Roma!

so, i had a nice, long layover in Rome on the way home from Cairo. i think i got into the city around 9am and caught the 4:30pm train back to the airport, so it was a quick trip, but well worth it! when i was in the airport terminal i stepped into a shop that had loads of English lang magazines--it was overwhelming! i was looking through an adventure magazine and found this little slice of heaven on a page that you see below. it instantly brought a smile to my face and i had to document this brilliant moment in print history:) ha! hey, it's Arkansas, the Natural State--you just can't mess with that.

so, onto the quick tour of the eternal city. i ended up taking a hop on/hop off double decker bus to tour around the city. it was a great deal and allowed me to see many sites from the bus, but also allowed me to get off at stops to explore particular sites of interest more in depth--a good option in my opinion. also, there was audio that gave some insight on the different sites along the way. anyways, onto the first stop: the Colosseo. the area around it was a little different than i had expected, but it was truly beautiful and amazing of course.


i didn't actually go inside (again, got to save some things for the next trip, right?) as i wasn't sure how much time i would have and spent all my euro cash on the bus fare. but i did walk all the way around peeking in on different openings to get glimpses of the inside. i was so happy that it wasn't raining yet. it was a nice morning for sure! i couldn't believe i was actually there!
then it was back on the bus where i saw many sites of course, but the next big one was the Circus Maximus that now operates as a park for the city.
then onto Campidoglio-Capitolino, the big steps. i tell you what, the bus offered some great shots on the fly!

then later, onto San Pietro square! again, it was different than i had expected, but pretty incredible to say the least. behind me is where the Pope gives weekly addresses as well as others. it was lightly raining at this point.it is just so huge! look at the people there at the entrance. i didn't wait in the really long line to go in here either (again, gotta save some stuff for next time:) but you can also see all the chairs they have out for people to come and listen.

i really liked this photo above. i feel like it captures it all. the basilica, the piazza, this man of God, the huge screen to broadcast the Pope, the fountain, the statues of saints up top, etc.

then i buzzed over to Trevi Fountain. this was much larger than i had expected. Romans knew how to go big, huh? there were a lot of visitors here as well. i can't imagine what it would be like in higher tourist seasons! i was just a tad happy to say the least here:) i also ate some yummy gnocchi for lunch just down the way from this fabulous fountain.then i followed lunch up with a healthy serving of gelato! right when i left the gelato shop it started to downpour! so, i rushed over to the closest bus stop to wait and try to juggle my gelato, umbrella, and bus ticket. thankfully there was an empty seat on the bus, so i could sit and enjoy my gelato while watching from the comfort of my seat.

then, it was onto the pantheon! i wasn't sure if i would have time, but suprisingly i was able to get around the city rather quickly, although i didn't spend hours at each location it was a neat experience to take in so many beautiful sites.inside the dome actually had this opening. the building was huge! at this point it was raining pretty good and the opening allowed rain into this place of worship. they had the wet area roped off, so it was just raining down on folks. i thought that was interesting.

so, it was a quick trip, but hey, you get what you can! i am really thankful i got to visit here as well. it was kind of a lot to take in just a week, but again, i am so thankful. if i look tired in the photos above, you have to know that i only got maybe a half hour of sleep the night before as my flight from Cairo left out at 4:30am. but it was worth it! as my sister would gladly reply: hey, you can sleep when you are dead. i don't try to abide by this advice, but i think sometimes it is worth it in the opportunity to experience some amazing places, foods, and interact with charming people.

also, a fun thing that was a total surprise on the way home: the airline i was flying with canceled my flight from Rome to NA, so i was on standby with another airline. well, after waiting til all the folks were checked in and other folks got picked to fly, i was told i would get on that flight! i was so excited as i was pretty exhausted and wet at that point. so, i hurried to the gate to find out that my seat was in first class!! wow! probably my first and only time in first class. it was an almost 3 hour flight, so it was fun. they served some nice salmon, bread, butter, a beef steak, veggies, fruit and finished it all off with cheese--very french inspired! also, i was totally blown away that they served champaigne and wine as the airline was that of NA and alcohol is not favored in this Muslim society. that was interesting for sure. thankfully, there was plenty of room to catch some sleep. to say the least, this trip was pretty fantastic. i just wish you could have been there with me:)