Erin: Day 15: Rome, Italy to Milan, Italy

Today ended up being rather uneventful actually.  The plan was to wake up early and go to the Sistine Chapel and the Castel St. Angelo but we slept through the alarm and decided not to rush over there.  By the time we did get there though, the line-ups were so long that we decided not to wait. Turns out, according to CTV, the Pope was actually holding a meeting in the Sistine Chapel so THANK GOD (haha - literally) that we did not wait in line.

So, we walked back, had some lunch (lasagne and a cannoli) and then headed to the train station.

It’s now 2:35pm and we’re on our way to Milan (spelt Milano in this part of the world).  I’m excited as this is the fashion capital of the world but I’m even MORE excited because I booked us into a Starwood Resort Hotel and for the next three days and two nights, we’re going to be relaxing, working and just generally decompressing.  I’m hoping that we can find a laundry service in Milan – I mean, you’d think if anywhere in the world offered laundry service, it would be there…  They probably have more pieces of clothing per square inch than people!

Okay, so enough of my discussing clothes and the dirty state my laundry is in… LOL  I’ve realized something that will make all girly-girls everywhere gasp…  I don’t actually need a lot of clothes to survive!  Or shoes!  Or handbags!  Or accessories!  However, it doesn’t mean I’m going to go home and trade in all of my stilettos for Birkenstocks and my silk dresses for chinos… On the contrary, it makes me appreciate them more and realize that I need to wear my nice clothes every day! LOL  Especially since I could end up in a time (three weeks in Europe) when I only have three measly (and all black) outfits to choose from.  I am so in need of some color that I think I’m going to ask Steve to bring me a colourful scarf from my closet just so I can “do” a splash of color.

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Erin: Day 14: Rome, Italy

Ohmigoodness.  I’m sitting at the hotel after a long, long day in Rome but it was entirely worth it.  We walked EVERYWHERE as there was a transportation strike here in Rome today.  That means no metro, buses, etc.  Although, we did see some buses so it’s very possible the strike didn’t happen (actually, I think I heard that it started at 1pm) but it didn’t matter – we were happy to walk and explore Rome on foot.

We headed out of the hotel around 9:30AM and right at our doorstep basically is Saint Maria Maggiore’s Piazza.  It’s a gorgeous Church and one of the five major Churches in Rome (according to our hotel clerk) although to me, it seems like I’ve seen about a hundred major Churches while wandering around.  Cruising down the street and avoiding the INSANE traffic, we walked down to Via Cavour – a popular street in Rome and one that leads all the way down to the Roman Forum, Palatine and the Colosseum.

The walk was nice – it didn’t take us long… maybe about 10 minutes or so.  Once we got the ancient Roman ruins, we took a look at the Roman Forum and glanced over to the Palatine.

The Roman Forum - Rome, Italy

The Roman Forum - Rome, Italy

We then saw the big kahuna… The Colosseum.  It was majestic and even though the day was overcast in the morning with light rain, it didn’t dampen our spirits when we saw this.  Making our way over there was a cinch (except for of course Roman traffic) and then we popped into line to go inside.

The Colosseum - Rome, Italy

Inside the Colosseum - Rome, Italy

Outside of the Colosseum - Rome, Italy

One thing about Rome… everywhere you go, there are INSANE long line-ups.  We waited an hour at least to get into the Vatican and waited about 20-30 minutes to get into the Colosseum.  If you can, go early and avoid the rush!

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Erin: Day 13: Venice, Italy to Rome, Italy

Today is October 16 and it’s currently 3:06pm Italy time (I’m saying Italy because we only just left Rome about 20 minutes ago.)  We’re on the Trenitalia Eurostar train heading first to Florence and then to Rome.  This train heads on to Naples but we won’t be going that far.  At least not today!

I’m very, very excited to get to Rome.  Rome for me has been one of those places that I have always wanted to see because of the ancient history and the beauty of the buildings there.  I mean, it’s only been in movies and in books that I’ve read about the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, the Palladium, the Spanish Steps, Vatican City, etc.  Now… I get to experience those things in full color… 3D if you will!

This morning was pretty uneventful but in the best way possible.  I went to bed around 7:00AM, just as the sun was rising, and asked for my wake up call to happen at 10:30am…  Enough time for me to get ready and still feel rested enough.  I woke up on my own around 10:15am, jumped on my computer to do some e-mail and client work and then I got ready.  Check out, as with most other hotels, was at noon so I made sure all was ready to go before that.
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