Rome Day 1

Today we got up super early, before 7, and were eating breakfast in the hotel by 7:15 or 7:30.  Then it was off to the metro where we bought our passes that  would allow us to travel an unlimited number of times on the metro or bus for 3 days.  Perfect for our time there.  Our first stop was going to be the Vatican to go up in the dome of st peter’s.  The metro stop is super winding and ridiculous.  You have to walk forever to get to the line that takes you to st peter’s.  So we got on the wrong line originally because we assumed we would have reached the one that we wanted by then but that was not the case.  So we had to get off at the first stop and then get back on going the other way and then get onto the other line at the big train station stop.  Just an annoying waste of a few minutes, not really a major problem.  But we did get going the right way and we got off at the Vatican stop.  We had to wait in line a bit to go through security before we could go up but that passed pretty fast and we began climbing what is advertised as 320 steps up to the top, but I’m pretty sure it’s actually a lot more.  It’s totally worth all the climbing though because the view is incredible and even the winding little narrow staircases to get up the final stretch are pretty fun.  It was really windy up there though and actually kind of cold.  I was hoping Rome would be our warmer stop, but apparently not.  So we spent some time up in the wind and cold and then we came down and walked around the basilica itself.  We also went to mass in one of the side chapels.  And we went down into the grottos to see the tombs of lots of popes and there’s a space where you can see where the bones of peter are.  It wasn’t the scavi tour, but it was pretty cool all the same.  It was also cool to see the new location of JPII’s tomb because last time I was here it was down in the grottos, but now it’s up in the main part of the basilica.

After we were done looking around we needed to get tickets for the Wednesday audience and we knew we were supposed to go to the bronze door and ask the swiss guard for them.  So we asked a guard where that was and found it and all that but it looked like it was blocked off.  So we were kind of confused and had to ask another guy just to clarify and be sure.  He told us the same thing, to just go up the stairs to the door and ask the guard.  Upon going back we saw a way around the barricade and went on up.  A swiss guard came out to the doorway and we told him we wanted the tickets and he made it pretty clear we shouldn’t come any closer.  Kind of an awkward moment but we got what we wanted. 

When we left the Vatican we walked back toward the metro stop and got some gelato on the way.  It was really yummy.  I’m a fan.  We made a quick stop at the hotel and then it was back on the metro and on to the area where st john lateran, the church of the holy cross, and the holy stairs are.  We got through all of those and then we were off again.  This time to the Spanish steps which were packed with people.  Next stop trevi fountain where we tossed in our coins.  Then we walked to the pantheon, but unfortunately it had closed shortly before we arrived.  So we walked over to piazza navona and looked at some artwork.  We stayed a long time watching this one lady making amazing paintings with spray paint all in a very short amount of time.  It was really cool.  But the metro line we were using was closing at 9 so we knew we had to leave and get back to the metro so that we wouldn’t be having to figure out some alternate form of transportation. 

We were cutting it pretty close and wound up half running to make it in time, but we did make it.  The metro was super packed at that time though so it was kind of crazy.  People were pushing and shoving and this one girl fell and seriously almost got trampled.  But we made it out alive and got to our hotel and it was all good.  We spent some time on the internet after that even though we needed to pay for it.  And the connection was very good in our room so we had to sit in this lounge area.  I booked a tour for while we are in London though.  It’s going to take us to Windsor castle, Stonehenge, and oxford.  The only thing was that I needed to print out the confirmation.  The guy at the desk said he couldn’t do it there, so we added to our list of things to do stop in one of the internet cafes near the hotel.  We went to bed later than planned and still needed to be up early.  And that was the end of the first crazy, long day in Rome.