Rome day 2

6am wake up call! I slept fairly well on my block of marble (are they trying to be historically accurate here?), I think mainly via exhaustion. My stupid nose has started to run - trying to fix it's poor torn self :(.


We have breakky together and head for the Vatican at 7am sharp! Amelia meets us and gives us the run down while passing out the head sets (so we can hear her over the crowd). She lives only across the road, walks her dog at 5.30am and looks at the people lining up already in the non tour section waiting for their turn - she says they are rather chuffed with themselves for being so smart lining up early - what they dont realise is that they will still be getting in late - at 10 am after all the tours have had their shot first! Poor bastards.





We learn the Vatican city is starting their own olympic team - yellow and white being their colours... interesting, will we see priests in their bathers? Isnt that a sin? LOL







The Vatican is beautiful (but no tripods as Devin finds out). The square has an interesting oddity: a double orb.







We got into the Sistine Chapel early and enjoyed it with few people. As beautiful as it was, you must have to be devout to understand the true beauty, as I didnt get the goosebumps everyone tells me about (I honestly thought the Pantheon was more astounding) - I know I should be hung, drawn and quatered right here on the spot. Oh well!




We entered the astounding St Peter's Basillica (nb this is a photo from the day before when the Pope was blessing the brides) and were wowed by the gorgeous artworks surrounding us! Information overload is beginning to take hold and I just wander snapping shots randomly. I took some fuzzy pics of Pieta by Michaelangello :







More to come, It's 3am (yeah im still not used to my normal time zone), I better head to bed and try to get some more sleep. Besides, my cat is getting annoyed, apparently my lap just isnt big enough for her fat self (she ate enough for 3 cats while i was away - we have a depressive eater here folks!

Roma!

They say in Rome, do as the Roman's do, well I sure as shit wont be driving! It appears that all rules are ignored, you are to drive as fast as possible, zig zag and weave your way in which ever way you please, take two lanes if you feel you are worthy and if someone DARES drive "slow" (ie the speed limit) in front of you, you are to drive an inch from their butt and yell obscenities at them untill they brave jumping on out into the other lane. This was SURELY the funniest ride I have ever had. I am suprised I survived it!

After deciding to sleep it off (12.5 hours! :O) instead of wandering the city - well ok I did give it a darn good shot, I went to the Metro, wobbled around, decided I couldnt read the sign for getting a ticket, so i wobbled back, to make it just in time to collapse on the bed and sleep for gosh knows how long.

I wake up feeling pretty fuzzy, but over the cold! YEY!!! My head is swimming with Jet lag, but seeing I am well again, I head on out to explore the wonder of Roma! The Metro I find is clean, easy to understand and FAST! There were few people around at 8 am, so I felt completely safe and at ease.

After an hour an a half of wondering the Termini district, I succumb and ask someone for directions to the Hop on Hop Off station nearest - it appears it is about 10 feet from where I left the Metro - you can see the Info lady thinks I'm possibly the dumbest person she's layed eyes on.. but I dont care, I'm in Roma!

I stayed on the Hop on Hop Off for 2 rounds (HOURS and HOURS). In heignsight I should have hopped off occasionally, but I figured I would see most of this on the tour and I just wanted an easy day today so I would be 100 % when I meet my tour group. This tour was a great way for me to orientate myself around the city, and it gives you so much information about all the sites!

At 4.45 I met with my tour group, Pier Luigi is our guide for the trip, he is a charming Italian man who is happy and considerate. I meet Ann and Aubrey from South Africa as well as Sheila and Don from Canada. There seem to be a tonne of Americans which is cool.

The Pantheon is MIND BLOWING!

Piazza Novona for our "Rome by Night" optional. Ann and Aubrey took me under their wing and we ate some pizza in a side street :D how charming!

St Peter's Basillica is AMAZING by night!

We meet Amelia, our local guide and she shows us numerous lovely spots, including a special spot overlooking the Roman Forum!

As we head for "home", Pier tells me my room mate has arrived while we were out! Mary is a fantastically fun woman who lives in Jamaica (From New York state up near the Canadian border, so she has the canadian ring to her accent Ey). She is a Dental Hygenist and is married to Metal, a Reggae musician.

Flying with a cold

Seth, Nanna and Pa waved me off at 7am, on my way for my big adventure!

I fly Singapore airlines for my first leg - a wonderful aeroplane, excellent service, they made us feel like business class - the room is actually quite good for our legs, monitors on the back of each chair, hey I can even learn some Italian on the way! Ahh this trip wont be so bad! :D I have doped myself up, taken more pain killers and nasal tabs than an elephant should and i relax the time away....

Ok, I'm now in HELL! Lufthansa have taken cattle class to a whole new level. My 12 hour flight from Singapore to Frankfurt is complete discomfort, illness and horror. I had made the major error of eating a pie on the previous flight, now am suffering the consequences of having had cream... ew... I am stuck between two men - the window seat one is a lovely fella on his way to a design competition in Frankfurt, the other is a big fella who has decided to make it his main aim in life to get drunk and pass out.... joy.

After climbing over drunk guy several times to dash to the loo, I succumbed and decided to just stand for about 7 hours up near the loo. The staff dont like this, so i ask them for some ice for a facecloth ( I now have a raging fever) - "what?" they now seem to have lost all english ability (seemed to understand perfectly when i asked for ice in my drink an hour ago!)

I arrived in Rome around 12 noon, with a torn sinus from the massive climb and descent over the alps in such a short time - dont fly Frankfurt to Rome with a cold folks... BAD idea!

Anyway, Im alive, and now waiting for my transfer to the hotel :)