The Middle East enjoys a nice long break every year known as the Eid Holiday. This year the holiday consisted of 4 days at the end of the first week of November. This was spectacular because it ended-up being Saturday-Tuesday for us. Furthermore, after much deliberation, Flowserve decided to give employees Wednesday off as well. This meant we had a full seven weeks of vacation because our weekends were on either end of the holiday.
At first I wasn't too keen on traveling this year. School has been really difficult with my new job and I figured I would relax around the apartment and catch-up on school and work. I changed my mind after speaking to some of the guys on the water polo team. Jim was heading to Munich with his wife, John was going to Tunisia with his wife, Abdi was already in California on holiday, and Anthony was going to his house in Spain. So no water polo and a week to stir on school on work. I had to do something.
Last year, if all of my loyal followers remember, I took a fantastic adventure to Kenya. I didn't have as exotic of plans this year, but I was excited to take on Rome for a nice 4 day vacation. I have never been to Italy and Rome seemed like the most logical place to start with such a small amount of time. I did some hotel research and found a nice local hotel in the area where my parents stayed on their trip. I purchased my ticket and prepped for a new adventure.
The flight to Rome was a quick 6 hours. I proceeded through customs and immigration and found the train into town. The train ride was a pleasant 30 minutes. Once into downtown Rome I pulled-out my directions to the hotel. At stop #4, bus 960 would drop me off for a 500 meter walk to the hotel. Simple enough. As I rode along counting stops, I realized that we were only stopping when the bell was rung. Great! Nothing like carrying luggage around a city. I quickly pulled the ringer and jumped off the bus. The bus sign quickly notified me that I had gone 4 stops too far. I started to trudge back the way I had been driven. After 25 minutes of crisp walking I arrived at the proper stop. 500 meters right. Ok. 500 meters up the street. Nothing. 500 meters to the right. Big zero. 500 meters down the street. Strike 3. By this time it was getting dark, so with all humility mustered, I called the hotel. Ok, 500 meters in the one direction I hadn't traveled yet!
I stumbled into this old classy building and meandered up to the 1st floor (1st floor in Europe is our 2nd floor in the US - don't ask). Giseppe met me with a smile and proceeded to check me in, hand me a map, point out all of the great sites, note that breakfast was cooked by his mother between 7:30 and 10:00am, and show me to my room. The room was clean and perfect. Rome was waiting the next day.
This is one of the only trips I've taken where no funny stories took place. I was a pure tourist. Camera in tow, backpack and sucker-smile. I decided after a morning talk with Giseppe to walk the entire city rather than take a bus or taxi.
The first morning I decided that the Pantheon and Coliseum were my targets. Next to the Coliseum is the ancient city of Rome as well, so I could kill two birds with one stone. Off I trudged at 8:30am, my map unfolded in front of my face as I tried to figure out how to get to the Pantheon, which turned out to be buried in the middle of the city. Maps are great until you are on the ground level. The city has classic stone roads and tight alley ways. Streets don't take travelers straight, but through winding turns. After 25 minutes of walking I came to a nice square and noticed the sign "Pantheon" with an arrow. Thank goodness, because I wasn't confident of my position at this point. 10 more minutes of winding roads and the Pantheon unfolded in front of me. Amazing. This structure is ancient, and it is virtually untouched in the middle of the city. If you walked one or two blocks over you would completely miss it, and yet is a huge structure.
The picture doesn't do justice to the enormity of this building, as well as the enormity against the backdrop of the city. Entrance is free so I trooped on in and tried to take more pictures, which proved completely impossible because of the size.
And another
The size of the people against the building give some perspective. I tried to take a picture of the famous dome above. This dome is now only outdone by the dome in the cathedral at the Vatican.
Terrible, but all I could get - it doesn't do it justice. Only a re-look at the outside photos can give you an idea of the size of this structure.
Completely satisfied at 10:30am, I decided to aim for the Coliseum, which was a ways away. I started out on my next walk and came to a city square where a military tribute to old soldiers was taking place. The building was amazing, and it was really nice to see the old veterans lined-up in front.
As I walked across the street and around this building I came onto a long, 3-lane, 2-way street. At the end I could make out my destination.
Way off in the distance the Coliseum was growing out of the ground. This is one of the first instances where the map didn't convey how close the structures were to each other. I walked briskly down to the site and signed up for a tour. The Coliseum is quite impressive from the outside.
Once inside, the Coliseum is equally impressive. It's amazing that the structure has lasted this long.
The bottom half of the photo shows the underground portion of the Coliseum; so the tournament floor was actually laid over this area. The underground portion housed the wild animals and prisoners used in the gladiator battles. You can see a remake of the flooring on the far side of the area in the picture below.
Following the Coliseum tour, a free hour was offered touring the ancient ruins of Rome. I gladly accepted and headed across the street with our tour group. This part of Rome has all of the ancient squares and palace ruins of the early Caesars.
It was about 2pm now, and I was beat. I started to head back to the hotel, grabbing lunch at a nice little Italian cafe on the way back. I arrived back at around 4pm and took a nap before heading out for dinner at around 8pm.
The next day was Vatican day. My gracious hosts had told me that it was likely to rain my second day and the Vatican was an indoor tour. So my entire day was reserved for the walk, tour, and return. I headed out at 8:30am again and slowly made my way to the opposite side of the city from my prior day's adventure. I came to the crest of a nice incline and decided I needed to take a stair case down to the street that led all the way to the Vatican. And here I was at the Spanish steps all of a sudden!
It was raining so the crowds weren't gathered to people watch, but it was easy to see how attractive a resting point this would be for people. I turned and headed towards the Vatican.
The walk down this single street was very, very long, but it was easy because getting lost wasn't possible. After about 30-40 minutes I was on the main street into the Vatican. I took as many photos as possible because it is such a recognizable place from movies and travel sites.
The scene was just as presented in countless movies, photos and trip memories, except for the 30 minute entrance line I stood in.
Once inside the Vatican, I decided to go big and pay the $25 to walk up to the top of the cathedral. This was recommended by Old Reliable, Rick Steve, so I went for it. Right after dropping the cash I passed a sign that warned of the walk. No warning could have done this climb justice. It was 380 steps up to the open dome portion of the cathedral, but another 300 steps up to the top of the cathedral, and people were crammed up the small, small walk tunnels. It was miserable, and I was sweating like crazy. It was all worth it once I was out on the balcony area though.
Coming down was 50 times easier, and I was excited to head into the cathedral. Once again my photos don't do any justice to the beauty of Michelango's art and the immensity of the area.
The area is huge, and a lot of cordoned off from the public. People are everywhere, snapping photos and violating personal space rules. The dome above is incredible.
This picture is sideways, but you can see an example of the walls and art around the cathedral. Here is a famous Michelango sculpture of Mary holding Jesus following his Crucifiction.
Once again, my photo taking skills are sorely lacking.
The last day I wandered about buying some Christmas gifts and enjoying some local restaurants. The entire trip was incredible, and my hosts at the Golden Hotel were awesome. I highly recommend a stop in Rome if you're traveling at all in Europe. It is 2-3 hours from France, England or any other country visited in Europe, and it is totally worth the extra money. The people are wonderful and the quality of the experience is second to none. Ciao!
At first I wasn't too keen on traveling this year. School has been really difficult with my new job and I figured I would relax around the apartment and catch-up on school and work. I changed my mind after speaking to some of the guys on the water polo team. Jim was heading to Munich with his wife, John was going to Tunisia with his wife, Abdi was already in California on holiday, and Anthony was going to his house in Spain. So no water polo and a week to stir on school on work. I had to do something.
Last year, if all of my loyal followers remember, I took a fantastic adventure to Kenya. I didn't have as exotic of plans this year, but I was excited to take on Rome for a nice 4 day vacation. I have never been to Italy and Rome seemed like the most logical place to start with such a small amount of time. I did some hotel research and found a nice local hotel in the area where my parents stayed on their trip. I purchased my ticket and prepped for a new adventure.
The flight to Rome was a quick 6 hours. I proceeded through customs and immigration and found the train into town. The train ride was a pleasant 30 minutes. Once into downtown Rome I pulled-out my directions to the hotel. At stop #4, bus 960 would drop me off for a 500 meter walk to the hotel. Simple enough. As I rode along counting stops, I realized that we were only stopping when the bell was rung. Great! Nothing like carrying luggage around a city. I quickly pulled the ringer and jumped off the bus. The bus sign quickly notified me that I had gone 4 stops too far. I started to trudge back the way I had been driven. After 25 minutes of crisp walking I arrived at the proper stop. 500 meters right. Ok. 500 meters up the street. Nothing. 500 meters to the right. Big zero. 500 meters down the street. Strike 3. By this time it was getting dark, so with all humility mustered, I called the hotel. Ok, 500 meters in the one direction I hadn't traveled yet!
I stumbled into this old classy building and meandered up to the 1st floor (1st floor in Europe is our 2nd floor in the US - don't ask). Giseppe met me with a smile and proceeded to check me in, hand me a map, point out all of the great sites, note that breakfast was cooked by his mother between 7:30 and 10:00am, and show me to my room. The room was clean and perfect. Rome was waiting the next day.
This is one of the only trips I've taken where no funny stories took place. I was a pure tourist. Camera in tow, backpack and sucker-smile. I decided after a morning talk with Giseppe to walk the entire city rather than take a bus or taxi.
The first morning I decided that the Pantheon and Coliseum were my targets. Next to the Coliseum is the ancient city of Rome as well, so I could kill two birds with one stone. Off I trudged at 8:30am, my map unfolded in front of my face as I tried to figure out how to get to the Pantheon, which turned out to be buried in the middle of the city. Maps are great until you are on the ground level. The city has classic stone roads and tight alley ways. Streets don't take travelers straight, but through winding turns. After 25 minutes of walking I came to a nice square and noticed the sign "Pantheon" with an arrow. Thank goodness, because I wasn't confident of my position at this point. 10 more minutes of winding roads and the Pantheon unfolded in front of me. Amazing. This structure is ancient, and it is virtually untouched in the middle of the city. If you walked one or two blocks over you would completely miss it, and yet is a huge structure.
The picture doesn't do justice to the enormity of this building, as well as the enormity against the backdrop of the city. Entrance is free so I trooped on in and tried to take more pictures, which proved completely impossible because of the size.
And another
The size of the people against the building give some perspective. I tried to take a picture of the famous dome above. This dome is now only outdone by the dome in the cathedral at the Vatican.
Terrible, but all I could get - it doesn't do it justice. Only a re-look at the outside photos can give you an idea of the size of this structure.
Completely satisfied at 10:30am, I decided to aim for the Coliseum, which was a ways away. I started out on my next walk and came to a city square where a military tribute to old soldiers was taking place. The building was amazing, and it was really nice to see the old veterans lined-up in front.
As I walked across the street and around this building I came onto a long, 3-lane, 2-way street. At the end I could make out my destination.
Way off in the distance the Coliseum was growing out of the ground. This is one of the first instances where the map didn't convey how close the structures were to each other. I walked briskly down to the site and signed up for a tour. The Coliseum is quite impressive from the outside.
Once inside, the Coliseum is equally impressive. It's amazing that the structure has lasted this long.
The bottom half of the photo shows the underground portion of the Coliseum; so the tournament floor was actually laid over this area. The underground portion housed the wild animals and prisoners used in the gladiator battles. You can see a remake of the flooring on the far side of the area in the picture below.
Following the Coliseum tour, a free hour was offered touring the ancient ruins of Rome. I gladly accepted and headed across the street with our tour group. This part of Rome has all of the ancient squares and palace ruins of the early Caesars.
It was about 2pm now, and I was beat. I started to head back to the hotel, grabbing lunch at a nice little Italian cafe on the way back. I arrived back at around 4pm and took a nap before heading out for dinner at around 8pm.
The next day was Vatican day. My gracious hosts had told me that it was likely to rain my second day and the Vatican was an indoor tour. So my entire day was reserved for the walk, tour, and return. I headed out at 8:30am again and slowly made my way to the opposite side of the city from my prior day's adventure. I came to the crest of a nice incline and decided I needed to take a stair case down to the street that led all the way to the Vatican. And here I was at the Spanish steps all of a sudden!
It was raining so the crowds weren't gathered to people watch, but it was easy to see how attractive a resting point this would be for people. I turned and headed towards the Vatican.
The walk down this single street was very, very long, but it was easy because getting lost wasn't possible. After about 30-40 minutes I was on the main street into the Vatican. I took as many photos as possible because it is such a recognizable place from movies and travel sites.
The scene was just as presented in countless movies, photos and trip memories, except for the 30 minute entrance line I stood in.
Once inside the Vatican, I decided to go big and pay the $25 to walk up to the top of the cathedral. This was recommended by Old Reliable, Rick Steve, so I went for it. Right after dropping the cash I passed a sign that warned of the walk. No warning could have done this climb justice. It was 380 steps up to the open dome portion of the cathedral, but another 300 steps up to the top of the cathedral, and people were crammed up the small, small walk tunnels. It was miserable, and I was sweating like crazy. It was all worth it once I was out on the balcony area though.
Coming down was 50 times easier, and I was excited to head into the cathedral. Once again my photos don't do any justice to the beauty of Michelango's art and the immensity of the area.
The area is huge, and a lot of cordoned off from the public. People are everywhere, snapping photos and violating personal space rules. The dome above is incredible.
This picture is sideways, but you can see an example of the walls and art around the cathedral. Here is a famous Michelango sculpture of Mary holding Jesus following his Crucifiction.
Once again, my photo taking skills are sorely lacking.
The last day I wandered about buying some Christmas gifts and enjoying some local restaurants. The entire trip was incredible, and my hosts at the Golden Hotel were awesome. I highly recommend a stop in Rome if you're traveling at all in Europe. It is 2-3 hours from France, England or any other country visited in Europe, and it is totally worth the extra money. The people are wonderful and the quality of the experience is second to none. Ciao!
Bro Man,
ReplyDeleteThat is one hell of a trip. It so cool that you got to actually make a trip that wasn't just for business. The pictures are awesome and I gotta say, they make me a little (a lot) jealous. The one thing you didn't mention was Berlusconi. No pasta and vino with the former PM. I'm sure you could've given him some financial tips.
Doesn't look like I'll be in your area any time soon, but there is the possibility of a trip to the country to the NW of SA, along the med, Turkey, and possibly Kazakhstan. I just was given responsibility for S. America so we'll see if that takes place. If so, beer's on me in Bahrain!
Matt, this trip looks like it was amazing! Thank you for including so many photos-I can't imagine the beauty to be standing there in person. So amazed at all the wonderful places you have been! We love you,
ReplyDeleteLindsay