Veni Vidi Vici

Our final day of sight-seeing was approached with a very laid back attitude. Maybe we had worn ourselves out over the previous two days but we decided that for our final day we would just take the bus. We looked into which bus did the longest route and had the shortest intervals between pickups and that was the one we took.

Exiting the hotel

 One of the statues on the way to the Colosseum

 Constantine's Arch in the sunshine

Decoration on one of the MANY churches

The most convenient bus stop for us was at the Colosseum so we strolled down that way, bought our tickets and waited for the bus to come along. The sun was out and we enjoyed standing on the pavement, basking in the morning rays and chatting about nothing in particular. The bus arrived and we went up onto the top so that we could get a good view of what was going on. Wow, it was cold up there! The wind was icy and eventually we decided that we could not take it anymore and we moved downstairs. We did not take this decision soon enough though to prevent both of us from being chilled to the bone.

So our first hop off the bus was to find a cafe to warm our insides with a cappuccino. The best option seemed to be to get off the bus at the stop for the Spanish Steps. At the base of the Spanish Steps is an old Tea Room called Babington's which opened its doors in 1893. We checked out the menu and decided that even though it was expensive, it was no worse than other places we had been to. So there we were experiencing a little piece of England in Rome! Babington's was apparently opened by two English women to provide a familiar experience to the many English people in Rome. Apparently before it opened, the only place tea could be bought was at the pharmacies.

 This horseman came riding along to the open area at the base of the Spanish Steps, he did two circuits of the area and then rode on.

The tourist traps (haha excuse the pun) were out in the sunny weather

After we had warmed ourselves sufficiently with the cappuccinos and date and nut cupcakes (very nice!), we decided that the Spanish Steps should be climbed.

The view from the top of the Spanish Steps

From the Spanish Steps we headed back to the bus stop to continue our lazy tour. This time we didn't even consider going to the top floor of the bus. At the Termini Station the bus driver told us the bus would be stopped for 30 minutes so we got off and went in search of lunch. We wanted to get pizza but ended up in a steakhouse somehow but the food was still good. Charles had a bacon and Swiss cheese burger and I had a steak and cheese sandwich. It really hit the spot!

 The equivalent of gargoyles?

 The Fountain of the Naiads

Another gargoyle

We got back on the bus and made the decision that we would stay on the bus until the Vatican City where we would get off and then walk back to the hotel. It was a nice walk in the sunshine and it was good to just look at what the street vendors were selling, etc.

Near the Termini

For our final dinner in the city we went to the Piazza Navona. It is a little more expensive than where we had been eating but it was nice to have a change. There are quite a few restaurants around the square but we were convinced by the very friendly manager of one to try his establishment. It was very cosy, the wine was really nice and the food was outstanding. For starters we shared some garlic toast with tomato and then Charles had fettuccine with Alfredo sauce and I had gnocchi with a four cheese sauce. While the food didn't look much on the plate, we felt as if we had to roll home!

The church in the Piazza Navona

It has been a really nice little break and one that was quite unexpected. I fly home tonight and get to spend a week and a half there before heading off to Tanzania. I am sure that trip will be very different to this one!