Europe 2022: Rome, the last stop

Rome Tips

Look up holidays for any city in Europe. Many things close!

Study the Colosseum tours closely. Having a tour company change plans at the last minute during the summer months seems to happen frequently.

The day traveled to Rome was Campbell's 21 birthday!

Travel Day 5, deliriously happy with the idea of getting on another train.

We were excited to see Rome, but as our long trip was winding down, so was our patience. When we arrived, we made it to the hotel but our room wasn't ready. So we headed out to kill some time and explore. On this day, we spent more time resting once we got into our rooms because we had a special dinner for Campbell's birthday.

Before dinner, we had a little photoshoot from our rooftop bar area.

What a great place to celebrate a BIG birthday! He was game for anything most days, so even though Elaine said he had some complaints occasionally, he kept his cool and easy-going nature for the rest of us.

What a gorgeous lady enjoying this gorgeous view.

On Sunday, I will post about our food for Campbell's birthday celebration as well as all of the other food and details about lodging.

Let's talk about our first full day in Rome! I had booked an early small-group tour of the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. Unfortunately, the afternoon before, tour company moved our tour to mid-day (the part of the day I was intentionally trying to avoid because of the heat and crowds). This meant we had some time to kill before the tour started.

Our hotel was close to the Trevi Fountain, so that's were we headed.

Next, we headed to the Colosseum. Needless to say, I won't book this tour again. Once we arrived, we still waited for over an hour to begin the tour and we realized our small-group was actually 30+ people. This wasn't ideal, but we were still really excited.

Once the tour started, we were really excited to see this amazing piece of history. I am always captivated by the age of the original architecture.

The next part of the tour should have been a guided tour through the Roman Forum. That didn't happen since we were shifted from what we had paid for to what the company evidently needed us to do for their schedule. (We did get some reimbursement.)

Most of these ruins date back to 500 B.C. There is so much to see I wish we had had a personal tour of it. This is where Caesar is buried.

Arch0 di Constantino

After this, we headed back to the hotel and got ready for dinner.

TOTAL MILES: 7.6 miles

On our second full day in Rome, we attempted to see St. Paul's Cathedral and the Vatican, but it was the holiday of Saint Peter and Paul. Guess what, the Vatican and the Cathedral was closed to the general public on this day. Robert insisted that we go anyway. Campbell was game.

The crowd this early was really small. It's clear how outstandingly large the church is.

I thought this was a pretty special picture. As we were leaving, we noticed her walking alone on a street that usually very packed.

Can you see the scale here with the view of the high altar?

We left St. Peter's Square and instead spent our morning exploring Saint Angelo

This is the view from the top back towards St. Paul's.

The Tiber River

This might be my favorite picture from Rome.

Then we ventured to the Spanish Steps, but on the way we stopped at Pantheon. The Pantheon is a former Roman temple, but has been a functioning Catholic church since 600 A.D.

The hole in the roof is the only light into the building, and, yes, rain does come in. Before it became a Catholic church, it was a site of sacrifices, so the rain was the only way the blood was washed from the floor. The floor is slanted for drainage.

The size of the bronze doors is incredible. They are considered to be largest in Rome.

I love my adventures with Frennie..

Massive government building.

From the bottom of the Spanish Steps.

From the top.

TOTAL STEPS: 7.9 miles

Other random pictures of things around Rome:

The busy side streets

The ivy covered walls

The most beautiful store fronts

Busy city streets

Trastevere

I think I can shop here.

After dinner on this night, we thought we were sleeping our last night in Europe. But we woke up the next morning to a message from British Airways saying our flight had been cancelled. Needless to say panic ensued. Words were said. Calls were made. And we spent 7 hours in the airport only to be shuttled to another hotel for another night. We made the most of it.

This is what seven hours in the airport looks like when you can't go to a gate.

After checking in, we walked down to McDonald's. We were desperate, but magically, we felt much better after that.

Why not kill time at the bar?

The pool area wasn't finished yet, but we sat on the patio anyway and played cards, a nightly tradition.

Waiting the next morning to get a shuttle to the airport, so ready to get home.

Fortunately, we did finally make it home. Only 30 hours later than expected.

There is only one post left for our 2022 adventures in Europe. If you missed the rest, here they are.

London Part 1 and Part 2, and Food

Venice Sites and Bites

Cinque Terre Sites and Bites

Florence Sites and Bites