When in Rome, Part I

After five days and one scooter accident, Jacob and I were ready to leave Florence. Our trip to Rome was relatively easy if really hot by train. We thought we were getting an air-conditioned train but the AC broke about 30 minutes into the trip and didn't start working again until about 15 minutes before we reached our destination. And, because the train was air-conditioned, the windows wouldn't open. This all meant that I spent the whole four hours falling asleep watching the hills of Italy roll by the window. Jacob spent his time figuring out his classes for next semester.

By the time we got to Roma Termini train station, we were both a little out of it which was why it took us about an hour to figure out:
- there was no information desk open at the train station that was not a privately-owned venture looking to book you on expensive tours
- where our hotel was in Rome since Jacob booked it quickly online in the hour we had at the Internet cafe in Florence and only remembered to write down the address and phone number
- how best to get to the hotel, the cheaper the better

All in all, though, we did alright. We found a bookstore with large section of maps of Rome and determined that the hotel was in the northern part of the city and about 2 km from a metro. We decided that buses would be the best mode of transport in Rome and after a bit of wandering around in front of the train station found the information desk for the buses, which did not provide you with a bus map nor with tickets but could point you to a local newsstand that had both. I must say that the bus was our mainstay in Rome. It was efficient and cheap. From there it was a really quick trip on the bus to our hotel.

The Hotel Aniene was a great surprise after our experience with Residenzia Belli in Florence. This was a boutique hotel that had just opened 20 days prior. The rooms were spacious, even ours on the first floor which lacked a balcony, everything was clean and the staff was exceedingly nice. We did have a weird incident where in picking up the telephone by the bed would turn on and off the light in our entry way and the phone would not actually make calls. But Jacob quickly resolved that problem. I highly recommend the place, if you're ever in Rome.

That first night, after unpacking and resting a little bit, Jacob and I decided to take in a little bit of site-seeing by going to the Spanish Steps. Jacob had heard that they afforded a good view of the city at sunset. The only problem was that the place was mobbed with tourists and souvenir hawkers. You couldn't find a square-inch of space free on which to sit until you got to the very top. We got to see the skyline of the city. The best thing, though, was the great gelato shop that we found on the way back to the bus.

Below is a sunset picture of the Roman skyline from another, less crowded hill a few days later.



Our booking had mentioned a free breakfast, so the next day we walked downstairs expecting the usual uninspired continental breakfast that most places layout. I actually laughed out loud when we were greeted by good fresh coffee, oj, fresh croissants, two types of cakes, yoghurt, fruit salad, eggs, bacon, toast and a selection of preserved meats. All warm and really well-cooked. From that point on, we knew that we would enjoy Rome more than Florence.