Day 31 - Rome

The Pope...in his Pope Mobile
see all photos »

We were determined to get up early and head out to the Vatican City because we were told there were huge lineup to get in. We got there and followed the crowd to St. Peter's Square. We were confused when were suddenly among thousands of people who seemed to be waiting for something to happen. We inquired as to what was going on and found out the Pope was coming out for a visit! We found decent spots, standing on top of a chair and managed to catch a few glimpses of the Pope in the "Pope Mobile". There was no way we were going to be able to get into the Vatican Museum as the entire mob went to wait in line.

Spanish Steps
see all photos »

We decided to use the rest of the day to check out a few other sights. We started at the Spanish Steps, which weren't too special. We actually couldn't figure out where they were because it just wasn't noticeable! The Church at the top was undergoing exterior renovations so there wasn't much to look at there either. The McDonalds right next door was more interesting - they sold gelato.

We then walked to the Trevi Fountain, which was good to see. We did the touristy thing and tossed coins in the fountain although it was obvious someone collects those coins from the water!

Trevi Fountain
see all photos »

We walked to the Coliseum, passing through at the Pantheon. It had a really cool dome ceiling with a hole in the middle. There were a few famous tombs but the hole in the ceiling was the most intriguing thing.

Then we walked (yes, we did tons of walking) to the Colisseum where we got a tour of the building. There is a lot of rich history in the area and the tour guide helped us understand most of it. The next tour was across the street and covered hundreds (maybe thousands) of acres of ruins from old castles and things (ie. vomitorium - When Kings have feasts people eat and drink all day and all night and of course require a room like this to keep going; chariot racing track; first ever botanical garden)

Pantheon Dome Ceiling
see all photos »

We finally got back to the hostel, had a good dinner and went on our last trek of the day to find a theatre playing English movies. We watched X-Men 3, bussed back and got into bed. As we tried dozing off we were welcomed with the vomitting of a roommate in the bathroom. Fortunately we were awoken and asked to switch rooms due to a schedule conflict.