Welcome to Rome!
Flying into Rome two days prior to our Princess Cruise is highly recommended and a great way to destress after such a long flight from Portland.
We had anticipated it was going to be a bit chilly for travel in April and made sure we brought along sweaters, light rain jackets and compact umbrella. It did look like it had rained prior to our arrival.
We were met by our driver at the airport and headed to our hotel, Hotel Windrose. Riding in our van, relaxing and looking out the window, we were in awe of the ancient Roman Colosseum coming closer and closer and seeing the White Pyramid of Caius Cestius looming before us.
Graffiti, graffiti
What an incredibly busy city with cars going every which way. I was taken aback at the amount of graffiti everywhere – on buildings, doors, sidewalk after sidewalk of graffiti.
Of course, it raised a few eye brows among our group of four. I didn’t read or see any comments about this in any travel guide for sure. When I asked our driver about all the graffiti, his comment ‘They are faster than the cleaning crew can get to them’. Well. OK.
The next morning
We are up early for our most anticipated tour. This was a full day tour and well worth it. As we knew in advance, there is a line for EVERYTHING!
Our tour started with a visit to the Roman Colosseum – definitely pre-purchase your tickets – then a quick walk to the Roman Forum (right next door), Pantheon, taking a break for lunch, Trevi Fountain (yes we tossed our coins into the fountain to ensure our prosperity continues), Spanish Steps, Castel Santi Angelo for top of the city views, St. Peter’s Basilica, and the highlight to end our day: Vatican City, Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel.
The Hotel Windrose
Our hotel was in a great location. Close to local restaurants, and just a 10 to 15-minute walk to the impressive, main train terminal. This is an older, elegant hotel with a nice rooftop patio. We did find small local food ‘shops’ close by, selling everything from cups of coffee to souvenirs, to a hidden restaurant as you walked towards the back.
We were very impressed with the various foods found in these ‘back room’ restaurants. Our plate of Spaghetti and meatballs were only 3.50 Euros each.
With a 15-year-old in our group, we were still able to find something to meet his picky palate and took the stress out of finding a place he would like.
The locals are very friendly, always helpful and eager to help us part with our Euros. There is just too much to see in the short amount of time that we had before hopping onto our cruise. But you can be sure that this city deserves another visit – and hopefully soon.
Follow me next time as I give you my day-by-day overall view and impressions, from our 10 Day cruise in the Mediterranean.
By Joyce Bates: Sun Connections Travel & Cruises is located in Beaverton and has become the ‘go to’ travel agency for all occasions. www.sunconnections.com. For more information or to book your next trip, call 503-655-4850 or email Joyce@sunconnections.com. **Travel Layaway plans available!