As you all know we spent Christmas this year in the land of the Pope, Caeser, Opera, Mussolini, and that director who stood on his chair at the Oscars....so, bring your red shoes and pointy hats and we will recap for you our trip to Rome.
After a few days practicing our sightseeing with the Smiths here in Frankfurt and visiting Heidelberg, we were all ready to take our show on the road. Step it up to the big leagues.
So, on Tuesday 12/23 we had a 12:00 flight from Frankfurt to Rome on Alitalia airlines. Yes, I said it...Alitalia. The only airline whose business plan is strategically focused on cornering the market in strikes, cancellations, and lost luggage. We all figured we would take one issue of potential problems away and packed only carry-on luggage. So, when the check-in attendant looked at us and said in her heavily Italian accented English "you are a 5 people group and you have NO check luggage?!?", we smiled and said-"ya, that's right" smugly. She would have the last laugh.
As we sat on the plane with the flight attendants just hanging out in the back, making no particular effort toward doing anything and already over an hour delayed with no explanation, Seth turned to me and said "what's an hour between friends!"...genius. Finally, after a little over an hour delay we departed- hey, not too bad.
We arrived in Rome around 3 and caught a 3:30 Leonardo Express- a direct train from the airport to Termini station in downtown Rome. We all enjoyed looking out the windows on the 30 minute ride and were caught off guard by the number of palm trees and beautiful mountains off in the distance.
We arrived and walked the few blocks to our centrally located hotel. A moderate hotel on the 4th piano (floor) of a older building with a tiny elevator. Of course we were able to overload it and cause it to freeze. Oops, lesson learned. The hotel was nice and the rooms were clean and comfortable and would serve quite nicely for our 3 night stay. We set down our bags and grabbed our cameras and headed back out the door. We were hungry and though we planned a nice dinner that night, we all wanted something to eat right then. We stopped in a pizza place across from our hotel and ordered quite a bit more pizza then we intended. Leftovers in Rome.
From there we took a Metro to the Spanish Steps. The steps were decorated with a nativity scene and a Christmas tree of neon lights (above). Very pretty and with St. Peters dominating the skyline in the distance from the top of the steps, it made for some very nice pictures. We walked from the Steps through the rolling streets lined with small shops of men’s suits, women’s dresses and clothing, handmade shoes/boots, and arts and crafts. Shea and Elaine peeked in probably every window. These ladies love their shopping. Shea and I ducked in a gelato shop and got some Nutella gelato...serving 1. We made our way over to Trevi fountain and all threw our coins over our shoulders. Sweet…that’s a free trip back right? We elbowed our way into the center and all posed for some photos in front of the famous landmark. From there we headed to dinner. Seth has been to Rome a handful of times and knows the city like the back of his hand. Give the guy a toga and he would fit right in. He had a restaurant picked out for us, so we headed there and were invited by our waiter, Mossimo, to our table. Elaine had the honor of tasting the wine, and was strictly instructed by Mossimo on the proper swerling technique. Thanks Mossimo...btw, do you sell swim trunks at Target...nevermind, back to our trip. We all enjoyed pasta with truffles, salad, chianti, and eggplant. Delicious! By the time we were finished it was around 10 and we were all ready to call it a night after such a full day.
On Wednesday, Christmas Eve, we woke up and ate some continental breakfast at the hotel. We left at 10 and headed via Metro to the Vatican. Let's just say that if you ever want to be a tourist in Rome, Christmas is the time to do it. Everything is decorated beautifully, and there is absolutely no wait anywhere. We walked directly through security, to the ticket booths, and into the Vatican museum. We started our tour with the hall of sculptures. Then we saw the map room, tapestries room, modern art hall. The art in each room just seemed to grow more beautiful. Also, the decoration of the ceilings throughout was incredible. We made our way through past Papal apartments and into the Raphael rooms. We saw the School of Athens (pic)and were amazed by the colors and details in his frescoes. We left there and headed for the room everyone will hopefully be able to see for himself or herself at some point... Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. It was awe-inspiring and to know the time and effort he spent in finishing the work makes it all the more special. We spent probably close to 45 minutes just walking around the Chapel and inspecting all the different pieces. Seth shared with us some additional history about the Chapel and how Popes are chosen there. It was incredible and something that I had always hoped to see and was elated to experience.
After leaving the Sistine Chapel, we left the Vatican museum and walked to have some lunch. We enjoyed a bottle of wine and some pizza and prosciutto before we ventured over to St. Peters. We took in St. Peters Square and the enormity of the place (above). The church is huge and unlike anything we had seen before, and this was just the outside. We went inside and the first thing we saw was Michelangelo's Pietà . It was one of the highlights of the trip. Simply breathtaking and to know he did it when he was only 23. We spent the next few hours walking around the interior and discovering the incredible detail throughout the arena sized church. The Basilica was abuzz with Christmas Mass preparations. TV cameras were being set up, chairs were in place, and lights and sound were being tested. Even with all this business being taken care of, there was still a certain air of solemness. Priests were everywhere offering the sacrament of confession in any language you can imagine. Seth was again an amazing tour guide giving us Catholic history lessons regarding Popes and church history the rest of us were unfamiliar with. It really made you appreciate it that much more.
We left St. Peters and saluted some Swiss Guards…nice uni’s boys. At 5 we were outside when the life-sized nativity scene was unveiled. There was a marching band and television crews there to cover the event. Adjacent to the nativity was a lighted Christmas tree from Austria, and what was a massive tree, was dwarfed by its surroundings. After another hour or so of soaking in the celebration, we left to make 7 o'clock Christmas Eve mass at the English speaking parish of Santa Susanna. (Of course on the way we passed another gelato shop and paid it a visit...serving 2.) Mass was a wonderful service with beautiful decorations and a choir that sung like angels. An incredible Christmas mass we were fortunate to experience to say the least. We walked back from church to our hotel taking in some other sites. After mass a good bit of Rome was closed for everyone to be able to enjoy the start of the holiday. Lucky enough for us we had planned ahead and enjoyed some of that left over pizza and a couple of Panini's. It was a memorable Christmas Eve.
We woke up on Christmas and headed to see some of the ancient landmarks. We saw the Colossium, the Roman Forum, Trajan's column, the National Monument to Vittorio Emanuele (above), Column of Marcus Aurelius, and Capitoline Hill. After walking our way through ancient Rome, we grabbed a taxi and headed to the North American College for Christmas lunch at 1:30. Seth was able to get us invitations from a Monsignor he is friends with who works at the school. We all enjoyed a wonderful meal and sitting in a room of soon to be priests you knew you didn't have to worry about any random lightening strikes. We had a great time and appreciated their hospitality. Once we were finished the Monsignor invited us all up to the top floor of the school to enjoy a view of Rome most tourists will never see. The school sits atop a hill adjacent to St. Peters and we had an awesome view of the entire city. Lucky for us it was a clear enough day and we were able to see all of the major landmarks from on high. Unbelievable.
After lunch we walked back by St. Peters and toured around Castel Sant'Angelo and Sant' Angelo bridge. We stopped in a restaurant and had some gelato (...serving 3) and some espresso. Everyone was pretty tired from the last couple days so we took a taxi back over to see the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. It was another huge church with a gelded ceiling and was once the Pope's church. After our tour, we headed back to the hotel and packed up for our early departure the next morning.
On Friday, we were originally supposed to have a late afternoon flight, but again we were flying Alitalia, so things change and you don’t ask questions. We caught a 6:22am train back to the airport the next morning for our now 9:10 flight. We didn’t take off til noon…and the check-in girl has her revenge. We took off and made it back to Frankfurt safe and sound. Along the way we had clear skies and enjoyed an incredible view of the razor-like peaks of the Alps. Made us think that maybe we need a ski trip next, to see them close up?!? All in all, Rome was a great time and wonderful place to celebrate Christmas. We enjoyed everything we saw there and would certainly return to see more. Ciao for now!
After a few days practicing our sightseeing with the Smiths here in Frankfurt and visiting Heidelberg, we were all ready to take our show on the road. Step it up to the big leagues.
So, on Tuesday 12/23 we had a 12:00 flight from Frankfurt to Rome on Alitalia airlines. Yes, I said it...Alitalia. The only airline whose business plan is strategically focused on cornering the market in strikes, cancellations, and lost luggage. We all figured we would take one issue of potential problems away and packed only carry-on luggage. So, when the check-in attendant looked at us and said in her heavily Italian accented English "you are a 5 people group and you have NO check luggage?!?", we smiled and said-"ya, that's right" smugly. She would have the last laugh.
As we sat on the plane with the flight attendants just hanging out in the back, making no particular effort toward doing anything and already over an hour delayed with no explanation, Seth turned to me and said "what's an hour between friends!"...genius. Finally, after a little over an hour delay we departed- hey, not too bad.
We arrived in Rome around 3 and caught a 3:30 Leonardo Express- a direct train from the airport to Termini station in downtown Rome. We all enjoyed looking out the windows on the 30 minute ride and were caught off guard by the number of palm trees and beautiful mountains off in the distance.
We arrived and walked the few blocks to our centrally located hotel. A moderate hotel on the 4th piano (floor) of a older building with a tiny elevator. Of course we were able to overload it and cause it to freeze. Oops, lesson learned. The hotel was nice and the rooms were clean and comfortable and would serve quite nicely for our 3 night stay. We set down our bags and grabbed our cameras and headed back out the door. We were hungry and though we planned a nice dinner that night, we all wanted something to eat right then. We stopped in a pizza place across from our hotel and ordered quite a bit more pizza then we intended. Leftovers in Rome.
From there we took a Metro to the Spanish Steps. The steps were decorated with a nativity scene and a Christmas tree of neon lights (above). Very pretty and with St. Peters dominating the skyline in the distance from the top of the steps, it made for some very nice pictures. We walked from the Steps through the rolling streets lined with small shops of men’s suits, women’s dresses and clothing, handmade shoes/boots, and arts and crafts. Shea and Elaine peeked in probably every window. These ladies love their shopping. Shea and I ducked in a gelato shop and got some Nutella gelato...serving 1. We made our way over to Trevi fountain and all threw our coins over our shoulders. Sweet…that’s a free trip back right? We elbowed our way into the center and all posed for some photos in front of the famous landmark. From there we headed to dinner. Seth has been to Rome a handful of times and knows the city like the back of his hand. Give the guy a toga and he would fit right in. He had a restaurant picked out for us, so we headed there and were invited by our waiter, Mossimo, to our table. Elaine had the honor of tasting the wine, and was strictly instructed by Mossimo on the proper swerling technique. Thanks Mossimo...btw, do you sell swim trunks at Target...nevermind, back to our trip. We all enjoyed pasta with truffles, salad, chianti, and eggplant. Delicious! By the time we were finished it was around 10 and we were all ready to call it a night after such a full day.
On Wednesday, Christmas Eve, we woke up and ate some continental breakfast at the hotel. We left at 10 and headed via Metro to the Vatican. Let's just say that if you ever want to be a tourist in Rome, Christmas is the time to do it. Everything is decorated beautifully, and there is absolutely no wait anywhere. We walked directly through security, to the ticket booths, and into the Vatican museum. We started our tour with the hall of sculptures. Then we saw the map room, tapestries room, modern art hall. The art in each room just seemed to grow more beautiful. Also, the decoration of the ceilings throughout was incredible. We made our way through past Papal apartments and into the Raphael rooms. We saw the School of Athens (pic)and were amazed by the colors and details in his frescoes. We left there and headed for the room everyone will hopefully be able to see for himself or herself at some point... Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. It was awe-inspiring and to know the time and effort he spent in finishing the work makes it all the more special. We spent probably close to 45 minutes just walking around the Chapel and inspecting all the different pieces. Seth shared with us some additional history about the Chapel and how Popes are chosen there. It was incredible and something that I had always hoped to see and was elated to experience.
After leaving the Sistine Chapel, we left the Vatican museum and walked to have some lunch. We enjoyed a bottle of wine and some pizza and prosciutto before we ventured over to St. Peters. We took in St. Peters Square and the enormity of the place (above). The church is huge and unlike anything we had seen before, and this was just the outside. We went inside and the first thing we saw was Michelangelo's Pietà . It was one of the highlights of the trip. Simply breathtaking and to know he did it when he was only 23. We spent the next few hours walking around the interior and discovering the incredible detail throughout the arena sized church. The Basilica was abuzz with Christmas Mass preparations. TV cameras were being set up, chairs were in place, and lights and sound were being tested. Even with all this business being taken care of, there was still a certain air of solemness. Priests were everywhere offering the sacrament of confession in any language you can imagine. Seth was again an amazing tour guide giving us Catholic history lessons regarding Popes and church history the rest of us were unfamiliar with. It really made you appreciate it that much more.
We left St. Peters and saluted some Swiss Guards…nice uni’s boys. At 5 we were outside when the life-sized nativity scene was unveiled. There was a marching band and television crews there to cover the event. Adjacent to the nativity was a lighted Christmas tree from Austria, and what was a massive tree, was dwarfed by its surroundings. After another hour or so of soaking in the celebration, we left to make 7 o'clock Christmas Eve mass at the English speaking parish of Santa Susanna. (Of course on the way we passed another gelato shop and paid it a visit...serving 2.) Mass was a wonderful service with beautiful decorations and a choir that sung like angels. An incredible Christmas mass we were fortunate to experience to say the least. We walked back from church to our hotel taking in some other sites. After mass a good bit of Rome was closed for everyone to be able to enjoy the start of the holiday. Lucky enough for us we had planned ahead and enjoyed some of that left over pizza and a couple of Panini's. It was a memorable Christmas Eve.
We woke up on Christmas and headed to see some of the ancient landmarks. We saw the Colossium, the Roman Forum, Trajan's column, the National Monument to Vittorio Emanuele (above), Column of Marcus Aurelius, and Capitoline Hill. After walking our way through ancient Rome, we grabbed a taxi and headed to the North American College for Christmas lunch at 1:30. Seth was able to get us invitations from a Monsignor he is friends with who works at the school. We all enjoyed a wonderful meal and sitting in a room of soon to be priests you knew you didn't have to worry about any random lightening strikes. We had a great time and appreciated their hospitality. Once we were finished the Monsignor invited us all up to the top floor of the school to enjoy a view of Rome most tourists will never see. The school sits atop a hill adjacent to St. Peters and we had an awesome view of the entire city. Lucky for us it was a clear enough day and we were able to see all of the major landmarks from on high. Unbelievable.
After lunch we walked back by St. Peters and toured around Castel Sant'Angelo and Sant' Angelo bridge. We stopped in a restaurant and had some gelato (...serving 3) and some espresso. Everyone was pretty tired from the last couple days so we took a taxi back over to see the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. It was another huge church with a gelded ceiling and was once the Pope's church. After our tour, we headed back to the hotel and packed up for our early departure the next morning.
On Friday, we were originally supposed to have a late afternoon flight, but again we were flying Alitalia, so things change and you don’t ask questions. We caught a 6:22am train back to the airport the next morning for our now 9:10 flight. We didn’t take off til noon…and the check-in girl has her revenge. We took off and made it back to Frankfurt safe and sound. Along the way we had clear skies and enjoyed an incredible view of the razor-like peaks of the Alps. Made us think that maybe we need a ski trip next, to see them close up?!? All in all, Rome was a great time and wonderful place to celebrate Christmas. We enjoyed everything we saw there and would certainly return to see more. Ciao for now!
1 comment:
Geoff, your writing talents could offer opportunities for travel magazines, and would fit your wanderlust for travel. Yave a wonderful descriptive and light knack that is thoroughly pleasant and enticing all of us to want to see what you have seen.
God bless you both, and be safe. Love, Dad
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