Our good friend Art picked us up at 10AM for our 11:30 flight to Atlanta. Everything was uneventful and our connections went smoothly. We had a 2+ hour layover in ATL, giving us time to make some last minute phone calls, check email, and grab an uninspiring Mexican meal in the airport. One of my final calls was to Rob, my old college friend in Canada. I had missed his call a few days before and wanted to return it before I was out of cell range. He told me that he had just slipped a ring on the finger of the girl he had been dating the last 10 months, and that our presence would be required in Toronto soon for the nuptials. It was a good way to start the trip.
The flight got off about 30 minutes late for some unknown reason, and we napped a little and read a lot. Most of my reading was in the guidebook, trying to plan our few days in Rome, and figure out where to head and stay next. I was leaning towards the Amalfi Coast. We had talked about Venice, but November tends to be cold and rainy there...not fun. I started the journal as we flew, after trying (unsuccessfully) to get a little sleep. I chased a melatonin with a gin and tonic to see if that would help. We would be arriving in Rome early Saturday morning, which was 1 AM back home, and I wanted to get at least a few hours sleep before we hit the ground for a day of sightseeing.
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We both slept fitfully, woke about 6:00 local, watched the sun come up off the port side of the plane, and were on the ground about 7:30. Rome greeted us with bright sunny skies and temps in the low 50’s…a beautiful day. Our first task was to get to our hotel, about 30Km away, in the center of Rome near the Coliseum. I had read on the hotel’s website that a cab should be about 40E, but that the airport taxis were higher and to avoid them. At least that is what I thought I had read…I had not printed it out, and had just skimmed it the night before we left. So the first cabbie that approached us with a “fixed price” ride, I asked “How much?” He said 60 and I waived him off. Another cabbie overheard, quoted us 40, and led us past the row of “official” taxis into the parking lot. Lana balked. “Are you sure about this? He could be leading us off anywhere!” The truth was, I wasn’t sure, since I had not paid sufficient attention to the website. So we went back and took the expensive cab. My lack of planning had just cost us $26 extra dollars. That cab ride from the airport to our hotel, maybe 15 miles, cost us more than the flights across the ocean! |
We arrived without incident at the Hotel Lancelot, just a few blocks from the Coliseum. Turning down Via Capo D Africa, I was a little worried about our hotel…the street was narrow and a bit shabby.
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Via Capo d Africa, from the cab. |
Looking the other way. That's the Coliseum at the end of the street. |
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But the hotel was gated and very nice. The staff spoke perfect English, and offered to hold our bags in storage for us, as our room was not yet ready (by this time it was about 8:30AM). We had a cup of coffee and checked email (free wifi in this hotel, something we wouldn't see again until Florence), then set off on foot to explore. |
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The owner told us about a church right around the corner that we needed to see, so our first stop was the Basilica de San Clemente, built in the 4th century on the top of an old pagan temple. The original temple was now 2 levels (about 30 feet) below street level, and you could tour the excavations for 5E. We did, enjoyed it, and came to learn a bit about Rome. This area had been inhabited for thousands of years. As time has gone on, buildings have been built on top of the ruins of older buildings, so that what appears to be ground level today may really have 2 or 3 levels of older buildings below. Cool.
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After the tour of the Basilica, we walked up the hill into the park holding the ruins on Nero’s Golden House. It had recently been opened to tours, but we were just sightseeing this morning, so we passed. Then down to the Coliseum, one of the most recognizable landmarks of the Eternal City. We learned that when Nero had built his Golden House, the depression that the Coliseum sits in had been an ornamental lake!
The Coliseum was quite impressive, and the crowds were getting that way. It was Saturday, and the visitors were mainly Italians…I guessed they were locals out enjoying the day. “If this is off season, I would hate to be here in high season” Lana quipped, and I agreed. The line to enter the Coliseum was probably an hour long. We later learned that it was a holiday, All Saints Day, so a lot of Italians had a 3-day weekend.
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We made pictures and walked up the Via Sacra (Sacred Way) into the site of the old Roman Forum. We found very little in the way of interpretive signage, and I found myself wanting a Rome specific guidebook. Have to look for one tomorrow when we come back.
We walked back to the hotel about 11:30, and were delivered our room at 12. Tired from our long day, we napped till about 4, then dressed and headed back to the Coliseum to catch the hop-on-hop-off bus. By this time the sun was getting low, the shadows were lengthening, temps were dropping, and the city positively glowed. Our two-hour route wound us around town, giving us a lay of ancient Rome and the Vatican.
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We were back at the end of the bus circuit about 7, tired and hungry. We considered stopping into one of the local eateries, but I thought that right here at the Coliseum they might be all tourist traps. Our hotel served a fixed menu dinner every night at 7:30, 25E per person, so we decided to do that…a good decision. The meal was pasta with truffles, duck, and chocolate soufflé, all excellent. The round tables in the dining room each sat 7, so we found ourselves with a couple from Seattle (who were coming back from an extended stay in China), a Canadian, and a British couple traveling with their 2-year-old son.
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We chatted for about an hour and a half, had a great time, then Lana and I went to bed as the rest of the group headed for the bar. We were TIRED, and wanted to get a fresh start the next day.
