Down Under Walkabout

The adventures of life and travel in Australia & New Zealand. And now Europe.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Rome

Buongiorno from Rome! I flew from London to Rome via Prague (Chez Republic). I wanted to get out and see Prague, but wasnàt able to coordinate a flight to do so. The line in London to check in at the airport was the longest I have ever seen at an airport, but i chatted with some Aussie backpackers in line which helped pass the time.

When I arrived in Rome it took me about 5 hours to find my hostel. I saw parts of the city I woùldnt have otherwise seen (and probably would have been ok with that).

As I walked around the city, I was surounded by so many awesome buildings with tons of history. Every building is something to see, even if it is not listed as a sight on the tourist map.

The Colosseum was the first sight I saw and i would say it dwarfs the other ruins in the Ancient City. Next to it was the Arch of Constantine, i saw it and as much as i could before i was completely exhausted having woken up at 4am to get to the airport.

The next day i went to see the Vatican and Sistine Chapel. The line to get in here was about 10 20 people wide and over 1 mile long. I met a nice gal from Austin in the pizzeria who invited me to join her and her fiance in line. I did so and only had to wait about 30 minutes which was awesome. They were a real nice couple and we spent the rest of the day hanging out.

When you walk into the Vatican Museum it is overwhelming. The architecture is grande and you are surouned by tons of sculptures and paintings. It is hard to take it all in.

The Sistine Chapel was very cool to see. The ceiling has 9 main panels that tell the stories from creation to the fall of man. On the side walls tell the stories of Moses and Christ. Pretty cool to be standing where Michaelangelo and other great artists have stood.

I was also able to visit the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, Fontanta di Trevi, and a posh shopping area with stores like Gucci, Pucci, and Armanie.

And i went to the basicalla di san pietro (St. Peter s). This place is huge. I saw the tombs of the popes including the most receant one who died. There were still flowers on it. From there I went by the castel sant angelo build by hadrian in AD 117.

Tons of stuff in Rome.. it was a whirlwind but great.

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