Sunday, May 20, 2012

Roman Holiday

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
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.

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. 
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.

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.
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.
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.
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 3Alitalia 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 4Never miss a flight, especially in a foreign country.

Lesson5Always 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 6There’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.
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

No comments: