the perfect end

rome 1...
so this is where it ends. we packed up our tuscan villa, returned our final rental car, and rode an uncomfortable, rickety train to our final destination: roma. marcus was most looking forward to rome. he had been saying that since day one. i, on the other hand, expected it would be fairly touristy. i wasn't dreading going, but i wasn't overly excited either. i was in for a pleasant surprise.
we fought our way through the frustrating train station and busy streets before FINALLY reaching our bed and breakfast. by this point, we were really starting to miss the comforts of familiar language. it's exhausting trying to be a word sleuth all day, every day, and people weren't overly helpful. when we reached the massive doorway to our apartment building, all we could think about was dumping our enormous suitcases and taking a brain break. but we couldn't just walk up and check in. no. that would be too easy for these weary travelers. first off, the b&b was located on the 7th floor. did i already mention that our suitcases were enormous? of course, there was a makeshift elevator, but some fool had not closed the door when he got off on the last stop, rendering it useless from the ground floor. (i'll just mention here that we did not figure this out until almost an hour later when someone came down in it.) i was nominated to climb the seven flights of stairs, get us checked in, and figure out how to work the lift while marcus babysat the bags in the cavernous foyer. when the beads of sweat just started to break, i reached the door to find it locked. i rang the bell. knocked. waited... and waited... i then start rereading my papers to make sure that this is, indeed, the time and place where we are supposed to be. it is during this confirmation that i see fine print at the bottom of page two. "please call in advance to let us know when you will be arriving so that someone will be available to let you in." sigh. down seven flights. now it's my turn to babysit while marcus heads out onto the street to scrounge up a payphone. zero luck. after several minutes of nesting on the bags, nearly ready to give up entirely, we were greeted by another set of travelers. they were headed to another b&b on the 4th floor. i awkwardly squeezed my way in behind them and pleaded with the manager to let me use her phone. 30 minutes later, the cleaning lady (who had been inside all along!) was contacted and opened our room for us. welcome to rome.

i will say that this was the ONLY snafu we encountered while spending two otherwise glorious days there. our agenda that night was as follows:

~colosseum—this place was not only amazing, but it was within walking distance. it was actually on the same street where we were staying, so we could see it looming in the distance as soon as we set out. we went right before dusk which allowed us to see it in both daylight and at night, when it's totally incredible! they light up each individual archway and the whole thing just glows there in the hubub of the streets.

~roman forum—these are just ruins, which we also saw at night. it was still pretty neat. i wish i knew some of the history behind it…might have made it more meaningful.

~circo massimo a.k.a. circus maximus—this is the old chariot racing loop. it was not what i expected….also in ruins and you really have to use your imagination to envision the races. however, this place was really cool because tons of people were there just loitering about, but it’s so huge it seems like you’re all alone. you can also see a palace or some building where the caesar used to watch the races from the window. we spent quite a bit of time wandering the gargantuan space and just enjoying the fresh air. we very nearly considered coming back in the morning for a jog. it really would have been ideal. maybe on our next trip...

~palatine hill and the arch of constantine—we just perused around this area en route to somewhere else. it wasn't that awe-inspiring, but the trees and greenery surrounding were lovely. italy has these trees that seriously look like african savanna trees, only taller. they're enormous and anciently wondrous. i did a little research when we got home and they're actually a pine tree of sorts, but they're definitely no christmas tree. i was baffled by them time and time again.

~capitoline museum—this place was just kind of a delightful "happen-upon" while wandering near the forum. it had huge, beautiful statues and a cascading staircase. we attempted a picture of me sitting alone in the middle of a sea of stone steps, but people kept on getting in the way. maybe they thought i was just taking a rest. or maybe they didn't really care. i'm betting on the latter.

we ended up eating at a tourist-trap restaurant that night. it was probably the only food experience we had the whole trip that was sub-par. the waiter seemed disgruntled about all of the english-speaking patrons, and the food couldn't hold a candle to our tuscan wonders. afterwards, we strolled the streets, found some gelato, and listened to the insanely loud cheers coming from the soccer fans in the bars. we passed back by the moonlit colosseum, picked out a restaurant for the next night, and then literally crashed into bed.

rome 2...
our bed and breakfast turned out to be pretty cool. it was more like an apartment with three private bedrooms, a kitchen and a bathroom. the other guests were almost like our roommates, just wandering in and out of the common areas, chatting it up here and there. on day two, we slept in a little, snagged a breakfast cake and then got back out for some more sights. first stop...

~the aventine keyhole—this is REALLY neat. i would suggest googling it just to see what it’s all about. you look into this keyhole in the side of a building and you can see the vatican miles away. we had to walk quite a ways to get there and when we finally made it, we found this ridiculous line waiting. after about a minute of debating whether it would be worth waiting or not, we realized that the line was actually for a sight right next to the keyhole...some boring churchyard. there was absolutely no one waiting to look through the hole. it was like we knew a secret that no one else knew. and let me tell you, this view really is a hidden treasure! it's fascinating that someone would even come up the with idea in the first place. and you truly feel like you've discovered gold when you see it. 45 minutes of walking for a 10-second glance....i was totally sold.

~orange grove--on our way to the metro, we stopped in to a small, stone-walled park. it was filled trees bearing bright, ripe oranges and butted up to a cliff on the edge of the city. you could see a panoramic view of west rome and st. peter's square. but after our picturesque view of the vatican at the keyhole, the sight didn't hold much thrill. we took the metro across town and hopped off in the more tourist-dense area.

~pantheon—this was fairly interesting, but we didn’t spend much time here. there wasn't a ton to see except the architecture. we did ponder the query of whether rain falls into the building through the hole in the ceiling. we also tried to snap a few pictures from under our chins to capture the hole above our heads. that pretty much summed up our five minutes inside.

~piazza della rotunda--this is the square right outside the pantheon. we weren't expecting to really stay here long, but a street performer, surrounded by masses of people and belting out tenor solos caught our attention for a good 10 minutes. it was magnificent...like something out of a movie.

~lunch--en route to trevi fountain, we passed tons of tiny cafes. the appeal of a wood-burning oven and inexpensive wine drew us to an outdoor table. we shared tasty bites of fresh calzones and a few carafes of the house white, people-watching and enjoying the breeze....not a care in the world. when the kitchen closed for the afternoon break, we paid our tab and wandered on down the road to........

~TREVI FOUNTAIN!!!!!—without a doubt, this is my favorite of the favorites in rome. ironically, it was also the most tourist-packed...and I do mean, packed. however, we had a gorgeously sunny day to enjoy this wonder and the rapturous sound of crystal water pouring down massive, shining stone. it was honestly so peaceful that i didn't even notice the crowd. we soaked up the warmth of this enchanted place for a very, very long time. we probably would still be there if we didn't still have more to see.

~vatican and st. peter’s square—we lucked out in the fact that we went here on the last sunday of march. and that means....entry is FREE! we absolutely would have paid to go in though. this is the most magnificently huge church you will ever set foot in. it really was awe-inspiring. you simply can't stop staring. marcus did a lot of wandering, but i mostly stayed marveling in one spot....the pieta statue by michelangelo. it's a marble carving of mary holding jesus' limp body after it was taken off the cross. it's captivating. i had seen a replica before in the st. louis basilica, and i remember being mesmerized then too. but the real thing almost takes your breath away. when marcus could finally peel me away, we roamed around the square outside where there are wonderful columns and fountains to admire. i was a little disappointed to have missed the opportunity to see the sistine chapel (we had come so far) but we arrived too late in the afternoon. they say that the wait to get in is pretty long anyhow, so maybe it's a good thing. it gave me more time to stare at the pieta :)

~castel sant'angelo and the bridge of angels—we left the vatican and followed the river down for miles to the castel...which was really nothing more than a big, round fortress. we merely glanced its way. most of our attention was focused on the soaking in all of the fabulous bridges that span across the tiber. they are beautiful. and here we were....the sun was setting right behind the crest of the vatican. the crowds had thinned out. it was just the two of us roaming the miles and miles of rome. our perfect last night in a world all our own.

rome 3...
this is the morning we said goodbye. bittersweetly. it took us a full 24 hours from waking up in rome to hitting the sack in illinois. and the verdict as we finally snuggled into our own, cozy bed....

worth. every. penny.