My Trip to Italy (Part 2)

This is part two of my chronicles of my trip to Italy. I am picking this up on the second day of travel in Rome. The first part outlines my journey to Europe and the first day of travel in Rome. This part takes us through Rome and the train ride to Venice. You can read the first part here.

As if one day in Rome was not enough, my sister and I wisely planned to spend three

full days and nights in the city. After the first day of getting oriented to the city and seeing a ton of the sights in one swoop, we decided to hit the big boys; that's right Ancient Rome.

To start things off, we ventured over to the train station to reserve some seats on the trains we planned on taking over the trip. Italy does have high speed trains that run across the country, but the trains require reservations and a train from Rome to Venice is incredibly popular, especially on a Friday, the day we were planning on traveling. So, thanks to my wise and wonderful sister, we booked these tickets in advance.

Let's take this time to talk about queueing in Italy. First off, the concept of a line in Europe is a little difficult to come by. While some areas are more orderly than others, all of Eu

rope struggles a bit with the concept of lining up, giving people personal space, and t

hen taking their turn waiting for the next associate. Thankfully, the line in the train station was probably the most organized, but the fact remained that it took far too long to wait in a line to book some tickets. This would become a common occurance during our trip.

However, we were lucky enough to get some help from Sergio, probably the most friendly Italian we met for most of the trip. He helped us book our tickets and we were on our way. In the bottom part of the train station is the metro. The metro in Rome is challenging. I learned in one of my handy books that the metro in Rome was difficult to construct for all the ancient ruins and old catacombs that exist. Therefore, the metro doesn't always go where you want it to go.

I'll also make a quick comment on the transport hubs in Europe. You'll notice that the previous paragraph talked about how the train station and metro are all in one spot. The previous day we rode the train from the airport to this same station where we found a taxi to our hotel, though we could have taken the bus if necessary. And Italy's transport system isn't all th

at great. All I'm saying, is that we should really think about finding ways to centralize our transport systems to allow more intermodal transport here in the States.

Anyway, my sister and I hopped on the metro and emerged in Ancient Rome. Ancient Rome was probably my favorite part of the city. I mean, think about Rome for a second. What comes to mind? Right. The Colosseum. Okay, and gelato, but really here, the Colosseum and a bunch of ancient columns and the Forum and all that stuff. Needless to saw, the awesome structures that make up Ancient Rome make it easily the coolest part of the city for me. I think it harkens back to the fact that everything in Europe is more than likely older than anything in America, but these structures are even older than that. I mean, these structures are parts of one of the first major civilizations. Rome used to be the center of it all, all roads lead to Rome, Rome IS the Eternal City!

Our plan for the day was to start in the Ancient part, Capitoline Hill, grab a bite to eat, and then fill out the afternoon with the Colosseum. So, that's exactly what we did. We started by tromping around the exterior walls trying to find the entrance to the hill and finally discovered a gigantic line of people waiting to enter. We dutifully stood in line, baking in the heat, avoiding gypsies and street salesman. We were even able to poke a little fun at a particularly bad fake limp that a gypsy had on the street and witness an attempted theft of genuine, fake hats. After standing in the intense heat for quite some time and arriving near the entrance to the area, we overheard a woman from Ancient Rome tell others that those with a Roma Pass did not need to wait in line, they simple used a separate line. Thankfully, we had purchased said pass and jumped at the chance. Unfortunately, we heard that very late in the standing of the line and achieved a new level of sweat previously unknown (though moderate compared to later parts of the trip.)

At any rate, we ventured inside Ancient Rome and strolled around finding great vantage points of the Colosseum, ancient ruins, and imagining Rome as it was in its day. We overheard a few tours here and there to pick up tidbits, but mainly explored all that Ancient Rome had to offer. I think for me, the most interesting thing of Ancient Rome is that so much has been preserved. It is easy to imagine a bustling city center at what was essentially the center of the world. The temples must have been incredibly impressive, as their remains are still impressive today.

We spent a few hours exploring Ancient Rome, grabbed a quick bite at a local place, consisting of Calzone and a Foccacia sandwich, and proceeded to the Colosseum to take in Rome's most famous landmark. This time, we were keen on the Roma Pass and happily walked past the incredible line of people to the interior of the Colosseum.

I must say, the Colosseum is not what I was expecting. I guess you always think of the Colosseum as you see it in Gladiator with a huge arena and lots of seats. But, the Colosseum is full in the center with tiny hallways and no real stage area to view. It looks much like it does in pictures, but what pictures can't capture is the sheer size and age of the place. It really is gigantic even for today and is so old. The fact that at any given time you can find a place of shade inside the main area is a testament to how high the walls are and the Colosseum has lost a lot over the years! Mostly, however, the Colosseum is fun to sit and imagine the fights that took place and the thousands of people who visited to see them.

Overall, I was impressed by Ancient Rome and enjoyed that part of the visit. After we were thoroughly soaked with sweat and tired from the hot sun, we decided to rest up at the hotel room and freshen up for the evening. We managed to take a brief nap and then head out to the Spanish Steps near sunset. The Spanish Steps are so elegant and so fun to sit and watch people enjoy themselves and make a fool of themselves and a very photogenic place in general. They are incredibly impressive and despite the huge throngs of people present, still had available space to sit and enjoy.

We snagged some gelato and watched some people for a while before venturing onward to do some exploring of Rome at night.

We took a few stops at some of our favorite places, Piazza Novana where we grabbed a drink and dessert before swinging through the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain. While we had visited all these places the day before, like most things that are worth seeing, the night adds a new dimension. The fountains at night are particularly impressive with their blue-green waters lit and the statues with strange dark crevasses and shadows along with eerie lights. The dancing water almost makes certain faces seem livelier. And of course, the Pantheon at night is beautiful and the surrounding piazza is filled with people enjoying a meal or a coffee while wasting the night away.

Our final day in Rome was our chance to do the last few things we wanted to do. We made it a point to see the Spanish Steps in the morning, try to look at an art gallery, and do Ancient Rome in the evening. We succeeded in seeing the Spanish Steps before too many tourists were out, with a nice cup of cappuccino with a view of the steps. Then we proceeded up the steps in attempts to see the Galleria Borghese, one of Rome's best collections.

Sadly, after walking through a gigantic park and having some quality conversation, we arrived at the Galleria to realize we needed a reservation to see anything. We trudged onward back through the park, found a few great views of the city from above, and ventured to a different gallery near the far part of town.

Our walk was hot and steamy, but we saw a few places we hadn't previously. We stumbled upon some additional ancient ruins and turned a corner to appear in Piazza Venezia, home of the great national building in Rome which is easily the most impressive building I've ever seen. The building is huge and all white marble. There are a huge set of steps leading up to the building and the building is flanked by two wings appropriately fixed with two winged horses on top. Off to the side, was a somewhat lesser (though still impressive) building where our museum was.

My sister and I are not major art people. Though we probably have a stronger sense of art than others, our knowledge of art is still miniscule. The museum we picked was a collection of statues and other relics. Our knowledge of this was even smaller. However, it was hot, we were tired, and there was something that resembled air conditioning in the building. Plus, with our Roma Pass it didn't cost any extra.

We spent a good chunk of time here, found some good views of the Roman Forum, and then ventured out to find a gelato store. After a bite of gelato we found a good piazza with a nice cafe and plopped down for some people watching. By this time the heat had sapped us

and we were a little tired of walking so we spent a good several hours people watching, enjoying cappuccinos, and plotting our next move.

Our adventure in Rome ended with a fantastic dinner of true Roman Pizza and wine, and a stroll down to Ancient Rome to watch the sunset and nab some night pictures of the ruins. Once again, the night adds something different to an already awesome place. The ruins were strategically lit in an incredibly eerie way, but in an incredibly beautiful way all at the same time. Of course the Colosseum was outstanding at night and we walked all around to find the best angle.

Opting not to try the metro at night (it was really sketch) we walked home to our hotel and called it a day. Overall, Rome was quite a great start to our trip. There were great things still to come, but the history and city life of Rome is uniquely Italy. It isn't often so many sights are packed into such a small area and it isn't often those sights are 2000 years old. I recently watched 'Roman Holiday' in honor of my trip and was impressed with how the sights still look much the way they did 50 years ago. The true strength of human ingenuity is displayed in Rome. But, as I said, Rome was only the beginning.

My Trip to Italy (Part 1)

I must admit, to think that at my age and in this stage of life I took a two week trip to Italy is pretty remarkable. Up until last Christmas the farthest from home I had been is Las Vegas, which may seem like another planet, but is still very much American. Now I'm sitting here with a trip to Switzerland and a trip to Italy under my belt.

I also think there is a reason why these trips don't happen all that early in your life. I mean, it would certainly change my perspective on a lot of things if I had always been a world traveller. Differences in cultures and people that I meet would not seem so strange. I would have been more aware of cultural differences and more references to the other way things could be done. But, as I said, I think there is a reason this doesn't happen early in life. I would never have appreciated those differences if I grew up in that lifestyle. I would never have noticed the differences if I had always been used to them. And what's more, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed my trip as much as I did. Being able to experience a new place is what travel is all about, and I think that my sister and I did a good job of experiencing Italy.

I got home about a week ago from my two week extravaganza and have had some time to enjoy the sweltering heat and humidity of Michigan and look at some pictures in a nostalgic way. There's also a certain joy one gets when going into Pier One and seeing places you've been in the example photos in photo frames. (True story.) It's also a little crazy (frightening?) to think of how fast we fall back into our habitual routine of waking up, eating, going to work, and slowly trudging through our day. However, that little extra you take with you from each vacation always manages to stick with you. Those cappuccinos and delicious meals will never quite leave my palate and those images will never quite leave my mind, no matter how many traffic jams I sit through and how many familiar walls I stare blankly at day after day.

I can see already that two weeks will not easily fit into one blog post, so here is part one of my journey to Italy, complete with some insights and feelings a week or more after reaching some clarity in my mind.

I left Detroit on the morning of July 4th. However, in truly American fashion, I managed to find myself in a 6 hour layover in Washington DC. While I probably could have found my way downtown to marvel in our monuments, I opted instead to learn the ins and outs of Dulles Airport. If you ever need help getting around or finding a good restaurant, I can help you. I grabbed my last American meal at Chipotle and found a good bench to curl up on for some napping. Naturally, at 3 in the afternoon sleeping is hard to come by. And being the people-watcher that I am, it was difficult to sleep. So I finished 'Catcher in the Rye,' a book that (unbelievably) I have meant to read for many, many years. Overall, I enjoyed the book and see its appeal to all kinds of people. I also realized how many literary quotes one of my good friends uses in everyday speech. (A real gentleman and a scholar, he is.)

Anyway, I managed to wait out the layover and board the largest plane I've ever been on. It was a 777 with 2 seats on one side, 5 in the middle, and 2 on the other side. A 2-5-2 I call it. I settled into my aisle sit next to an Italian mother and her little one. The ride was great and the landing was exceptional. When we landed in Rome at around 8:30 the plane hardly jiggled as we landed on the runway.

I must admit, during the landing sequence, I was quite disappointed with the view out the window. Leonardo da Vinci Airport is about 20 miles outside of Rome in a field. So, you don't see much besides fields out the window, when you're kind of hoping to see the Colosseum and Ancient Rome and the like. Plus, it was foggy and a little rainy, but hey, with only fields to see who cares.

I must admit, it was slightly surreal to be getting off the plane and seeing Italy. The map showed I was there, the language indicated I was there, but there was little to show me that I had really made it where I wanted to be. However, I vaguely remember getting on a tram and venturing to passport control and the baggage claim. Passport control was the biggest joke I've ever seen, as I walked to a man in a booth who did not even look up, but simply waved me through as I flashed my passport. For all he knew, it was a small leaflet in the shape of a passport, but nevertheless, I cleared customs and ventured into Italy.

I should share the story about my bag. I decided that rather than lug a suitcase around Italy, full of hills and cobblestone streets and crowds, I would use my aforementioned friends' backpack to haul my stuff. In most cases, I was happy I did, but on hot days when my back got super sweaty, I regretted it. But that's not until later. To send my bag over the ocean, I strapped the bag together in the rain jacket and secured it with bungie cords. The cords, engineered by my father were tight as they could be and securely positioned over every inch of the bag, securing every strap that existed, and making the bag what essentially looked like a cocoon. I could have certainly smuggled a body into the airport if I wanted to (and I don't think security was checking) but I didn't want to deal with the dead weight (pun intended.)

When I arrived in Detroit, the United attendant promptly asked if 'those were bungie straps,' which they were and offered a gigantic bag to put my bag in. This perpetuated the cocoon shape and feel of my bag, which I could no longer strap on my back without essentially unwrapping my backpack. Therefore, when I arrived in Rome, I had an oversized bag, but I didn't know this. So, as I waited at the baggage carousel and watched as people reunited with their friends, I sat contemplating whether I would be purchasing a new wardrobe later in the trip or immediately.

But, according to the laws of freaking out, my backpack was in fact off the plane and in the airport around the corner on the floor. Yes, because I had an oversize bag it was thrown haphazardly beside a different baggage carousel still maintaining its cocoon shaped form. Like any good boy scout, I saved the wrapping and stowed the bungies before throwing on my pack and hiking out the arrivals doorway. When what to my wonder eyes should appear, but my sister whom I hadn't seen for half a year!

We hugged and smiled and I pretended to be coherent and awake while I exchanged some money and purchased a Roma pass. Somehow I ended up at the train station where my sister and I purchased our ticket to the central station in Rome, and voila! my Italian adventure officially began.

It was raining slightly as we rode the train in, grinning and smiling and trading travel stories. My sister stayed in a shady hotel near the airport and had some tales of trying to actually get to the airport, while I had my stories of the layover in Washington. However long the ride took, I don't really remember. It was 3:00 a.m. to my body and I had only slept a few hours on the plane. However, when the train stopped, we got off and found our way to a taxi stand.

We found one, hopped in, and took off toward our hotel in the midst of morning traffic in Rome. I know the extreme lack of space, crazy traffic circles, and old buildings are a staple of Europe and always a little difficult to adjust to as an American, but all of that on top of little sleep and seeing your sister for the first time in 7 months was a bit overwhelming. All I could do was put my complete faith in a taxi driver who admitted that he knew very little English. However, the fact that he could tell us that he knew little English was far more than we could have done in Italian so we took that as a plus.

The hotel was around the corner, a nice little place with an open lift and a winding spiral staircase that would have been elegant with a little more space. It may have also been a little more charming had we not arrived with a protest taking place outside our door. I later discovered that we may have been staying next to the Ministry of Finance in Rome, which if you follow any European economics, you may know that Italy is close to having some financial troubles similar to Greece and... well... the United States.

At any rate, we managed to find our room, unload our stuff, change our (read my) stinky clothes, and take off for the day. With Rome at our fingertips it was really a matter of where we wanted to go and figuring out how to get there. So, we looked at the amazing landmarks and decided to do a little walk over to the Vatican, hitting as many other places as we felt appropriate.

Our first walk in Rome was met with honks, screaming vespas, and tons of bikes and pedestrians on narrow roads. In fact, it was a lot like the rest of Europe. My sister commented that unlike others she saw from the States, I was not in complete awe of the norm. I really had no answer to this. I suppose it was still surreal to me that I was in Europe and in, of

all places, Rome, but I wasn't overwhelmed by the new surroundings. I had been to Europe and I was more excited to see my sister and catch up than anything else.

As we walked we passed all kinds of places and chatted about the latest happenings in my life. I had some new developments at work, Mom and Dad were doing well, and Andrea had completed a few trips to France, and Spain before flying to Rome to meet me. We very suddenly, as you do in Rome, appeared in a piazza with an obelisk and some building of importance. And after a few more steps, we turned a corner and ran smack into Trevi Fountain, one of Bernini's most famous fountains filled with grandeur, awe, and lots and lots of tourists.

It was here that we saw some artwork on the street. The artwork was nice, framed in simple mattes, but still nice to look at. The artist told us he had painted the works and we leafed through the artwork to find a purchase. Mistake number one of travel. Never purchase the first thing you see. First off, you have to carry it with you the rest of the day. And when that day is the first day of travel, you have to c

arry it with you the rest of the trip. Secondly, we were told the paintings were one of a kind. Naturally, we were duped. After we enjoyed Trevi Fountain in all its elegance, we turned the corner to find more of the 'one-of-a-kind' paintings.

To satisfy our appetite and escape the throngs of people, we found a pizza place on the corner and chowed down on some delicious pizza before setting off across Rome. By this time, the sun had returned and the temperature was rising. Both of us had thrown on jeans and the sweat immediately began to pour. It ain't pretty, but it happened a lot on this trip. We wandered around until we ran into the Pantheon, which according to Tom Hanks in 'Angels and Demons' is the oldest Catholic church in Rome. It's old, that's for sure, but incredibly well-kept.

As far as Rome goes, I think the Pantheon was my favorite place. The piazza was filled with restaurants and the church itself was incredibly impressive. Once again, despite the size of the relic, it really does sneak out from behind the corner when you're approaching.

We saw the occulus and Raphael's tomb and once again escaped the crowds of people coming in. We continued our trek across Rome, wandering by accident to Piazza Novana, home to

Bernini's Four Rivers fountain and another lovely piazza filled with restaurants and tourists. We finally turned North toward the river and wandered once again until we found a bridge to cross the mighty Tiber and venture toward Vatican City.

We passed Castel St Angelo and began the walk up to St. Peter's Square and the basilica. After doing some reading, I learned that the reason there is a gigantic boulevard leading to the

square is because of this guy named Moussilini, not sure if you've heard of him. Yeah, the facist dictator. Yeah, he made this grand entrance to the Vatican which is indeed impressive, but not quite as impressive as the original design that organized the crazy roads surrounding the square. Nevertheless, I found the walk to the Vatican slightly breathtaking despite my lack of loyalty to Catholicism.

We walked around the square absorbing the humbling power of the columns surrounding us an

d admiring the obelisk in the center. Eventually, we decided to wait in line to go inside the Basilica. Thus began the next difference between America and Europe. When we arrived at the metal detectors we barely stripped down or emptied our pockets, both set off the metal detector, and yet no one batted an eye. In fact, I'm pretty sure we were wished a good day. Atany rate, we got some good pictures of St. Peter's Square and in turn the inside of the Basilica. Again, I'm not Catholic, but that place is certainly impressive to the max.

We ended our day with a gelato and a walk back to the hotel where we found a little bit of dinner, some excellent pasta (what else?), and turned in early for the long day of traveling. I'm told I snored (which I do heavily when I'm really tired)

, but I must say I felt incredibly well- rested the next morning. I was so tired I could barely comprehend that I was indeed in Europe for the next two weeks.