July 30, 2009

How we rolled in Rome...

How we got there...
The hip pocket stayed well intact with a €16 train ride from Florence.

Where we stayed...
M&J Hostel. Not the best hostel we've stayed at, but not the worst (that honour goes to our hostel in Nice, where the toilet and shower where in a ceiling-less cubicle in the room). It was a bit of a dump, but for €18.80 each a night (we got an early-bird discount), we really couldn't complain.

What we did...
Hmm, what didn't we do? There was the ancient Colosseum and Palantine Hill (which we lined up for about an hour to get into), the Spanish Steps (which were so much smaller than I thought they would be!), the gorgeous Trevi fountain, the Pantheon, the insanely ornate St Peter's Basillica at the Vatican and about a billion other gorgeous buildings along the way.

We covered the entire city centre on foot, guzzling water from the many drinking fountains dotted around the place. With temperatures soaring to the low 40s, it was no easy feat. But day in and out we were back hitting the pavement, soaking up as much of Rome as we could.

Who we rolled with...
With the European backpacking set being much younger and immature than those we encountered in South America (think English and American college students on a two-week summer holiday) , we explored the city by ourselves. Though we did come across one of the wierdest people we have met to date, a 19-year-old English guy, in the kitchen of the hostel. He kind of stalked us a bit, does that count?

What we ate...
Pizza, pizza,pizza. The Best Meal in Rome Award goes to Baffetto for their tasty pizzas. Sure, you have to line up for about 30 minutes just to get a table, then, it's so full you have to share a table with strangers, the waiters are abrupt and you are basically kicked out before you have time to swallow your last bite, but you put up with it because it really is that good.

Our last two nights in Rome were spent there chowing down on our last Italian pizzas. The four cheeses was simply amazing. The sauce, the cheese, the base – everything was perfecto!