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Photo 25 of 58
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Et tu Fattae? ??? After the Opera in Budapest, I was off to Rome. What can I say about the Opera? It was all in Italian and there were two really talented singers, but, it didn?t float my boat. The Opera House made it a cool experience. I was sitting on the main floor of the opera house with the grandeur of the place surrounding me. I?m glad I went once, and I am glad I did it here ? in style. I guess my level of sophistication is not up to snobby yet. Rome, Rome, Rome. I?ve heard all about it, how you have to go, etc. Part of me says ? Meh, another part says ? Wow! First off, it is expensive!!!! I was looking at hostels and they were charging $40 a person. I found a 4-star Hotel, a half hour bus ride away. for cheaper. It was a super nice hotel, but at $80 a night a tremendous bargin in the eternal city. It had all the trimmings, something I?ve read that many pricey hotels in Rome don?t offer. Anyway, I paired the hotel with a $100 RT airfare? not too shabby. It was HOT! I expected this ? being August, but it was a sweat-fest! It was super-crowded at the major sites, and finding good food without a raping was difficult. My earlier trip to Portofino spoiled me with great, cheap food. Rome has it, but good luck finding it. I never did. On arriving at the main Metro station, I bought a guidebook (Rick Steve?s Rome 2004 ? That?s right N8dog! He saved me from wasting a ton of time standing in lines with his tips!) Wasn?t too sure on how to get to the hotel, so spent 2 ? hours figuring it out. Loved the hotel, and that night ate a decent, but expensive pizza at a nearby restaurant. 1rst full day ? battled tourists at the main sites ? Colosseum, Forum, Palatine Hill, Trevi Fountain. Took the Rick Steve?s Rome Night Walk that was nice. Day 2 ? Vatican City, Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter?s Basilica. Day 3 ? Pantheon, nice day walk around the less congested part of Rome. Rome?s bad points ? Too big, too hot, too many people, too expensive, too much to see. The cool points ? When you are able to stop and think about stuff, it is pretty amazing. Most of the sites are piles of rubble. But I walked on the actual stones that Caesar walked on. I saw the spot where he was cremated. I stood were Charlemagne was crowned 1200 years ago. This is the place were Michelangelo shined. I saw his works, and the works that inspired him. I didn?t like Rome so much when I got there. Too much going on with too many people. As I got to know the city better and figured out how things worked, I enjoyed myself more. Would I go again? If I got the chance, probably. But, I would spend more time learning more on the places I wanted to visit, plus, savor the experience more. There is just too much to see if you go to Rome once.
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