Rome blog entry is still under construction but just like rome may never be fully finished
We arrived at the very large rome train station and Vanessa watched the bags as I went looking for tourist information. Two trips later and we had the rome card and heading off on the metro to the bus stop to the camping ground. Rome is so expensive it was worth being based 8km away from the city centre. The bus was full so it was like driving semi trailer up one way street with our big backpacks inconsiderate people didn’t move out of the way from the luggage area so we had to stand blocking the aisles. The camping ground was near a main road but was clean and the facilities were new and there really wasn’t any tent camping areas so we ended up setting up in a campervan position with compressed gravel but a nice hedge to separate us from the neighbours. There was free wifi but it was given out in 4hr blocks so we could have 24hrs continuous but could have 6 logins. Did these people work for the public service in a past life?
Day 1
Colosseum.We arrived early at the Colosseum in order to beat the crowds but the fact that we beat the staff to the Colosseum showed that perhaps we were a little too over enthusiastic .The lack of staff to throw open the gates of the colosseum meant that we had time to look around the exterior of the colosseum and at the impressive arch of Constantine The usual street hawkers hung outside the colosseum but this time we even had ‘dicks’ dressed as Roman soldiers with plastic swords and some even wore socks and sandals .Even in Roman times this would have been viewed as a fashion faux par.
Roman forum and palatine hill
Trevi fountain sprawls over almost the entire piazza and depicts Neptune’s chariot being led by Tritons with sea horses representing the mood of the sea. Vanessa did what the fountain cleaners of Rome hope that everyone does and threw the 3 coins over her shoulder into the fountain. We thought that the custom was to throw 3 coins into the fountain but we later learnt that we should have only thrown 2. One coin is for the wish the second coin supposedly makes the wish come true and you apparently throw a third coin into the fountain to ensure that you will return to Rome and marry ….. surely this is a mistake and is merely lonely planet myth!!!
The Piazza di Spagna and the Spanish steps which as usual were being used as a meeting place for both foreigns and locals alike.
Pathenon.We watched an Italian motorcycle cop in his well fitted uniform chat away on his mobile whilst smoking a cigarette outside of the Pathenon oblivious to everything that was going on around him in including his job of crowd control into the pathenon.
Piazza Navona where you can supposedly watch tourists, artists‘, pensioners and pickpockets jostle their way through the crowds. Fortunately we only saw three of the above four on this particular day and the piazza.
Piazza Campo de’Fiori
Walked around
Day 2
Off the the Vatican Museum so off to another early start but this time after being given some misinformation from both Lonely Planet and the Vatican Museum website we arrived only 30 minutes prior to the doors being thrown open which put us 100 metres from the head of the line so we had to wait and wait and then wait some more .Lucky we had some Vatican Museum memorabilia hawkers to keep us amused………we had some very un Christian like thoughts towards these people but elected to keep them to ourselves as the number of nuns and priests in the Vatican city area was like ants to carrion restaurant . Very impressed and overwhelmed with the contents of the Vatican museum………….
Sistine Chapel………………..an announcement was occasionally heard over the loud speakers within the chapel saying that this is a solemn site please by quiet and please do not take photographs within the chapel. A respectful hush falls over the crowd and individuals taking illegal shots of the sistine chapel lower their cameras but then it happens just like naught school children someone raisers their camera and a flash is seen by other lemmings in the crowd and the chatter starts up again and there are flashes of light emanating from every corner of the chapel.the security staff are too overwhelmed by the crowds and give up.
St peters basilica and square
Decided to go on a random tram ride around Rome but being inside the tram was like being in a glass house and within about 30 minutes we were ready to pass out from heat exhaustion so to prevent this we vacated the tram near. We had no idea where we were but thought that an aqueduct was an interesting place to get off but then the rain started to fall so we eventually found and retrieved to a nearby metro station
There was plenty of activity up at the toilet block with a group of bored young boys who had recently arrived with their parents. That sounds bad. Maybe I should rewrite the last line. Toilet paper everywhere and saloon door swinging was done thoroughly before a game of chasey commenced which went on into the evening. We went to bed with the sun down as usual and were just dosing off when one of the boys tripped on one of the tent guys raising a roar of disapproval from me. The chasey stopped and all went quiet for a while and we started dozing again. Then gravel rained down on our tent which raised another roar from me then another volley of gravel from the dark and another roar. We were under attack from the little buggers. A quick check from out of our tent periscope and the boys were spotted near the toilet block behind some bushes. There was some pointing and it clear that they had spotted me. Another few stones got me out of bed and unzipped the tent which sent the boys scurrying. I complained at reception and it was game over as reinforcements were called in over the radio. The big black security guard had captured the gravel throwing enemy and was giving them and earful. Later in the evening we heard the sound of a something hitting the tent and I thought it was a parting shot but the enemy had long gone to bed and it was probably just a twig falling out of a nearby tree.
Party at bar. Cover band pearl pam. Seems that the caravan park had forgotten their 11pm curfew when it came to making lots of profit over the bar. At least we had a quiet sleep from 4am….
Day 3
Villa borgues but no tickets for a couple of days
Walk in the park. Ducks turtles doves
Went to some weird gallery inside an old power station with massive statue body parts and embedded naked nymphs dancing around a lamp pole.
Capitol hill gallery
A coach load of top deck tour ‘kids’ arrived in camp late today and decided that they all needed to do their washing before the day was out. Unfortunately we know this because whilst we sat in the laundry or as we like to call it our internet café we discovered that most of them were regrettably illiterate. They constantly asked ‘us’ fellow campers not staff how to use the washing machines now to get change etc etc even though it was clearly and boldly written on each machine in multiple languages how to use the machines. We retreated to the sound proof tent Rock throwing kids on the tent
Day 4
Decided that since people at times seem to avoiding being near us it was time to do our washing in a washing machine for only the third or fourth time in ten months so the day was dedicated to our washing and surfing the internet.
Day 5
Left early and caught the bus to the train station with 2 other Australians from Newcastle. Small world…..
