So, it's about half a year later, but I rediscovered the notes that I had made with the intention of turning it into a blog entry, and it appears I hadn't said everything I had to say about Rome. So.
In my TwinCities hostel (recommend it, by the way), I met some cool people. For someone travelling alone, that's pretty good luck. Ran into one Canadian as I was leaving, and found out we were both planning to see the Vatican kinda area that day, so we joined forces. On the metro, we somehow found another Canadian, also heading to the Vatican, who had a local friend to give us all the insider info. Including ignore all those people trying to sell you tours/fast entry and just keep walking. I have to admit, the queue looked enormous when we arrived (and it was sweltering) but it moved pretty fast.
We were being stingy, so we only checked out St Peter's Basilica. But it was pretty impressive. Except for the fact that it has just become like some big statue, with plenty of noisy people taking photos every which way. But I guess we were tourists too, so can't really complain.
Next in line was a wander over the Bridge of Angels (which appears to be more correctly called Ponte Sant'Angelo).
It was one of those days where you were grateful that Rome has so many water fountains. If not, I think we may even have perished. I definitely lost count of the number of times I refilled my water bottle. But they're also useful for getting some water to splash over your face/neck. When it's 40 degrees, it's kinda necessary...
We did a lot of walking, and were really hoping to find a cheap lunch. It was looking impossible. Then, suddenly, we came across a supermarket. In we went and, in great Italian style, you could get a panino made for you. So, I got one full of delicious ingredients (like roasted peppers and aubergines and mozzarella) for just a few euros. I can assure you that I enjoyed it just as much as any other meal I had in Italy!
Canadian #1 and I got brave and decided to last it out in the heat to see the Roman Forum and Paletine Hill. This was also a brilliant way of getting into the Collosseum fast - the tickets were valid for both, and lasted until the next day. Given that there was no queue to get in here and, if you have a ticket, you can waltz right to the front at the Colosseum, it was a no-brainer.
Take it from the Rome Toolkit: "Expect queues at all times for entrance to the Colosseum. Remember you can purchase tickets at the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill for which the 2 day admission ticket is also valid. "
A bit of a shame, as there was no signage inside to tell us what things were. So, we were looking at a whole heap of ruins without much idea of what they were. I could have done with some of this information.
I mean:
Forum = marketplace, business centre, civic centre/basically the hub of Rome.
That's quite important.
Palatine Hill = Place where first settlers built their houses, to posh district, to palaces. Site of the murder of Caligula.
Also interesting to know, and gives things a bit more meaning.
Got back to the hostel and made a joint cooking effort with the Canadian. Met some Belgians, decided to go out to a bar. Good times!
