Tips for Rome - Part 2

I can't remember where I left off, and I'm too lazy to check, so we will call this the second set of tips and start over at one. I have lots going on this week, so I need to finish up Rome and move on to the next big thing. Here we go...

Tip #1: You can rent bikes on the Appian Way!
Mike had planned on running every morning that we were in Rome, but he kept sleeping in every day. That is so unusual for him, but he has been working so hard in London. This trip came at the perfect time to give him a little break. Anyway, on the third day he finally got up early (sounds similar to the resurrection!), and went on his run along the Appian Way. I didn't care much about missing out until I saw the pictures...

Wait a minute! What is the Appian Way exactly? And why did you assume we wouldn't want to go?? And THEN Mike told me that he found out along the way that you can rent bikes. Dang it! That would have been a lot of fun, especially on that sunny day. But we didn't know. Oh well. :(

So, Mike set off on his run and was really enjoying himself. He emailed me saying that he would be longer, and would it be alright if he didn't come back until noon. Sure! No problem! We're used to his long runs by now, and we didn't have any big plans. So, Mike ended up doing his own marathon along the Appian Way and back. He absolutely loved it.

Tip #2: Rome is not in France!

We walked by the door to the 'Garden Solarium' every day as we walked down the stairs in the hotel. And every day someone in our party was sure to remind us that NUDISM is NOT ALLOWED! Too funny.

Tip #3: Don't be stupid

Our third full day in Rome was the day that I had been looking forward to, the day when we would walk around the city to see the fountains and churches and other landmarks. There is so much to see! And it was finally sunny and warm which was a huge bonus.

I love the Spanish Steps! Don't you? As you can see, they are a popular stop.

But what ARE the Spanish Steps? This is what Michael asked me...

My reply: "Um... They're the Spanish Steps! I don't know!" He wasn't impressed with that. In fact it really bothered him. And I felt stupid! If you have someone with you who likes to be informed, DO YOUR RESEARCH. You won't look and feel stupid, and you will have happy travelers. 

Mike and the boys are at the top. Can you see them? Haha

Seeing the Trevi Fountain was a different experience this time

as it is going through a major cleaning. Kind of cool to see it up close!

Michael was slowly falling apart as the day went on. I don't know if he was just

grumpy that day, or seriously disappointed with our lack of background knowledge.

I enjoyed walking through the narrow streets with all of the shops, but Michael was annoyed the entire time. Mike scoped out a cheese shop - That man loves his cheese!

The Pantheon was the final straw for Michael. He was under the assumption that there would be statues of Greek Gods inside. Well, there were... 1200 years ago. Yeah, so the building was given by the current ruler of Rome to the pope who got rid of those "demons" and installed Catholic Martyrs in their place.

Oh, poor Michael. So sad.

It is super impressive though. On Wikipedia it says that the Pantheon was commissioned by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus (27 BC - 14 AD) and rebuilt by the emperor Hadrian about 126 AD. Dang! The Pantheon is one of the best-preserved of all Ancient Roman buildings, and its dome is the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome.

Tip #4: Visit the Cat Sanctuary

In an effort to rejuvenate Michael, we decided to walk over to Largo di Torre Argentina where Julius Caesar was believed to be killed. We had seen a few cats there from the bus when we drove by, so we thought Michael might perk up if we saw a few of them again.

We saw two or three cats at first ... Oh, wait! Four ... Five ... Six! As we made our way around the square, Mike and the boys were counting more and more cats. At one point Mike said he was up to 16. I was thinking, "Yeah, right..."

But then I remembered Mike's sister telling us to look for the cat sanctuary...Oh my gosh, maybe this is it! Lo and behold, THIS WAS IT.

When I say that Michael needs cat therapy, I really mean that he needs cat therapy. He gets

these happy endorphins running through his body that make all the difference in the world!

This sanctuary is a place for cute little kittens, but also for cats who have health issues and other physical problems. There were many cats with handicaps mostly caused by accidents. And all of their care is funded by tourists!

We noticed this sign explaining how you can adopt a cat at a distance. How cool is that? Michael adopted Brutus for 6 months.

Brutus is a sweet little guy who is deaf and blind. 

He loved Michael petting him!

We went back our last day to visit Brutus, and this was when I shot

the video. After Michael finished petting him, Brutus curled up with

his blind friend Stevie Wonder (not to be confused with Ray Charles).

So sweet!

This cool kitty sitting by the door BOTH days was just waiting for someone to love him! His personality reminded us of our own Cody Cat.

Tip #5: Soak it all in!

Ok, I admit it... these tips are just silly things I'm making up as I go. I ran out of ideas for these last pictures... But seriously, soak it all in! This was a gorgeous day, and we walked until our feet could walk no more.

The Castel Sant'Angelo was our last stop on the last day.

Tip #6: Get a cheap flight, and carry on your bags.

We flew From London to Rome on a budget airlines called easyJet. It was so cheap! It's one of those airlines that charges you for everything, even to reserve a seat! We didn't fall for any of that though. And we all sat together anyway. I thought it was a very nice airline, and am flying with them again this week.

One good thing to know is that the carry on bag allowance can be a bit smaller on European flights. Our carry ons are just a tad too big. And they were going to charge £30 each way to check in a bag. That's an extra $100 each. No way! So I went on Amazon and ordered these little bags for Mike and I. The boys used their backpacks. I had originally wanted the plum colored bag, but it disappeared when I ordered them, and I got the crazy floral bag instead. It makes me laugh, and I almost kept it, but I just ordered the plum one (which magically reappeared) and will return the floral one. They were only $20 each. What a steal! I have another little carry on that will work for our other trips, so I am going to give that one to Matthew as the backpack wasn't quite big enough for him.

There are lots of great museums and so much more to do in Rome, so don't limit yourself to what you've read here. We could have stayed a week! But what we did was perfect for us, and we loved it.

THE END. For real this time.

Darren and Carrie are here this week, and we have all sorts of fun things in store. Stay tuned!

Tips for Rome - Part 1

I would say that our trip to Rome was a success! There are a few things I wish I had known ahead of time, but overall we did really well for not planning a thing in advance. That is so not like me! But for some reason I was very busy and never took the time. I wasn't too concerned since we had been to Rome before (16 yrs ago!), and we had four days there. Now that we have been a second time, here are my tips (some of which aren't necessarily Rome-related, but good tips for going anywhere)...

Tip #1: Get a budget hotel
We wanted to be in the city, right in the middle of things, but didn't want to pay a lot. Maybe you would want to splurge if you are going for an anniversary or romantic vacation with your special someone, but our purpose was to see the city. I took a risk and got a super cheap hotel so that we could have a good location. Be sure to read Trip Advisor reviews. They never steer you wrong! We only paid $100/night for a room with a double bed and two singles. It was quiet and clean. Except for that one night when a group of guys were walking up the stairs outside of our room and the one guy couldn't stop laughing, and the more the other guy shushed him, the harder he laughed, and then I started laughing because he couldn't stop laughing. So that was ok. :)

The staff was super nice and helpful, and our view wasn't so bad! We loved the location.




The double bed was in this little alcove I called the Love Cave, just because I'm silly. The bed was super hard, and I slept pinned against the wall, but it didn't bother me. It was cheap!

The boys had their own little area which was nice.

Tip #2: Don't let the rain hold you back
We arrived in Rome on the most miserable day! It was rainy and cold the first 2 1/2 days. ICK. But thanks to the annoying vendors, we bought a couple of "ombrellis" for €5 each.

This (shown above and below) is the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore which was literally down the street from our hotel. So big inside. And beautiful! The ceiling is gilded with gold brought by Christopher Columbus which was given to the Spanish pope Alexander VI by Ferdinand and Isabella. Wow!

Tip #3: Tell your friends where you are going!
This one obviously applies to any trip. I said something about going to Rome on Facebook, and Mike's good friend messaged me saying he and his wife were going to Rome too and our trips overlapped by one day. CRAZY! So we met them at Santa Maria Maggiore. :)

Mike grew up with Paul, and remained best friends.

We hadn't seen Paul and Dena in 7 years!

So funny that we met up in Rome.

We had some great laughs over gelato (so yummy!)

Tip #4: Get a "Skip the Line" pass
We arrived on Sunday afternoon with no plans whatsoever. That night Mike said, "Hey, I wonder if there is some kind of Rome City pass?" We looked online and bought the first one we found. It was €88 each for 3 days. I calculated what we used it for once we got home, and I think we would have spent €88 exactly without the passes, but it was so worth it! We got the Roma Pass for museums and public transportation; and the Omnia pass to skip the line at St. Peter's and the Vatican Museum, and the hop-on/hop-off bus tour.

St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City was INSANE. As you are walking towards it, people are harassing you left and right to buy tours and "skip the line" passes. It really is unpleasant. And then there were so many people. They say waiting in the line to get into St. Peter's can take 1-2 hours.

There was some confusion involved in getting our passes and joining up with a group, but

once we did it was awesome. They take you in a group completely past the line. So worth it!

The inside of the basilica is amazing. So awesome.

I loved the bees here. It reminded me of Utah's beehive. :)

Mike could not wait to rub St. Peter's toe. It's a real thing!

People wait in line to rub the toe. So ridiculous... But the boys were happy.

Skipping the line for the Vatican Museums... Awesome! Those people on the left were standing and waiting, and we were walking right past them.


Tip #5: The Sistine Chapel is a small part of the Vatican Museums
Sure, most people go mainly to see the Sistine Chapel. But don't go just for that. First of all, they make you walk through miles of museums before you even get to the Sistine Chapel. And once you get there it is pretty amazing, but then you leave and that's it. So, enjoy the rest of the museums!

We thought this Persian Warrior was pretty amazing.

But my favorite was the maps hall. It was longer than a 

football field, and had painted maps all along the walls.

More cool stuff ...

I still want a mosaic floor!

The Thinker!

Oh, and you can't take pictures in the Sistine Chapel. So, yeah ....

Tip #6: Rome is basically cash based.

Where did they accept anything other than cash?? Like NOWHERE. Even the machines in the metro only accepted cash! And if your total was under €10, it wouldn't accept a €20 note which was frustrating because we had to go back up to the street to find change. Thank goodness we got those Roma Passes. But, yeah, take out cash and get lots of it because you will be using it up. Mike was always stressed out about using all of his money!

Tip #7: Pay attention to your surroundings.

Ok, I realize this is good advice for every day living. 

Because you never know when you will come across 

a random lemon tree in the middle of a city...

...with a huge lemon growing on it.

Tip #8: Don't be afraid of the Metro.

Even though it seems totally ghetto, it's actually very safe. 

And it's a great way to get to certain places.

I thought the red line was ghetto...

...Until we rode the blue line!

Mike's face says, "Toto, we're not in London anymore!"

What the heck? I was speechless! NOT what I was expecting.

Tip #9: Do a tour at the Colosseum. 

              (and book the underground tour WAY in advance)

We had been there before, but I had forgotten. I really thought there would be little things you could read. But there was nothing! If you don't do a tour, at least get the audio guide. I think it would have been worth it. We thought the underground tour would have been AWESOME, but that was booked until July. Sigh...

The Colosseum is AMAZING.

(this picture is from our last day when we came back

to simply steep in the awesomeness of this place)

The boys were very into the 'thumbs up' or 'thumbs down' thing.

Thumbs up = Let him live!!!

Thumbs down = Kill him!!! *gasp*

The Arch of Constantine

Another Arch

Tip #10: Enjoy the Palatine Hill & Roman Forum.

The first time I went there with Mike, I thought it was SO BORING. And maybe it was still boring, but this time I decided to make the most of it. Just walking around and enjoying nature was nice. And they reward you at the top of Palatine Hill with this nice little museum. (There is a hidden bathroom on the main floor to the side. Not marked. But it's there.)

Mike was fascinated with the folds in the dress. Fascinated!

I loved these sections of the original walls.

What a cute little guy! I wonder who he was.

It must be so pretty in spring! We probably missed it by a few weeks.

Oh my gosh. Stop rubbing that toe! Weirdos.

Gorgeous view of the Roman Forum. 

Our Roma Pass got us into the Colosseum, 

Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum for free.

Tip #11: Don't take picture ops so seriously.

This applies to any situation - When someone asks you to pose for too many pictures, it's ok to get a little silly. Even when they continue to say, "Ok, now this is a serious one ... Come on, now. Real smiles!"

Tip #12: Ride the Hop On/Hop Off Bus!

We never would have done this if we didn't get the Omnia Pass, but we were so glad we did! The bus was the perfect way to get an overview of the city. It doesn't take too long to go all the way around (way shorter than the London tour). And if you have 3-day passes, it's also a great way to get from point A to point B in certain situations.

There are many different buses. Ours was good, but there might have been a better one. At any rate, it's a good way to see the city!

This was our first day riding the bus. (raining with the top on)

And another day. (sunny and beautiful!)

Tip #13: EAT PIZZA

We ate so much pizza!!! The one on the left was on our first day. Funny coloring in the photo... It wasn't anything spectacular, but still so good.

This next one was another day:

Mike got this nasty "pizza basket" that I don't think he would recommend. It wasn't really gross, but it was weird. Filled with chicken. Why did he think he would like that?

We really didn't know what we were doing until we went to Pinsere.

HEAVEN IN A PIZZA

Words cannot describe... There is a reason this is #7 on Trip Advisor!

We tried another place on Trip Advisor, but it wasn't so great. 

Pinsere was so good that we came back the next day!

It's small and crazy, but the people are so nice. We loved it!

Tip #14: EAT GELATO
I didn't think I could get sick of gelato, but we did actually reach a limit. I think we took one day off. LOL. (and, yes, i ate lots of gelato and pizza in rome. and didn't gain an ounce. so, HA!)

Paul & Dena introduced us to this place next to their hotel.

It was truly the best! So many flavors.

THE END (until i do my other Rome post with more tips)

Oh! And I can't leave out Lauren! While we were away, Lauren was on spring break. She choose to participate in Alternative Spring Break with the university again, and this year she was selected to go to Puerto Rico to help the Boys and Girls Club. Lucky her!

I saw this Facebook post while we were in Rome:

Hey! That's Lauren!
It looks like she had a wonderful time.