Feeling the Vibe with City Sightseeing Rome

Rome is everything everyone said it was and more. I had decided to forgo walking the streets of Rome with Joe and HT in favor of spending 20€ on a bus tour. Since last night was a bit crazy we started off our morning much later then we had intended. By 11:30 we were sitting outside a local cafe drinking machiattos and eating pastries on the streets of Rome. Since Joe and HT were going to walk all day they reviewed their itinerary while I just sat laughing at the two of them talk it over. We parted ways after breakfast, I went off to the ATM and to find a good bus tour that included the Vatican and HT and Joe headed south towards the Colosseum.

I strolled towards the Termini train station where I knew a few would be stopping. On the way I stopped at the tourist information booth for a better map and was stopped by someone selling bus tickets. 20€ later I had my ticket and was escorted to the main open top bus.

Once again I found myself regretting not having a jacket since the sun was hiding behind clouds which were aching to release a downpour. I hoped I would be okay with just my scarf (and I was - it didn't start drizzling until I was making my way home at 19:15).

As I watched Rome pass before me from the upper deck of the bus it amazed me that the old lived together with the blossoming new. As we approached the coliseum I was amazed. It was not unlike the movies but there was something that drew me to it. We continued past all the other landmarks as we continued to Vatican city. Each one was more amazing then the next and they all gave me a feeling that in a past life I must have been roman.

The one part that amazed me most was Vatican city. The beauty of the great church and St Peters square were so moving. I still can't put my finger on what exactly had made my very soul feel emotionally connected but it nearly brought tears to my eyes.

After going through the full tour sitting on the bus I decided to get off at the coliseum and see what it was about and how I could get in or take a tour. I followed a tour group as thy made their way to the entrance and found the fee for simply a tour into the ruins was 12€. No thank you. I passed on going in and instead spent the next half hour walking around and looking at the excavation site.

I got back on the tour bus to go to Vatican city. I got off and quickly got lost. Having no idea where the Sistine chapel is I was lucky enough to find a tourist info booth and look at a map. As always following all the other tourists worked to my benefit. I not only discovered this cool ancient looking stone water fountain but also my way to the Vatican Museum. This I was willing to part with 15€ to see. The amount of art is impressive to say the least. The size alone of the building and the intricate way each room connects to the next was daunting. Despite the cool air outside I found myself suffocating inside due to the poor crowd control and idiots who can't walk and take a picture at the same time. By the time I finally made it to the Sistine chapel I was hot, tired, and annoyed. Since it had grown dark out it was a bit difficult to see all the detail in the low light but that did not deter from the magnificence of it. I could only imagine what it took to conceptualize and create it.

Tired and wiped out I made my way back to the bus just in time to catch one of the last ones. I was also the last group let into the museum.

I wandered my way back to our room in the drizzle, thinking of how good it will feel to rest and finally eat - pasta preferably - and entered the room to find Joe and HT sleeping. I wonder what adventure they had. Or even if they managed to see what they had planned to.




(taken from a bench in the garden just inside the Vatican museum. I had no idea at the time the hike/sweaty shoving crowds lay before me)