sandi_travelnut

12/30

We had a Forum/Colosseum tour scheduled for 11am. We arrived at the meeting place a little early and waited. We finally saw a girl holding a sign for 'Roman Promenade Tours". My email confirmation witht the tour company said that my family (the 5 of us) would be the only ones on the tour. That was the only reason I went went this in the first place becuase I thought it would be a tiny group. She led us, and one other couple, across the street to a place in front of the Colosseum where we met our guide Stefano and about 40 of his closet friends. They sky was clear, the sun was shining but it was freakin' cold with a stiff wind. I tell you this because we spent an hour outside listening to some interesting history about Rome and the beginnings of the Colosseum. The entire tour was supposed to be 1.5 hours long. We were moved like cattle into the Colosseum as we tried to stay with the group..and each other. After spending another 30 minutes with the tour group inside, we decided to split and walk around by ourselves. We actually blew off the Forum tour which was to start at 2pm.

We popped into a cafe for lunch then headed for the Forum. This was a huge hit with my parents. We spent about 2hours strolling through and I believe it was one of the highlights of the entire trip. We came out of the Forum and found a taxi queue and took them back to the hotel to rest.

My husband and I, on the other hand, took off to find Trattoria da Luigi that ellenem wrote about in her wonderful "foodie" trip report. It was exactly what we were looking for...but we couldn't find it. We found the street and piazza she mentioned but not the address. Back to the hotel to ask for a recommendation, and the only one he had (that wasn't a pricey place) was where we ate at the night before.

We took a cab to Trevi around 7:30p where we saw a young couple climb out onto the rocks of the fountain so their friends could take their picture. Not so funny when they were met back the police after climbing down...they left with the police as well.

After coming back to the neighborhood, we settled on Antica Trattoria La Scaletta on via dell Anima. What a find this was. I loved this place. It's run by an old man and his son (we are assuming). The place has only a handful of tables and after waiting a short while we were able to get a table. The old man would turn away people, even though there may have been an empty table, but let the next inquirers sit. The son (again, assuming) never wrote down our large order, then rattled it back to us perfectly. We had bruschetta, my Dad tried the minestrone which he loved and he had lasagna. My Mom tried the stewed chicken and peppers which she loved as well. They shared Tiramisu for dessert. I had more stuffed pasta, husband had ravioli, son had pasta pomodoro//all very good. My husband had a pear baked in wine for dessert which was deliciously sweet and tangy at once. With a liter of house wine and a bottle of water, the tab was only 88e. Tomorrow is our last day in Rome and then we head home. We'll start the day with the Sistine Chapel.

sandi_travelnut

12/31 - Our last day

The intention was to get to the Vatican early then make a mad dash for the chapel, to try to beat the tour groups. What really happened was this; we went to the taxi queue but no taxis came. This is a stand we had used before but maybe it was too early in the morning (?). We were wanting to take a cab becuase we knew there would be a lot of walking ahead of us so we were tryong to spare my Mom. We ended up walking to the Vatican, then around the side where we met the end of the line to get in. We Went around 3 walls of the Vatican...each wall being at least what seems to be 5 blocks long. The line moved surpisingly fast though and the weather was in our favor.

Once inside we stopped to get the audio tour, specifically for the chapel. We made it to the chapel, behind hundreds of people in tour groups who were following a stick with a tissue or towel on it. They packed us into the chapel...but oh my, just look at where you are. A cocky man kept raising his camera phone for a quick shot, each time getting reprimanded by the guards. We stayed for quite a while, eventually making our way to the exit and down endless, ornate corridors. We found the cafe and had a slice of pizza that was just out of the oven.

As we came out and around to the front of St. Peters (to go in and finish our look around) we noticed that the line to get through the 2 security gates was literally around the entire piazza. I was willing to wait in line if someone was truly wanting to go back inside , but we all decided not to.

My husband and son took off walking while I strolled with my parents back towards the hotel so my Mom could shop a bit. I was proud that I didn't get us lost as we walked back. I dropped them off and went shopping with my husband and son. My husband also was on a mission to find some pastry for the early morning trip to the airport.

We later saw my Dad on the street who was on a mission to get coffee. I decided to hang with him for awhile. We had a lovely time together. We sat outside at a cafe and drank coffe and shred a pastry. We walked arm in arm across the POnte Umberto to look at the Palazzo di Giustizia (Palace of Justice). We stopped on the bridge and marvelled at where we were and what we had seen the last 2 weeks. I am pleased that things had turned out so well.

The last installment titled "What the hell was I thinking" to follow ...

ellenem

Sandi, sorry about the trouble fnding Trattoria da Luigi. As you face into the piazza from the corso, it is on the left side. Too late now but maybe for next time.

Perhaps it was their closed day. I don't recall if this is true there, but often in Italy when the security gates are all rolled down you can't see any identifying signs--the restaurant names and signs are often in the window and covered by the gates.

Sounds like I will have some restaurants to add to my list when your reprot is done.

sandi_travelnut

Last Installment:

It's almost evening on New Year's Eve in Rome on our last day of vacation. We have an outrageously early wake up call (3:30am) to get into the hired car at 4:30am to be at the airport at 5am for a 7am flight on Swiss air to Zurich. We'll then catch a 10:10 flight from Zurich to Dallas.

Since we weren't sure what restaurants would be closed or so full of people for New Years we decided to not push our luck and just pop into the nearest cafe for a quick bite. The restaurant was not memorable and as the food arrived my Father realized that he didn't feel well and decided he best not eat. He excused himself from the table and went outside. By the time we met up with him he was terribly sick. We went back to the hotel where he was up all night vomiting. The BOOMs started early, probably around 9 or 10pm. I'm not talking about the wimpy fireworks the kids shoot off in my neighborhood, but this sounded like cannon fire across the Tiber.

We attempted to get a little sleep but the booms and crashes were at times, deafening. So loud and constant that it continually set off car alarms all around us. That noise plus my Dad's illness through the thin walls and the echoing staircase made for a miserable night. I was terribly worried that my Dad may be be able to travel in just a few hours.

The alarm went off and the hustle began with getting ready and shuffling bags to the door. The large car arrived on time (thanks to the hotel for arranging a car for a set price of 60e to the airport) the driver was extremely helpful. I attempted to tell him that my father had a sick stomach, in Italian, and he tried to tell my Dad what to drink to help ease it. My Dad was a real trooper. He looked horrible and felt even worse.

His condition was a little more stable once we landed in Zurich. We got off the plane in Zurich Swiss Air) and headed to the AA gate for the flight to Dallas. All 5 of us together went up to the Swiss immigration booth to give our papers so we could get a boarding pass. We were questioned for quite a long time and were required to show receipts from all the hotels in France, Switzerland and Italy as well as rail receipts. I'm mentioning this because some folks may not have these handy or may not even keep them. Again, we were required to dig these up and he was prepared to wait even though our flight was boarding behind us.

Finally we were able to board the 11.5 hour flight to Dallas. The fact that my Dad was able to stretch out in Business class and get some rest (thanks to Ambien) helped him a great deal. He was able to eat a bit of bread during the flight. By the time we landed, he was feeling much better.

We dropped them off at their house, picked up our car and went home. How nice it was to be home. It's amazing how quickly the trip passes, compared to how long you spend anticipating it.

The next day I called my parents, only to find out that my Dad had given the "bug" to my Mom. It took them both several days to recover fully and be able to remember past that dreadful last night.

We were fortunate that the worst day happened at the very end, but it didn't dimish the fire that has begun in them, for travelling abroad. They're already eyeing a Mediterranean cruise and the 3 of us can't wait to go back to Paris.

Statia

Great report, Sandi. Although the very end of the trip had some unpleasantness, it certainly sounds like the rest of it was wonderful. What a gift for your whole family to be together on such a great adventure. Thanks for sharing.