The travel day from Milan (Bergamo) to Rome was the worst travel day...ever. It began with getting up at 5 a.m. to get a 6 a.m. taxi to Bergamo Airport. We were checked in, had our coffee & breakfast, and were ready to go by 7 a.m. Our flight was supposed to leave at 8:25 a.m.
We were in line to get on the plane around 8 a.m., when they announced that it was delayed until 9:30. Shortly after, it was announced that the flight was delayed until 11:30 a.m. Not cool. We decided to grab a beer, since there was nothing else to do, and do some journalling while we waited.
The flight ended up not leaving until 12:30. RyanAir's compensation for our four hours? A 5 Euro coupon that could only be used at one restaurant in Bergamo Airport that only had meat sandwiches. Our lunch was a brioche (croissant) and a can of Pringles.
By the time we got to Rome (Ciampino) and caught a bus into the city centre, it was after 3 p.m. After we figured out the metro and finally found our hostel, it was 5 p.m.
We grabbed some pizza (that was kind of disgusting) and chilled in the hostel. I got a text from Sam that he was coming to Rome that night, so I talked to the hostel receptionist and arranged for him to stay in our room.
Day 13 (April 15)
Our first day in Rome was spent exploring Vatican City. After a long metro trek, we had to grab a bus for the final bit of our journey because a section of the metro was down. We happened to be squished into the bus by two girls--Erica and Marion--from the States who are studying at Glasgow University. They're our rivals, but it was still cool to run into a couple Glaswegians.
We ended up deciding to join their afternoon tour of the Vatican. Beforehand, we grabbed a lunch of pizza and gelato. Delicious. Gelato is amazing--far better than DQ ice cream.
After lunch, we joined the tour. First, we went to the Vatican Museum (and bypassed the line). Our tour guide was pretty cool. He was from the States and he knew a lot about Vatican City.
Apparently, Roman statues were not the plain white that we are accustomed to. They were brightly painted--the paint just wore off with time. We also learned that the water in fountains in Rome is potable. Handy.
We saw a number of statues and tapestries in the Vatican Museum. They were all pretty amazing.
The tour guide probably spent close to an hour explaining Michelangelo's art in the Sistine Chapel. The infamous ceiling painting was only completed after being abandoned by Michelangelo in the middle of night--twice! When the pope looks up, the panel in his line-of-vision moons him. Classy, Michelangelo.
The altar piece, done entirely by Michelangelo, uses the appearance of one of the cardinals for the man deciding which stage of hell people are going to.
The Sistine Chapel itself was pretty cool. However, there was a lot of security hurrying people through, saying "No photo. Advance. Shhhhhhhh!"
For the finale of our tour, we went to St. Peter's Basilica. The tour guide told us a story about St. Peter and the palms used for Palm Sunday (which were in the basilica area while we were there). We walked around St. Peter's Basilica a bit. But, by this point of the trip, we were a little cathedral-ed out.
After we wrapped up at the basilica, we headed back to the hostel for the night.
Day 14 (April 16)
Our next day in Rome was spent in the general city centre area. We began the day by setting out for the Spanish Steps. Initially, we walked right past the steps, thinking that they weren't grand enough to really be the Spanish Steps.
It turns out, they were. Ashley and Sam were in disbelief that those were actually the Spanish Steps. Anna and I accepted it pretty readily. Regardless, we climbed the steps and did the usual picture-taking.
There was a church at the time that we ventured inside. It was small (by comparison to other cathedrals visited on this trip), but still beautiful.
After giving up on the Spanish Steps, we headed to the Trevi Fountain, where wishes come true. Supposedly, tossing a coin into the fountain will ensure your return to Rome and grant your wish.
The fountain was pretty cool--it was composed of mythical creatures. The water was a really bright blue. It was beautiful. Once we squeezed through the large crowd and made our wishes, we grabbed some gelato. Again. :)
The next stop for the day was the Pantheon. The Pantheon is a domed, columned ancient structure that is architecturally impossible. Apparently, if you put the design of the Pantheon into a computer, it will say that it is impossible. The structure was really cool--and it had a hole in the top of the Dome for light.
Strangely enough, we ran into Erica and Marion again in the Pantheon. Small world!
After we finished up in the Pantheon, we headed to Piazza Navona, where we planned to meet Ashley's friend from home and her two travel buddies.
Piazza Navona, much like plazas in Spain, was filled with street performers. Ashley made friends with the cowboy statue guy. But, she ditched him to go to dinner with us.
We ate dinner at a delicious pizza place near the Piazza Navona. It was the best pizza that we had in Italy!
After dinner, we returned to the Trevi Fountain and got another round of gelato. When in Rome... :) The fountain looked really cool at night. Once we finished our gelato, Ashley and her friend said goodbye, and we headed back to our hostel for the night.
Day 15 (April 17)
Our final day in Rome was spent in what is quite possibly my favorite part of Rome: Ancient Rome.
Our first stop for the day was my favorite: The Colosseum! It was gorgeous. The building was ancient, decaying, and beautiful. I could've spent all day just enjoying the Colosseum.
We had to wait in a bit of a line to get in, but it was SO worth it. :) We spent a good hour exploring both the first and second levels and taking in all of the Colosseum. I loved it.
Unfortunately, we had other items on the agenda for the day. So, we said goodbye to the Colosseum (though it popped in sight quite frequently throughout the day) and headed to the Roman Forum.
The Roman Forum was pretty cool, basically the lingering remains of what was once great. It was pretty cool to see. It took about an hour to go through the Forum.
After the Forum and grabbing lunch, we head to Circus Maximus, the old horse-racing track. It turned out to be a field with a dirt track. Sam was a bit disappointed and didn't believe that that was really it. But, it was.
There was some sort of Renaissance Fair happening in Circus Maximus. We caught what appeared to be the end of a faux sword-fight. There were also a number of people walked around dressed in Renaissance garb.
After grabbing some souvenirs and supper, Ashley, Anna and I headed back to the hostel and Sam went off to catch a train to Florence.
Day 16 (April 18)
Our final travel day was another early one. Our taxi arrived at the hostel at 6:30 a.m. and took us to Termini Station. It was probably the worst taxi ride ever! The company didn't warn us that it would crazy traffic on Monday mornings. :S
We did arrive at the station just in time to catch an 8:00 a.m. bus to the airport. However, RyanAir failed (again) and our flight to Liverpool was about 45 minutes late. It's a good thing we booked our train tickets for a 7:30 p.m. train back to Glasgow.
Our afternoon was spent in the Liverpool Airport, with lunch from Subway and a couple pitchers of Carlsberg.
By the time we got back to Glasgow, it was after 11 p.m.
Spring break was a wonderful adventure. We saw a lot of awesome sites and had many a good time. Some of the travel days were bad, but overall our spring break was pretty much the best ever. :)
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