September 15th - Roma, Italy

September 15, 2006
Roma, Italy

When I got up this morning (9:00) I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was sunny outside! After taking a quick shower and eating a few croissants, I headed down to buy my ticket for the 10:00 shuttle. In an unfortunate turn of events, the public transportation service of Roma was on strike today. This meant that everyone staying at the campsite had to use the shuttle if they wanted to get into town. I was lucky and got the last ticket for the 11:00 bus. I was even luckier in that I was able to sneak onto the 10:00 bus. The Bastons were running a little slow and did not make the bus so I had the day to myself.

The only place the shuttle stops is at Vatican City. And, since public transport was not in effect today, I had to walk across Rome. As I walked by the entry to the Vatican Museum I was shocked at how long the line was. I have never seen so many people waiting in a line in my entire life (not even for Star Wars!). They curled around several city blocks and almost all the way to St. Peters Basilica.

After taking a few pictures of the area (since yesterday was raining), I made my way down the street to Castle S. Angelo. I chose not to pay the entry fee and instead examined the castle from the nearby bridge.

I then crossed the Tiber and headed for the Piazza Venezia (and the Altare Della Patria). It was an absurdly cool area. There were a lot of stairs leading up to a really cool white building with awesome statues on the top. I was mesmerized!

Once I left the area I was in the ancient roman quarter. The area was covered with really cool ruins and the Coliseum was visible just ahead. I examined some of the remains as I made my way to the ancient stadium.

The Coliseum was absolutely incredible. It is something I have wanted to see for a very long time and it lived up my expectations. I circled around the structure and then got in the long line to go inside. The inside was just as cool as the outside. I explored every part of the amphitheatre to which the public is allowed.


After going completely picture crazy at the Coliseum I made my way through several more blocks of roman ruins. On the way I ran into the Bastons, the Canadian Girls, and Tom Storm. I chatted with them for a few minutes before heading for the Trevi Fountain. The plaza surrounding the fountain was ridiculously crowded. I squeezed my way through the throngs of people and got a nice seat near the water. After snapping a few photographs I escaped to a less crowded part of the city.

My next stop was the Pantheon. It is regarded as the highest achievement in ancient roman architecture and the most well preserved of the ancient buildings. It’s a cool looking building with a hole in the very center. Since it was raining last night the center of the marble floor was roped off because it was very wet. The Pantheon was cool, but I was a little let down.

From there I headed to Piazza Navona. The piazza is home to several very cool water fountains and many shops. I cruised the district for a few minutes and then headed to an area called Piazza Augusto (I thought it would have something to do with the famous emperor).

Regrettably, it was kind of a ghetto area and I continued on my way to Trinita dei Monti. On the way I passed a large shopping district and numerous cafés. The stairs and fountain at Trinita dei Monti were very cool. I hung out for a while before heading back toward the shuttle stop.

It was a long walk back and on the way I again went by the Castle and St. Peters. By the time I made it to the shuttle stop I was exhausted. I sat there and chilled out until the shuttle came and picked me up.