So first off I notice that I used Nov. 5 for the date of Day 1 in Rome. Well…it actually was Nov. 6. We left Djibouti on Nov. 5 and arrived in Rome on Nov. 6. Whew…just wanted to clear that up and not confuse Day 2 now showing as Nov. 7.
We were up relatively early to get our day going. Met for breakfast in the hotel and hopped back on our bus with Oscar and our favorite Roman tour guide (whose name escapes me, UGH!). And off we went. The people in Rome drive like maniacs. Motorcycles can go pretty much anyway they want to. Those little dinkie cars (you know the ones that back in the States the parking engineers built all the parking garages and parking lots for but few people drive) kind of make their way anyway they want to as well. Parking is a hoot – where ever there is an extra square inch, you will find a small vehicle tucked in there. Sideways, backwards, diagonal…it doesn’t matter. And those little scooters would be the best thing to have if you want to get around in the city. You can park those anywhere and drive between cars!
We head out towards the Coliseum. As we travel our guide is filling us in on more stories of Rome. What this building is, what that statue is, etc. He’s a wealth of information for sure! It’s a beautiful day in Rome again. We are very lucky. It’s nice and cool, but not cold. It’s clear skies. There are lots of people walking around the Coliseum and surrounding ruins, but it doesn’t seem like there are too many people. We don’t feel rushed or crowded at all. Again, as was the case yesterday, we have pre-purchased tickets and reservations, so we don’t have to wait in line. We all have our really cool blue radios with us and we turn them on and listen to our guide. As we make our way through the lower part, behind the scenes, we learn all about the history of the coliseum and what events would take place in it. How some “games” would last for longer than a year.
We head up and out into the stadium part of the Coliseum and are just in awe of the size of it and what’s left of it. The maze of underground compartments that used to be under the area where the games would commence. What it must have been like to be there when the games were going on; the noise, the people, the grandeur of it all! Just so cool to be in here – to see this thing!
As we spend our morning in the Coliseum, we can’t help but notice the number of helicopters that keep circling and flying overhead. We are informed this is security for the big Football Game that is going on today! And no, the Ravens were not in town. Soccer, as we like to call it. But apparently a big deal in these parts! Tends to cause some pretty testy people when the Roman team does not win!
We head out of the Coliseum and a couple of the ladies with us decide to have their photos taken with the local ancient Roman Soldiers. It was a lot of fun posing with them! And like any other touristy spot I have been to in the world, there are plenty of vendors out here pushing their trinkets. I am strong…I can walk away.
The cobblestone roads are interesting. They are also very old…and no longer used for vehicle traffic. The spacing between the stones is too large now that all the cement has pretty much disintegrated. It makes for some challenging walking. Wouldn’t want to run through here. I wish I could tell you everything I learned in the Coliseum, but my memory just ain’t that good these days. ;-)
The main road to the Coliseum is closed today, on Sunday. This is a test to see how things go making the traffic reroute to other roads. This test is due to the fact that under the streets there they continue to find more hidden buildings, churches, ruins. So at some point, they will be digging up the entire road through there to see what else they can find under there. There is just so much to Rome. And so much still to be discovered everywhere you turn!
On to the Forums. These aren’t as interesting to me except for the fact that they are old. There are some interesting bits of history that we learn and we get to see where Caesar is buried. The Forum is where everything happened in Rome – it was the center of the city. It is where people would gather to listen to speeches, discuss elections, and to trade and barter. Sounds like a place where I would have hung out for sure. Trying to be popular and quite possibly the center of attention (so unlike me!!!)! There are many statues of famous and important Roman men. There are many old churches, which at some point in time had been governmental buildings before becoming churches. The architecture is something to see.
Next we hit the Trevi Fountain. It is one of the most famous fountains in the world. It was built to provide water to the city, and it did for more than 400 years. It is said that if you throw a coin into the fountain, you are sure to return to Rome. Also in this area we found some nice touristy shops and I was able to partake in my favorite Pistachio and Dark Chocolate Gelato. For lunch we found another local spot that was simply spectacular! More food than anyone needs and some amazing wine to go with it!
For dinner we hit the Casanova for food, wine and some entertainment. The entertainment consisted of a gentleman playing the piano, with a gentleman and lady singing traditional Italian songs (so we were told – but I sure couldn’t tell you if that’s what they were singing or not). But they sounded fantastic. And they moved around the crowd and engaged some people into singing with them. They were very talented and I am sure classically trained in opera. Dinner was fabulous and tonight I went for the beer instead of the wine. Italian beer is quite good too. And of course we finished off the night with Lemoncello! Another splendid day!
A little about my travel companions. As you know Cathleen, my boss, was on the trip with us. This was her first trip to Italy. She is the Human Resources Manager in Djibouti. She has lived abroad for a number of years. She made it back from Paris and her surgery just in time to repack and come to Italy with us. She was quite the trooper; after all she had been through.
Gassira was our local Djiboutian who came on the trip with us! What a fabulous person to be around – full of energy and always smiling. Gassira worked for MWR and was the reason this trip was put together. This was her last trip with MWR as she recently took a new job in Djibouti and we unfortunately will not have her close by anymore.
The remaining travelers are all in the military and stationed at Camp Lemonnier in various jobs. First there is Matt. Matt is in the Army. He is about my age and was a lot of fun to hang out with and we became fast friends. He was my partner in crime for most tours and shared my umbrella when it was raining. We shared bottles of wine and beer. And he also quickly developed camera envy when he noticed that my new camera took better pictures than his camera. So I spent some of my time taking photos of Matt for his trip memories.
Nolen is in the Navy. He brought his travel Gnome with him and we all found ourselves finding interesting pictures to take with the Gnome. Nolen had a lot of interesting stories to share with us and took some really great photos along the way as well. Nolen and Matt are scuba divers, so I will find myself spending more time with both of them while in Djibouti.
Alberto is our friend from Puerto Rico, or Idaho, whichever you choose to believe. He is in the Army as well. I think he was the youngest male on the trip, and wanted to spend each night out on the town. And that he did! He makes friends everywhere he goes, and has a keen eye for beautiful women.
Morocco is our friend from Morocco. I am not sure what branch of the military he is in. He was excited to be on the Italy trip as his next tour, with his wife, will be Italy for 3 years. So that leads me to think he is in the Navy. Not to mention he came to Djibouti from San Diego.
Shawn and Lisa were the only couple on the trip. They are both in the Navy as well, I believe. Lisa I don’t think enjoyed the food as much as the rest of us, but they both seemed to really enjoy the wine! I was a little jealous when I learned that they went to McDonalds and had Big Macs!
Trulea is also in the Navy. She is from the DC area. We had a lot in common in that she sails on the Chesapeake Bay with her fiancé in their 30 foot Catalina. We shared sailing stories. Trulea had lots of energy and was a lot of fun to be around too.
Colleen, also in the Navy, met her husband in Rome. That must have been nice for them. Colleen is winding down her tour in Djibouti and will be headed home soon. I really enjoyed meeting them both and plan to start up in Step Aerobics and Kickboxing with Colleen when we return – she’s the instructor!
The overwhelming theme of this group was just FUN! We couldn’t have asked for a better group of mostly strangers to spend all of this time together. We all got along and we all had a great time.
Next up – we head to Florence!
Ciao!
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