Rome Nov16

 A few thoughts as we leave the Viking Neptune:

= very comfortable cruise.  The cabins were spacious (for 2 people), temperature was always suitable, and there was almost no noise from adjacent cabins or the hallway.  A big part of that could be because Viking doesn't allow kids <18 to cruise.  

- there was always something to do if you chose:  educational lectures, shows, board games and books, just sitting in lounge chairs watching the ocean go by. The pools appeared to be mostly unused, perhaps because it's November, and perhaps because there's no kids.  I'd guess the average age of passengers for this particular cruise is around 55-60.  There was a daily bulletin distributed in the evenings to make you aware of all the available activities. 

- this feels like just the right size of ship.  The river cruises I've been on had much smaller cabins and fewer amenities, and the megaship we took in Alaska (4000 passengers) was too big and chaotic, it felt like you could get stampeded. The Neptune had 900 passengers.

- We ate way too much.  The food quality was excellent and it was bountiful.  Fortunately, we didn't discover the gelato bar until late in the cruise.  The waiters would come by your table constantly (almost too often) asking if they could bring you something.  The waitstaff appeared to be mostly Filipino.   Cabin stewards were very friendly and visited twice to day to ensure the cabin was in good shape.

 

Now on to today's adventures:  

We had to be out of our cabins by 8am, and our train ticket from the port to Rome was at 10:45am, so we killed time on the ship, took a shuttle to the train station, and waited.  Our main concern was that Rail Europe had only sent vouchers for our tickets instead of actual tickets.  Turned out that they didn't check anyone's ticket on board, so no worries. 

We rode the train (modern, clean, comfortable, and on time) to the main train station in Rome. I had a nice conversation with a guy and his son from Malta...his English was much better than my Maltese!

We walked from the station to our hotel, only 4 blocks away. 

 

Got squared away and headed out for adventure, deciding to hit some "must-see" sites.  It is a beautiful Sunday afternoon, and throngs mobbed all the monuments and the streets getting to them.  I would hate to see this place in the summertime.

First was the Spanish Steps.  Per AI: 

"The Spanish Steps are special due to their architectural beauty, historical significance as a social and cultural hub, and stunning location in Rome. They form the longest and widest staircase in Europe, featuring a Baroque design with terraces."  

Since 2019, there has been a $290 fine for sitting on the Spanish Steps to protect them.  The enforcement seemed to be somewhat lax. 

 

Next was the Trevi Fountain.  Per AI:  

"Trevi Fountain is the most beautiful fountain in Rome. Measuring some 20 meters in width by 26 meters in height, Trevi Fountain is also the largest fountain in the city. The origins of the fountain go back to the year 19 B.C., in which period the fountain formed the end of the Aqua Virgo aqueduct. The first fountain was built during the Renaissance, under the direction of Pope Nicholas V."

Legend says tossing a coin over your left shoulder ensures a return to Rome.  Didn't do it, couldn't get close enough due to the crowds. 

 

Finally was the Pantheon ("temple of all gods").  Per Wikipedia:

 "The Pantheon is an ancient 2nd century Roman temple and, since AD 609, a Catholic church called the Basilica of St. Mary and the Martyrs (Italian: Basilica Santa Maria ad Martyres) in Rome, Italy. It is perhaps the most famous, and architecturally most influential, rotunda" 

This was a gigantic structure.  We walked all the way around the structure before climbing up and down a long marble staircase (no handrails!  Brave?  Stupid?  Yes and Yes!) to visit the church:

 

 then up to the temple, passing by the Italian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

 with views of the higher-level temple

 

There are on-going archeological digs happening in the grounds around the Pantheon

 

 The "fun" part started when we walked back to the hotel.  It was the middle of rush hour, the sidewalks were packed as well as the streets.  We had a confusing paper map, Google Maps itself was confused, the sun which would have aided navigation was behind the clouds, and Rome seems to have an aversion to street signs (very few of these:

 

so we never knew where we were.  Everyone we asked for help was Sgt Schulz (they knew nothing), and the compass app on my phone was of little use since I had used up the battery taking so many pictures.  My fitness watch showed over 22,000 steps today, I figure about 11 miles.

We finally got back to the hotel, were too tired to go out again, so ate the hotel's cookies and croissants for dinner, washing them down with the champagne we brought from the ship.  Sad!

Traffic is a real nightmare in Rome.  Anyone choosing to rent a car and drive in the city is nuts.  There is little parking, and gas is around $8/gallon, so people choose to drive very small cars