We arrived on a Monday after two flights; Belfast to London, then London to Rome. The heat hit us right away, and we were in for a swift taxi ride into the centre of Rome where our hotel was located. On arrival at the Valadier hotel, we were excited to see our room after a day of travelling, however our excitement was quickly extinguished when we realised the room was basically a shoebox. We debated whether to ask to be moved, as two people and two suitcases rammed into a space no bigger than a prison cell presented many an obstacle. However, Philip and his space saving skills decided to close his belongings into the wardrobe so it was just my suitcase causing a health and safety issue by lying on the floor. In all seriousness, if there had of been a fire, we would have both been chargrilled chicken breasts.
After settling into our shoebox, we went straight to sleep in order to be up bright and early for our Colosseum tour the following morning. We trekked around the landmark in 30 something degree heat listening intently to our tour guide, an archaeologist who was trained in all things ancient Rome, and informed us she had recently been excavating ruins in Syria but unfortunately had to evacuate due to the war. She was extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the history of Rome, and this made it all the more enjoyable.
She also guided us to the Roman Forum, where the ruins of many important ancient buildings are. It's quite surreal walking around and trying to picture what life was like back then, seeing the excavated marble floors, and crumbling walls. Not only is it full of historical ruins, it's extremely picturesque and Italian with all the trees and beautiful flowers. We were also able to look down on the famous Circus Maximus from Palatine Hill, one of the most desirable neighbourhoods in ancient Rome.
The Colosseum itself is pretty impressive especially when you take into consideration the manpower it must have taken to build. I studied Classical Civilisation at school, so it was a great experience to be able to see it all in real life. Thankfully Philip had purchased tickets for the tour online prior to our holiday, so we didn't have to face the ridiculous queue outside. He comes in handy now and again.
After our early rise and our trek to, round and from the Colosseum, we sniffed out a rustic Italian restaurant where we couldn't wait to get stuck into some authentic Italian pizza. Quickly followed by the most amazing Tiramisu; both delicious, and both nothing like anything I've had at home.
We did some more wandering around, exploring and dodging Fiats, until I spotted a Bershka. There aren't many shops you would actually buy things from, apart from the international brands such as H&M, Zara, and Sephora (which I had to visit three times). Later that night we headed to Life, a restaurant Philip had been recommended to try. All was fine and dandy, we were seated outside, given complimentary prosecco and were lapping up the Italian atmosphere. The latter being intensified by a man with a violin playing at the end of the street.
Fabulous, until he finished and made a b-line for me bypassing every other diner, and began begging me for money. I of course declined, saying I had no change and when he became irritated, I laughed it off, however he wasn't having any of it and began mocking me. He then said he plays every night 'for intelligent' people... I don't think that included me, but he eventually cleared off (thank goodness!). I feel like we take the friendliness of us Northern Irish people for granted sometimes, and expect all countries to offer the same, when in fact it's quite rare.
Anyway, the following day was the Vatican tour. Again, Philip had booked tickets online for the tour so we could effectively skip the huge queues. Fabulous, Philip. After arriving five minutes late for our 10am tour, we were told we'd missed it and would have to wait until 11, so we sat in a café round the corner and paid about 15 Euro for a coffee and orange juice. The Pope knows how to rake in the cash.
We were guided around the Vatican by an intelligent Canadian, who knew anything about everything. He gave us a crash course in the details of the Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica. I did enjoy the tour, however there were a lot of art displays we had to navigate through beforehand and because there was something on that day, the halls were packed and it took a lot longer than expected.
The Sistine Chapel was not how I expected, it was loud, full of people and not as serene as I had anticipated. You also have to have your shoulders and knees covered, so I wore a midi skirt and carried a cardigan. Of course, no photos are allowed in the chapel and so you are expected to take it all in while being told to move along by the guards. They do attempt to hush everyone, but that is of course impossible when there are so many tourists who all speak different languages and are talking amongst themselves.
I think the most impressive part of the Vatican was outside, where it's modelled on the idea of Heaven, with its huge pillars, fountains and statues. Regardless of your religious beliefs, or lack of, it's easy to appreciate the architecture and I am pleased I can now say I have been.
On our second last day, we spent our time just wandering around and it was nice not having anything planned. We sat outside the restaurant next door to our hotel and had a couple of cocktails, did some shopping, and took a few more touristy pics. And on our last evening we ended up in what we thought would be another fabulous restaurant. We were wrong.
The staff basically ignored us, took so long to take our order that the man who I presumed owned the place, had to tear himself away from scrolling on his phone to take our order. When the food did come, it was basically flung onto the table in front of us. There was no atmosphere, and the tables all had a bottle of wine on them, so when you arrived and sat down, they sneakily tried to pop it open so you'd have to pay for it at the end. Philip was quick to inform them that neither of us drink wine...
After we had finished, I thought it would be quicker to get up and pay rather than wait for a waiter to acknowledge me. Again, I was quite naïve, as one waiter in particular walked right by me, ignoring me when I asked could I pay. When he eventually decided to tend to me, I was told the card machine was broken, it looked like it had never actually been used. So I had to walk to the end of the street and use an ATM that charged me three Euros to take cash out on my Monzo card. At this stage I was a bit fed up, and could tell the staff were probably expecting a tip, but I waited for my change and Philip and I made a swift exit.
When we got back to the hotel, we searched reviews of the restaurant on Trip Advisor. Many others had the same experience, if not worse, than ours. There were also quite a few comments on how the staff asked for tips, took customers' change and put it in the tip jar, and how the chip and pin machine never seems to work. If you are planning on visiting Rome, just beware of such places.
On our last morning, we had some Euros left over so decided to visit Babington's Tea Room, a quirky little place we'd spotted situated right beside the Spanish steps. It was founded by two British women but can only be found in Rome. It's basically a really fancy café, but the tea was great and the service even more so. I even bought some to bring back with me, and of course I had to get a cat mug.
All in all, we had an interesting few days. Our flights ran smoothly, our hotel was clean, if a little small, we saw so many sights and packed a lot into our stay. We did encounter a few bumps along the way, with substandard restaurant service, and rude street performers, but we didn't let that ruin our time there. I probably won't hurry back to Rome, simply because we did everything we wanted to do whilst we were there, I am just happy to tick it off my bucket list.
P.S. Watery Eye Update
If you follow me on Instagram, or have read my previous blog post, you'll be aware of my watering eye struggle. I finally conquered it following a visit to the optician, however when I was in Rome, my eye watered for two whole days pretty much none stop. I don't know whether the dry air on the plane was the blame, or the heat in Rome itself. However, I did some quick research via Google, and many articles stated that yes, the recycled air on the plane can contribute to drying the tear film.
I bought eye drops when I was over there and tried in vain to use a hot compress, but we didn't have a kettle and the water from the tap wasn't near hot enough. It eventually subsided on the second last day, and of course then I was worrying about flying home again. It didn't water on the way home or any of the days after though, surprisingly. I'm not completely sure what caused it, but it's definitely something to think about if you too suffer with dry eyes and are going on holiday this summer.
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