Waking up in Rome?!Â
Once we woke up we immediately started getting ready. We had forgot to buy a plug converter but luckily there was one plug in the bathroom that worked for us. I brought a plug that would power up to 5 USB connectors so our phones and camera were charged. We had a toilet that looked like a toilet with a built in seat and no lid. To flush you had to press one of two buttons on the wall behind it. When IÂ pressed the button it felt pretty similar to the resistance you get from flushing a normal toilet. To the right of the toilet was something odd. Really it looked like a foot bath. Or maybe some odd type of urinal? We were pretty sure it was a bidet. But to physically splash water on your tushie seemed like it would be an awkward manuever that neither of us were brave enough to attempt. This was definitely no honeymoon shower. It was about an arms length all the way around but the water pressure was amazing. Thankfully I skipped washing my hair to save us some time.
I got ready in the bedroom as Joe was taking his shower. The bathroom plug that worked fine with the USB charger did not hold up well for my blow dryer. Wouldn't even turn it on. There was a tiny blow dryer called a Salon 2000 on the wall in the bedroom. My hair was dry but I was curious. Now... do you remember blow drying your hair when you were a kid. You may remember seeing the coils heat up inside the dryer. Some hair blow dryers might still do that, but I haven't seen that in a long time. This thing looked and sounded rough. I flipped the button to max heat and pressed the on button. It sounded like the national weather service alarm that rudely wakes you up at 3 am to let you know theres a flash flood warning 500 miles away from you. It looked like a toaster came to life disguised as a hair blow dryer. I started laughing and grabbed my phone to record what was happening. I was able to capture a couple second with it on then it died. I was so confused. Within 20 seconds it ended up getting too hot and burning itself out. And seriously it looked like a toaster.. I would never have put that thing close to my hair!
We stashed our money and important information under our clothes in these travel wallets I found online. When you are traveling anywhere touristy you need to take precautions like these to prevent pick pockets from robbing you blind while you are distracted. More on that later! I carried my phone, a small amount of euros and travel camera in my purse. Then headed down to the free continental breakfast. There we ate donut holes with nutella and drank fresh pressed orange juice. This hotel had a specialty in making breakfast and pastries look unappealing. Who serves mini hot dogs for breakfast? Apparently they do. So far our introduction to Italian food was lackluster. Once we picked up out metro passes from a corner store, we walked 10 minutes to the underground metro. There were water spouts all over the city that continuously poured water to a drain. I saw people rinsing their hands at these or let their dog grab a quick drink of water. We realized that the standard vehicle in Italy were small cars like a Fiat.
We discovered you can buy a three day metro pass instead of a one day pass at the booths in the Metro. We made a mental note to pick those up on the way back. Now image this. You are a resident in Italy and you come across two Americans in the underground metro pointing at a map in disagreement. I had a firm idea of what we were supposed to do. We were supposed to get of the A Train heading north from Furio Camillo to Ottaviano. Maybe it was traveling underground in a foreign country that had Joe on edge. He just wanted to go back to the hotel and call an Uber. I promised him that if I didn't get him there on the metro and we got lost I would pay for the uber to get back to the hotel. It was like a game of trust and he really didn't want to fall. I refused to leave the metro so he had no choice but to take the Metro adventure with me. We got on an escalator that seemed to take us 4 stories underground. I couldn't look down without feeling wobbly. We boarded the train that would take us to Ottaviano, the metro exit near the Vatican. As the metro made its stops we watched European News.Â
We exited the metro at Ottaviano and headed towards the Vatican. I had screenshot the route to walk to the Vatican from there and we found it with no problem. Once we hit a road close by and spotted the outer walls of the Vatican City we started to get really excited. It was one of those.. it's really happening moments. I had pre-purchased entrance tickets. So all we had to do was type the confirmation number in a machine and it printed out fast passes into the Vatican. I had saved pictures of the top things I wanted to see when I got there. We walked to the gift shop to take a look around. I wanted to keep an eye out for gifts I could bring back home to my family. I looked over a railing pleasantly surprised to spot the gorgeous spiral exit I have seen only in google images. Luckily they let you take pictures of everything but the inside of the Sistine Chapel. I took so many pictures on this trip and I am so proud of how beautiful they turned out I made a special gallery to purchase a few digitals on my website. To check those out click here. We began our journey walking through a maze of museums. Art and statues. The once in temperature controlled rooms behind glass or ropes are the real deal. Everything else is a copy or replica because it would never survive the heavy foot traffic. We walked through room after room filled ancient art. We took our time and enjoyed being in the moment.
After we made our way through the first museum path. We stopped for a bite to eat at a cafe in the courtyard. I had cheese raviolis and they didn't disappoint. Joe had a salad and complained about how much he doesn't like Italian food. We found another small cafe with coffee!! There we sipped the best espresso I have ever had in my life and watched people going about their business. I watched a pigeon swoop down and try to steal a mans entire slice of pizza. My husband watched a man take a picture of a pigeon then show the pigeon its own picture. If you use the restroom in the Vatican City and wash your hands... did you just wash your hands with holy water? Asking for a friend.
I became more excited as we got closer to the Sistine chapel. It was on my list of the things I said definitely need to see. Once you get closer to the Sistine chapel the hallways become narrower and thereâs more stairs. There is a dress code to enter. And you are not allowed to take pictures. There are guards in every corner watching and keeping people in line. I thought it was a bit hypocritical though. Apparently there was a politician in town and they let him take pictures with his group inside the Sistine chapel. I had one of those well if they are letting them do it then why canât we moments. Me and Joe found a comfortable bench to sit on as we looked up at the ceiling. I am third I have heard that sometimes when people have visited The chapel itâs so crowded that you are shoulder to shoulder and can barely move and can barely take your time and enjoy anything because they are ushering you out just as fast as you were coming in. Thankfully this wasnât the case. There is plenty of space to walk around and enjoy the ceiling without feeling someone at your shoulders.Â
Once we were out I found another small gift shop and purchased rosary bracelets for a few of my family members. We really enjoyed our time walking through so much history. Once we left the The museum side we headed over to the St Peters Basilica. We stopped for a few pictures. They were setting up a christmas tree. We took it all in just looking around the plaza then headed back to the metro. I wore well broken in flat the entire day but let me tell you. I could wear those babies all day on concrete and be perfectly fine. But walking around on cobblestones is a whole new world. My feet were aching and I was trying my best to not complain. It was so nice to get back to the hotel and rest my feet! Later that night I called the Uber to take us to Mama Angela. Our Uber driver was super nice. But once we were inside of his vehicle and he got to the main roads it was almost like he was being paid to race to the restaurant. We were going so fast in this tiny car. At one point I am pretty sure he was driving on the sidewalk or at least somewhere or vehicles were not supposed to be. The important part was we got there in one piece. Mama Angela was a restaurant a client of mine suggested I go to. She did not disappoint me. That was the best food and drink Iâve ever had in my life and my husband agreed! The restaurant was small maybe a 60 persons capacity. It was a beautiful night out. We had another wild ride on the way back to the hotel. At this point we were tipsy so we giggled probably way to much when this Uber driver cursed in Italian at other vehicles, cut people off and drove down the median. After that we walked down to the grocery store and picked up a couple bottles of wine and a small case of beer. And that was our first full day in Rome!Â