This summer, my husband
and I decided to put into action our long pending plans to travel to the
beautiful land of the Renaissance, Italy. We zeroed in on two places to visit,
Venice and Rome. En route to The Eternal City, we got a chance to spend a night
at Cairo on account of a transit flight. So, here’s a report on the ups and
downs of our very own Roman holiday.
Day 1: We get taken for
a ride…literally and figuratively.
We, with our bags neatly packed and
carefully weighed so as not to exceed 20kgs, arrived at the Mumbai
International Airport early Thursday morning. Nothing remarkable about our
journey aboard EgyptAir except that it was long. The only view available
outside the window was either clouds or vast oceans of sand far, far below.
In-flight services include a good meal (of fish curry, rice, dessert, bun,
butter & cheese), shared entertainment systems and service without a smile.
On
arrival at Cairo, we were met by a certain Mr. Mohammad who was to pick us up
and drop us off at the Hotel Alexander in downtown Cairo. Citing lack of time,
he convinced us to take a long, long ride and first visit the Pyramids of Giza.
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| The Pyramids of Giza |
Monetarily,
the trip was a total rip-off….one that hit our wallets quite hard. Still, we
enjoyed a long horse-carriage ride into the desert and saw the astounding
architecture of the ancient Egyptians – the Pyramids and the Sphinx…from a
distance as the gates close at 4pm.
We
also got a glimpse of the two contrasting faces of Egypt…one, near Giza, that
was full of tiny, ram-shackle housed and streets lined with horse-dung, and the
second, Cairo, a city full of life, color and wealth.
The
Hotel Alexander itself is fine enough, although what you get is a little different
from the expertly photo-shopped pictures they advertise on the hotel/travel
web-sites. The rooms are fairly simple, consisting of a bed, a mirror, a
cupboard and mosquitoes. The bathroom is passable with its mildly stained tiles
and poor drainage facilities to the effect that while bathing, you are
guaranteed to soon find yourself wading ankle-deep in your own private pool of
soapy water. A word of advice; IF, after reading this, you are still tempted to
book accommodation at the Hotel Alexander, ensure that you opt for the rooms
with twin beds, and not the double-bed. The former is more spacious as compared
to the latter. A double bed room is tiny enough to trigger a feeling of
claustrophobia.
Dinner
was an extremely delicious, yet pocket happy far Egyptian fare at a delightful
place just a block away from the hotel. It’s called Gad, and it is spacious and
serves a variety of meats and treats in huge servings. We like.
In
our brief visit to Egypt, we learnt quite a few lessons, not all of them
pleasant ones.
ü Cairo
Airport is huge, clean and almost deserted, if you compare it to the hustle
& bustle of its counterpart in Mumbai. The airport staff is helpful and,
thankfully, they all speak English.
ü Everything
in Egypt is brown. Look around and you’ll see vast expanses of brown sand and
buildings in varying shades of brown.
ü Egyptian
women make up for the lack in color with ample use of make-up and surprisingly
fashionable attire (which, by the way, does little to hide the fact that they
are all, without exception, pretty.)
ü Although
downtown Cairo is extremely chic and modern, most of the Egyptians, seem to be
rather poor. (It’s no wonder they fleece people.) Almost everyone is living in
the hopes of getting a President who, unlike Mubarak, will take the reins of
administration in his hands and bring prosperity to Egypt. Almost like waiting
for a messiah.
Lesson
1
- When the Egyptian guide offers help and
is over-friendly, ensure that you hold on tight to your wallets and avoid too
much conversation. It would do well to do good research while planning for the
trip and finding your own way around town. And don’t forget to haggle.
Lesson
2
- Ensure that all monetary dealings, be
it for accommodation, transport or tour facilities, are taken in writing, It is
highly possible that you will not only be given less than what you are promised
and, when it comes to the crisp, green God of all people, you are bound to be fleeced.
Beware!
All-in-all,
the visit to Cairo was not one that I’d like to remember. It wasn’t a very happy
experience and I, for one, was glad to be leaving within a few hours.
Day 2: We leave the
Land of the Pharaohs and depart for Rome.
Another
sleep deprived day. (Huge time difference; 9am in India is 05.30am here, in
Egypt.) We had to rise-and-shine well before the sun itself and headed back to
Cairo Airport and boarded a flight for the next destination, Rome. EgyptAir
again, but this time, instead of an Egyptian meal of fish and rice, we were
served an Italian meal consisting of an absolutely delicious dish of beef, rice
and vegetables, olive and cucumber salad, butter, bun and a large square of
tiramisu for dessert.
The
view, this time was breathtakingly beautiful….the sparkling blue Mediterranean
Sea dotted with beautiful green islands, some large, some small. At some
places, we were surprised to see snowcapped mountains at this time of the year.
Truly, a beautiful sight!
We
arrived on time at the Leonardo da Vinci Airport, or Fiumicino Airport, as it
is commonly known. The weather was cool, with the temperature as low as 20
degrees C.
Our
first impressions?? Well, everything around us was clean, extremely green and
picturesque. It’s no wonder some of the greatest artists were mostly Italian.
That’s the good part of it. The not-so-good part is that most nobody here
speaks any English, nor do they understand the language. All hoardings, posters
and signs are in Italian. There is no one to turn to for directions or
guidance. In any case, with what information we had garnered from the
all-knowing Google, we managed to buy ourselves a bus ticket to Termini (4
Euros p.p) from where we purchased tickets for the Metro (cheapest mode of
transport) and headed to Cornelia.
Just
a few words about the Termini: It’s
the Italian equivalent of our CST or Churchgate station, only much cleaner.
There are escalators everywhere and the entire place is like one bright,
fashionable and exciting mall. Tickets t anywhere can be purchased at any
Tabacchi, or tobacco store for the price of 1 Euro. Each ticket is good for 1
train ride and a bus ride, if the latter happens within 70 minutes of first
swiping the ticket.
From
the Termini it was a 906 to Pescaccio. What we didn’t know was that tickets
aren’t sold in the bus they’re available at every store and corner. We weren’t
aware of this and stood waiting for the bus. A lady, who knew nothing of
English took it upon herself to guide us, and thus began a series of exchanges
of ‘Don’t understand Italian’ and ‘Non capisco Eenglsh’. Still, it was kind of
her to try. Once in the bus, she spoke to another passenger asking if he knew
any English to assist us. He did, and the first thing we learnt was that tickets
had to be purchased somewhere before entering the bus. I suppose he saw the
dismay on our innocent faces and told us to relax. Thus, thanks to two helpful
people, we arrived at Pescaccio free of cost.
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| Grotto at The Casa Santa Rosa |
Once
there, we were again guided by a few words of English knowing lady, who showed
us the way to our hotel, Casa Santa Rosa,
a beautifully maintained hotel run by the Dominican nuns of Santa Rosa de Lima.
The place is exactly how they display it on the web-sites. The sisters are
polite, speak a smattering of English, and are willing to help in whatever way
they can. Maps and travel information are provided free of cost. The rooms here
are clean, airy and well stocked with everything one might need w.r.t
amenities. For those looking to save on laundry expenditure, however, there
isn’t space to air out the clothes….and, as I soon realized, clothes do not dry
here. So, it’s either dirty clothes, damp clothes or no clothes at all. Guess
what we chose.
The
view from the windows is relaxing and peaceful. It’s quite an experience to see
how the sisters run the entire place. There’s a nun in charge of the dining
area, another who rakes and sweeps the garden and grounds, a third dons a blue
apron and pushes a trolley around, tiding up the rooms and sweeping the hallways,
and yet another nun sits at the reception to welcome visitors and show them to
their rooms. Everything is well organized and systematic.
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| Flowers |
The
hotel has beautifully landscaped gardens and, like everywhere in Rome, it has a huge variety of flowers. The
place is safe, thanks to the high walls and security cameras at the gate. Apart
from a gardens and a grotto, there is a gazebo, a little chapel ample space for
parking and a little out-house with machines providing change, a coffee
dispenser and a snack and cold-drink dispenser.
In
the evening, the gates shut at 11pm and breakfast is served everyday between
7-8 am.
Ups:
Clean, good breakfast.
The
ambience is relaxing.
It’s
safe.
Free
maps, print-out of bus routes and time-table are provided.
A
nun who tap-dances.
Downs:
No one understands English here so difficult to get any information.
Rating:
8/10
Day 3: We get swept off
our feet by the Coliseum.
On
our third morning in Rome, we took the Termini, and decided to pay a visit to
the Coliseum. Before boarding the Metro, we picked up a Rome Pass for 26 Euros.
It’s wise to do that as the pass enables you to use the metro, the trams,
busses and also the Hop on-Hop off tour busses plying all over Rome.
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| The Coliseum |
Following directions, we switched trains and headed
out towards the Metro exit….and were swept off our feet by the sudden,
unexpected sight of the Coliseum
looming high a few feet in front of us, right across the street. Great, huge
pillars and arcs of brown stone! It is an elliptical amphitheater in the city of Rome, the largest ever built by the Roman Empire. It's construction started in 72AD and it was completed in 80AD. Although it stands partially ruined by earthquakes and stone-robbers, it is still an iconic symbol of Imperial Rome.
Since
we’d already picked up our passes earlier in the day, we skipped the long line
and entered smoothly, walking up to the highest level of this ancient Roman
building. From here, one gets a fairly good view of the entire structure with
its outer walls, inner levels and the maze-like formation in the centre. Entry
to this lowest level and anything that lies below the Coliseum is not
permitted. From the Coliseum, you can get a view of the Arc of Constantine and
the Palatine Gardens beyond. In the distance, you can also see the two huge, heavenly
charioteers standing atop the …..
For
a quick lunch we grabbed a Panini form one of the many food vans that line the
streets of this beautiful city. One thing about the Italians (as it was in Hong
Kong), when you order something with meat in it, you actually get meat.
Our
next stop was the little Chapel of St. Bonaventure where visitors can light
candles and avail of free, blessed bread that is kept in a basket on the altar.
The pathway to this little chapel is lined with the Stations of the Cross.
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| In the Palatine Gardens |
The Palatine Gardens,
adjoining the chapel, is a huge, well planned garden atop the Palatine Hill
that dates back to the time of the ancient Romans. The Palatine Hill is some 40 meters high with views of the
Roman Forum on one side, and the Circus Maximus on the other. The site is now a
large open-
air museum which tourists can visit during the daytime. The
entrance could once be found in the Roman Forum near the Arch of Titus, but
this is now an exit. There are two entrances, one on the Via Fori Imperiali,
the other on Via San Gregorio. Palatine Hill is generally quite busy during the
daytime so it is best to get here early to beat the crowds. According to
Roman mythology, the Palatine hill was where Romulus and Remus were found by a
female wolf that kept them alive. After which, according to this legend, a
shepherd named Faustulus found the infants, and with his wife Acca Larentia
raised the children. Later when they were older, Romulus chose this site to
build the city of Rome.
The Palatine became the place where the powerful and
wealthy retreated to build their homes and relax. Among the ruins on the hill
we can find the Domus Flavia, the Domus Augustana, the Baths of Septimus
Severus, and the House of Livia. At the top of the hill, overlooking the
Forum, are the Farnese Gardens. Designed by the Renaissance architect Vignola,
the Farnese Gardens were created for a member of one of the great papal
families, Cardinal Alessandro Farnese. The gardens contain many varieties
of plants including boxwoods, orange trees, rose bushes, and oleanders. Once
the Farneses died out, most of the villa was dismantled and the gardens fell
into disrepair.
Apart
from fabulously large roses and a wide variety of plants, there are also the
ruins of Roman palaces and temples. From atop the Palatine Hill one gets a
spectacular view of the Roman Forum below, and the rest of Rome spread out
around it. It is not difficult to identify the famous dome of St. Peter’s in
the distance. What you also notice is that there are no skyscrapers for as far
as the eye can see. All of Rome is built in keeping with the ancient beauty of
the city.
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| Roman Forum |
The
Roman Forum is a rectangular plaza surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings at the center of the city of Rome. It was, for centuries, the center of Roman public life. Here, statues and monuments commemorated the city's great men. Located in a small valley between the Palatine and Capitoline Hills, the Forum today is a sprawling ruin of architectural fragments and excavations attracting numerous sightseers.
St. Peter’s Prison
which is just outside the Roman Forum, is not much to see, really. All you get
to see here is little room with a hole in the ground. This is where St. Peter
baptized many roman soldiers before his crucifixion. The audio guide is, I must
say, quite useless as it speaks only of water dripping through the rocks. I
truly failed to find the connection.
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| Monument to Victor Emmanuel II |
Right
behind St. Peter’s Prison is The Victor Emmanuel II Monument, a massive,
white building which was built to honor the first king of unified Italy. The monument is built of white marble from Botticino, Brescia and features stairways, Corinthian columns, fountains and an equestrian sculpture of Victor Emmanuel and two statues of the goddess Victoria riding
on quadrigas.
Adjoining
this building is a huge church with extremely pretty interiors…like all other
churches in Rome. We stopped a while here and then headed back to Cornelia
where we purchases some bottles of water and ate some yummy pizza before taking
the 906 to Casale Lumbroso. A word of advice to tourists….most places here are
very expensive. Whether you need to visit a public toilet or buy a 500ml bottle
of water, be ready to spend 1 Euro for each (approx’ 70.5 rupees). Take some
time to explore the neighborhood stores and you’ll find things much cheaper.
Here, it’s 1 Euro for 1 ½ liter of water. Stock up.
Day 4: We are amazed by
the great, big Eternal City.
Taking
the Metro to Ottaviano, it is a short, straight and pleasant walk towards the greatest
church in the history of Christianity. If you glance at the map, everything
seems to be at a distance from everything else. It isn’t. A good pair of
walking shoes and time is all you need to visit and see Rome.
Passing
under the arched bridge, we entered St.
Peter’s Square with the obelix in the center.
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| St. Peter's |
There
are terribly long lines to enter the basilica, and it is an ordeal to wait in
line on a hot day, but we were lucky to have got a short line on a cold, rainy
morning. One thing I must say about St. Peter…his prison might have been a
sorry affair, but his final resting place is nothing less than marvelous. St. Peter’s Basilica is huge, well-guarded
and filled with wonderful carvings, frescoes and mosaic work. As soon as you
enter, to your immediate right, you see Michelangelo’s Pieta. It takes quite a
while to take in all the sights and, although the entry to the Basilica is
free, one had to pay 7 Euros to visit the museum attached to the Basilica. You
won’t miss anything if you decide to skip this. Instead, pay 7 Euros to go to
the top of the cupola for a fantastic 360 degree view of Rome spread out at
your feet. By the way, there are information counters and free public toilets
well placed in the square.
Next,
we boarded a Roma Christiana bus that took us all around the streets and
by-lanes of Rome, pointing out the famous sights such as the Castel San Angelo
with its Bridge of Angels, the Tiber that winds its way through Rome and giving
information via the audio guides provided on board. The meeting point for this
bus is right outside the square, and if you haven’t booked your tickets in
advance, you can do so here.
That
done, we returned to our Hotel for a much needed rest.
Day 5: We visit the
Mvsei Vaticani and the Sistine Chapel.
Travel
agencies and guides will offer you an immediate tour of the above two places,
without having to wait in the long, serpentine queues, for anything between
26-40 Euros. Don’t get tempted. Yes, the lines are long (we had to wait for an
hour and a quarter), but they move rather quickly. The Mvsei Vaticani is open from 9am to 6pm on all days except on
Sundays and certain holidays. Tickets are sold from 9am-4pm only. On the last
Sunday of every month, entry is absolutely free. On other days, the price is 15
Euros for adults and 8 Euros for children from 6-18. There is an additional
charge of 7 Euros if you want to avail of the audio guide. This is a good thing
to pick up as the Mvsei is huge and the thousands of exhibits are well
catalogued. The audio guide gives a detailed explanation of the various
artifacts.
The
exhibits are displayed according to themes in various rooms and passages that
are themselves works of art. There are many
rooms to be visited such as the Hall of Tapestries, The Round Room, The
Hall of Maps, the Egyptian Museum and even the courtyards.
Every
corner of every room is a work of art, from the ceiling right up to the mosaic
work on the floor. Truly beautiful! If you have the time you can easily spend
an entire day touring the Vatican Museums.
The
highlight of the entire museum tour is the visit to The Sistine Chapel, adorned with paintings by Michelangelo himself.
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| Sistine Chapel - Ceiling |
The Ceiling: Michelangelo placed
nine stories illustrating episodes
of the Genesis within a powerful painted architecture, with at their sides
figures of Nudes, holding medallions with texts taken from the Book of Kings.
At the base of the architectural structure twelve Prophets seated on monumental thrones are
countered lower down by Christ's forefathers, portrayed in the North, South and entrance walls.. Finally, in the
four corners, the artist illustrated some episodes of the miraculous
salvation of the people of Israel.
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| The Last Judgement |
The Altar Panel – The Last Judgment: The mighty composition, painted by Michelangelo between
1536 and 1541, is centered on the dominant figure of Christ, captured in the
moment preceding that when the verdict of the Last Judgment is uttered His calm
imperious gesture seems to both command attention and placate the surrounding
agitation. It starts a wide slow rotary movement in which all the figures are
involved. Excluded are the two upper lunettes with groups of angels bearing in
flight the symbols of the Passion (on the left the Cross, the nails and the
crown of thorns; on the right the column of the scourging, the stairs and the
spear with the sponge soaked in vinegar). Next to Christ is the Virgin, who
turns her head in a gesture of resignation: in fact she can no longer intervene
in the decision, but only await the result of the Judgment. The Saints and the
Elect, arranged around Christ and the Virgin, also anxiously await the verdict.
Some of them can be easily recognized: St Peter with the two keys, St Laurence
with the gridiron, St Bartholomew with his own skin which is usually recognized
as being a self-portrait of Michelangelo, St Catherine of Alexandria with the
cogwheel and St Sebastian kneeling holding the arrows. In the center of the
lower section are the angels of the Apocalypse who are wakening the dead to the
sound of long trumpets. On the left the risen recover their bodies as they
ascend towards heaven (Resurrection of the flesh), on the right angels and devils
fight over making the damned fall down to hell. Finally, at the bottom Charon
with his oars, together with his devils, makes the damned get out of his boat
to lead them before the infernal judge Minos, whose body is wrapped in the
coils of the serpent.
It’s
not too large a hall, but every inch of the place is covered with paintings.
Even the curtains are beautifully painted. They look so real that I was tempted
to reach out and touch the fabric. Yes, the
Sistine Chapel is magnificent and it was everything that we expected….and more,
but after hours of wandering through large corridors and rooms filled with
tapestries, carvings, murals, mosaics and paintings, by the time you get to the
Sistine Chapel, somehow, it dulls the impact. I mean, you’ll definitely say,
“Aaaah!” but if your senses weren’t already so saturated with art, you’d
probably say, “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” and “Oooooooh!”
From
the many windows, you can get views of the grounds and buildings in the
Vatican, but what you see is only a small fragment of the Vatican City. A visit
to any section of the Vatican City….the Basilica, the Mvsei, the artifacts…even
the Swiss Guard standing smartly at various points….gives you an idea of the
wealth, opulence and power of the Catholic Church down the ages.
Strangely
enough, although I was standing in the most sacred of all Catholic Churches,
surrounded by religious art, I failed to feel God in the midst of it all. It
was probably because the beauty and size of the place was commanding all
attention, or because the huge, noisy hordes of tourists with cameras flashing
everywhere made the place seem more like a museum than a Basilica…the seat of
the king. A little anecdote comes to mind here, of a man who wanted to find
God, so he climbs the highest steeple. Being unable to find Him still, he calls
out to God, who replies by saying, “I’m down among the people.” How true!
On
our way back to the Metro, we decided to sample the famous Gelato Italiano. For
3 Euros each, we got great, big scoops of ice-cream, topped with a big scoop of
whipped cream and a crunchy waffle. A fitting end to an eventful day!
Day 6: Having missed
the flight to Venice, we spend a long day at the airport.
Not
having planned for contingencies, we arrived at the airport a tad too late as a
result of which we missed our flight and had to spend close to 8 hours waiting
for the next flight to Venice.
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| Room 15 |
Our
hotel, the Alcova del Doge, was just off the highway, equidistant from both,
Padua and Venice. The hotel has a little graveled driveway and the exterior is
a warm rose with dark, wooden doors and windows. The interior is very quaint
and typical of what one might expect to find in the Italian countryside. There
are beautiful Venetian paintings and photographs displayed in various nooks and
corners, giving the place a homely look. On the whole, the place is beautiful
and tastefully done-up.
It
was quite a pleasure to see our room. Painted pink and cream, we had to
ourselves a bedroom, a little passageway and a huge bathroom. There were
adequate cupboards, a thermostat and sufficient lighting. The hotel also
provides each room with a little refrigerator, TV and a safe. The bathroom
comes equipped with a tub, 24hr hot/cold water, and even a hairdryer. All-in-all
it was a very cozy and comfortable room.
Breakfast
is served every morning from 8.30-10.30 am in the dining-room on the ground
floor. Sitting here one can enjoy a
hearty enough breakfast of fresh fruit juice/coffee/tea, cornflakes,
croissants, biscotti, rolls, salami, cheese, flavored curd, canned peaches and
water. Good enough for many….although somehow, we preferred breakfast with the
nuns in Rome.
Ups:
English is both spoken and understood,
Rooms
are pretty.
Travel
and sight-seeing information is provided.
Downs:
Floor and furniture vibrates with every step you take.
AC
doesn’t work until mid July.
Water
from the bathroom seeps out and forms a puddle on the bedroom floor.
Towels are never changed or replaced.
Rating:
3 /10
Day 7-8: We might just
fall in love with Venice.
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| Venice |
After
a hearty breakfast we took a bus and crossed 20kms and spent the day in the
romantic and breathtakingly beautiful city of Venice. Following the map was
confusing so we walked along one of the smaller canals away from the Canale
Grande. At many places there are little restaurants and souvenir shops lining
the narrow streets. Where there are no restaurants, there are churches and
houses with bright flowers growing out of window boxes. Hardly any gondolas in
sight, though. Little speedboats navigate skillfully in and out through the
winding canals. Once in Venice, you have just two ways of making your way
around, the boats or on foot. Walking around Venice is fun and there’s so much
to admire and discover in the by-lanes. We found the church of St. George Major
in which are the sacred remains of St. Lucia, patron saint for vision.
Venice
is a city that can be explored entirely on foot. Doing so, you can enjoy the
beauty of the narrow, criss-crossing alleys, cross numerous little bridges, and
shop. There are plenty of souvenir and gift shops everywhere in Venice. This is
a good place to buy gifts for family and friends. Prices are fairly affordable
and there’s much to choose from. Apart from key-chains, bags and the usual
souvenirs, you’ll find many shops selling articles made of the local Morano
glass, and a wide range of fabulous Venetian masks.
On
our second day in Venice, we paid 14 Euros and took the local ferry to Rialto
(3 stops/15 minutes’ walk from Le Piazza de Roma) from where we walked across
many little bridges, admired many old fashioned gondolas sailing by, and
window-shopped at the numerous beautiful window displays in the many shops that
line the alleyways and by-lanes. Finally, after following our noses, we came to
Le Piazza de San Marco. This is a
huge cathedral with a great open square in front. This square is bordered on
three sides by fashionable shops, restaurants and little band-stands where a
live band plays music to entertain diners and other tourists.
There
is a 60m tall tower near the cathedral. For the price of 8 Euros, tourists can
take the elevator to the top and get a 360 degree view of Venice. This is
something one must do when in Venice. By-the-way, most of the towers in Venice
seemed to be leaning….like the tower of Pisa. Strange!
Day 9: A day of misery
and lessons.
We
made our way back to the Marco Polo Airport to board a flight back to Rome. We
were shocked to discover that since we had missed our original flight to
Venice, we would now be expected to pay a penalty of 90 Euros each before
boarding the flight even though we had pre-booked our tickets and were well in
time for the planned flight. This was most terrible and unfair! Moreover, the
flight was delayed and we would have to spend the entire morning sitting at the
Airport.
Lesson
3
– Alitalia has terrible service and their
staff is most tourist-unfriendly and gives no assistance whatsoever. Also, most
of them do not speak any English.
Lesson
4
– Never miss a flight, especially in a
foreign country.
Lesson5
– Always read every little word and
letter in the terms and conditions at the time of booking. It’ll help when
stuck in situations like ours.
Much
later, back in Rome, we took the Airport Shuttle to Termini only to find that
that the Metro was on strike and wouldn’t be running for another two hours. So,
there we were, two tired travelers, waiting at the train station with nothing
to do.
Finally,
we were back at our hotel the Casa Santa Rosa…and were we relieved! By now,
we’d had enough of Italy and wanted nothing more than to get back home to good,
old Mumbai.
Lesson
6
– There’s no place like home. We,
Indians, must be the only fools who run after foreigners and treat them like
Gods come down to our country. We yap in the best English that can leave our
lips, we make such a bru-ha-ha over them and try to ape their ways….their
color, their hair, their dress…. Spend a few days in their country and you’ll see
the value and respect they have for us Indians.
We need to be proud of
ourselves, our languages, our dress and our culture. We need to appreciate
ourselves and our country instead of thinking that the west is the best.
Truly, our airport
services, hospitality and human-nature, as boring and terrible as it may sound
to you are far, far better than those we saw and experienced here, in Italy.
It
is only we who believe and practice Atithi
devo bhava.
But,
please, let’s not overdo it.
Day 10: We relax and
prepare for the long journey ahead.
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| Trevi Fountain |
Our
last day in Rome. After the unpleasant experiences we’ve been enduring since
our trip to Venice, we were not too keen on stepping out until it was time to
fly back home. Still, we needed to check our flight status, so we took the bus
to Cornelia for lunch and a visit to the cyber café. Since the Metro seemed to
be functioning normally, we took a quick detour and saw the Trevi Fountain. It’s huge and really
worth seeing. It’s very crowded with tourists, many of them Indian, and you can
hardly click any pictures without getting someone or the other in your snaps.
Still, it was worth a visit. They say that if you throw a coin into the
fountain you’ll someday come back to Rome, and I guess many people believe it.
Their coins lay sparkling at the bottom. Ours stayed in our pockets.
It’s
not that Rome isn’t beautiful. It is, but we’ve had to face quite a bit of
trouble with getting information and details, especially at the airport here,
and it has led to quite a strain on the pocket and on the mind. It’s not
something we’d like to have repeated. Our next trip will surely be somewhere
closer to home….where people are warmer and speak at least some amount of
English.
Day 11: Home again,
Home again…..
Yipppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Finally
it was time to return. Having learnt a lesson with the flights to Venice, we
reached the airport early and, after lunch at McDonald’s, we sat reading until
it was time to board the flight to Cairo, followed by a flight to Mumbai.
Lesson
6:
To avoid undue stress and aching feet,
ensure that there is a gap of anything more than 1 ½ hours between flights.
Pics by Akshay & Misha
