Roman Holiday!

12/24/15
Day 1:

This year we went to Rome for Christmas.  We got crazy good plane tickets so we jumped at the chance.  We got to the airport and had a car service pick us up and take us to our hotel so we were worry free!  It only cost us 50 euro and was totally worth it to us.  It did take our driver a little while to find the hotel since it was in a building that had private residence in there as well but once we found it, we were more than happy.  This bed and breakfast only had 6 rooms so all the focus was on the guests.  They were gracious and accommodating and had Prosecco for us in the room!

Our room.  It might look a little cold but the ceiling made it really cozy.

Just look at those ceilings!

The little cafeteria area where they serve breakfast.

The location was absolutely amazing.  We were steps away from the Trevi Fountain.

The Trevi Fountain

I loved the color of the water!

Jack put a map of Rome in his back pocket to see how long it might take to get pick-pocketed.  Yep, it took us less than an hour!  But knowing what to expect, we had prepared and only lost the map.  We went and had a bite to eat, walked around Rome for a couple hours and then turned in for the evening.

12/25/15
Day 2:
Day 2 was Christmas so we were expecting most places to be closed but actually so many were open that it was almost like any other day!  We first headed to the Vatican for Christmas mass.  We had heard that it was a "first come, first serve" type seating arrangement but that it was free.  We assumed this meant there was a little bit of seating outside while the mass was held inside and we would watch it from jumbo trons.  We really couldn't have been more wrong.  We walked slowly to the Vatican and took in the sights.

Walking towards the Vatican

It doesn't even look real...more like a painting

Walking over the bridge towards the Corte di Cassazione

Looking back on the bridge

The Corte di Cassazione or the Palace of Justice

 The Palace of Justice is the seat of the Supreme Court of Cassation and the Judicial Public Library.  It is located in the Prati district of Rome heading towards the Vatican.

Looking at the Vatican from the bridge we crossed

Within the Vatican walls walking towards St Peter's Basilica

Map of Vatican City

St Peter's Square was so empty when we first got there!

People were slowly trickling in

The Vatican Obelisk

Close up of the Obelisk

As you can see, there were very few people around so we thought maybe the mass was later so we started just roaming around.  We noticed there were chairs set up but there was only maybe 100 people at most so I was ready to wait another hour or two and leave.  Mike stood at the cordoned off area and said, "I don't know why, but I'm not leaving this spot.  I will wait all day, I just feel we should be here, something big is going to happen." Needless to say I wasn't happy about the prospect of standing in St. Peter's Square for the entire day without food or a place to sit but when in Rome....

After waiting about two and a half more hours and people really starting to pour in, they finally opened the gates to the chairs.  It was actually one of the more frightening things I have ever experienced.  People seemed to forget that we were in a holy place and they just charged for the seats.  I'm not sure if I can explain what it's like when a sea of humanity surges forward at once in a frenzied state.  We were almost separated at one point due to the pushing and pulling of the crowd.  Thankfully we finally got two seats and the crush of people subsided.

Jack tried to get up and get a picture of the crowd behind us.

Keep in mind this is only a small glimpse

So many people!

Later I got a couple pictures of the sea of humanity from the Pope's perspective...believe it or not, there were tens of thousands of people there.  I have never been in an area with that many people before.

We are the little circle

There were tens of thousands of people there

When our Pope finally came out and gave his Urbi et Orbi (you can click on the link to see the actually address), his voice was strong yet soothing and soft.  I can't explain how, even though he spoke in Italian, his voice calmed us completely and it felt as if we were transfixed by his words, which we seemed to understand more than we should.  I couldn't stop crying.  I am not much of a crier but those tears just kept streaming.  His message of peace and love of each other was deeply poignant. I believe this was the single most moving experience either of us has ever had, aside from the birth of our children.

The balcony as we wait for our Pope

Almost time!

Our Pope!

Our Pope

The ultimate moment was when the people from so many different countries started quietly yelling, "Papa".  I just cried and cried.  It was a beautiful moment and I am forever grateful that I was able to experience this.

We took a very leisure walk back towards the Trevi fountain.

We walked absolutely everywhere this day and kind of had the place to ourselves.

Tourist Map of Rome

We walked almost every inch of Rome but stopped frequently for food and drinks so it never felt overwhelming or like it was too much.  We got back to the area of our bed and breakfast and the Trevi Fountain and walked over to the Imperial Forum.  It is part of the area of the Roman Forum and the Colosseum, but it is free to walk around and explore and since we had a tour scheduled the next day for the other stuff we just walked around.

Area of the Imperial Forum

Looking at the Imperial Forum from Palatine Hill

Basilica of Ulpia

The Forum of Trajan

The Forum of Trajan from the Roman Forum

The Forum of Augustus

The Forum of Augustus

The Forum of Transitorium

The Forum of Ceasar

The Forum of Ceasar from across the street

 Here are a few more pictures of the area while we walked around and the sun began to set.

When we were done walking around we found a nice little restaurant for Christmas dinner and had lots of white wine garlic muscles and crusty Italian bread.  

When we got back to the bed & breakfast, they had made homemade Tiramisu.  These were HUGE pieces and oh so delicious!  They even had more Prosseco wine for us in the room.  They really took good care of us.

12/26/15
Day 3:
This was the day that we had a Tour for the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill.  We made our way to that part of Rome and went to a fun Spanish restaurant for breakfast drinks while we waited for the beginning of our tour.

Michael in heaven with his breakfast beer

I had an espresso

100 Montadidos Spanish Restaurant

Finally it was time for our tours to begin!  Although we both agreed we would go back to 100 Montadidos for lunch when we were done with the tours!  They had GREAT Sangria!

Walking towards the Colosseum

It's just amazing up close!

The group tour entrance

To think that all this was here since 70 AD!

It felt so surreal

The platform where the floor used to be

Looking down into the area where the animals and gladiators were held

They will be rebuilding the entire base floor of the Colosseum soon

Me and my Jack at the Colosseum

A panorama of the Colosseum

We paid extra to take a lower level and the highest level tour...I mean if you might never go back, you should take those opportunities!

The tunnels under the main platform

Those holes are where there once was poles and levers that raised and lowered the main platform above

There were waterways throughout

Looking out towards the Colosseum

Showing a reconstruction of one of the poles and levers

After the tunnels and lower levels we began our trek to the highest areas.  It was tons of walking and lots of stairs but worth every step!

How can you explain this view?

Looking towards the Roman Forum from the Colosseum

What an amazing experience

Me & my guy

After the Colosseum we walked to the Roman Forum which is very close and not a difficult walk at all.

Looking towards the Altare della Patria or Alter of the Fatherland walking towards the Roman Forum

Getting closer while walking to the Roman Forum

Oh hey Santa!  Apparently he was on vacation in Rome too!  ;)

Our guide

The ground we walked on had stones from the 5th Century BC

The Arch of Constantine

The three columns and Architrave Temple of Castor and Pollux in the Roman Forum

The Temple of Antonius & Faustina

The Triumphal Arch or the Arch of Titus

Cool trees in the Roman Forum

Details of the Triumphal Arch

The walk to Palatine Hill was a little more difficult since there were stairs and a bit of an incline.

I loved the trees around Rome!

Keep in mind this fountain has been there for hundreds of years...pretty impressive!

Looking towards the Colosseum from Palatine Hill

So much of the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill had levels and layers!

After our very long day of tours we did not go back to the Spanish place, instead we went to a nice little Italian place with Prosseco.  Jack got a nice dose of the lack of personal space that Europeans have.  Two ladies almost used him as a leaning post while they waited for a table.  It kind of freaked him out.

You can't really see how close and slightly invasive they were by this pic since I was trying to be covert!  ;)

On our way back to our bed & breakfast we saw some more very cool things and even stopped by the Spanish steps even though they were closed for renovations.

The Altare della Patria or Alter of the Fatherland, otherwise known as National Monument to Victor Emanuel

The Monument was completed in 1925

Jack and I in front of the Altare della Patria

Just a cool blingy skull in a shop window

The Spanish Steps when they are open (Not my pic)

The Spanish Steps while we were there

Fontana della Barcaccia or the Fountain of the Ugly Boat built in 1623

We finally called it a night and rested up for our final day in Rome. When we got back to our room however there was another treat from the ladies at the Bed & Breakfast!  This time it was Panettone bread which is a traditional Christmas bread filled with fruit that has been soaked in alcohol.  It is so delicious, I am going to try and make it next Christmas!

12/27/15
Day 4:
On our last day, we just finished up walking around Rome.  We hit all the areas we hadn't gotten to and simply ate and drank our way through the day.  We started really early in the morning before anyone else was even awake.  We didn't pay too much attention to documenting the areas like we had the days before since this was more of a down day.

Just cool steps in an alleyway

Not sure which statue this one was

I loved the architecture of this building

Walking up to the Pantheon, we actually didn't know we were even close to it since we weren't really seeking anything out in particular.  When we found ourselves in front of it, we were blown away.  It is so much bigger than pictures can show.  This one almost made me cry.  Just by the sheer size of it and knowing how long it has been around.

The Roman Pantheon, built in 126 AD

Piazza Novona

It was relaxing and amazing day and ultimately we felt that Rome had wrapped it's arms around our hearts and we will forever know that this is one of our favorite places in Europe!  We did not keep track of our expenses for this trip but it was our most expensive trip while in Europe (still less than a trip in the United States).