Rome - Part 2

14.05.12

My feet are aching! I walked around one third of my planned walks in Rome today. I have to say I absolutely LOVE Rome! It’s so beautiful here. I just love how old the whole city looks, how much history there is in the streets.

My first stop on the walk was Santa Maria Maggiore. When I got there I was at the back of it, which I thought looked beautiful and then I walked around to the front and that was even better!

 I shouldn’t need to introduce my next stop. One of the places you HAVE TO see if you go to Rome! I hadn’t planned on going inside, just seeing the outside was enough for me, but the guy that showed me the walking routes yesterday told me that the Colosseum ticket was also valid to get into Palatino, Foro and Mostra (all in the same place) too and it was only €12 so I went inside. It’s just amazing. It feels very strange to be in a place so old that is still standing.

Before heading to Palatino, Foro and Mostra I walked to Circo Massimo, which is where they raced in the horse drawn carriages in ancient Rome.

Outside the entrance to Palatino, Foro and Mostra I saw a couple of guys dressed up as ancient Romans, so I had to take a picture. One of the guys came over and asked if I wanted to get a picture taken with one of them, I thought it would be kind of cool so I agreed. What I forgot to do is ask for the price (so what happened is kind of my own fault), but I thought it was just a picture, taken with my own camera, no print out or anything, so it couldn’t be too expensive. The guy that posed with me was flirting, and asking me to give him a kiss and basically making me feel a bit uncomfortable. I don’t mind harmless flirting, but it has to be done” right”, if you make someone feel uncomfortable it’s not flirting, it’s just creepy. Anyway. €20! €20 for a few pictures! I think €10 would have been expensive enough; I thought they were joking when they said €20. My daily budget while I’m in Rome is €50, I had already spent €15 for my breakfast and the Colosseum ticket, but that’s okay, I don’t need any more food today, do I? I know I still have €15 left, but that doesn’t seem like much when it’s still only noon. I seriously felt like I was being robbed, I nearly cried! Who needs the pickpocketing kids when the working adults rob you in their own way? But the pictures had already been taken and it was my own fault for not asking how much it was before it was being taken. Remember: always ask how much something is BEFORE you get it! Lesson learnt.

After my “robbery” I went inside the area of Palatino, Foro and Mostra. It was nice, but I have to admit I was in a bad mood because of the money I had just thrown away (I wasn’t even that happy with the pictures when I had a look at them later). The area was a lot bigger than I thought it would be and it’s full of lovely ruins that makes me think that if the ruins looks that beautiful just imagine what it would be like to go back in time and see it before it became ruins!

My next stop was Monumento a Vittorio Emanuelle II, apparently that’s the reason of the saying “all roads lead to Rome” or something. It was beautiful. 

The last stop today was Piazza della Repubblica. There was a really nice fountain in the middle of it.

I know I can survive on the €15 I got left for today, but it did ruin the rest of my day that I had to pay €20 for a few pictures. Being in a bad mood because of it and not really being able to properly appreciate all the beautiful things I’m seeing in Rome didn’t really make my mood any better. Hopefully I will be in a better mood tomorrow when I’ve got a new €50 to spend. And I will remember to ask about the price BEFORE I get anything!

I am already looking forward to seeing the things on tomorrow’s walk, so stay tuned!