Really? From one blog post, somehow those cyber gremlins decided I needed special underwear??? BIG lesson....be very, VERY, careful what you put out there on the internet...the ads on your computer will give you away!
Now....to better stuff. We left Florence this morning on an early train to Rome. First of all, Mom and I have this train travel thing down pretty well. We (of course because we are here for two weeks and of course I overpack) have two bags each. Our hotel was in actuality only one block from the back door to the train terminal in Florence. However, since it was the back door, there was a fairly formidable stairway leading to the terminal. That isn't two difficult with one bag...but with two, a bit harder. So this morning, we had our substantial and yummy breakfast and we each grabbed one bag and headed to the terminal. When we got to the station, we found a good spot and I left Mom with the two bags and I returned to get the other two.
Now....before any of you are outraged at the danger of leaving her alone in a train station filled with hustlers and conmen....don't worry your pretty little heads. I warned Mom NOT to take advantage of any of them while I was gone!
I returned with the bags just in time for us to people watch a few minutes before our train was called. Mom had been watching a guy who was pretty obivously an undercover security person of some sort...and he wasn't great at it. He walked the same 20 foot line, back and forth, stopping and staring at arriving trains occasionally, putting his phone to his ear but not talking...then walking the line again. It was pretty funny to watch him and just wonder if he was better at fooling the bad guys than he was at fooling us. The other interesting character had on a cape and a wizard hat...I wasn't quick enough with the camera to catch a good shot of the hot before he hustled off to obviously catch his connection to Dumbledore.
When we get to the train we have the system down pat. I climb up with my two bags, mom passes me her two and then she boards. You would think we had been doing this for our whole lives. We think we fit right in.....until we notice we dress completely different than the locals and when we open our mouths strange words and accents come out that make everyone stare!
So....off to Rome on what is the best train ride in Italy in my opinion. The rolling hills and small mountains are littered with vineyards and old villas. Every little village makes me want to jump off the train and go explore. I can't wait for the opportunity to take a drive through this area so I'm not limited by train stops! We were on a high speed train so the trip was only an hour and a half...but we enjoyed every minute of it.
Arriving in Rome, we called UBER....which Mom has come to love. She thinks its like having our own private driver no matter where we are...and it sort of is! Our driver here was fast to arrive, had a big luxury sedan and moved us smoothly through the rush hour streets to our hotel.
We are staying at a great little boutique hotel between Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. The perfect location for us to wander around while not touring....as the area is filled with great little shops and cafes.
We were lucky to have our room ready, even though we were arriving so early in the morning, so they let us check in. We just took the time to drop off our bags and decided to start our Rome adventure with a "overview" tour.
We made our way through the streets to catch a "hop-on-hop-off" bus near Trevi Fountains. We thought since we were here several days, this would be the perfect way to start off....seeing everything from afar and deciding what we want to explore up close. The tour was good....giving us insight on some things we didn't know before.
The most fascinating was this little non-descript piece of land. It is actually the burial ground for the vestal virgins who fell out of favor because they were....well....no longer virgins. Seems the penalty for that was execution, but there was a law forbidding any harm to the vestal virgins that drew blood. So while their "partners in crime" were flogged to death above them, the vestal no-longer-virgin was buried alive....in this very park!!!! And now.....people were sitting drinking coffee and eating croissants.
The other notable thing was, like in Pisa, was the obvious presence of militia and police. This time we found out it is all a part of Italy's operation Strade Sicure....which literally translates to "safer roads"...but is the country's anti terrorism efforts. If visibility is a grading point, they are getting high marks.
We circumvented the entire city.....seeing from our double decker the colliseum, the ruins, the Vatican, .......and so many other sites. It was perfect for what we wanted. And the people watching, even from the bus, was wonderful. A few highlights.....all showing "love" in different forms...
Loving lunch on the go....sorry its a rushed, hurried photo through the bus window but the woman was moving quickly down the street, feeding her child from her breast as she went!
Love in all shapes, colors, ages and sizes, is still love.....
And then...there is love at a price.....from a girl going to work for the night...already eyeing customers and dashing in and out of bars..
After the day on the bus, we did our own little walking tour of Trevi and the Spanish Steps. Went to dozens of shops in search of scissors (which are a tough comodity to find in Rome)....and not surprisingly stopped for dinner in a lovely sidewalk cafe. We just seem to have the best luck with restaurants and this was no exception. We shared a calamari appetizer and then split veal limone and gnocci .....it was, (I know you are tired of hearing this, but it was) amazing!
Sorry no photos...we were too busy savoring every bite from the bread and fresh butter on....
An after dinner stroll through the streets and now, laying in bed, listening the the violinist busk on the street below us was a great ending to the day.
Tomorrow...we walk.....lots......the ruins, the colosseum and the Vatican! Wish the Pope were here to see us!
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