Return from Rome

It has been pointed out to me (very kindly) by some that my emails are
causing some symptoms of envy, jealousy, whistfulness, travel
sickness, and loneliness. Sorry about that - but not sorry enough to
stop emailing you and letting you know what we are up to!

We have just returned from four days in Rome which were, for the most
part, absolutely amazing. The first day was pouring rain and a bit
miserable - we had been up at 5am in order to get to the airport in
time, so we had very tired and grumpy teenagers on top of the fact
that it was raining. We attempted to walk around some of the roman
ruins, but gave it up as a bad joke at 3pm and returned to our
apartment. Perhaps I had better back-track slightly....

The arrival at the airport was at 7am, and the first symptom of the
fact that italians mess around a bit and are not very organised was
the fact that we got off the plane, got on a bus and drove a grand
total of 100m to get into the terminal! I mean, seriously, we could
have walked that in less much less time and not even got wet! Second
symptom of italian efficiency was the breakdown of the baggage
carousel - not once, but three times, after which the man supervising
had to climb over the carousel to start throwing the suitcases down to
passengers, as they were all jammed in the opening and piling up on
top of each other! The trip from the airport meant taking a bus (good
value at $1 euro each plus $1 euro for the suitcase) and then the
metro (again $1 euro each). It took about half an hour to get to the
stop we wanted, then we walked the long way (in the rain) to the hotel
due to some navigational errors and lack of GPS which we have enjoyed
using in Geneva!

The hotel was amazing - less than 150 metres from the colosseum and
fantastic service. Our apartment was separate from the hotel, about a
5 minute walk, but they called a taxi and not only paid for it to take
us there, but also sent one of the receptionists to escort us, then
sent the suitcase separately! The apartment was great - just a regular
apartment in a narrow street - but very nicely renovated and very
clean and warm. We had a small kitchen, bedroom, bathroom (including
bidet...which we did not bother to try!) and lounge area. The children
shared a sofa bed, but it meant we could have meals in the apartment,
which was good since it rained so much on the first day that we didn't
venture far. There was a pizza shop two doors down, and indian
takeaway opposite, minimarket and bakery all within 10 metres of our
front door!

The second day dawned bright and sunny, so we caught the metro to the
vatican which was fantastic. The sistine chapel was absolutely amazing
- but we all had sore necks and backs because we spent the whole day
walking around looking at ceilings! That guy Michelangelo sure knew
what he was doing, and had more than his share of talent! We also saw
the Raphael rooms, which were equally magnificent. After lunch we
climbed 320 steps (after taking the lift) to get to the top of St
Peter's basilica which was well worth the effort. The staircase was
not only extremely narrow but the walls curved inwards, so you felt
very claustrophobic by the end of the climb. The views from the top of
the whole of Rome were fantastic, and we were amazed that the weather
was very warm up there and we could strip down to t-shirts!

After leaving the vatican we went to see the spanish steps, the Trevi
fountain and the pantheon, all of which were equally amazing and
beautiful. At the top of the spanish steps were lots of artists
selling their wares, especially watercolours which were lovely. At the
bottom, were all the very expensive shops such as Prada, Gucci, Armani
and Dolce and Gabanna. Could not afford to do more than look in the
windows there!

The pantheon is an ancient temple that is now a church/national
monument, and houses the tomb of Raphael and other famous people such
as Vittorio Emmuel, the first King of modern italy. The roof is open
to the sky - a big hole in it - so I'm glad we didn't go there on a
rainy day. The marble floors have special drainage holes in them to
drain away the water in bad weather. More fantastic artwork.

Italy is the city of steps - built on 7 hills it is very difficult to
go anywhere without climbing. The streets are narrow and paved, which
is hard on the feet so no wonder there are so many shoe shops in Rome!

Day three we had breakfast at the hotel on a balcony overlooking the
Colosseum - great view to have while you enjoy a full breakfast
buffet! Then we visited the Colosseum - a truly amazing structure that
is so huge you can't help being speechless when you first see it. The
romans were not only fantastic engineers, but they must also have been
bloody amazing labourers. How on earth they got stone so high and made
it stay upright without cranes and our modern tools is beyond belief!
We also visited the Palatine, and the Roman Forum, Trajan's markets
and so many other roman ruins and buildings I can't list them all.

In the evenings we walked a lot, exploring tiny narrow streets and
enjoying the scenery. There are 'ristorantes' everywhere, so a good
pasta/pizza meal can be found very cheaply and the quality is
excellent.

Unfortunately the splendour of the Roman ruins and buildings is
somewhat reduced by being crowded by newer buildings and busy streets.
It is hard to stand back far enough to appreciate their magnificence.
The streets are so busy - cars everywhere, horns and sirens blaring
continuously. Crossing the road is taking your life into your own
hands - after the first day we realised that you don't bother watching
for the gaps in traffic (because there are none!) - you just shut your
eyes, step out confidently into the road and pray until you reach the
other side safely. Most motorists stop at the very last minute -
terrifying - but they aparently have a good record and accidents
involving pedestrians are quite rare.

There are so many different police in Rome you can't keep track of
them all. Each type has a different uniform, and different function.

I am being harrassed for the computer because everyone else wants to
update friends and four days absence from the internet is too much for
teenagers. I will have to leave it there, and give you more detail
(for those of you who are not bored to death by now!) later.

Thankyou to those who replied to my last email - it was great to hear
news from home and find out how you spent Christmas/New Year. We are
missing you all, but are also having a great time.

love,
Juliane