Europe Trip- Day 3: June 30, 2012

ROME
By J. Earl Hundt

We are just learning how to get around Rome and it is time to leave! 

Our day started with difficulty waking up for our self proclaimed 6:15am wake up call when the hotel called us at 7:15 for the wake up call sponsored by Trafalgar I said one of Tony Soprano's favorite words and slept for an extra 20 minutes. 

After a hearty breakfast we went to the Termini for what we thought would be an easy entrance onto the Metro with our "24 hour" pass to go to see the pyramid.  It turns out that 24 hours actually runs out at 11:59pm of the night you bought the ticket.  After that shock, the shock of some random girl cutting us in lane, and the shock of the machine not taking our money/ticket for the first 23 attempts, we FINALLY made it onto the Metro.

Once on the Metro, things were looking up for us!  We went directly tot he Pyramid of Caius Cestius.  After that we re-entered the Metro for a trip to the Capuchin Crypt.  This museum was awesome and quite bizarre at the same time. 
Pyramid of Caius Cestius

We then went back and did a little souvenir shopping and then had a quick lunch of pizza and relaxation at our hotel. 

With Trafalgar we went to the Vatican.  We skipped the long tine, but still had to wait.  They say today was the busiest or second busiest day of the entire year.  It was amazing to see the center of the Catholic Church, but the rudeness and sheer amount of people downplayed the fun it should have been.  Kristin found the Sistine Chapel to be most enjoyable and Josh found the St. Peter's Basilica to be most enjoyable. 

Part of a Giant Rug at the Vatican Museum

Painted ceiling in the Vatican Museum


Sistine Chapel

St. Peter's Basilica: Vatican



Vatican







When the tour ended, we stayed on our own, grabbed gelato (we really tried to find your Gelato place Patrick!) and then began a walk to PIazza Navona.  From Piazza Navona Kristin artfully directed us to one of Romes hidden treasures the "Arco Degli Acetari." 


Arco Degli Acetari

After the Arco, we met Ashley and Luis for a wonderful free tour of the Pantheon and then had a fantastic dinner near the Piazza Navona. 


Pantheon
 Finally, we had a nighttime view of the Columns of Marcus Aurelius and Trevi Fountain before one more astounding ride on the Metro.  Ciao Roma!!!


Trevi Fountain at night

Kristin's Favorite Thing of the Day:
Successfully finding the Arco degli Acetari.  It was super secluded.

Josh's Favorite Thing of the Day:
Pantheon

Kristin's Surprise of the Day:
How unholy the Vatican felt.  I wanted to pray, meditate in silence; really feel close to God.  Instead I felt rushed, hot, and frustrated.

Josh's Surprise of the Day:
Being able to find the Arco degli Acetari.  He was impressed with us :)

Gelato Count:
Josh: 1 (pistachio)
Kristin: 1 (pistachio and cherry)






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