Trip Report Day Three

(Notes: I didn't write all of this right away, so I'm having a little trouble remembering all the details. If you see something incorrect or something I forgot, fill me in!)

Day Three: Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Breakfast at the Casa Frassi was just as the day before. I got my fill of blood (that sounds disgusting!) orange juice while I could as I didn’t know if we’d have it again on this trip. I was able to get a few minutes, I guess about 20, on the internet. I sent off a few emails, and that was that.

We were off to Roma. Can you believe I’m actually going to Rome??? I’ve dreamed of going there since I was a little girl. Of course the bus trip wouldn’t be a bus trip in Italy if we didn’t stop at the Autogrill again.

Once in Roma I caught my first view of the Roman Coliseum.   Wow. Double wow. It was very impressive. We were able to get out of the bus and go down to it to take some photos. I was there!!!  There were some other Roman ruins we were able to see from the bus, like the Roman Circus (think Ben Hur). From our vantage point seated in a high bus we were able to see lots of sights.   We were fascinated by the OLD buildings. There were so many of the old roman ruins.

After our hour bus tour of the city,   We checked into the classy Hotel Alpi, a very nice hotel. So far, we’ve been treated to some very nice hotels. After getting settled, my roomie (Susan) and I decided to explore the hotel. We found a cool terrace on the top floor, and took some photos of us attempting to look like we belonged there. Back downstairs we ran into our tour guide Claudio and got the lowdown on what we’d be doing that night. Basically we were on our own. So he gave us some bus and metro tips (assured me that we’d be fine since I’m NY subway, and London Tube experienced!) and recommended a great place to eat. He couldn’t remember the name of the restaurant, but showed me right on the map of Rome where it was.

Claudio then disappeared to his room because he wasn’t feeling very well. This is where the band parent president in me took over. People were starting to gather in the lobby, so I told them info Claudio had given me, and they were all like, well what are you going to do. I told them I wanted to see the Trevi Fountain and throw my coins in, then find Cladio’s recommend restaurant and maybe hit the Pantheon. (Funny story… I kept calling it the Parthenon even though I knew better, and when we were looking for it someone asked for directions to the Parthenon, the person answered “first you get on a boat to Greece…) So we find bus tickets and line up to get on the bus and I turn around to see approximately 25 Twickenham Winds members following me. Now starting Jacqui’s tour to the Fontana Trevi. On your right…

Luckily I knew where I was going (don’t you just love maps, that is, correct maps?) and we found ourselves at the fountain.  I threw my coin in so, according to tradition, I could return to Rome some day. I asked members of our group if they had thrown in their coins and two said they didn’t. When I asked why not? They answered that 20-30 years ago (I don’t recall exactly what each said) they had thrown their coins in, and here they were back in Rome again! So it works!

I was amazed at how crowded the area was. I guess it’s a popular tourist trap, I mean tourist attraction. Next we were off to find the good place to eat. Some man handing out flyers for another restaurant was pointed in my direction ( I guess they thought I was the one in charge of our “group tour”). He flattered me by saying he loved American women, and boy did I have beautiful blue eyes. My response was “are you getting paid to say that so that I’ll go to your restaurant?” I’ve been around the block a few times, so it didn’t faze me. Okay, maybe the remark about the beautiful blue eyes affected me, but I digress. On to eat. Jacqui’s tour of the Trevi Fountain is now over. We almost got sidetracked by the Hard Rock Café sign, but realized it was way far away. (We didn’t want to eat there, Theo and I just wanted to pick up a couple of souvenirs from there.) I noticed my group was getting smaller and smaller. We were able to find the street and a restaurant called Gino’s, but it was closed. So we went back to another one. I think it was called Tito’s. It was around a block or so away from the Spanish steps on the corner of Via Belsiano and Via d. Carrozze. I ordered something that was recommended to me by my son-in-law’s father who used to live in Italy. It was a pasta dish with bacon in it. It was fine, but I wish I had ordered what Theo ordered. Theo and Billy ordered a beef dish that was to die for. Melt in your mouth steak tips on a plate of salad greens. After dinner, Mark ordered a round of Limoncello for everybody, and then he felt bad when I declined because I don’t drink alcohol. It was fine, it didn’t offend me. I felt bad because he had wasted his money… but he assured me it wouldn’t go to waste!

Next, our quest for the Spanish Steps.  The Spanish steps weren’t built by the Spanish. They are called that because the steps led to the Spanish Embassy. It, like the Trevi Fountain, was loaded with people just standing around. There were guys trying to sell us roses, and guys trying to sell those flying saucer things that shoot up in the air. (Seemed a little out of place!) We took some photos, and waited for the rest of the group. They never showed up (we found out later that the restaurant had given two more round of Limoncello on the house) so we went on our next quest… the Pantheon.

Thanks to Harriet we found it.  She’s the one who asked for directions this time. The Pantheon was OLD. It was build in 27 BC. We bought some Gelato and sat under the huge columns. It was awe inspiring. Both the Pantheon and the gelato! This time I order Bachio, which in Italian means “Kiss”. Peter’s dad had told me to get that flavor, a chocolate mixed with hazelnuts. He just warned me to ask for the flavor Bachio… not just ask for a Bachio! It was delicious. But now it was after midnight and only the night buses ran. So we split up to take taxi’s back to the hotel. Theo, Sandra, Kim and I were going to stop by Hard Rock Café. We decided they were probably closed so we headed straight for the hotel. We made it back to the hotel and settled in for a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow: The Vatican