Blogging Around the World Rome

7/30/2019 Blogging Around the World Rome

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Blogging AroundThe WorldCover Design: Cara WilliamsCover Design: Cara WilliamsCover Design: Cara WilliamsCover Design: Cara WilliamsPhotography: Cara WilliamsPhotography: Cara WilliamsPhotography: Cara WilliamsPhotography: Cara Williams

Copyright 2006Copyright 2006Copyright 2006Copyright 2006 by Cara Williamsby Cara Williamsby Cara Williamsby Cara WilliamsAll rights reservedAll rights reservedAll rights reservedAll rights reserved

By Cara WilliamsBy Cara WilliamsBy Cara WilliamsBy Cara Williams


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CONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTS

Chapter 1:Chapter 1:Chapter 1:Chapter 1: Parsnips in the Bathroom!?Parsnips in the Bathroom!?Parsnips in the Bathroom!?Parsnips in the Bathroom!? 3333

Chapter 2:Chapter 2:Chapter 2:Chapter 2: TTTThhhhe Vaticane Vaticane Vaticane Vatican 5555

Chapter 3:Chapter 3:Chapter 3:Chapter 3: SSSSpanish Stepspanish Stepspanish Stepspanish Steps 7777

Chapter 4:Chapter 4:Chapter 4:Chapter 4: CCCColiseumoliseumoliseumoliseum 8888

Chapter 5:Chapter 5:Chapter 5:Chapter 5: HHHHome!ome!ome!ome! 8888


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CCCChapterhapterhapterhapter 1111

5th January 2007

Well I managed to escape from work at 3.45pm after a lot of suckingup to my boss and my mum picked me up in more than enough timeto get to the airport and check in twice. We got ataxi to the airport at 4.30pm ready for our 6.40pmflight. A bit extreme you may think, but my motherbelieves in getting everywhere four hours ahead

of time. We got there at 5.10 (in record time) thiswas great for me as I will only fly if Im extremelydrunk and arriving there four hours early meant Icould start early.

I ended up buying a cute little Fat Face handbagat the airport thanks to my sister who encouragedit. In case you were interested, it was 9.25 reduced from 22.50 bargain!

We had pre boarded online and had lovely

colourful printed passes, but as we went to getthrough check in they couldnt scan the passesin so we had to go back to check in and do itthe traditional way which annoyed me. I tookmy anger out on the lady who served us andshe didnt like it. We got through security to findout mum wasnt with us because her bagwouldnt fit in the compartment so all ourrushing to the airport was pointless as we had towait ages for her anyway!

Anyway, I was very drunk on boarding (as per usual) and was in goodspiritsI decided part way through the flight that I wanted to go intothe cockpit I told the stewardess so and she politely said no but saidthe pilot would come and talk to me later. I forgot this and proceededto drink more until the stewardess came and told me el Capitan waswaiting for meI went and asked him about various things but the onlything I remember him saying was that 90% of the flight is controlled bythe auto pilot and the pilots are only there to take control if something


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goes wrong. This didnt instil me with too much confidence! He alsosaid that turbulence was unavoidable and could happen at any point.Well, that wasnt the answer I was hoping for.

As we landed, the stewardess reappeared and said I could go into thecockpit and speak to the pilots again, which Idid and dragged my little sister with me. Allthe flashing lights were lovely, but before Icould ask what each one did, I was usheredout as I had been there for 20 minutes.

So we left the airport in a private mini bus withanother couple and were charged 60 Euroswhich we later learnt was extortionate itshould have been 40e at the most. No wonder he gave each of us abusiness card and pleaded with us to call him on our return toFiumicino Airport on Sunday!

The bus took about an hour to get from the airport to our two starHotel Baltic. It was convenient as it was close to Termini Metro Station,which is the main Metro to and from the airport. It was also nearRepubblica Station, which took us to all the tourist sights.

The Hotel was fine, apart from the fact that Iwas convinced there was a parsnip in thebathroom. (I later found out it was anexperimental home made soap Christmaspresent from mums Goddaughter).

We had en suite rooms and breakfast in themorning (rolls, croissants, tea and juice).


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Chapter 2

6th January 2007

We got up at 7am this morning! (and I thought holidays were meant tobe relaxing!) We had breakfast and headed to Repubblica, got ourtickets (4 euros gets you a days travel card up until midnight of the dayof purchase) and went to Ottaviano Station (which took us to St. PetersChurch). We got in a queue to get in, which took about 20 minutes toget through. After airport style security checks, we got in (just). Theplace was packed to the point where you couldnt move, but thebuilding was still breathtaking. Ornate, high ceilings and beautifullydecorated walls. We were lucky enough to be inside while Mass started

and the Pope appeared. The chanting andsinging was

reallyatmospheric. Ifelt very calmand soothed.

We thenheaded

towards theSistine Chapel, but realised on the way that it

is a Roman Bank Holiday, so the Chapel wasnot open (or many other sights!). We shouldhave seen it coming that sort of thing happens to us. So, our solutionwas to head to a caf for some comfort. (I should say at this point thatthere are two cripples in our party. My mum had a bunion operation ayear ago and can barely walk any distance and my sister has what Ican only describe as housemaids knee. So sitting down and restingregularly (as well as trying various Italian biscuits) was essential.) So westopped in Antica Choccolateria, which Faye claims does the best hotchocolate ever.


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Next, we walked to Castel SantAngelo (an ancient mausoleum builtby Emporer Hadrian a good whilebefore I was born.) It was 6.50e to getin and was well worth the visit. Therewere lots of rooms with originalweapons and features in them andthere was a fantastic view of the cityfrom the roof. Unfortunately, Fayeand I got separated from mum andZoe and we panicked as neither of us

can read maps. Its embarrassing. (I have trouble finding my flat mostdays after work.) We decided the best thing to do was to wait at theexit, which we ended up doing for an hour. I had just started figuringout the best way back to our hotel (a cab!) when I spotted Zoe. I havenever been so grateful to see my sister! It turns out that mum and Zoehad been enjoying the sun on the roof oblivious to the fact that meand Faye were almost in tears. But nevertheless we recovered andheaded off again, this time across the Angelo Bridge towards ThePantheon.

On the way, we inadvertently came acrossPiazza Navona (Romes most famous square)which is picturesque, lined with flowers,restaurants, unique little cafes andunfortunately for us, tourists. It took us half anhour to cross it, as there were so many people

on the streets. On the up side, we spottedAngus Deayton (left yes that is him!) I havebeen to LA twice and have never seen anyoneremotely famous, and here I stumbled upon adisgraced British TV host.

The Pantheon was closed for the bankholiday which really disappointed me as itwas an intriguing building; very dark andmysterious. It was used first as a temple andthen as a Church and now is the most

complete ancient Roman structure in thecity. So we sat down for lunch at acompletely-over-priced restaurant and keptquiet about the awful service and tasteless food like good Brits.


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We then headed to The Trevi Fountain, (a huge,Baroque style structure of statues and rock). It isattached to the side of a Renaissance Palacebut is really beautiful. We came across it byaccident and only realised when finding ourbearings that this was the infamous fountain,where rumour has it that if you throw a coin overyour left shoulder into it, you will return to Rome.By the time I hademptied my purse intothe fountain, it wasgetting dark, so we left to

find the Spanish Steps before heading back tothe hotel.

We barely saw the steps for crowds of peopleplaying instruments, taking pictures andgenerally obstructing our view, so we decidedto come back after dinner for our own cheesyphotos.

We were pretty tired after all this walking, so headed back to the hotelto rest, shower and get ready for dinner.

Chapter 3

Rested and changed, we got the Metro back to Spagna (SpanishSteps) to find Otello alla Concordia, (a highly recommendedauthentic Italian restaurant.) It was situated down a pretty alley andwas small and intimate. I was disheartened slightly by the fact I

couldnt smell pizza on the way in, but figuredthat Italians have pizza most of the time andwere entitled to something different.

It turns out the reason I didnt smell pizza is that itwasnt on the menu. Neither was SpaghettiCarbonara. My two favourite Italian dishes and Iended up eating roast chicken and potatoes.Still, it was tasty and cheap.

After dinner, we went back to the Spanish steps,climbed them and got our pics. This made me


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very hungry for ice cream (a must in Italy!) and we ended up inBarcaccia with ice cream and wine. The service was great and theview of the Spanish steps was gorgeous, so I recommend it as a placeto have a quiet and civilised post dinner drink.

After a bottle (or so) we headed to the Metro to take mum homebefore going on to a bar nearer the hotel, only to find the Station wasclosed. It was only 10.30pm so we had to get a cab. (The early close ofthe Metro is something to bear in mind when planning your city break).However, the cab was only 8e which was great, because that amountwould get me from my front door to the end of the road at home.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz

Chapter 4

7th January 2007

Up at 7am again (with thoughts of mydream about James Bond going round inmy head) for our carb rich breakfast.Afterwards, we went to Castro PretorioMetro Station to see the highlight of my trip

The Colosseum.

As you exit the Station, it looms over youmagnificently. It was worth going to Romejust to see this ancient building. I felt veryemotional thinking about the reason thisplace was built, but it is an awe inspiringsight and worth the 11e entrance fee.

We left the Colosseum for the Roman Forum;


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(an ancient village where people used to gossip and get together.) It isa huge area and was impossible to see in one afternoon. Plus, it startedraining so we wanted to find shelter.As we headed out of the Forum, Ispotted lots of tourists round a statueof two dwarves suckling at the breast

of a wolf. I thought this was verystrange until I was told that thosetwo dwarves were actually thefounders of Rome. The story is thatthese twins (Romulus and Remus)

were brought up by a wolf in a cave until they were adopted by aShepherd. Hum.

By now, we only had a few hours until we needed to be at the airport,so I knew it was now or never to try my authentic Italian pizza andluckily everyone else was curious too.

We stopped off at The Antico for a delicious 9e pizza and then feltrejuvenated enough to find the best ice cream parlour in Rome. Andit was very good. (Not as good as the ice cream place I went to inLeicester Square, but almost as good!) It was Gelateria San Crispinoround the corner from The Trevi Fountain, so we ate our 2.50e cupswhile watching the sun set.

Chapter 5

Reluctantly, we started our journey back to London by getting the

Barberini Metro back to our hotel to collect our bags. Mum was in somuch pain she was almost crying, so we made the decision to get acab back to the airport rather than the Metro, which would involve lotsmore walking.


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The cab back was a respectable 40e and we gotthere in good time considering there was a hugecarnival parade that held us up for 15 minutes.

Once at the airport I settled myself in The Duckand Dog drinking a 4.90e bottle of wine and all ofa sudden it was time to board. We had to get anescalator, walk, shuttle, escalator and morewalking to get to our boarding gate. I was anembarrassment to my family, talking to everyonewho came near me on the plane and speaking

about 300 decibels louder than was necessary. But I did enjoy thebumpy landing the only benefit of in flight intoxication.

I would have loved to spend more time in Rome everyone seemed tospeak good English and the sights are magnificent. Travel is reliableand good value for money, as long as you are aware what time it stopsrunning and I felt safe walking around. In conclusion, for the amount itcosts for a weekend break there, and the fact that you could see a Zlist British celebrity, it would be silly not to go.

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Blogging Around the World Rome