Our morning started at 4am when I woke with a shocking headache, nausea and sweats :( Sheer exhaustion will do it, lack of sleep, walking in the heat and body clock being out of whack. I managed to go back to sleep while Michael continued to listen to 3AW and load photos onto our Photo-bucket web site.
We managed to start the day over at 8am in a much more civilized fashion. We went down for breakfast for our Continental Breakfast - again lots of healthy options - along with pastries, cakes and donuts. Michael tried a few different things, including bread with mild tasty cheese, Camembert cheese and mild salami, while I opted again for yogurt, fruit and a slice of toast.
Given that we will be visiting various main attractions with our tour we looked at what may not be included and chose to do one or two today. With GPS in hand, we headed off through the amazing streets of Rome to the main attraction I dearly wanted to see - Trevi Fountain. And it would appear that every tourist in Rome was doing the same. It was absolutely packed but worth the effort of getting there. The fountain was officially completed in 1762 and the population of Rome at that time was 160,000 people. It is the largest Baroque fountain in the city and the most beautiful in the world. A traditional legend holds that if visitors throw a coin into the fountain, they are ensured a return to Rome. Lots of photos capturing this amazing fountain were taken, and yes, a coin was tossed in whilst we were there. We actually sat there for a short while drinking in the atmosphere, marveling at the spectacular that was before us.
We managed to start the day over at 8am in a much more civilized fashion. We went down for breakfast for our Continental Breakfast - again lots of healthy options - along with pastries, cakes and donuts. Michael tried a few different things, including bread with mild tasty cheese, Camembert cheese and mild salami, while I opted again for yogurt, fruit and a slice of toast.
Given that we will be visiting various main attractions with our tour we looked at what may not be included and chose to do one or two today. With GPS in hand, we headed off through the amazing streets of Rome to the main attraction I dearly wanted to see - Trevi Fountain. And it would appear that every tourist in Rome was doing the same. It was absolutely packed but worth the effort of getting there. The fountain was officially completed in 1762 and the population of Rome at that time was 160,000 people. It is the largest Baroque fountain in the city and the most beautiful in the world. A traditional legend holds that if visitors throw a coin into the fountain, they are ensured a return to Rome. Lots of photos capturing this amazing fountain were taken, and yes, a coin was tossed in whilst we were there. We actually sat there for a short while drinking in the atmosphere, marveling at the spectacular that was before us.
We headed from the fountain along narrow and traffic-clogged streets towards Piazza del Quirinale which is where Augustus Temple of the Sun once stood. Part of the fountains in the Piazza were built from the great Baths of Constantine. The Palace is home to the president of Italy and the presence of armed guards and police was very evident. Again, aother photo opporutinity, giving the camera a good chance to show us what it is capable of.
Nearby on our way back to the hotel, was a gorgeous park where other people had the same idea of taking a short rest whilst enjoying the beautiful surrounds.
Back to the familiar landmark - Fortana del Tritone, we discovered a cafe where we brought the most amazing sandwiches and lemondade to take away along with the best Gelato! May have to have another one before leaving I think!
Heading back to the hotel, we saw two cars that had come to grief which I guess didn't surprise us. We were actually amazed that there werent more accidents around the streets.
We arrived back at our hotel early afternoon after walking 4.8 kms. Each day since leaving, we have managed to do quite a bit of walking which was definitely the plan. I ended up snoozing for a bit while Michael kept himself busy on the laptop/tablet and listening again to 3AW. Today I have managed to start keying this blog into the site so those back at home wishing to follow our adventure can!
Dinner tonight was again in the restaurant - Pasta carbonara and amatriciana followed by a cuppachino. We enjoyed our last quiet evening by ourselves for a while as we join our European tour tomorrow. Not so early to bed tonight as our body clocks appear to have adjusted. A thoroughly enjoyable day in Rome - an amazing adventure thus far!
Dinner tonight was again in the restaurant - Pasta carbonara and amatriciana followed by a cuppachino. We enjoyed our last quiet evening by ourselves for a while as we join our European tour tomorrow. Not so early to bed tonight as our body clocks appear to have adjusted. A thoroughly enjoyable day in Rome - an amazing adventure thus far!
No comments:
Post a Comment