Egyptian obelisk from Ramses II in the center of Piazza del Popolo
Looking up at a church in the Tridente neighborhood
Trevi Fountain
Trevi Fountain
Trevi Fountain
Lamp standard, Trevi Fountain
Pantheon
Pantheon, close up
There are the places you have on your travel dream list: Paris, Barcelona, Venice, New York. Then there are places you've never considered, which was Rome for me. (Though I'm happy to travel anywhere. I'd go to the backwaters of Iowa if it meant escaping work and responsibility for a while.) So I had zero expectations of the city itself. I'm embarrassed to say I don't know a whole lot about Roman history. Something to do with aqueducts and gladiators?!
Maybe it's good to go somewhere without a preconceived idea... as I loved Rome! Loved the woman in an impeccable with suit and black stilettos, on a motorbike, her purse tucked in under the steering column. Loved the outdoor cafes that were swamped with people at any given time of day, enjoying a cold drink and one anothers company. Loved the architecture, that goes without saying, but I had to say it! The sun shone brightly, and everything was alive!
I must have walked off 5 lbs in Europe... thank goodness for Birkenstock's! Rome was no different. Just when I thought I couldn't walk another step, there were still miles to cover. We stayed in a guesthouse in the top part of the Tridente neighborhood, close to the Piazza del Popolo. Not far to walk to the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon and Piazza Navona. We passed Museo dell'Ara Pacis... which is a brand new modern museum which houses the Ara Pacis. (Side note: Ara Pacis was an altar built to celebrate the peace following Augustus's military conquests. So the Peace Arch at the Canadian/US Border is just an extension of Roman times!)
That's enough sightseeing for today... because there's still so much left for tomorrow...
No comments:
Post a Comment