Italy 2008, Day Three

Hello again! This is a continuation of my last posting, detailing my recent trip to Italy! This will cover all the stereotypical tourist things I did and went to see while jogging around Rome. Also, I’ve updated my Flickr account with a related photo set. Enjoy!

So, an early rise as Peter and Aaron and I went out and grabbed some fresh coffee and pastries for breakfast. A fact I was unaware of at the time: there is an extra charge at almost every cafe and restaurant if you decide to sit at a table to consume your purchase. So, if you stand at the counter and enjoy your cappuccino and bagel or whatever, that’s one price, but if you decide to sit at a table for the same meal, that’s usually a higher price. Now you know :)

Breakfast time in Rome

Today was a full out hike all around Rome, hitting as many monuments and historical sites as we could manage. the tourist maps we purchased had the spots clearly indicated, so they weren’t hard to find. But rather than have a detailed, well executed plan, we decided to just go in the general direction and enjoy the city, only consulting the maps every half an hour or so to beeline to a nearby fountain or ruin.

Roman ruins

The very middle of Rome has the Colosseum and National Monument. In and around this area are the ruins of the roman forums, with buildings, walls, and columns all over the place. The roads and currently occupied buildings are literally entrenched with these amazing examples of history and culture! We could even go in and wander about, but we saved that for a later day.

The massive scale of the Pantheon

Wandering about, we hit awesome places like the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain. Even in February, a "slow" tourist season, there were a gaggle of tourists and sightseers crowding around. I cannot imagine the mess Rome would be in August, it’s apparent peak! None-the-less, the scale of these buildings were incredible!

Trevi Fountain from the front

As before, we went looking around after dinner, revisiting all the spots again after dark. Almost every part of the central city is still awake, with cafes and bars open, theaters filling up and emptying, and crowds of tourists and locals wandering about. In the end, called it an early night though... tomorrow, we were going to hit Vatican City!

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