"Methinks I will not die quite happy without having seen something of that Rome of which I have read so much." --Sir Walter Scott
TOUR, DAY 8
Day 8 started hard in our room, as Lesley had been sick all night. Unfortunately, she needed to forgo our main day in Rome, and Lori had to enjoy it for two.
We loaded up on the Metro for a quick ride to the Colosseum. One thing that's hard to get used to in Rome is how the ancient and modern are constantly pressed together. When we exited the train station, many in our group didn't realize that we were right across the street from the Colosseum. At every turn, there is some antiquity situated amongst the gelato stands and trinket shops. It's remarkable. Following our tour of the Colosseum, we walked through The Forum, filled with remnants and ruins of centuries of Rome's past, and visited the Pantheon. We toured some other areas of Rome, learning interesting tidbits about Rome - did you know that the place where Julius Caesar was killed (Largo di Torre Argentina) is now a cat sanctuary? After our tour, we had free time to explore the city, and Nina provided us with a few Metro tickets. We teamed up with other members of our group to get lunch and manage a bus ride back to the hotel. Success! A few hours before we were to meet back up with the group, we were glad that Lesley was feeling well enough to take a brief walk to see some of the sights on our tour. Obviously, we'll have to make a return trip so she can really enjoy it! Our day ended with the final group dinner, a bittersweet occasion. |
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HOTEL SONYA
Hotel Sonya was a great modern hotel with an old-world feeling. There was a cage elevator that ran up the middle of the building! The hotel was in a convenient location, just a few blocks from the train station, and not far from the major sights and bus lines, but not in the middle of the city hustle-and-bustle.
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CLIMB EVERY STAIRCASE
That cage elevator in the hotel? It was small and slow and a little quirky. For the most part, including with luggage, Lori chose to climb the stairs to our room on the 5th floor. It was remarkable how often in a day and a half she needed to climb up and down those stairs!
But that's not all! Lori managed to dash up to the cupola of St. Peter's Basilica in our brief time there. To save time, she took the elevator to the terrace level and then climbed the remaining 320 steps up to the cupola. She took all 551 steps back down. The views were incredible!
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