Rome (May 18-19 2005)

As a result of the stop off in Florence, we had a serious mission ahead of us: 24 hours to tour Rome. It was ridiculous to keep such a tight schedule, but we did need to be in Barcelona by the time our flight left...

"It couldn't be done," it was said, "Rome wasn't seen in a day." But by this point in our travels, we had really refined our appreciation skills and could soak in the sights and culture whilst walking a brisk 8 km/h.

The first thing I see when we arrive at the train station? The new location of Mr. Panino.



We made a beeline for the ancient ruins, and along the way found out it was museum week or something. Pretty much every major site had free admission. There's a video & story that goes along with this at the end of this post.



Omg, Ronald Weasley! And he's trapped!



You may have to click to put it into context



La Bocca della Verità, the "mouth of truth", has a rich history that was unknown to us at the time of this photo. For all we knew, this was a bizarre Roman marriage ceremony. However, everyone in line was putting their hands in the mouth so...when in Rome...




The Palazzo Venezia is about as grand as they come.





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The next day we awoke bright and early after an uneventful night on the town to head to the Vatican. The Sistine Chapel was the highlight of the tour, but you weren't allowed to take photos inside. Weren't allowed to, but the endless stream of covert photographers didn't seem to care. You'd think the Vatican would develop a better system than just the plaintive cries of a security guard. The ceiling was amazing, especially considering the other Ninja Turtles didn't even help with this one.




St. Peter's Square and Basilica



The guides all warned of gangs of Roma people, especially children, that would swarm and rob people. Never saw anything remotely like that, and in fact the only time we saw any Roma was outside the Vatican. We saw these two kids playing music for the patrons of this restaurant (not as employees mind you, but freelancing). Later as we were leaving, I saw the little girl again with her family. It was an odd sight, and an almost unimaginable life. I didn't expect to see children this young, evidently not in school during the weekdays, raising money for the family. There's a lesson in there somewhere...






Finally, here are some random shots, and more swank signs.

If you have to ask...



Super happy fun slide?



Blurry, but the subways in Rome do not allow a thumbs up. Ever.



Back to the free admission story; The coliseum and surrounding areas were free, but the Roman Forum was only free for EU nationals. We walk up to the ticket office to pay and the following conversation transpires:

Attendant: What nationality are you?
Paul: Canadian
Attendant: Okay, British
Paul: Nope! Canadian!
Me: Quiet you...

A very nice gesture almost thwarted by Paul's inability to detect a freebie coming our way.

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About the post office reference in the video...In Florence, I forgot to give back the keys at the hostel we stayed at. (and as a further aside, the hostel owner was very nice, and let us in later than she normally would have and gave us a deal on the room). So we called her up from Rome, and I ended up mailing it from the Vatican.

about Italy, from Canada