Rome- Day one and two
Rome
We arrived a few minutes late to the airport. Got about 4 hours of sleep on the plane. I did take an Advil PM and tried my best, and I feel like I can uaully sleep fast and anywhere. It is just not comfortable sleeping on a plane. PERIOD.
We arrived and were taken straight from the tarmac to customs via bus. Going through customs was a breeze, it literally took maybe 3 minutes and we never stopped walking until we got to the officer.
From there we walked and walked and walked to get to the baggage. (There is a restroom, but it will be a few minutes (like 15-20) before you can get to it so if you remotely feel the urge go on the plane before you land!)
We did not check bags so we did not have to wait on luggage, I have no idea how long that takes. We did stop quickly aat an ATM to get about 100eros to have, but we did not take a lot out there as the exchange rates were terrible! (more on ATM’s in another blog)
You can take a white taxi for a fixed fee from the airport, I had arranged a driver through our hotel for ease and I knew we would be exhausted and delirious and having a driver was worth the extra 15eros to me!
Good to have a driver meet us at the airport Bella was her name and she drove like Mario Andretti:). She took us to the Elle Boutique hotel. Alexandrea was the receptionist and very nice and helpful. We were able to check in at 11 am and Jack took a shower. Elle Boutique Hotel is literally right outside the Vatican City Wall. (More on the Elle Boutique Hotel here.) We fought the urge to go to sleep and we set out on foot to sightsee. Google Maps were our friend all over Europe!
Elle Boutique Hotel
Via della Stazione Vaticana, n1
00165 Roma, Italia
+39 0645434591
We went by St Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican and made our way to a little bar for lunch. In Italy bars are not what they are in the states. A bar is where to you to get a coffee or quick bite to eat. If you sit and they serve you, you will pay a service fee, if you order and take it with you, no service fee. Tipping in Italy is different than in the states. I will add more on this is in a separate tips and tricks post! We had a panini (made to order) and made our way to the Spanish fort. Our plan was to walk and see everything we could in the shortest amount of time. We only had one day to see the highlights before we joined the cruise ship the next day after lunch. We went to the Pantheon, the Piazza Novna, Trevi fountain and then on to the Spanish steps. At the fountain we made our way to the water took some photos and threw a coin in over our left shoulder. (They say if you throw a coin over your left shoulder you will one day return to Rome), it was quite crowded but, if you are patient, you can make your way to the front and take a photo and throw your coin. We walked on to the Spanish Steps, and then took to the top of the steps. At the very top was a church with amazing views of the city. Then we started the trek to the Coliseum and the Roman Forum. We had an appointment at 2:00 originally but got an email stating it the time had been moved to 4:00. We finally found our way to the tourist office (it wasn’t easy to find, it was in a small little shop with a black banner on the outside) and got our tickets to the Roman Forum and Coliseum and we were informed that we could not go into the actual Coliseum until 6:00. We had to wait until a film started at 4:00 before the could go into the Forum, after the movie we were on our own to find our way back to the entrance to The Roman Forum, with zero instruction from the tour office. We found our way back to the entrance and walked around for about an hour. We didn’t make it inside the Coliseum, we were far too tired and hungry to begin a tour at 6:00 that would take approx 2 hours. We hailed a taxi and got a ride back to the Vatican, we simply could not walk back, we were past exhausted. From there we “death marched” as Jack called it to a dinner spot near the hotel and ate pizza and pasta and had much needed drinks. We made it back to the hotel around 7:15 and were asleep by 7:45! We had been up 38 hours and walked 24,000 steps!
Day Two- Vatican City
The second day was much easier day. Thanks to the Time Shifter app- more in tips and tricks post. We got up and had a wonderful breakfast at the Elle Boutique Hotel and then went up and packed and got ready for the day. We left our luggage at the hotel with the front desk and made our way back to Vatican City and eventually around to the Vatican museum.
Tip: Make your way through the Piazza and through the archway on the afr right hand side. Follow the wall all the way around. If you think you are there, you are not, keep going! You will walk past hundreds and hundreds of people in line, waiting to get into the Vatican Museum. (That is where you are going- not “The Vatican”. You will turn left and continue to walk on the outside of those waiting in line. Once you get there go to the middle section under the tent and show them your ticket on your phone. You will then go in and go through security. You will feel like this is all a line, it is not, it is different tour groups getting back together after security, by pass them all! Proceed up the steps and keep going.. you will go all the way to the top and that is where the entrance is.
(buy the skip the line tickets!) we entered the museum around 8:45 and we rushed through thinking we wouldn’t have time. We should have taken a bit more time. The groups were a pain to work around.
The magic, the wonder, the artifacts, the art, the sculpture, the tapseries, AMAZING! You could spend an entire day going through the museum. They do not allow you to stay in the Sistine Chapel very long, there are benches along the sides and you can sit and look up. We were lucky enough to enough to be there for a blessing. You are not allowed to photograph inside or speak. They are quite strict on this.
Tip: It was not a problem for us because we were dressed appropriately, but you have to have your knees and shoulders covered. I wore a black maxi dress and tennis shoes and Jack wore long pants and long sleeve pull over. Not hats.
Keep your eyes open, we even saw friends from high school/college was we walked inside the chapel.
Once finished with the chapel there is still plenty of museum to see. again don’t rush it! I feel like we were there to see the Sistine Chapel, and while it is absolutely like nothing I have ever seen before, I do wish I had taken more time to look at everything surrounding me! I am a matisse fan and was so excited to see some of his original pieces there.
Wew had an appointment at noon that day so we didn’t spend the day there, we should have. Don’t make the same mistake we did. Plan the time, you are there.
