Leaving Rome to Barcelona

Thursday - We took the hotel recommended car to the airport this morning. It was €10 more than a cab, which was close enough. It was a very pleasant ride though the ridiculous traffic that is Rome. Everyone cutting in front of everyone else with scooters cutting in front of and around everyone. We arrived with plenty of time, which was fortunate, as the check-in line was over an hour long. Security was trivial though you weren’t even allowed to carry your passport through. And like everywhere else, lots of pushing as the trays of stuff didn’t necessarily go through in the same order as people. 

We had lunch while waiting for the gate assignment. I guess the airline we picked, Vueling Airlines, must not have permanent gate assigned. The Rome airport is huge with tons of shopping. I keep wondering who buys all this high-end stuff. The flight itself was fine, no issues. We initially had concerns about Bridget’s carryon being slightly oversized for under the seat but it turns out that our ticket included a bag in the overhead compartment. 

Arriving in Barcelona was a new experience. It took a long time for our checked bags to show up. Then trying to negotiate the taxi system. Yelp has a fixed rate to/from the airport but we just joined the regular taxi queue. The price ended up being about the same. And the cars are the same.

 

For dinner, I had one of the classic dishes of Barcelona. Seafood paella. I must admit that I was a little disappointed. No soccarat, the scorched rice on the bottom. Both DaveS version as well as my own attempts have more vegetables and more flavor. But then again, this is a tourist version made in single serving. 

Rome, IT - Day 4

Wednesday - Today was a rest & relaxation day plus some chores. We dropped off laundry a couple of blocks away and it was €12/load. Much cheaper than on the ship. We then walked to a shop that Bridget wanted to see. While she shopped, I had a cappuccino and ricotta cornetto (pastry). We then walked around a bit more ending up back at the hotel around 12:30. Our laundry still wasn’t done nor was the room cleaned so we just waited in the lobby. 

At a tourist shop down the street, I picked up a MagSafe charger as my phone charge usually runs out by mid-afternoon on this trip. A lot of gps use and taking pictures. 

While walking, we passed a 2-door Jeep Wrangler and it looked huge compared to the other vehicles. In Italy, even a Smart car is not as small as they get. Numerous two passenger and a few one passenger cars are much smaller. Scooters too numerous to count. We’ve seen a couple Harleys and BMW GS bikes and they seem huge compared to the majority of the local bikes. We’ve even seen a couple of sidecars all attached to scooters. 

We think that Italy may be a one-and-done for us. There are still many places in the world to see and, at least for me, walking isn’t as easy as it used to be. Travel with suitcases is a lot of work.

Rome, IT - Day 3

Tuesday - A city bus ride through Rome traffic, followed by a never ending queue. Bridget purchased a timed-entry ticket for the basilica but the line was still over an hour.

Multiple ticket checks and a metal detector before entering. Pushy tour guides cutting in front of others seems to be the Italian way.

Swiss guards are a real thing not just something I’ve read about in school.

The over-the-top grandeur of these places is somewhat upsetting to me given the conditions most of the commoners lived in. This is our tour of St Peter’s Basilica.

The first marble statue of many. I remember having a plastic replica of this that I won in some sort of school contest. I think I was in 3rd grade. 

After a while, all the pictures start to look alike. I’m not really a historic church or cathedral person.

I did find this bit of technology interesting. Instead of votive candles that you light, after making a donation, you use Apple Pay and switch on a led candle.

After lunch, we went into the Vatican museum. Room after room with these painted domes. And lots of typical museum stuff but housed in these ornate domed rooms. 

We finally ended in the Sistine Chapel but no photos allowed in that room.

We finally headed back to the hotel exhausted. Enough that we took a taxi instead of a standing room only public transit bus. I think that I have reached my fill of cathedrals and museums. All of these locations have so many people. 

Rome, IT - Day 2

Monday - This morning, we walked to one of the most iconic locations in Rome, the Coloseum. Like everything around here, it’s all pay to visit. If they figured out a way to charge for seeing the outside, they would. 

Adjacent to the Coloseum is the Temple of Venus and Rome. Yet another €20 to visit. You can spend a lot to see, imho, more of the same. 

I’m more than happy to visit and just enjoy the views. 

In the afternoon, we took a two hour golf cart tour of some of the more popular locations around the city. On this trip, I’m feeling tired more often. Before, 20k step days didn’t phase me. Most of the days in Italy have been 12k steps and I would be wiped out. 

Our first stop was the most photographed fountain in Rome, the Trevi Fountain. The tour would drop us off on one side then meet us after we wade through the crowds at the attraction. During peak season, you need reservations to see the fountain. 

The next stop was the Spanish Steps. I guess it was popularized by movies such as Roman Holiday back in the 50s. Now, it’s a popular selfie location. The tour dropped us off at the top and picked us off near the bottom so we didn’t need to climb the 135 steps. 

The next stop was Piazza Navona which had the fountain of Neptune depicting four continents Europe, Asia, Americas, and Africa.

There was another obelisk there that has a history. The original Roman obelisk was blank, no carvings. A later person hired an artist who made a replacement with Egyptian hieroglyphics carved on all four sides. The artist had no knowledge of hieroglyphics and just picked ones that he thought looked good. It took 300 years before they declared it all gibberish. 

The last stop was an overlook of Trajan’s Market. It is a group of ruins at the opposite end of the Roman Forum from the Coloseum. 

I would recommend the golf cart tours. They actually fit in the small alleys and ridiculously crowded streets. The driver and guide were fantastic. 

Dinner was spaghetti cacio e pepe. A simple dish of pasta, Pecorino Romano, and black pepper. With pasta cooking water to finish the sauce. Simple but delicious. All of the food we’ve had has been fabulous. I didn’t mention the hot, pressed sandwich with mozzarella and prosciutto.