Roma

Shall we continue our trip back in time?

Miles and I left Venice on an early morning flight--So early that we were at the bus stop by 5:30 to get to the airport.  I, being the panicked, worry-wart that I was, slept restlessly in anticipation of all that could go wrong!  Miraculously, we made it to the airport, checked in my bag (without weight complications), and enjoyed a VERY comfortable EasyJet flight.  

Then we were in Rome!!!

For Christmas, no less

Upon our arrival things began to be less than perfect.  We were stopped by police in the train station, who demanded our passports (not a huge deal).  Tickets were purchased without incident and we settled into our seats on the Leonardo Express, an overpriced direct train into the center of Rome.  While reading the tickets, Miles realized that they needed to be validated;  I waited on the train while he dashed off to fix the problem.  Shortly thereafter, the train door shut and it began moving.  I freaked and began searching for Miles outside, unable to see him.  I turned the corner to return to my seat, only to see Miles entering the train car!  He ran the length of the train and somehow made it on before it left the station!  To continue the complications, the metro station was a nightmare of steps and we had serious hotel address complications.  Needless to say, we didn't accomplish anything the rest of the day!

The Coliseum was so very close to our hotel, which was in Piazza Vittorio Emmanuel II

 

Arch of Constantine, near the Colosseum

This is why you don't visit Europe in December, not to mention all the rain!!! We were soaked the whole time.

Speaking of rain, we were obligated to duck into cafes.  This one, San Eustachio, is known to make one of the best espressos in the world.  We had cappuccinos, as you can see below.  A Belgian dip anyone?

Me at the Vatican before going to the Vatican Museum

Miles was very sneaky and took pictures of the Sistine Chapel without being caught! Lucky us.

Trevi Fountain!  Don't worry, we threw in our coins the proper way and are waiting to return to Roma!  Did I mention we were soaked at this point, it was Christmas Eve, and the awesome little restaurant we planned to go to just closed?  It turned out fine in the end!

Some ruins in the middle of the city, in typical Roman fashion!

I don't like this picture, but it's Miles' favorite and pretty funny I suppose.  Apparently, this is my highly annoyed face!

We spent Christmas seeing the sites and watching lots of childhood Christmas movies.
(mostly, avoiding the rain)

It was amazing to be in Rome because there is so much to see and experience.  Unfortunately, we were competing with limited time, the holidays, and poor weather.  Next time, huh?

So, this was the longest post ever!!! Next stop, Cologne!