit it at a weird time because they were taking down all the stands from that day's market. Then we went into another amazing church, sat down and took a quick cat nap. Afterward we got snacks and then walked up Via Veneto. The cafes that lined the street were so charming and I remembered them from the last time I was in Rome. We walked up to Villa Borgheise but not inside because it was after dark. We did however find our way to the top of the Spanish steps without all the climbing. It was an incredible view at night but sadly my camera didn't totally capture it.
We then met up with the group for an appertivo with more fried food and carbs than my body ever wants to consume. Then we headed to the airport where we got a good nights sleep (not really but it beats missing your flight again.)
Now I'm safe and sound in Torino. Totally exhausted and ready for a weekend off from travel. As much as I would love to make the most of this (I think I am anyway) a girl's gotta sleep!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
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