Day 9
Day 9: ROME
Alyssa-update today, apparently we're taking turns now… Last night we arrived here in Rome and we've been given the royal treatment, since Matt works for Hilton we’ve been put on the “executive” floor. This magical fifth floor includes complimentary bath robes (which Graeme fashions far too often), a complimentary dinner of sorts (I think it's supposed to be just appetizers and small meals but obviously the boys take full advantage… 4 plates of potatoes for Graeme), complimentary breakfast (grandma, you'd be proud, this morning we smuggled out a meals worth of food) and of course slippers (which dad wears everywhere… I always make sure I'm walking a few paces ahead or behind him…). Although our last accommodation had much more character and a stunning view, we are definitely enjoying the Hilton luxuries, especially the AC and wifi.
Today was day one in the city of Rome, and its been decided that there will definitely be two more. We were up quite early and caught the 8:00 bus into the city. It was pretty sweet being there so early, the streets were empty and the temperature was at its low for the day (33 C). We headed straight for the Colosseum. Despite the early time, there were still massive lines at the Colosseum, which was frustrating to say the least, we had to split up into multiple different lines and the process still took almost an hour and a half. Dad quote: We wouldn’t have this problem in Disney! However once we were finally inside, the long wait was quickly forgotten, as we were all amazed and awestruck by the history and architecture of the structure. We had downloaded an audio guide to our phones and were given all sorts of facts about the Colosseum’s history (big thank you to Mrs. Turner for introducing us to the Rick Steve’s app).
Once out of the Colosseum we wandered our way to the heart of Rome and followed our Rick app through another guided tour (Graeme likes the app so much he's nick named it Ricky). On this walking tour we hit sights like the Pantheon, the Trevi fountain and the Spanish Steps. We of course made a stop of our own at a gelato shop (gelato is rapidly becoming our Italian lunch cough Kevin). At this point the temperature had reached 40 C and we each had at least 5 bottles of water to drink (and yet bathroom breaks were non-existent… even for dad!). We were all pretty tuckered out to say the least (13.2k of walking!) and were more than happy to get on the air-conditioned shuttle back to the hotel. The plan for tomorrow is to continue “ROME-ing” around the city (hehe, get it?). Sorry for the super long post, it’s just so hard to fit 1955 years of history into a reasonable length!
Love always,
Alyssa
Italian word of the day: Aspettare, meaning "to wait"… Dad pronounced it f@%*ing bulls%#@ at the Colosseum…
Alyssa-update today, apparently we're taking turns now… Last night we arrived here in Rome and we've been given the royal treatment, since Matt works for Hilton we’ve been put on the “executive” floor. This magical fifth floor includes complimentary bath robes (which Graeme fashions far too often), a complimentary dinner of sorts (I think it's supposed to be just appetizers and small meals but obviously the boys take full advantage… 4 plates of potatoes for Graeme), complimentary breakfast (grandma, you'd be proud, this morning we smuggled out a meals worth of food) and of course slippers (which dad wears everywhere… I always make sure I'm walking a few paces ahead or behind him…). Although our last accommodation had much more character and a stunning view, we are definitely enjoying the Hilton luxuries, especially the AC and wifi.
Today was day one in the city of Rome, and its been decided that there will definitely be two more. We were up quite early and caught the 8:00 bus into the city. It was pretty sweet being there so early, the streets were empty and the temperature was at its low for the day (33 C). We headed straight for the Colosseum. Despite the early time, there were still massive lines at the Colosseum, which was frustrating to say the least, we had to split up into multiple different lines and the process still took almost an hour and a half. Dad quote: We wouldn’t have this problem in Disney! However once we were finally inside, the long wait was quickly forgotten, as we were all amazed and awestruck by the history and architecture of the structure. We had downloaded an audio guide to our phones and were given all sorts of facts about the Colosseum’s history (big thank you to Mrs. Turner for introducing us to the Rick Steve’s app).
Once out of the Colosseum we wandered our way to the heart of Rome and followed our Rick app through another guided tour (Graeme likes the app so much he's nick named it Ricky). On this walking tour we hit sights like the Pantheon, the Trevi fountain and the Spanish Steps. We of course made a stop of our own at a gelato shop (gelato is rapidly becoming our Italian lunch cough Kevin). At this point the temperature had reached 40 C and we each had at least 5 bottles of water to drink (and yet bathroom breaks were non-existent… even for dad!). We were all pretty tuckered out to say the least (13.2k of walking!) and were more than happy to get on the air-conditioned shuttle back to the hotel. The plan for tomorrow is to continue “ROME-ing” around the city (hehe, get it?). Sorry for the super long post, it’s just so hard to fit 1955 years of history into a reasonable length!
Love always,
Alyssa
Italian word of the day: Aspettare, meaning "to wait"… Dad pronounced it f@%*ing bulls%#@ at the Colosseum…
Yes....The Colosseum
The "floor" of the Colosseum with the basement exposed so you can see the tunnels that were used to transport gladiators and wild animals.
Family selfie outside!
Trevi Fountain!
Graeme and Matt chillin' in the shade by yet another Roman Fountain.....they sure like their water features :)