In exploring Rome, there was so much to see and do, that I felt almost overwhelmed by the possibilities. However, I knew that my first port of call was going to have to be the Colosseum and Roman Forum.
We started from the hotel fairly early. A full continental breakfast was given to us (a very handy perk we used everyday), and by the use of Google Maps, we decided to walk through the Roman streets to find the Colosseum.
Now, as we were so close to Termini, there was always the option of getting on a bus. However, we had spent the previous day travelling, so really wanted to explore the city in our own time.
From the hotel, it took approximately 20 minutes along Via Cavour. Along the way, you pass restaurants, tourist shops and plenty of places to get coffee, but as we were on a mission, we barely noticed these things.
We arrived at the Colosseum at around 10 in the morning, and already there was a huge crowd.
Now, we knew that we had to buy tickets, and began waiting in queue along with along tourists. However, little did we know that this was prime opportunity for ‘tours’ to approach you and offer package deals for the day.
My mother and I decided, that after a quick discussion, that we would join part of this tour, and paid around €25 each for the privilege. Usual entry prices for the Colosseum (in which you also get entrance to Palantine Hill and The Roman Forum) is about €15. So we did pay more, but we got a lot faster entry to the sites and we got the benefit of being part of a big tour group. For us, this was invaluable, as there is so much history and things to look at, you would miss so much if you didn’t know what you were looking for.
The tours ran from between 11 and half 1 in the afternoon. With a natural break in the middle, we decided to go and have lunch in one of the neighbouring streets. Despite there being sandwich and snack stalls near the Colosseum, we found these to be over-priced. We split a huge open sandwich at Bistrot 215 Via Cavour and some coffee, and that was enough for us for the time being.
The Colosseum was simply amazing. An amazing feat of ancient building and engineering, it really took my breath away. I’d thoroughly recommend it to anybody going. Like most historical sites, it deserves more time than I gave it, and if I go back to Rome again, I’d definitely have to have a revisit.
However, it was the Roman Forum that really made me choke up. With ancient relics, buildings and signposts everywhere denoting famous sites of interest, this was almost unbelievable in how well looked after it was. We spent hours walking around this massive sight, taking it all in. But really, it is worth another exploration.
This was an incredibly busy and beautiful day out, and with temperatures reaching nearly 26 degrees during the height of the day (this is very hot for a delicate English rose like myself) we left the Roman Forum at around 6, and ate dinner in a nearby restaurant to our hotel.
Along the stretch by Termini, there are plenty of friendly restaurant and cafes which supply ‘tourist menus’ – a selection of dishes for a fixed price. We ate mostly at these places as they were close to our hotel and the food was delicious. Dinner usually came up to around €20 per person, which is very good.
All in all, we didn’t spend much money during the day. We were cautious to the fact there were pickpockets and ‘fleecers’ around the Colosseum, who would have easily scammed us out of our money if we gave them the chance. However, throughout our whole trip, we were very lucky not to be bothered at all.
After dinner, we decided to top the night off with a trip to the Trevi Fountain. This was about a half hour walk through the Roman streets, and it was lucky I had my phone and Google Maps as I wouldn’t have been able to find it.
Like with the day, The Trevi Fountain is incredibly busy during the night as it gets lit up.
It really is a beautiful thing to look at, but I was very surprised at where it was located. Thinking it would in a space like Trafalgar Square, I was shocked to see that the whole fountain took up one wall of a tiny square. And due to the amount of people that get crammed into this neighbourhood, the experience did feel slightly claustrophobic. But well worth the view.
So, this was the first day in our Roman day out. The next instalment will be coming soon, and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me through the comments.
As a light sleeper who cannot abide noise, I take earplugs wherever I go (I mean, even if I’m going to Uni and may fancy a nap on the train home everywhere). For
n’t surprise many people. But by the amount of people I see on both public transport, and travelling on holiday who don’t have a book does amaze me. I take a book everywhere I go, and even if I’ve got a five minute journey or a five hour journey, I can read the entire time. However, for the longer journey’s I have to be careful over what book to take with me, as size and quality does make a difference. At the moment I’m rereading ‘It’s Kind of a Funny Thing’ by Ned Vizzini, but at the end of this month, I’m going to London for a week and shall need some good reading material.
ini Toothpaste – £2+
rench pastoral scene within the crowds, where the infamous queen used as a retreat from Palace life. It’s so quaint and beautiful, it’s definitely worth a walk around. 
uld do. But this is the summer of reinvention. So even for one hour in a day, do something that will genuinely scare you. For some people this is travelling, or buying and wearing a bikini in public. For some it’s going out socially, or conquering old fears. But once you’ve done it, the feeling of accomplishment will outweigh the initial fear, and you will be able to look back at that time and go ‘Yep! Well done me!’
up those empty hours, and gives you something to look forward to. So why not actually witness it live? There is nothing I love better than going to a gig that I’ve been looking forward to, and hearing my favourite songs being played loud and proud in a room full of equally excited fans. Live music gets you dancing, gets you excited and gets conversations going between like-minded people, and even if the concert wasn’t particularly memorable, I’m sure the experience would be.
We walked the majority of the time, but used the metro to get to and from our apartment (which wasn’t particularly central, but close to Gare du Nord) as well as at the start and end of our holiday. We bought a Paris Visite pass, which gave unlimited transport for 3 days in the city itself.
rocadéro, feeling very French and indulging our weary bodies with a very sugary crepe. The Jardins are offer an unrivalled view of the Eiffel Tower, and with little stalls that sell ice-cream and crepes, you get to refuel after a busy day. Venturing up from the Jardins, we had a stroll around the Palais de Chaillot (a very modern looking building that now hosts a variety of museums) before catching metro back. From Trocadéro station back to Jaurès it meant changing from Line 9 to Line 5, and took around 40 minutes.
he neighbourhood of Montmartre is also historically significant as being somewhat of a cultural hotspot for artists, singers and dancers – as well as housing the Moulin Rouge.
akeries in Paris are all delicious. Heck, even the filled baguettes we got from the local supermarket were outstanding), and we sat in a doorway directly opposite the basilica and had our lunch. Now, to me, that experience becomes one of the memories that you always look back on fondly.
here the Moulin Rouge stood, with its giant scarlet windmill alluding back to a different time. We took pictures, and made our way on the metro to the Avenue de l’Opéra, a very beautiful part of the Paris, which to me is the sort of Chelsea/Sloane Square of the entire city. Full of elegant shops, expensive boutiques and once again, beautiful infrastructure, the area just seems to give off the scent of wealth and elegance at its highest. We quickly visited the Fragonard Museum of Perfume on the Rue Scribe, which offers an interesting and rich history over how perfume has changed over the years, and then we sat down at Cafe de l’Olympia, and had our first crepe and hot chocolate of the trip.
ent easily took myself and my mother, and I’m sure it could could cater for three people sharing too. So I thoroughly recommend it, and will include links below to where we booked and the main website that it is listed under.
The Eurostar itself is a fairly nondescript service. It takes around 2 and a half hours, and you spend the majority of that above ground and looking at the countryside. Like other trains, they have bars on the train, in which towards the end of the journey you can buy Metro/Oyster cards, depende
, we had a stroll down the boulevard and found a little restaurant on the corner where we had a delicious dinner of Croque-Monsieur, salad and chips. The restaurant was called Le Conservatoire, and I’ll list the address below. They serve a variety of meals, large portions for fairly good prices. Mother and I ate there three out of five nights, and despite the waiter not speaking much French, we got a friendly welcome.
Alice's World 