Rome Part 2

We really enjoyed eating breakfast in Rome.  We ate at a sweet cafe near our hotel.  They were also so surprised we didn't drink coffee, and so would give us steamy, frothy milk.  :)

Stop #1 The Pantheon

This was my favorite ancient structure in Rome.  It was absolutely breathtaking.  We did another audio tour here, and I loved learning about the building.  We got there really early in the morning, and so we enjoyed having it to ourselves.  

Rome's streets are very busy! :)

Random church courtyard

Stop #2 walk to Trevi Fountain

Rome is truly beautiful.  We enjoyed a fun piazza, and some more beautiful churches.  The fountain was as pretty as I had ever imagined.  Crowded though!

Stop #3 Spanish Steps

These were pretty cool-- we were pretty tired by the time we got there.  (All the hills!) Rome is filled with street vendors trying to get you to buy their stuff.  In all the romantic places, there are rose sellers.  Mr. H and I were sitting on the steps, and a man came up and offered to take our picture and said I could hold all his flowers.  Naively, I said "Great!" and we took this picture.  However, he made us pay up!  Ha...we didn't get tricked into buying anymore roses!  (we also bought a camera charger here...thanks to Mr. H for making that happen!)

two naive tourists right there!

Stop #4 Appian Way

This was my highlight of Rome!  We took a bus out to this small town.  We accidentally missed our stop, and so we had to walk on a very busy, narrow street to get back to the town.  I thought I was going to die!  Anyway, we rented bikes and made our way to... 

Stop #5 San Callisto Catacombs

These were AWESOME!  So eerie, but packed with so many neat messages.  Our tour guide was great.  I loved all the Christian symbolism.  

We continued on the Appian way (which is one of the earliest and longest roads ever).  It was amazing.  The countryside was gorgeous. It was drizzling, and oh so romantic.  Some parts of the road had the original stones and it was so fun to ride together.  I would totally recommend this if you have time!  There were neat ruins on the sides of the road, and we almost made it to the aqueducts!

Olive trees, sheep and their shepherd = Italian perfection

look closely to see the aqueducts!

Stop #7 Rome at Night

Rome is stunning at night.  My goodness, I feel like it becomes magical.  We walked to the river, and through the shopping district and ate dinner while a man played an accordion and serenaded us.  It was delightful.  We made our way to the Trevi fountain, and it was so great.  We got our first gelato of the trip and it was great.