Back in Rome: Day One

Well it’s been a few days since I’ve been back from my vacation.  In all actuality it wasn’t a vacation at all.  To sum it up:  had a few hours of sleep; rushing from here to there; packing in too many activities all at once.  Not to mention sharing an apartment with 7 people while getting ready for a wedding at the same time.  Yep.  It was pretty stressful.

But there WERE some beautiful moments.  Moments I will never forget.  Moments I WISH I CAN FORGET.  I’ve been dealing with a lot of emotions over the weekend.  Overthinking as usual ( typical Gemini) and haven’t really come to a conclusion on why things turned out the way they did.  I was pretty drained being around so many people, too.  Needless to say, I miss traveling alone, and feel somewhat anxious about me traveling with other people in the future.  Have I reached that point of just enjoying my own company and not “needing” anyone around?

The plus side of traveling with others is they sometimes bring out the best in you.  And you get to share some amazing moments as a group.  Feelings are “enhanced” because someone is there feeling the same thing you are.  It’s nice.  The downsize is, sometimes one bad mood can alter everyone else’s.  It’s hard to navigate away from it when you are stuck together for the rest of the ride.

I’ll recap Day One quickly, because that’s how that day went in general.  I landed in the afternoon and rode the train in from Fiumicino airport to Roma Termini station.  This was the first time I have done this.  I have rode to the airport before, but not the other way around.  When I got out, I was completely overwhelmed.  I knew our hotel was nearby, but had no idea there were going to be so many people around.  Again, I’ve been to Rome before but this was something unreal.  I messaged my friend who had arrived the night before from LA to come meet me because I felt I would get lost.  Luckily she was up and met me in no time.  The hotel wasn’t far away, but with Italy’s small signs, I wasn’t in the mood to go in circles.

Once back at the hotel I showered up and we got ready.  I managed to sleep in on my flight so I was ready to start my day with everyone else.  In the past, I would have terrible jet lag and would have to nap but this time I wanted to keep going.  We decided to walk to sightsee which was a great idea.  We found Eatly not far from the hotel and we grabbed some espresso.  Then off we went again.

We made our way to the Spanish Steps because my friend wanted to check out the Louis Vuitton store.  The Spanish Steps area has mostly high end retail and luckily we found the shop but they did not have the bag that she wanted.  We continued to sight see.

We ended up at the Trevi Fountain (which reportedly has another Louis Vuitton shop nearby) and the crowd was insane.  The amount of people here was nerve wrecking.  We witnessed a heated altercation between two men, all for a photo!  I really thought these two would duke it out.  The energy was too much and we decided to leave the area.

By now we were growing hungry.  I did some research on gluten-free restaurants since my friend has a restrictive diet.  I noticed we were nearby one of them and we decided to check it out.  Taverna Barberini was pretty empty, but we concluded we were walking in during siesta.  Luckily they invited us in and we had the place to ourselves.  The chef reassured my friend that everything is gluten-free, so we ordered a pasta for us to share.  It was delish!!!  I was amazed because it didn’t taste differently at all.  My friend enjoyed her meal very much.  It felt good knowing she could have pasta here in Rome.

We felt better after our late lunch that we decided to continue with our sightseeing.  We came upon Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II (Altare della Patria) and I noticed the gate door was opened.  I’ve been to this monument before but never got a chance to go inside.  We quickly ran up to see if we could get in. 

The view from the top is amazing!  You get the panoramic view of the Piazza Venezzia and all of its hustle and bustle.  We took a ton of pictures before witnessing the changing of the guards.  I’m pleased we discovered this on our way to the Colosseum.  

The Colosseum had some construction going on around the perimeter but it didn’t alter the view of its majestic structure.  We were now catching the sunset of Rome and it looked beautiful!  After taking more pictures we noticed the metro station and decided to take it back to our hotel.

We had another person that was flying in later that day and he reached out to us once I was connected to the wifi.  We were all going to take the train down to the southern region of Italy.  We decided we should meet up so we could introduce ourselves as well as form a plan for the morning commute.  This was crucial since we luckily had tickets for the fast train.  Of course we got a bit lost but we found each other and headed over to the train station to get familiar with our surroundings.

As most nights in Italy were short, we decided to get up around 6am to head out no later than 7:15am for our 8am train.  Looking back, I realize that commuting is a stressful situation when you are in another country.  You can’t make any mistakes.  You are on your own…

This year’s Valentine-Gift-to-Myself

As I mentioned earlier, I am going back to Europe soon.  This trip in particular came out of nowhere.  I have a chance to see my friend for a few days, and I have a voucher I need to use by the end of the year.  I saw a good flight and booked it.

But on Valentine’s Day, I booked another trip to Italy to see my friend again.  This trip is more exciting because others will join us in Rome.  It will be our little group of former Chicagoans (since everyone moved out of the city except me).  For the past few trips I did some solo traveling, but this time I will be in the company of good friends.  I’m very excited!!  I can’t wait to see everyone!

Since I’ve started this tradition for myself, I have learned that being selfish is not always a bad thing.  I am pretty modest for the most part, but because I choose not to fuss over myself, I forget that I DO need to take care of me from time to time.  Pure joy is what makes us feel alive, and sometimes we get caught up with our responsibilities that we neglect ourselves.  It’s important to wake up and connect with what makes us happy, or else all we would be doing is working and paying bills.    

When in Rome Part 2

The next day we had a big breakfast and checked out of our hotel.  Italians normally eat pastries such as biscotti, a slice of pie or a mini pound cake filled with filling for breakfast instead of an American traditional such as eggs and bacon.  I decided to take advantage of our complimentary breakfast because I knew we were going to have a long day. 
We walked over to the Vatican Museums and waited in line for over an hour.  Mind you, this was barely 9:30am so I can't imagine how long the wait would have been if we had arrived later.  Waiting patiently, I heard so many different languages from all over.  This is one of the most visited sites in the world, so I was aware of what a privilege it was for me to finally walk in.  We did not get a tour guide because we were pressed for time.  It was such a shame to enter the corridors and not understand the beauty that was surrounding me.  I was looking for the Sistine Chapel in particular, but I will advise you to plan more accordingly to enjoy the Vatican.  I was so rushed trying to make my way through that I did feel guilty walking out of such a historic museum.
 I managed to catch some breath taking shots throughout my journey to the Chapel.  You couldn't help yourself!  Rooms were sometimes filled with frescos from the ceiling down to the walls.  I was taken aback by the floor length area rugs hanging from above.  After viewing so many rooms and being constantly teased by the "Sistine Chapel this way" signs I felt like we were never going to get there.  And then BOOM!  It took me off guard!  There I was, standing in this gigantic room with other wanderers, looking at the ceiling.  I was there!  My bucket list staring right back at me in all of its glory.
It was pretty surreal being in the last corridor of the Vatican museum.  I've waited years to be in this moment.  I never realized what a profound effect it had on me until I look back, mostly because moments like these are hard to come by.  In total, with me and my friend rushing from room to room, we spent 2 hours trying to get to the Chapel.  That's how many rooms you walk through.  How many stairs we climbed and hallways we passed.  Don't underestimate the size of this museum.  You would need at least 8 hours to get a good glimpse of what this place has to offer.  It will leave you drained.  
Once we left I took a look at the line for St. Peter's Basilica and was  saddened I couldn't make it inside.  We had to drive 3 and a half hours back to my friend's hometown, not to mention we had plans for dinner with friends.  I took a couple of pictures outside but felt hopeful I will make my way back here again.  There's just so much to see in Rome!  We dined for lunch and found our way out.  Rome has some tricky roads to drive through that we got lost trying to get out of there.  After the long drive home we freshened up and made our way to dinner where I was welcomed to a 10 bottle wine tasting!  Mama mia!  The jet leg was catching up to me, but I managed not to fall asleep at the table.  We were dining in the best restaurant in town, and I felt like a queen.  Not bad for Day 2...

 

When In Rome...

One of the most anticipated part of this journey was the flight.  First of all, I HATE flying as it is, so getting on an airplane for an 8 hour flight was something I was NOT looking forward to.  The most I've been on a plane was 4 hours.  8 sounded deadly to me.  Since most flights to Europe are in the early evening, I figured I'll try my best to sleep the whole way there.  I did my best to have a margarita (or two) at the airport but I have to confess, I think I got a little drunk on the plane.  lol.  The food was a nice treat and it settled fine in my nervous tummy.  I knocked out and had my mini nano play out some podcasts that helped me figure out how much longer we would be til we landed.  I absolutely HATED the fact I could see people in front of me watch the GPS on their screens instead of a movie.  Why would anyone want to see that on an 8 hour flight??  Besides some turbulence that lasted 30 minutes, my flight was fine and I landed in Zurich for my quick layover.  Unfortunately, I still had to hop back on a plane but from Zurich to Rome it was an hour long flight.  At this time people were wide awake but I still managed to nap it off.  I was exhausted from being so nervous.  I couldn't believe my eyes when we landed.  I'M FINALLY HERE!!!
I met my friend excitedly and off we went to the heart of Rome.  The airport was about 30 minutes away from the central part so I'm glad I did not take a cab or else it would have cost me a pretty penny.  I exchanged my money at the airport before take off, so I'm glad that was something I did not have to do as well.  Me and my girlfriend caught up on what's been going on and she was a perfect tour guide.  We checked in the hotel and showered up.  I wanted to be out of there quickly so we can see some sites since we were only going to be in Rome for a day and a half.  It was already 5pm when we stepped back out but I felt refreshed.  I took the advice of my uncle which was to sleep when they sleep and fit the jet lag.  I have to get use to the change in hours even though it will hit me like a ton of bricks.  At this point I was running on pure adrenaline.
First up the Palazzo del Quirinale, where the President of the Italian Republic resides.  I was blown away how massive this palace is!  Words cannot do justice.  And unfortunately me posing in front will not show you everything.
Me and my friend walked around some more and found the infamous Colosseum!  It's currently under construction but it did not take away the beauty of it's architecture.  Of course, only when I'm there did it happen to turn 6pm and close to the public.  I really wanted to walk inside, but I did get a glance of the circular seating.  The Roman Ruins are right next door and although it was getting later, we opted not to take the tour inside but took pictures over looking the area.
Speaking of walking, we did a lot of it.  I workout on a regular basis, but to those that do not, I offer this free advice; wear your most comfortable sandals/ shoes because it's easier to get around on foot since everything in the central area is nearby.  Rome has many hills and you will be hiking upright a couple of times.  My gladiator sandals offer very little support.  They are the flatest pair I own, but flat does not equal comfort in this case.
Since it was dinner time (my time) we jumped back into our car and drove around to find something to eat.  My friend has lived in Italy for 2 years now, so she could distinguish which restaurants the locals ate, and which ones were catered to tourists.  We found a popular area where people were gathered around and found a restaurant that offered an all-you-can-eat-buffet.  We ate, drank a bottle of wine, and people watched the rest of the evening til we decided to head back to the hotel to turn in.  Tomorrow was check out time, and we wanted to get up early to get in line for the Vatican Museums.  Day One accomplished!

Made it in front of the Palazzo del Quirinale.  Sometimes you have to wait your turn for a pic.

High end security around, but the detailing of sculptures above are gorgeous.

The Colosseum under construction...

Hundreds of people everywhere but we managed to take a pic together.

The Roman Ruins next door.