Rome, Italy Redux

Well, we're home now. After a crazy taxi ride, thirteen hours on two airplanes, a shuttle bus to the parking lot, and a half hour drive home yesterday we've returned.
I missed home. I -missed- my kids! My wonderful in-laws just left and the house is once again ours. Whew. As much as I love to travel I'm not looking forward to leaving again soon and I'm not going anywhere without my babies for a long time.
By the last two days of our trip I was starting to sour on Italy. Oh, it is so beautiful. The people are so full of life and so fabulously well dressed. Our hotel was very nice with almost no problems except for crazy internet fees. But, I was tired of the nagging fear of pickpockets- really I think I over exaggerated the problem. There were only a few situations that seemed shady where I was worried for my property. I never feared for my safety though. Two things that I just plain
wearied of- the perpetual need to spend money and the dirt. Very few things in Rome are free. Public toilets are few and far between and not desirable. Water is not free although there are a few public fountains that you can drink from that have safe water. There are wonderful little pet Roman dogs everywhere and no one bothers to clean up their messes. Everyone smokes and drops their butts where they may- not even bothering to stub them out. So, the streets are beautiful with ruins and ancient buildings on virtually every street but the beauty is marred by dog feces, the smell of human urine (lack of toilets), and trash.
A view of the Colosseum from Across the Street.

All in all- Rome is an incredible city. Relatively safe if you're smart with your valuables and know that nothing is free there. There are the normal tourist scams (don't get your picture taken with the gladiators outside of the Colosseum unless you want to get ripped off- don't take a 'free' flower from a nice man- count your change from your taxi ride and be prepared to argue if you get shorted- which happens). Use your common sense and you'll be ok. Crossing the roads with the crazy Roman traffic is easy once you realize the trick. You either wait for the locals to cross and follow behind them or you just walk and put up your hand to 'stop' the cars from crossing. They are crazy drivers but are mostly courteous with pedestrians. I almost like the driving there better. People will let you in even if they drive like crazy around you if you go too slow. And the cars- I fell in love with the tiny little Smart Cars.
Tiny Roman car.

Walking in Rome isn't a problem if you have good shoes and a lot of time. Taxis are everywhere. This sitedoes a better job of explaining. The maps in our travel books were really poor and not helpful when you get lost in a tangle of small streets. It's best to ask for a map of the city at the hotel front desk or a tourist info kiosk. Also, most of the people are very friendly and will have a smattering of English so they can help point you in the right direction. Just make sure you have the right Italian pronunciation of where you want to go.

Here are some more pictures from our trip.

Near where Julius Caesar was killed. Now a cat sanctuary.







Eating wonderful zabione and dark chocolate with rum gelato.










Delicious street vendor panini and pizza.








Ceiling in the Vatican Museum.


Pompeian Wildflowers.
Street in Pompei.


I loved spending a precious week in Italy with my husband. It's something I'll cherish forever. Rome is a veritable treat for your senses.

But there really is no place like home.