Rome 2

I woke up excited to wolf down the breakfast buffet. They had endless supply of prosciutto, sausages, cheeses, breads, juice, milk, water, fruits and coffee! Whew! Good thing their hotel (pic1) didn't have surveillance cameras… Actually, I don't think those would have slowed me down anyway.

I walked out of the hotel bright and early, carrying nothing but a water bottle, a map and some perishables from the buffet table on my backpack. I took the subway and man, there were so many people waiting! By the time it came, the crowd swelled up so much that I didn’t even have to walk in- the wave of people just pushed me right inside. My senses got numbed (olfactory included) that I didn’t even notice that I was being robbed! Just before I was about to exit, my camera pouch was open and this guy had his finger twirled around my digicam strap ready to pull it out. I gave him my most menacing stare, which wasn’t much I’m sure I looked like Jollibee – but still he backed off. He could have stabbed me, but oh well, he didn’t!

As I walked out of the station, I passed this gelateria (pic2) with the most desirable gelatos I’ve ever seen. Without hesitation, I snagged my after-breakfast appetizer. Moving on, I reached the Spanish steps (pic3), one of the most popular tourist places in Rome. They had mimes there, and the streets were lined with the latest Italian moda. Buses were plastered with Armani and Gucci ads, store shops displayed the most expensive wares. I saw two Maserati Quattrotorpes, one even backed up by an S-class Benz. A lot of people shopped, and I just had to experience it too so I entered Diesel, Puma and another gelateria.

I decided to just walk all the way back to my hotel, besides, I was only carrying a half-filled water bottle. I carried way too many valuable pictures to risk my camera getting stolen. I passed Piazza Navona (pic4), the Pantheon (pic5), the Trevi fountain (pic6) and other touristy spots. I forgot their names already; all I cared to memorize were gelato flavors… I had pizza with the locals near the Trevi fountain around dinner time then headed back to my hotel. On my way back I entered another gelateria. Then I slept.

I did the whole breakfast-hogging thing again in the morning and headed out for the Vatican (pic7). It was a 2 mile walk but the sights were well worth it. I passed the Castel San’t Angelo, a former fort, and I took pictures of art students sketching by the river (pic8). At the St. Peter’s square, the crowd started gathering since the pope was going to give a service that morning. Since it was still 2 hours away, I went to the Sistine Chapel (this entry's pic). It was visual overload! The floor, walls and ceilings were covered in art! But… The highlight was my illegal shot of the Sistine chapel painting (email me for this one). It didn’t even occur to me until I started looking at postcards being sold that THAT was the ceiling that had the Adam touching God frame! Had I known, I would’ve zoomed in =P.

When I got back to St. Peter’s square, it was just packed to the gates! I caught the last few moments of the service on video! With my other hand, I took a lot of pictures on my other digicam. I was very happy with my pictures. I was so glad it didn’t rain because everyone said it would. The Vatican was my last tourist spot, so I started walking back to my hotel to get ready to leave. I grabbed a quick lunch, took the 64 back to the Termini station and boarded my train to Florence. When I sat down and the train started moving, it started raining. I offered a short prayer of thanks for everything before I fell asleep.