A Lazy Roman Weekend

So this weekend - my first ever in Rome, has been a lazy one. It has mainly consisted of domestic bliss and a lot of 'strolling'.

So Saturday morning, I got up and had no idea what I wanted to do or where I wanted to go... So I decided on a stroll along the River Tiber and a gelato in the afternoon. This is once I had negotiated the washing machine. It was no good... I had to be domestic. But this then led me to having to hang my washing out on my balcony. I really did look Roman now! I was so worried that I would come back from my day out and half my clothes would have flown away! Also not being great with heights, leaaning out of a 2nd floor balcony wasnt my idea of fun! One more stroke of being domestic, getting the mince out the freezer for dinner, and I was done.

Meet my new best friend. Vitellia bus stop.

This is my little bus stop right next to my apartment and is firmly becoming one of my favourite places. The bus ride into town is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. I woul happily just go on a round trip to town, just to admire the views. It is breathtaking. 

So I stepped off the bus at the bottom near the Villa Farnesia and into the edge of  the Trastevere. I was getting hungry and the only thing I had in my mind that would cut it was pizza - four cheese pizza to be precise. I wandered through the back streets where I hadnt been before and found a small restaurant - 7 euros for a pizza and 5 euros for half a bottle of wine. Well that was me done and dusted. I always forget how big the pizzas are here. Quattro Formaggio, piping hot and washed down with white wine was perfect and just what I wanted. 

I then wandered through the streets and stopped in the afternoon sun in the Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere.

It just felt one of those typically Italian afternoon moments... An Italian couple next to me, eating a take away pizza with a bottle of something fizzy betweem them. No plastic cups here, they were drinking from the bottle! All of a sudden we were then descended upon by 5 or 6 small italian boys running and jumping around the fountain as their exsaperated mothers shouted at them to get down, and then the church bell started chiming... Blissful.

I then took a slow amble towards my favourite gelato shop on Tiber Island. I had 1 piccolo limone. Well it tasted exactly like lemon merangue. It was lush. I wandered along the tiber under the huge plane trees, just strolling, and taking in the view and enjoying the Roman sunshine. It was one of those perfect Saturday afternoon moments :)

And so back to the bus stop, back home and back to the apartment to make my first meal. Of course it had to be spaghetti bolognaise. Preparing it was a challenge with the limited holiday kitchen utensils provided but I got there in the end and it was bubbling away in the oven as I sat down to antipasti of meats and cheese. First meal done and eaten. Not bad if I say so myself.

So after a chilled evening of DVD and wine, I had a long lay in this morning. Well actually, I didnt surface to mid-day. I never lay in at home, but I just felt so calm and chilled and relaxed and I didnt really have anything planned. I was going to go to the market however I just kind of didnt get up! I decided that a wander around town was the order of the day so dutifully got myself organised and took myself off to the bus stop.

I found myself in Piazza Navona, just chilling, having a beer that I had purchased in a little shop on the corner. 

I then wandered up towards the Pantheon and bought a slice of pizza for lunch. I then wandered back through the sites to the bus stop and then back to the apartment.

I then decided to take a wander over to the park that is opposite my apartment. It is home to the Villa Doria Pamphilj. As I entered the park walls instantly all you could see were families enjoying their Sundays, couples on the grass snoozing and dog walkers strolling in the sunshine. I picked a shady spot and relaxed for a while.

Not an exciting day, however I didnt want to do too much as I start school tomorrow and thats going to be an event! I just wanted to get and and get some fresh air.

So my dinner has been eaten and my bag is packed with notebook, pen and dictionary. I need to be at the school for 8.30am... Thats going to be horrible, setting my alarm.... Be worth it... Im sure I will be fluent by lunchtime!!

Ciao!!!!

Buses, Monkeys, St Peters, Market Stalls and a Wonderful Evening in Ottaviano...

Well.. what a day!! I'm not entirely sure where to start. I know where it has ended. With content and happiness. A contentness I didn't know existed. It has been a slow day, a calm day. Something only that could exist in Rome in August. I am reliably informed that come Monday the hustle and bustle will be back. The lack of sirens, no cars, no Italians!! August is something that seems so strange to me having been here so many times before.

And so it began. I lay awake this morning not sure what to do and where to go. I have been to the major sights and the major historical monuments... so what to do. I also have school looming on Monday morning... I have no idea where it is and how to get there.... So this must be the next step. Public transport. I hauled myself out of bed, cooked myself breakfast of boiled egg and toast and sat pouring over bus routes and tram routes. I needed to do this... Google is a wonderful thing... By simply clicking on the bus stop symbol it tells me which buses serve this bus stop and not only that, it tells me the times of the next buses for the next 2 hours! Perfect! I decided I wanted to settle on the 44. That looked a good one. Took me right into the centre near to the Capotiline Museum and near to the Tiber where I knew I could navigate myself. But then something caught my eye.... a little beauty called the 870. It went to the bus stop near to me, and terminated right where I needed to be... could this be true??? I flew to get my Italy guide book that had the bus routes in a way that was clear to read.... a lot of the bus guides are anything but. So that was it. I was determined. 

I was a sight to behold.. showered, dressed, rollers in, bus route in hand checking and checking again and again and again... Yes I know, rollers... its Rome - have to look your best at all times!!!

So this was it.... Buses here I come. My biggest fear... I went to the tobacconist next to my apartment block as my lovely landlord Fabio had told me that was where I could get tickets from. I walked in like the most naive Englist tourist you could imagine. "Errr ticket for bus?"  Why is it, the most intelligent of people, I may act stupid sometimes I know but blimey, become pigeon English speakers?! "Ticket for bus? OK? For the day? OK, 1 journey yes!" Absolutely shameful. It is most definitely a confidence driven thing but my.. how embarrassing.... So I got a single journey ticket for 1.50 euro (No euro symbol on my old laptop!). I asked if they did a day ticket, again in pigeon English, to be shouted at.. No day!! No day!! I promptly paid my fare and let the espresso drinking Italian go back to having a quiet shop. I then went for it. Bus stop. Up the road, turn right, big yellow thing. I can do this. OK so it was closer than I thought so that was good. Walking up hill at midday in 35 degree heat, as much as I love heat, is a no no.  I got to the bus stop. Route 870 is on the board. I thought OK... get on, validate your ticket, sit down, if you go the wrong way you have 100 minutes to get back (a single journey ticket lasts 100 minutes) and if you are on the wrong bus, see where you go and then try another. So the bus turns up and I get on... I go to the yellow validation machine and I am a complete idiot and faff and stress getting the ticket to go in.... It finally works and it prints and spits my ticket back out.. I can relax...

What a fabulous bus ride.... That 2 hr walk to Gianicolo Hill, the one where I was puffing and sweating and my legs are still aching from... OK so this bus does that route in 10 minutes!!! I may well pack myself a picnic for a late afternoon hazy siesta...but that's for another blog post...

The bus clattered and banged and wound its way round the roads towards the centre and we finally land at the bus station on Via Vittorio Emmanuelle... I feel like I have won on a scratch card. The bus was right, the destination was right and to top it off, there was a ticket machine which meant I could buy my weekly bus ticket... I'm sorted. A stress for Monday gone!!

Next mission - find the school....

Well... 50m down the road I took the left hand turning and the school was there... larger than life.. with a huge group of international students laughing, chatting, taking 'selfies'... My stress levels dropped more than I knew they existed. I had conquered the route, the walk, and knew what to expect. 8.30am Monday was no longer an issue.

There was only one way to celebrate.. (Apart from calling my mum like a child to jump up and down to say I got on a bus... when all is said and done, you still need to tell your parents :D )

That celebration was gelato... So Piazza Navona it was. God I love gelato. I dont have a sweet tooth but in its place, wow. Pistachio gelato whilst watching the world go by... perfect.

And so this brings me to Monkey. Monkey is a friends Monkey. For reasons undisclosed on this blog, Monkey is now travelling with me and felt the he wanted to appear in this blog. This will be the only time I mention him by name.  I need to no more. His travels will be documented. However its safe to say that he sparks conversation. Met a lovely couple from the Gold Coast in Australia that have a son in Edinburgh that loved the story and I ended up taking their photographs :)  Sometimes its the simplest things that get conversations flowing...

I then wandered to Piazza Rotunda to see the Pantheon... I almost feel I need to see it every day. It is a love that has grown... Its a wonder I understood, but the more I come to Rome, the more I need to be near it. I then wandered to the Trevi and after stopping for a beer, decided to take a wander back to the bus station via Campo di Fiori.

There was a quick stop I had to make first. I'm a cat lady. Its true. I'm in my 30's, single, live with my parents and have 2 cats. I cant escape this stereotype. However the cat sanctuary in the centre of Rome I just find stunning. It is run by volunteers and the cats stay within the sunken ruins in the square. I wont wax lyrical here and will save it for a separate post but it brightened my afternoon to go somewhere so amazing in a city of hustle and bustle.

I then made my way back to the bus stop to go back to my apartment. As you know I had previously purchased a weekly bus ticket for 24 euros - again, no euro symbol! I needed to validate this bad boy. Apart from the machine was not working when I got on the bus. So I presumed that as the engine was all turned off as typically the Italian bus driver had gone to have a fag and a chat. Thankfully after a few minutes stressing I was going to get fined with an un-validated ticket and I was going to get hauled off to an Italian jail.... others got on the bus, and tried, and failed, and shouted at the driver in Italian... It suddenly worked and I validated my ticket and sat back to enjoy the reverse journey home.

My home. In Rome.

So this evening I was due to meet my friends Tiziana and her husband Fedorico (Have I spelt that right?!) We had agreed to meet at Ottaviano tube station at 8pm. I had to decide how to get there. My little 870 bus became my best friend as did google. The 18.42 bus I felt was right as I had no idea whether it was 10 minutes, 20 minutes etc.... So I had a chat with the lady worried about not getting the 44 bus from our stop, that flagged a taxi, 2 minutes before the 44 bus turned up.... how typical! and then I got the bus back to town. I walked towards St Peters taking in the amazing view of Castle St Angelo in the setting sun. I wandered towards St Peters, not sure how long the walk would take.. and arrived at St Peters at 7pm. So I sat. And basked. Whether you are someone that is religious or not, you cannot be failed to be moved by what an amazing sight St Peters Square is. Especially in the setting sun. Breathtaking.The Eternal City, the Amber City. Its a light only Rome has.

Travelling alone makes you pick up on things you wouldn't normally pick up on if you were were travelling with friends, family or a partner. People don't pick up on the tourists crouched under railings trying to get the best photo. and then a photo for Istagram (maybe that's because I'm an Instagram addict)... And maybe they don't pick up on the Italian couple drinking red wine bought in some deli, poured into plastic glasses on the steps having taken their shoes off after a long day and lovingly basking in St Peter's glory. Travelling alone is something I would recommend to everyone. You become so aware and maybe that's why Rome is so personal to me....  This is my 5th visit after all.

So I went to meet Tiziana.... Lost in Translation.... I was outside the station, and then in it, and then phone calls and then we finally met across a crossing lol!! We got there... And a restaurant had been decided upon... and quite frankly I was hungry. My appetite had dropped significantly since I had been here and that's odd for me... maybe it was the heat but i think it was a combination of that and the stress of not knowing.

However - I have to admit.. tourist Rebecca came out when she saw "Everything 1 Euro!" sign on a massive market stall. My Saturday morning walks into town as a child flashed back to me.. 1 euro..!! (I still don't have symbol...) I'm not going to lie. I'm a tatt addict. 3 bracelets, 1 fridge magnet and a keyring down I'm done. How sad!!!

Tiziana and I finally met at the tube and off we went to our restaurant... A reservation had been made for 9pm, so we made our way to the restaurant of choice. We settled in, and ordered food. Seeing Tiziana again made me feel safe. We got on so well when we met before after being introduced by friends that are so close to us a families and we get on so well still. I was introduced to her husband and friend and with that, food and wine was ordered. As we sat and chatted I knew I had made friends for life :)

The food was good, although risotto can never look appetising in a photograph. The wine was good.. It was rather a warm Italian evening that's for sure, and I admire anyone that can talk in English all evening, Maybe next time I will do more Italian rather than just count from 1 - 20 and say 'Si' and 'Ciao'. It was a wonderful evening with friends and I feel more adventures will be in the pipeline...

I feel so contented.

And so I'm now home. I'm on my balcony drinking wine and typing this. An odd thing. Every apartment has a balcony and they are filled with flowers or tables and chairs.. and I have yet to spot anyone actually sitting on their balcony.... And yet the flat opposite have their windows wide open so their flat is open to see to everyone. Don't get me wrong, my apartment doors are open etc.... I just don't get the non use of balconies.... Maybe when everyone returns next week a change will occur..We will see.

Buona Notte xxx

Gianicolo Hill, Discovering Bus Routes and Sore Feet!!!

It is safe to say that my feet are absolutely killing me. Once I had to drop them in a fountain to stop the sheer heat from walking so far burn them to a crisp, and twice I had to strip shoes and socks in a main piazza and pour cold water on them from Romes amazing water system. Unashamed. I ache. I have easily walked 5 miles today if not more...

So today has been...odd. I went to somewhere I wanted to go the first time I ever came to Rome in September 2012. This is my 6th visit. Finally got there ey! I went back to places that I have been to every time I have been here - and I'm still moved. Rome never ceases to be the most beautiful place on earth to me. It's sheer loveliness absolutely takes my breath away. The way people are, the way the Italians work tirelessly to make the tourists happy right through to the Italian family feeding their bambino with love that I can see across from my balcony from where I am currently sitting writing this, with a glass of white wine on hand and "aqua naturale" required in this heat.

So the day started post awkward food shop by heading towards Gianicolo Hill. From my apartment its a 20m walk until you hit the hill... and boy that's a hill.... Rucksack, map, water in tow... spy the typical tourist at 100 paces but actually I didn't care. I discovered the bus stop that I was looking to find that hopefully will become by best friend during my month in Rome. There were two American students at the bus stop as I climbed the hill. I ascended to accost them..

Now anyone that knows me and my travels of Rome, knows that buses and trams make me anxious. Am I going the right way? Am I on the right bus? Am I on the right Tram? Where do I get off? I am going to have to sort this out as otherwise in 3 days time I am going to have a 2 hr walk to get to language school for 8.30am and that's no-ones dream on a travelling trip!

So about 2 mins before I get to the bus stop to accost the girls into giving me a low down into Roman bus travel, the bleedin' bus turns up and they get on. The cheek! So I had 2 choices... wait at the bus stop and see what happens when the next bus turns up..... or keep walking... So I kept walking....

And OH MY GOD did I walk. As an overweight, unfit traveller, this was a mission of proportions that even I wasn't expecting. I'm not quite sure how it rivalled last nights trek to Trastevere, however the end game was the same....

So the walk to Gianicolo Hill began... When I planned my first ever trip to Rome, this was on my list to do. It never happened as the Centre Storrico was just too enticing and quite frankly too easy.

It was a beautiful walk. Hard, uphill, no pavements, erratic Italian drivers everywhere flying around nearly knocking you off your feet. I felt in heaven. Away from the beaten track... I know not that much as I was still heading towards a tourist destination, but it felt quiet.

So Gianicolo Hill... It boasts to have the best views of Rome, in Rome. I'm not sure I disagree with that. In a leafy haven, with plane trees blocking the early afternoon sun and the Eternal City stretching in front of me, emotional is a word that doesn't even come close to describing that hour. I did the tourist thing and photographed the view, and then went the other side and photographed the other view. I even "selfied". Quite frankly the photographs do not do justice to the view that you see. It is one of the calmest places in Rome, away from the hustle and bustle, yet one of the most beautiful. You still have the stalls selling water for more money that its ever worth, yet I cant lie, a "biere" was tempting at 2pm in the searing heat.

And so the descent from the high began. The walk from Gianicolo Hill..  Downhill was welcome. Water fountains, leaves, weary travellers ahoy.. My feet were burning from the walk and yet... My mind was quiet and everything was peaceful. A feeling I only get in Italy. Maybe my soul is here. Who know's.

And then I turned a corner.

Fontana dell'Aqua Paola. Commissioned in 1612 to grace the end of one of Romes aqueducts. It took my breath away. I knew I would come across it as I walked down Gianicolo Hill, I just had no idea that it would be so beautiful. White backdrop with flowing water. In this heat a welcome "water" addition.  Whether I should have or not, shoes and socks were off and feet were plunged into the cold water. The hill walk disappeared with the freshness of the water. I got lost in silence for a while.

And then the walk continued. I stumbled across a beautiful water fountain to fill my water bottle.

I kept walking... and I entered Trastevere through the back....

What a walk... Some of the most beautiful sights. Vines, Amber Buildings, Fiat 500's placed as any postcard would have them....

Lunch began. A little trattoria that I had been to before with my mama e papa.... Fabulous food and great wine. Pasta and 1/2 litre of wine to mull over for 2 hours... 14 euros..... perfect!

And then on to Tiber Island. There is a fabulous little gelatorria. 2 euros for a pot of amazing "melone" gelato. And then Centre Storicco happened. Not in the plan at all. Didn't intend on walking that far that's for sure!!

I wandered past the Pantheon, whilst making a pit stop to strip shoes and socks to cool my weary feet before going anywhere else....

I then walked, once shoes and socks were back on, towards the Trevi Fountain, currently undergoing restoration, and then took a slow wander back to the Trastevere to get a taxi back. I stopped by the Area Sacre de Torre Argentina..A cat sanctuary in central Roma.... 

I was exhausted. And yet tomorrow is going to be a late one. Meeting my friend in the city centre for drinks.... Well then...

Every street you turn, every neighbourhood you enter... Rome shows a new face... and every face I cant wait to see....

Ciao xx

I've arrived!!

So I arrived in Rome late last night and it was sooooooo hot! I had forgotten how hot it is here in late summer. The taxi drive from the airport with the windows down, you could smell the dry grass and the late evening heat, which you can only get in the Mediterranean.

I met Fabio, my gracious landlord for the next month and we did the standard key swap awkward conversation. Once he had gone I could get my bearings. Great apartment with everything that I need - especially air conditioning!

It was time for food. Not wanting to get on a bus mid evening in a city where I had never used the buses before, I opted to walk to the Trastevere district as I knew the area and it was a pretty simple walk..... a bloody long one though!!! An hour later I arrived weary in the Trastevere, thank god for Romes water fountains that's all I can say. Its so difficult to gauge how far it is on a map. Well it was around 3km I later found out when the taxi driver punched the address into the sat nav!!! Having said that, its great being able to see whats in your neighbourhood. I now know that I only need to walk 100 metres to get gelato, pizza or a Chinese! There are several little bars around open until late. These serve the American students as there is a large American University near by.

Now I was here, I settled at a wonderful restaurant I have been to several times before. It holds some great memories for me and also the food is good and cheap! I ordered the prosciutto and melone, and then spaghetti e pepe. I also ordered some nice house white wine. Personally I think I deserved it after that walk!!

The area was more alive than I had ever seen. The first time I visited here was in January 2013. A lot of places were closed as it was out of season, but coming back in the May and seeing it bustling, I fell in love. Loud street sellers with the scarves, jewellery or lavender scented products... There are so many people, restaurants, gelaterias.... Its a perfect place to people watch and get lost in the magic of Rome.

With dinner done it was back to the apartment to collapse after a long days travel. I have to say - I slept very very well last night.

So this morning was organisation stations. Suitcase unpacked and put away, clothes sorted and shower negotiated. Next on the agenda was food....

Opposite my apartment luckily is a supermarket. Wow... what an experience. Doing a food shop in a different country is not something I have ever done before. My fridge is now stocked with fruit and veg and of course wine (Coop's finest at 1.49 euro a litre!). Lunch has been enjoyed, a humble plate of mortadella, salami, mozzarella, tomatoes and bread.

And now for the rest of the day... I am about to pack up some food and water and then am to embark on walking the Gianicolo Hill. Its something I have always wanted to do as the views are said to be the best in Rome. We shall find out!!!

Ciao!!!