Oak Street Ranch

Starting The Journey In Europe

Day Two: Rome:

Three revelations for today:
Living in the area of Rome we’re in (sort of the “old city”) must be like living in Hollywood/Sunset area in Los Angeles, or the French Quarter in N.O. – You’re used to tourists, and even if you live/work there, you understand that the crowds, business and traffic may be made up, in large part, of visitors. Which leads to;
People here, generally speaking, have been REALLY nice. They have been generally friendly, generally helpful, and basically understanding that you might be an idiot and need assistance.
Walking. Walking. Walking

- Breakfast at Hotel: Good, included breakfast. Gotta fuel up for the walk ahead.
- Walk to Vatican – That’s the plan. Along the way we encounter:
- Plaza Navona: Fountains, cobblestones, etc. Surreal. The colors and sounds. Interesting thing as we walk around and see the government offices, businesses, etc. –The city has been continuously occupied for thousands of years, and they have been recycling. Kinda cool.
- Trajan’s Column – Very cool. Tells the story of his rise to power, various deeds. A marble curriculum vitae, as it were.
- Pantheon. Wow. I mean, you’ve seen it on travel shows, and represented in pictures or in film, but when you’re on a side street sipping from your bottle of water, and you turn the corner and see a cornerstone of ancient roman architecture, it takes your breath away. The exterior is stunning, and symbolic and then you go inside and see its conversion to a church, which is also stunning. The dome, its occulus, the religious frescos on the walls. Wow.
UNFORTUNATELY, this is also the site of the first screw-up – Mine. Basically. I borrowed Kellie’s camera, and mis-read the battery gauge. So, that means, dead battery. But, we were resilient. Went outside and bought two Kodak disposables. On the plus side, that means we have pics here and the rest of the day. On the down side, you’ll have to wait on shots of the walk to the Vatican, its museums, etc.
- Vatican Museum. Also wow. On the advice of our driver, we went later in the day. It was still packed with people, but far fewer lines. Any description I give would not do justice. Simply, I would have to say that we were stunned by the breadth and depth of art – Statues, objects of significance collected over 500 years. Art from the masters on the walls. Leading, of course, to the Sistine Chapel. No cameras allowed (but I have a cell phone…. Disrespectful, but effective). Again – beyond description. Its all that they make it out to be.
- Metro – SO much walking to and around the Vatican museum. We take the Metro back to the area our hotel is in. Because of this, we decide to hit the Trevi Fountain too.
- Trattoria – Another sidewalk place. This one ROCKS. Simple marhgarita pizza. But so fresh, crisp, so tasty. Exactly the WOW you would be expecting or hoping for. Just what the doctor ordered.
- Trevi Fountain – Impressive. Huge fountain. Surrounded by various churches. (Pics on disposable camera). Stunning construction, but the area around it is a circus. Not in the roman sense. In the – gee there are tons of people trying to sell me toys and flowers sense. Its like walking down Third Street Prommenade. There’s a Benetton across the square from the Fountain! It’s impressive, just strange.
- Gelato – Had to have one! Very tasty.
- Misc Churches – impressive architecture, frescos, etc. Not my part of the book, but they sure do put on a good show. Art, statues, pomp and circumstance which inspires reverence.
- Dinner – Reservations at Nino’s – Or, as Jason asked via IM – “What’s for dinner? Italian?” Nino’s has been recommended by everyone we’ve talked to. Nino's was outstanding. Started with some zuppa fagioli, which might be the best I have ever had. Jen had some zuchini in vinegar and oil. Very tasty.I had a chicken dish with spinach. Jen had baked canneloni. Creme-caramel and tiramisu to finish. The place is so good that the couple next to us had already been there twice in the four days that they have been here.
From there, more walking - and off to ''Enotec Antica di Via della Croce. Small bar with food near our hotel. GREAT wine and alcohol selection. Hoppin little place. Good music. Looks like the antipasti would be great, but since we already gorged, it was just wine, proseca, and some grappa (that tasted almost like B&B).
Walked back to the hotel feelin PRETTY GOOD about Day Two.

Day Three - More sightseeing on the agenda. We'll let you know how it goes....

posted by Mitch @ 11:32 AM