This is our last morning in Rome as we need to catch a train in 4hrs to Florence. I think I am going to leave this post open on our iPad and Kris and I can jump in and out with our throughts on Travel and Rome one last time before we head north. So here goes:
1. Yesterday was a wonderful day. We decided that the Via Del Corso Walk from Piazza de Popolo through the Spanish Steps ending at the Trevi Fountain was what we wanted to do again on our last day. We left our last day open on purpose so we would have the opportunity to do whatever we wanted with no schedule. We left the camera and backpack in our hotel room. We just wanted to be one with Rome. We walked, shopped, ate and talked at our own pace with nowhere to be. It was just a perfect way to spend our last day. We ended with dinner at The Pantheon and drinks at
Campo de Fiori, the last Piazza we wanted to see before we left. It was a perfect finale to our 5 days in Rome. (Dan)
2. Eating in the Piazzas and famous places is definitely an expereince, but it is true the the food and drink is much more expensive and of far less quality. It is fun to expereince that atmosphere every so often, but the trade off is real so make your choices wisely. When eating in the Piazzas, I would go with something pretty standard...like pizza. Once you venture into the more difficult sauces and pastas, you will go down hill fast. You will also probably not want to drink the house wine as it is very aveage. Pay a little more and get a good bottle and enjoy yourself. Forget about how much it is costing and just enjoy the experience. Just my 2 cents. (Dan)
3. If I see another man in capri pants, I'm going to have to pay for Stacy and Clinton to fly to Rome and take care of the situation. These are not Roman men who are wearing them. They are men from other lands. Roman men have too much fashion sense to commit this atrocity. (Kris)
4. Don't worry so much about a dress code. I read so much about everyone wearing long pants and that shorts are not ok. Hogwash. Locals are outnumbered by tourists and you are going to look like a tourist anyway. Wear whatever you want. Other than churches, there is nowhere I could not have gone wearing shorts anytime day or night. Wish I would have brought another pair. Absolutely loving my Keen Sandles....great for walking around Europe. (Dan)
5. Living in this city must be like living in a Museum. Amazing ancient, baroque and renaissance architecture is around every corner. We are not just talking the tourist sites but the embassys, churches, hotels and so so many other buildings and statues. It is like going back in time. Rome is something that must be experienced. Pictures and movies just don't do it justice. (Dan)
6. Romans eat and walk slowly in direct contrast to their driving and speaking which are both done with a sense of urgency. (Kris)
7. Always bring a water bottle of some kind with you. There are public fountains everywhere that are spewing clean, cool water. Fill up whenever you can. That's what they are for. These are not modern inventions, these are part of the ancient infrastructure. Pretty smart, these Romans. (Kris)
8. I know people told us a lot about pick-pockets and gypsies and I'm sure it happens. Our experience, however was quite different. We took all the prudent precautions...carying all of our cash and cards in money belts, putting little locks on the zippers of our backpacks/luggage, watching out for people who approach you, being extra careful and aware in crowded situations (train stations, airports etc). However, we did not see anyone even closely resembling a gypsy (sorry, Payton, I know you wanted a photo of a real live gypsy) and never had anyone approach us or bump into us or creating a diversion or anything. We also didn't see it happening to anyone else. Believe me, we were looking out for it. We were in plenty of crowded situations, but we never felt anything but safe and respected. Well done, people of Rome. (Kris)
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