Embrace the Journey: Enjoy Yourself

Express Train was great

I'm enjoying myself reliving our exile in Italy. This post captures our last touring visits to Rome.

Eight days of exile in Italy passed quickly. We had traveled around Civitaveccia, Maori and the Amalfi Coast. For the duration till we could go home, we were staying at the Hilton at Rome Fuimicino Airport. On this Sunday, day eight of our exile in Italy, I was still testing Positive but Donnie was Negative.

The Rome airport was conveniently located so we could do day trips to Rome. There was a thirty minute non-stop Express train advertised at the airport. For our first day trip however, we took a van because it let us off in a better place for seeing sites we wanted to see. 

At the Rome Coliseum

We got to Rome early and got off close to the Coliseum. There were tourists everywhere and it was already hot. I knew two thing immediately. First we had to lose the crowds and second, we wouldn’t see much just walking.

The Hop-On Bus was easy and  outside

“Donnie, let’s keep an eye out for one of the ‘hop-on,’ type red bus. Look at that line going to the Coliseum. Wonder if they’re waiting to buy tickets or to go in? I can see all I need from right here. Let’s take some pictures and call it ‘good’. Besides, we toured a nice coliseum in Arles and learned all about the gladiators and other spectacles.”

Water stations were all over Rome

We headed in the opposite direction from the crowd toward a park. It was up a hill and looked cool and inviting. We spied what looked like a water pump. “Donnie, let’s fill up my water bottle. It’s already empty.” Donnie was skeptical.

While we were talking, a young man stopped and got a drink from the spigot. So, I asked him if it was safe to drink. He said he uses it everyday and that we would find similar water holes all around Rome. Then he pointed us in the right direction to start our walking tour.

No handrails!

We enjoy doing our own thing. I hate guided tours where you stand politely till the guide finishes the spiel and answers questions. We miss details but we wouldn’t remember them anyway. Walking the cobblestone streets and seeing the buildings told us a lot about Roman life. They walked everywhere and in summer, and it would have been hot, and uphill. 

We saw a lot of interesting architecture, landscaping, statues and gardens. Much of Rome seemed to be under construction. We found several churches and another watering spot.

We were hungry so we hopped off at what looked like a high end retail area. We walked around checking several possibilities before going back to one on a busy corner. I think it was “fast food”, Italian style. There was a refrigerated display case showcasing different sandwiches, salads and deserts. After answering our questions and ordering, we sat down and wait to be served. This restaurant seemed very typical of others we had tried. It was small, old and quaint, with friendly and efficient staff.  The service was quick and the dining experience felt leisurely and relaxed.

Loved the architecture!

Our day trip to Rome was a huge success. From our walking tour, we got a sense of ancient Rome; from the hop-on bus, we could see the big picture of ancient Rome blended with the modern city. We rode the Express train back to Rome Fuimicino Airport. It was nice to sit back and watch the scenery. Back at the airport, we had more Covid Testing work to do. 

At dinner, we relaxed and enjoyed ourselves. Our self testing showed that we both tested Negative! Let the plan to get home begin!