Josh & Lenette

We traveled to Roma (Rome) yesterday by way of the train. It was the first bad traveling experience we have had thus far. We were lucky and, upon arriving at the station, were sold tickets to the correct train leaving in about 6 minutes. The longer distance trains don’t run every 15 minutes like the inter-city train so we were very lucky not to have to wait a long time. This very same luck had gotten us through the post office just before we had arrived at the station. Mailing a package to the US requires many forms, customs declarations, insurance forms, etc.

After these two experiences we were feeling very bold and thought we had it all figured out. As our train passed the last stop in Roma we began to feel rather different. We traveled to Firenze (Florence) that evening by mistake, a 2.5 hour one direction mistake. We did, however, on our little detour meet a very nice German woman and a very nice, and very helpful, Australian man at the station in Firenze. After some further confusion, Lenette almost crying, 60 euro, and 7 additional hours we arrived in Roma at about 12:45 local time.

We found our hostel’s front desk without too much confusion once we figured out how to leave the station. It was now about 1:20 AM local time and we were exhausted but on our way to our little apartment/hostel. After touring the neighborhood surrounding our appartment, we finally found the correct street and made our way inside around 2:00 AM. For a 4 hour trip from Sapri, we had made the entire day of it but were too tired to care about anything except that we had finally found where we could sleep.

Today, the 13th of September, we started off by going to the Colosseo (Colloseum). It was larger and more grand than I anticipated. Thanks to american movies it was also much more ruined than I had realized. Our tour was amazing and the guide was very interesting. It was truly a memorable experience to stand in a place where so many lives were made and lost. As our guide pointed us to the exit and we started our tour of the Monte Palatino (Palatine Hill) it was amazing to look back on the colloseo and the Arco di Constantino (Arch of Constantine) and have a perspective of just how large both really are. Although the Palatine Hill wasn’t exceptionally interesting, the guide’s informative tour made it quite memorable. The view of the Foro Romano (Roman Forum) was also amazing from this location.

After two such great sites it was odd that we could find something so different and yet so wonderful as the Pantheon (Santa Maria ad Martyres). It is a still functioning church which, like most all of Rome, has a very long and complicated history spanning multiple eras. The pantheon is surrounded by a very nice, very expensive shopping district where we found some very good pizza margherita and of course some more gelato.

We departed for il Museo Nazionale Romano (Roman National Museum) rather tired but very pleased with the order in which we visited our top sights and how efficiently we had used our time. The museum was great. It is where many of the statues from different sites rest or where a copy has been made and put on display for public viewing. My personal favorite is a soldier whose cape was amazing, something I just don’t understand how they could make with such limited tools. Lenette’s favorite was equally amazing, the mosaics which were on display here are a tribute to the true splendor and craftsmanship typical of the time.

Tired, sore, and ready for a siesta, we got a taxi back to our apartment and caught up on some much needed sleep. The rest of this evening was spent writing this small novel, burning CDs of our pictures, and dining at the small cafeteria/restaurant at our hostel’s main office.

Tommorrow, after we visit the Vatican I will post some pictures from the last couple of days. Ciao, Josh