If you asked me what my favorite part about Alex playing hockey over here in Germany, I would hands down tell you it was the week long break he gets 20 or so games into the season. Sure, the fans are great, the team is full of really fun guys with awesome girlfriends and wives, this really is a chance of a lifetime, but seriously you cannot beat time off in a hockey season; something that is unheard of in North America!We threw around a couple of options for places to visit in early November. Amsterdam, Switzerland/Austria, London (Alex was keen on this idea solely because of the fact that they speak English there!), and of course Rome. As if you couldn't tell by the title of this post, Rome was the chosen destination (and my first choice! lol). Rome is one of the places that-at least I would think-is on everyone's "must see places before they die" list. And when some people plan their whole life to make it to the Eternal City, we simply booked our cheap inter-European plane tickets and a good hotel and decided that we would plan the rest when we got there. With 4 full days there, we knew that we would get to see all that we wanted!
Even though the forecast kept calling for rain, we never saw a drop of it.The temperature hovered at around 65 degrees during the day with lots of sunshine. Something that we hadn't really seen in a month or two (trust me, Kassel is not known for its sunny weather!). I was determined to walk everywhere we went, just to take advantage of the rays! The one thing that really took us by surprise was the massive-ness - if that is even a word - of everything in the city. You just turn a corner and oh, no big deal, a 1000 year old church is towering over you. Walk a few blocks more, and a 500 year old fountain is squeezed between office and apartment buildings. Everywhere you turn, there is something amazing to be seen. We could have never expected to be as astounded as we were. And although words and pictures cannot fully describe everything to its utmost extent, I think pictures might help me tell the most accurate story of our adventure.
The Coliseum and Roman Forum:
Such a beautiful day to walk around the ancient amphitheater and forum. Even though there were still lots of people there, I have a feeling that the crowds were nothing like they are in the summer time. I can't even imagine how hot it would get! Absolutely amazing to see the Coliseum up close and personal. The structure is massive and I can just picture the wild events that took place here. And the Roman Forum was commanding in its presence. Even with half of the structures in crumbles or missing, we could still unmistakably tell that it was the greatest and most luxurious city in the world for a long time.
Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps:
We were literally wondering around the streets and back alleys trying to find the Trevi Fountain. In the middle of small apartment buildings and shops, we thought we were way of the thing. And just as soon as we are ready to head the other way, we turned a corner and there was the Trevi Fountain, shoved between buildings, but still as beautiful as we could have ever imagined. We actually got a shot or two of us by the fountain with no on else around. Makes it look like we had the place to ourselves...yeah right :) The Spanish Steps were a great place just to stop and rest. Tourist and Romans alike grab seats on the steps and enjoy the weather and the people watching as one. Such a neat "Euro" idea to me, just to sit and talk like there is not a care in the world. Ahhh, how nice, haha.
The Vatican was absolutely amazing as well (how many things in Rome can I say were amazing! But they all were)
One of these is a statue, the other one got sick at the Vatican....I'm just saying (just kidding, babe!).
And two last pictures that I could absolutely not leave out. I think Empress Lindsey and Ceasar Alex have a nice ring to them!
But of course the real power here lies in the goofy guys dressed up as gladiators. Yep, we got taken for 5 Euro a picture. Ouch, but small price to pay for a great memory. Rome is a must see, and I suggest it to anyone who hasn't been. We might never be back again in our lives, but we at least got to say that we did it up right!
