Day 1: The Journey
With a busy weekend for my mum ahead and a lot of driving the previous day, my dad was the duty taxi driver for me and Kristina to get to Gatwick, North Terminal. With great knowledge of travelling to Crawley in his work days, he expertly navigated the scenic country route with fantastic expertise. Not only this but the music, of which he controlled was Queen which to our delight was also the Bohemian Rhapsody Soundtrack.
Arriving duly at the airport, we made our way straight through the airport to the security as we had smartly pre-checked in. At the security boxes, a rather pleasant guy kept cracking (family friendly) jokes which really did keep the stress and anxiety of going through security down. This was nice to see and before we knew it, we were easily through to the departure lounge. Being lunch time and being REALLY peckish, we decided to embark on finding a place for lunch. After Kristina making very persuasive argument, we went to Wagamama's and had the most sumptuous Duck Dumplings and Katsu Curry.
Our gate was then suddenly called. Due to the budget airline of EasyJet we travelled with, if your suitcase didn't fit in the full capacity over heads, they would sit in the hold. To avoid this we quickly walked to the gate as to avoid not being able to access our baggage. Even more to our surprise, we were first. The gate filled fast with a rough mixture of British and Italian Nationals that I'm pretty sure had the same idea as us and bunched up towards the door.
Sat on our plane, we swiftly embarked on our flight, with a smooth take off. Still peckish, we treated ourselves to a muffin, of which was VERY moist, and some pringles. This kept us going for the duration.
Straight through security and customs we went, the later being the modern automised system. Such was the speediness of this part, we went again on the lookout for food. I know, but this was our first Italian food and it was dinner time. We found a bakery at the end of the terminal and purchased a beautiful slice of potato and four cheese pizza each. We really devoured that!
A issue quickly arose of where our transfer was. About 30 minutes late, it had turned up! Looking somewhat like the Safety Bus (for anyone reading from Uni of Chichester) it took us to our hotel past a very pretty Vatican City which was illuminated in the clear night sky. Settling down for the night, we explored our room. Although basic in amenities, it was very Italian. We fell asleep excited for our first full day.
Day 2: Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
Waking up to a stunningly clear pristine blue sky was incredible. Although only about 4-5 degrees Celsius, we pottered down the breakfast room adjacent to the reception to devour our first breakfast! Filled with custard filled pastries and abundant in rolls, it was a quaint room to eat your fill before venturing out. As in most European destinations, the juice offering changes too, so I opted for the sweet pineapple juice. After getting ready post breakfast we headed out into a chilly but clear Rome, making the most of our extra layers to keep ourselves comfortable. We walked through the streets with awe and wonder as the high buildings surrounded us with the most vibrant or reds, oranges and browns. This became a common sigh throughout the trip.
Eventually, we reached the Colosseum through a stunningly lit park. Crossing past a basketball court we reached a set of stairs which wound down to the ground level of the Colosseum. We queued and just like everything tourist driven out in Rome, there was a degree of security, this time a airport style x ray machine which we both quickly went through without a problem. Firstly, we took in some wonderful facts in the opening museum set up that littered the first part of your walk. This threw up facts of historic fights, materials used in the building and touched on a few very historic figures in Ancient Rome. This then opened up into the main space which really left us both speechless. The sheer scale and size of the Colosseum is something to behold, but when you imagine the people that have trod the same path as you and the many gory and great battles that taken place, it really humbles you.
As we walked around the inside, we naturally achieved alot of pictures due to the continuous fabulous weather we had! reaching about 14/15 degrees with clear skies, it made for wonderful crisp views. Although very tourist driven and busy, everyone seemed in high spirits and just thankful to be in such a well known place. Leaving, we decided to chill for a bit and sit on the many boulders outside and soak up the sun a little. With tourists came sellers, of which most had a selfie stick or phone chargers to sell. As the security was very tight, some local officers were quickly on the case and the assailants starts to run!
After a while, we got hungry so we went in the search for food. Passing a local pizzeria was easy as there was so many, but we placed ourselves at one opposite the Colosseum and up the hill. So for me, facing the area, I had the best view, Kristina. The Colosseum was pretty beautiful too! We shared a Margarita Pizza and marvelled over what we had just seen and done.
Straight after lunch we headed to the queue for The Roman Forum/Palatine Hill. This queue seemed incredibly long but moved fast and eventually lasted only 20 mins considering it was around 1:30 in the afternoon. The actual area itself was like a little city within the heart of Rome, full of tiny museums built within the original buildings they represented. Pathways were like the stepping stones on Takeshi's Castle (maybe some exaggeration) and some paving was a little uneven so we had to be careful even with comfortable and sturdy shoes on. Surrounded by the pit of old buildings and crooked pathways were Italian style buildings on hills and orange trees in abundance. These were rather pungent and filled the immediate air with a fresh citric smell. After walking up a lot of stairs we went to what would have been the emperors palace, now ruins still standing giving you an idea of the size rooms that the Emperor would have lived in.
We continued back down into the main 'pit' of the area and occasionally stopped to bask in the continued sun and rest our weary legs. This was most evident when our smart watches went crazy after reaching 10,000 steps. At only 4pm in the day, with the walk home still to go, this was alot to achieve in one normal day, let alone before 4!
During the sunset, we took the last few photos and decided to call a wonderful start to our holiday a day. With all the walking and calories we burnt Kristina treated us both to a salami and cheese panini which was delightful. On the way back we stopped off at a local convenience mart and to our luck we found big 1.5l bottles of still water for only 26c a piece! A bargain! Our journey to the hotel included walking through the main train station Roma Termini. Situated inside were some high street shops we were familiar with such as McDonalds, Pandora, Lindt and Sophora. The last of which Kristina did drag me into to have a look!
Tired from our first day, we rested till 19:30, googling the local restaurants within a 5 minute perimeter. Remembering a place down the road between the train station and us gave me a hunch that it might be a good start to having our dinner out. We checked the prices and they seemed reasonable so we went in! With alot of tables in close proximity and a nice mixture of locals and tourists, we ordered a glass of Rose wine each and out came two glasses at least half full. Ordering our mains became difficult with such a large menu but we decided to go with Ragatoni Carbonara and Gnocci with Ragu and Bolognese sauce. Its safe to say that evening we left very fed. Genuinely, that Gnocci I had that night may have been the best Italian pasta dish I've ever had. So much so, I attempted to say the dish was beautiful in the language. The waitress quickly told me that the way I said it was for calling someone beautiful, not a dish! How embarrassing... With our wine also fully consumed, it did slightly go to our heads, but genuinely this rounded off a really fantastical and special first day.
Day 3: Vatican City on Valentines Day
14th February means one thing, Valentines Day. As we got up, whilst still in bed, we exchanged the cards to one another that we had packed. Also, as is now tradition, I gave Kristina her plastic rose. As we went down for breakfast today, Kristina spotted two foreign ladies storing rolls in their bags for the day and mentioned to me what a good idea that was if we ever got peckish. So Kristina obliged with the solitary cheese roll. Due to the smaller cups as well, I had my fill of natural sugar with about 4 glasses of pineapple juice.
We got ready after breakfast discussing the itinerary for that day. After a beautifully warm and strong shower, I came out to finalise my bag for the day. Having finished in the bathroom, Kristina then went in to pt her make up on in the mirror. Whilst this happened however, I put up some bunting I had purchased in a heart shape spelling LOVE. This was placed across the window for the lighting to give it more effect. Kristina mentioned how romantic I was for doing it and we left it for the day!
Vatican City was situated practically the other side of the city from us so we decided not to pursue walking but to catch a train there and back. To our absolute delight, we we reached the ticket hub at the terminal down the road, we had discovered that a single ticket to the nearest station (Roma S. Pietro) would only be 1 Euro for effectively 30 mins travel! What a bargain! As we had a few minutes spare we gandered in to Pandora, but as expected on Valentines Day, it was packed with people doing last minute gift purchases! When reaching our platform after a long walk, we found we had to 'stamp' our ticket, which ended up being effectively a hole punch. We caught our train, and in the comfortable leather seats, we embarked on our journey.
Trying to get us to our destination/meet point 15 minutes (10:15 am) early as per our guide instructions, I put in the road name for our destination and we set off. Little did I realise, this road was the one that surrounded the whole of Vatican City ans its huge walls so we ended up alot short of where we meant to be! Whoops! We continued for an additional 10 mins to finally reach and meet the 'Get Your Guide' Team. By this point, we were very warm as once again the weather was gorgeous.
Meeting our welcome party was lovely. Dressed in the branded gear, they asked us how our journey was, and when we would like to go in. They duly took us past a really long queue as part of the 'skip the queue' deal and got us our official museum tickets. They then gave us the lowdown and made sure we knew that we could mooch around in our own time. Not to mention with our tickets we got 15% off all shops too!
The architecture throughout the Vatican museums was stunning. Floor to ceiling, the sheer detail was stunning. Immaculate and pristine, the colour was vibrant and really popped through such old subject matters and physical paintings. This really must have been a labour of love and must have contained hundreds of thousands of man hours to complete. Real highlights include seeing a Michael Angelo sculpture in the flesh and a few Henri Matisse pieces. Not only did the museums contain older artefacts but also modern parts too. This was evident as we passed a wall of football memorabilia emblazoned across a wall. These contained signed balls, signed personalised football shirts and photos. Adjacent to this was a spacesuit present to the pope with his name taking pride of place on the badge.
We continued through all the incredible rooms to eventually reach the Sistine Chapel. Although known world over as an incredibly important place, if I am completely honest, we were really both underwhelmed. Naturally the artwork and setting was incredible as it was throughout, but the actual grandeur of the room didn't really pop. Deep within the building, it is roughly the size of a large school sports hall. Whilst absolutely rammed to the rafters with tourists, what is usually a serenely quiet room was bustling with activity. Photos are prohibited in that room unfortunately so you'll just have to take my word!
We popped into a shop shortly after and sat on a nearby staircase to rest our once again weary legs. This time being roughly 3pm, we had already reached over 10,000 steps and not even walked to Vatican City. Going in the shop, we unanimously agreed to get rosary beads as our keepsake from there. As a symbol of the catholic church, it represented the style and religious beliefs that was in abundance throughout our day.
Anxious to get to St. Peter's Square, I asked the front desk where I might find the entrance. After officially exiting the Museum area, we walked around the outside of the wall bordering Vatican City and ambled for about 5 minutes until we reached the first plinths.
As we knew this was free, we look for security but was surprised the find only a small metal fence bordering the square. This was the entrance to Vatican City and effectively the international border for Italy. We stepped into the square (albeit more of a circle) and was really taken back once again by the scale of the are and the wondrous plinths that kept the square surrounded. A beaming and bright sun filled the square with warm rays and created a relaxed ambience as people settled.
One of mine and Kristina's items on our tick list was to try authentic Italian ice cream. We managed this by finding a truck just over the border in Italy selling gelato. We both decided to get Lemon and Vanilla. Although slightly favouring the amount of Lemon to Vanilla, both were exceptional. We moved to the centre of the square by a large plinth and started to people watch whilst finishing up our scrumptious ice creams. Kristina noticed a couple, most likely in their early 20's, really getting carried away whilst kissing. For a good 10 minutes they looked like they hadn't taken a breath due to kissing each other so much! They must have really felt loved up this valentines day evidently! This dissipated and we went on a walk to take in the two fountains and the Bascilica itself.
The sun now began to lower and the colour of the square started to change to a warm glow. We decided this would be a great time to do a mini photo shoot in front of the Bascilica. Werking the life out of our outfits, we took some photos of ourselves and the surrounding area and decided that our day had come to a conclusion and made our way slowly back to the station.
On the train we discussed the train system in Europe, having been to Spain and Holland also and having to pay not too dissimilar prices, we wondered why it cost SO much in the UK. For a similar 30 min journey like it was going back, it would roughly cost £6ish whereas we payed the equivalent of about 80p each way. We arrived back shortly after and I really was in desperate need of the bathroom (tmi, I know). Searching frantically we passed a bakery in the middle of the station that I stopped at. Kristina had asked me why I had stopped so abruptly. I have found the holy grail of Italian starters. ARANCINI. Maybe not everyone's favourite Italian food, but we both ADORE it. Excited, Kristina and I split it and devoured it extremely quickly.
This evenings meal was at a quaint and cosy restaurant called Mama Angela's. Slightly more modern than our previous evening, its quieter clientele made for a chilled out vibe. Obviously we ordered wine as our drink and as we both wanted to try an authentic version of the dish, both ordered Lasagne. Once again, the food was wonderfully rich and the wine nice and strong. As our mains were so lovely, we decided to splash out on a desert, our choice being Sicilian Style Cannelloni Cheesecake. After a brief wait of around 5 minutes a generous slab of cheesecake came out with green bits over the top. Pistachios. Ah. (For anyone that does not know, Kristina is allergic to most nuts)... Having ordered it and it not come out wrong at all, we decided to dissect it so we could retrieve the main bulk and base. To our relief, Kristina remained unharmed and we managed to eat the majority avoiding waste!
Remembering this was our last full day before flying, we packed slightly too make sure we wouldn't need to rush the following morning. Whilst sorting out our items, I flicked through the TV and found a 90's movie called Demolition Man. Being the tech wiz I am, I managed to find a way to turn this spoofy action/sci-fi film into English!
Day 4: Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Home.
Breakfast on this day was a strange one. After we had stirred, we went done to the breakfast room for our last breakfast at the hotel. We entered a empty room with almost a full compliment of foods. Wondering why this was, we still sat down and started to eat our food at our own leisure. A gentleman of roughly 60 came in and sat down on his own reading a book with a cup of tea. After Kristina and I continuing to converse, he came over and asked how our stays were! He was English too! From Leicester! We talked about where we had been and what a delight the food and weather was. After predominately spending time with each other (and loving every minute of it) we revelled in the fact another compatriot was around!
We sadly went back to our room and pack as the check out time loomed at 11:30am. This would be a sad time as even thought the room certainly wasn't the Ritz, we had made it somewhat homely and it had treated us well. We went down the rickety lift one last time with our suitcases to check out. It was as simple as handing the keys in and saying goodbye! Graciously, the hotel also kept our suitcases securely outback so we could enjoy the rest of our trip out into the city.
Our first stop on our agenda was the famous Trevi Fountain. Walking through the typical stylised streets, we realised how steeped in history the city truly is. The sombre colours of brown, yellow and red popped from the walls whilst stark greys filled the paving and mosaic like roads. This was a common sight and one that we adored. There aren't many places in the world we would have taken as many photos of streets, but we did here. Mostly because it was just that stunning!
Arriving round a corner into the Trevi Fountain area, we entered a tourist hotspot where every nationality had gathered by the looks of it and where pictures were taken in abundance. The actual fountain itself was rather large and grand. With surprisingly clear blue water, we took in the surrounds and made our way slowly down to the waters edge to perch. We took it in turns to throw small change in over our shoulder, both videoing it to document the traditional activity. To the south east of the fountain there was a opened church which we also had a little walk into. Appreciating and respecting the catholic religion out there seems highly important.
We moved onto the Pantheon after this, walking past a densely populated set of shops and restaurants. After roughly 10 mins we came to a grand building which was adorned with plinths. Unfortunately this wasn't the pantheon but a tomb! The actual pantheon was around the corner! As we turned the corner, we found a stupendously large, out of place but in place building that was the actual pantheon! Being free to enter we walked straight over the entrance amidst the plinths. Once inside you have no choice but to look up. Regardless of knowledge of architecture, you have to admire the incredible room you were standing in. A domed roof craned our necks as we were simply inspired by the sheer size and beauty of it. Around the side of the room sat tombs or coffins of dead Italian kings. These were of wealth and beauty showing the most intricate of shapes and vibrant of colours.
Taking in the atmosphere again and soaking up the sun, we wondered around the square of restaurants surrounding the Pantheon in search of something to eat. On our third place, we discovered that they had a lunch menu consisting of 2 courses and a drink for only 12 Euro. This was a great price and we ordered Pomodoro Pasta and for me another Margarita Pizza. Coupled with the mandatory and incredibly tasty Bruschetta we had for starter and the white house wine, it made a filling and worthwhile lunch. My personal highlight was the fact that once again, such and iconic building sat behind my truest of loves, Kristina.
Moving on the Spanish steps, which was about 15 mins from the Pantheon, we noticed that the shops started to get more affluent and smarter. Once down the road that ended at the Spanish steps, we wondered casually past Cartier, Prada, Gucci and D&G. We scaled the steps and sat, once again, taking in our surroundings. This happened alot as genuinely you have to pinch yourself occasionally to remind yourself where you are. We then scaled the rest of the steps, reaching the peak of the staircase and looking down on what we had achieved! On the horizon you could see alot of Rome. It really was a phenomenal sight to behold. We took panoramic pictures but nothing could capture truly how great it was.
Once again, at the top a church was situated which was free to enter and open to the public with wishes to pay respects and respectfully remain silent. This was upheld as we made our way around. At the back, candles were on offer for those wishing to pay respects. As someone that has lost family through ill health alot recently, I decided to light one in respect of my Auntie. I chose the candle in the sunflower yellow holder as it was her favourite flower.
We descended down the stairs and back towards the Pantheon to the shops we had walked past earlier that day. Street Performers littered the street with varying degrees of skill. One young gentleman caught the attention of our ears as he played 'Thousand Years' by Christina Perri on the violin. Kristina and I had sung this together at a wedding and it was fate we would hear that just before leaving to go. Reaching the shops, we purchased all the standard bits such as magnets etc. I also cheekily managed to haggle a t shirt I loved from 13 to 11 euro!
Again desperate for the bathroom and with a severe lack of public ones around I waited till I was at the main train station again to try and find it! This time I did. But in my confusion and rush I had inserted 1 Euro into the gate and accidentally entered the woman's side (which in my defence wasn't well signposted at all)! I then had to go out and enter another into the men's gate. 2 Euros to use the bathroom! EURGH.
With the time now being around 17:15, we got our suitcases and waited for our transfer at the hotel. Suddenly the receptionist came round and told us that our transfer was going to be at a road a ten min walk away. So I asked when and she said 17:30. Which at that point was now! We essentially legged it to the road in which we were told we had to wait. Luckily around 17:40 I saw a bus with the name of the company used on the side some round the roundabout. We just about made it in time! PHEW.
Our travels to the airport were good, bad and ugly. The good consisted of seeing the Colosseum at night. This was eerie but a beautiful sight. The bad was the time. We were in the bus for a good 1hr 15mins before actually arriving at the airport. Last but certainly not least, the suspension on the bus was ugly. This was non-existent and over the cobbled roads of Rome, this made for an extremely bumpy ride!
The airport was quick and mostly easy. After arriving, due to checking in before the holiday we made our way to security to have our bags checked. Mine had to go through the scanner twice but was fine in the end. After all the travelling, we decided on a bite to eat for dinner. We had one last Arancini each as a way to end of the yummiest trip in a long, long time. As we ate our dinner, an announcement came through that our 20:55 flight was delayed. Eurgh. Only half an hour was the final delay which we eventually found was because of fog in Gatwick earlier that morning. With the spare half and hour, Kristina sent me on a mission to spend our last remaining coins of 3 Euro 20 cents. This became a task in duty free as although cheaper, we realised that they didn't have many options for the poorer customer haha!
At 20:45 our gate finally got announced so we duly walked with speed again to try and beat the rush. Not being first this time, we were situated nearish the front. After a brief wait on the stair to get in we took our seats with our bags in the overhead locker and thankfully not in the hold. No one had booked the seat next to me so this made the flight more comfortable as we could spread out a bit. Announcement updates came through the PA system stating where we were flying over as we could see the lights below through clear skies. Once notified that we were flying over Paris, Kristina spotted the Eiffel Tower in all its glowing glory. This was special after seeing the sights of Rome over the Valentines season. It really finished of a love filled trip well. The pilot did very well and managed to make up in total around 20 minutes which meant the flight lasted only around 2 hours! A quick dash through customs and we met my mum who was driving us home for the evening. After a bit of confusion to why the car was parked at the South Terminal and not the North where we arrived, we got to the car filled with blankets and cushions to try and sleep. Instead, we got nuggets on the way home that we shared and napped shortly before arriving back to the cold depths of Portsmouth.
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