Goodbye Rome, Hello Cortona

It was sad leaving Rome after a great 5 nights. We headed to our usual breakfast haunt and were devastated to find it closed (Sat Morning), we went somewhere else but wasn't the same. Even sadder was that when we headed to the station it was open! 

We jumped on our train at Rome Termini, thank god I didn't have the bike, our platform was 1east, the further platform. It was beautify train ride with all the hilltop villages. The train was crowded and we were lucky to get a seat. Thankfully for Kylie lots of people got off at Orvieto as she wasn't enjoying travelling backwards. We originally planned for a day trip there but ran out of time

The ride up to Cortona was interesting with our Taxi driver telling us some of the history of the town and how it dates back to 600BC. We pulled up at our hotel, Hotel San Luca and the view was breathtaking. It looked down over the valley and mountains through to Lago Trasimeno. It's a little bit special for me as I had a win there back in 2002. Gee how time flies.

The town of Cortona is sensational and I couldn't help looking at the Real Estate agencies and dreaming. You could just walk for Hours through the maze of laneways and stairways. We sat on the steps in Piazza della Repubblica and ate lunch. Then a hive of activity started around us. We asked what was happening and all we could understand was that it was starting at 4pm. 

We returned then to find a fantastic ceremony, where representatives from different areas of the town marched in to drums carrying their flags. They then had flag throwing and blessed candles from each area. We considered ourself lucky to come across it and have front row viewing. 

It was a very special day. Oh the gelato at Gelateria Snoopy was delicious - thanks Taxi driver for the tip.

Trastevere

The day started at our usual breakfast haunt, it's a tight little bar right next to the Ottaviano Metro station. The girl there can speak English but she lets me speak my broken Italian.

We headed to Trastevere, which is an area of Rome on the river. It is full of tight lane ways with plenty of cafes and boutique shops. We passed a school which Kylie would have loved for to go in and visit. Obviously it was a tight little school with not much playground and some of the kids were playing in the laneway and that was the designated yard duty area for some of the teachers. We visited two spectacular churches.

Our kids needed some playtime themselves so we headed up the hill that I had ran up earlier in the day to give them some space to throw a ball around. On the way up we came across an almost abandoned alley way that had all these doors, almost like vaults. On each door was the painting telling the story of Jesus' crucifixion.  We also passed a beautiful fountain that I had photographed earlier on my run. Whilst there a bird pooed on Sebastian, this was the second time it has happened. The area at the top of the hill provided more great views of Rome. The kids enjoyed some freedom and ran around.

We ventured back down to explore the laneways further. They had a lot of buildings with vines growing down them and they looked fantastic.

Lunch beckoned and we headed back to a restaurant near our hotel. The kids eyes were bigger than their stomachs and they tried a pizza each. In the end I had to try to finish theirs (unsuccessfully I may say). The waiter gave Kylie and I a shot of Limone Liquor' to wash down lunch, sh%t it was strong.

After lunch the we decided to go on a tram ride around Rome, but the kids we a bit bored so we got off and caught the metro home to start organising for our trip to Cortona tomorrow.

A Dome With A View

You can't go to Rome without going to St Peters Basilica. We got up early and made it our first stop as the other day the lines were long, very long. Today we timed it right and didn't have to line up. We headed straight to the Cupola(dome) and did the walk up the Dome. Well actually we cheated and took the elevator to the half way point and then walked the 300+ steps to the top.  It is a tough walk, but fun. There are step spiral staircases which go around and around and around. Other staircases you can't stand up straight and need to lean to the side as you are right beneath the dome roof. There are a lot of people who struggle with the steps. In the past I have seen people turn around and go back down because they didn't have the fitness to get up or didn't like the tight squeeze. I have also seen someone get stuck as they were a bit on the large size and then had to stop and go back down.

Of course there are fantastic views for the top. The kids loved it and took some pictures of Boris up there. I'm glad we got up there early as it wasn't too busy. It would be great to have it to yourself for an hour just to soak in the views over the Vatican City and Rome itself. On the way down we had a coffee on the roof of the Basilica.

The inside of the Basilica is breathtaking. Kylie was in photographers heaven moving around and taking pictures of the intricate details of the Basilica. There were a number of sermons going on inside. The interior of the dome is amazing with its mosaic features and colour. Outside the window to the Popes apartment was open, we watched for a while to see if we could catch a glimpse, no luck.

Later we caught the bus that mysteriously didn't appear yesterday and we headed to Piazza Navona. Kylie was underwhelmed by this area although the fountain of the four waters is pretty neat. 

We ducked across to the Pantheon. This is one building that amazes me. The fact it was built so long ago and the hole in the roof intrigues me. Sebastian stood there with his mouth open trying to catch the rain that was coming through the hole in his mouth. Twit, I wonder who he gets that from. 

We headed home and had a bit of a lazy afternoon, I think we were all exhausted.

Wow - Castel Sant'Angelo

It's amazing how some things happen for the best. After two failed excursions we ended up at Castel Sant'Angelo and OMG.

So my day started with a run that took me through Villa Borghese Gardens. I found Piazza Di Siena which is where they held the Equestrian event at the 1960 Olympics. Last time I was here I missed it but I was making sure that didn't happen again. It's a pretty cool little arena.
We headed off to the Vatican, we had to laugh at all the people trying to sell you 'Skip The Line tickets that were almost double the normal entry fee. And the line itself only took 5 minutes to get in. Despite being to the Vatican on two previous occasions, it was still great to see it again. The highlight was watching the look on Kylie and Milanas faces when the saw some of the stunning exhibitions. It all was a bit much for Sebastian after a while. But he did love the Sistine Chapel and the fact that the roof was painted by one of the Ninja Turtles (Michelangelo).

After lunch we decided to catch the bus to The Pantheon, but the bus never arrived. So we headed to St Peters, line to big. So I suggested to go to Castel Sant'Angelo. It's always been a building that I've admired - from the outside.

"WOW" was Sebastian's response, "Can we go in?" he asked. So we did and it was one of the most amazing places I've been. I won't go into the history, you can read a version here https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castel_Sant%27Angelo . It was amazing, the different rooms, walkways and fortifications were fantastic. The artwork in the papal rooms were amazing. Out in some of the courtyards there was some great frescos, sadly these are exposed to the weather and will one day be gone.
On the the 5th level is a fantastic terrace which provides some spectacular views of Rome. I was amazed at how much Kylie liked it, and well Sebastian, he thought being in a real castle was awesome. If you ever come to Rome, don't miss it.

Roma

We had big first full day in Rome. We did the Italian breakfast thing, coffee and cake standing up in a little bar. Milana and I loved it. Then we headed to the Trevi fountain. Kylie and Sebastian loved the fruit stands along the way. 

I love just walking in Rome, every corner you turn you are faced with something interesting and different. We arrived at the Trevi Fountain and it was closed to throwing coins in because they were cleaning the coins out. They get approximately €3000 a day out of it, which goes to a charity supermarket. 

We walked and ended up at the Roman Forum. The kids got into looking at the old ruins, then we hit the Colosseum. Sebastian was excited hasn't stopped talking about Gladiators since, he even bought a Gladiator figurine.

After lunch we visited Piazza Del Popolo and walked up the hill to get some great views of Rome. We then headed down to the Spanish Step, but sad they are cleaning and renovating them as we couldn't get to see them in all there glory. 

We wandered past Prada and Gucci on the way, I couldn't afford the €1000 for pants. We went back to the Trevi to throw coins into the fountain to ensure that we return to Rome someday.

Then it was a quick dinner and off to an early bed.

We made it. Rome

I

As with any long haul flight, the trip over was challenging at times. One of the biggest challenges was the kids, especially as they didn't get too much sleep. I was concerned that they were going to lose the plot being tired but they got through pretty well. 

Our stop over was in Dubai. Getting the 14 hour stint out of the way first was great because you could tell the kids that the next sector of the flight was less than half of what they had just done. We got a few hours in the Emirates Business Lounge and this was great. It was amazing how big it was and how they had lots of small lounges near each departure gate. The cost of our Qantas Club membership is definitely worth it on trips like this, especially considering they have designated rest areas.

We arrived in Rome and quickly got out of the airport and onto the train into town. It was great listening to the kids comments as the scenery rolled by. Next we navigated the metro with our bags, I was glad to offload them when we got to our room. Unfortunately we were greeted with a cold shower (thankfully it was fixed the next day).

We were staying right near where I stayed last time I was in Rome, so this was good as we were able to get around the area quickly. We had a quick look at St Peter's Basilica and the piazza there and then went off for dinner.

We went into a restaurant that was recommended to us. Unfortunately Sebastian almost fell asleep  at the table. We realised he wasn't going to last the meal, so we picked him up and begrudgingly got maccas. We got home and we had all fallen to sleep by 7.30!

Almost There - Dubai

Well the flight over was on time and smooth, what else could you want, apart from sleep. The A380 is a magnificent beast. It is amazing how quiet it is. But having two kids sprawled over me it was almost impossible to get to sleep.Using one of the many air related websites like flightrader24 we were able to find out that the plane was less than 3 years old. The kids loved the lights in the roof that looked a bit like stars. We made the 14 hour journey though and headed to the Emirates Business Lounge, one advantage of being a Qantas Club Member. The lounge is huge in area and has lots of little lounges near each gate making it quick and convenient to get to your connecting flight from your lounge. Well Rome here we come.