Mon.24^th.Oct.

Oh dear!! I cut and pasted the last week's entry onto my blog and it's disappeared from my journal. Now I have to figure out how to restore it or I'll have a big hole where the words should be. Today was a big work day. Started out changing the beds, then had a good sweep and dust. Said goodbye to Hans and Claudia who were heading for more baths at Saturnia. They invited us but there is a limit to my enthusiasm for sharing hot springs with lots of people. Went into Viterbo, found launderette and did washing. ( That is Jan did washing while I sat in cafe with Wifi and did computer stuff.) Good to know that the blog is out there and there are people reading it. Found a parking space and had lunch, toast and some fabulous smoked prosciutto and Gorganzola cheese. (Must be fattening.) Next went off in search of camping shop. As usual fell foul of the pausa and had to wait an hour to replenish toilet fluid, rolls and other stuff. Bought ground sheet for outside the van when on sites, try and keep the grass and mud out of van. Also bought extending brushes for cleaning van and windscreen, should have bought these long ago. Now Jan expects me to clean the van more often!! Next to supermarket for more food. Where does it all go?? Decided to return to Montefiascone and take advantage of free parking, electricity etc. Had splendid dinner of pork chops, assorted veg and mashed potatoes with gravy. If I could have met the pig which provided the tasty chops I'd have shaken his trotter and patted him warmly on the back. Delicious. Clever Jan. Tomoorrow I'm thinking of having a quick look around Viterbo and heading for Rome. Must break away from this sosta, too convenient and cheap.

Tues.25^th.Oct.

That's it then, made the break. Did as we planned, quick look at Viterbo, couple of phone calls and hit the road for Rome. Arrived at a site in Flaminio, about 8 years from the centre. It's got everything, including a German youth brass band who are playing the Vatican tomorrow. They set up this afternoon and rehearsed, giving us a show which we thoroughly enjoyed. We spent the afternoon sitting in the sun and chilling. Tomorrow we begin to examine Rome. Jan's very excited, so am I.

Wed. 26^th.Oct.

Woke up to sound of pouring rain and thunder. Shame, but there's no rush, not going out to spend the day in Rome soaking wet. Bought weekly tickets for the Rome transport system, bus, tram underground and railway. €16 each, that's what I call value. Decided to take the bus into town and have a walk around, too wet to take the open top bus. Arrived at Piazza di Poppolo and immediately saw the Rome we'd been hoping for. Walked along the Via della Corso and saw more churches than you could shake a stick at. Almost as many churches as shops. Jan loves the shops, they're in a class of their own. Took forever to get to the end of Via della Corso, sidetracked by sights on all sides and Trevi Fountain in particular. Spectacular, it's enormous, nothing prepares you for the size of it.

Marched up the Spanish steps then back down again. We took four hours to get from one end to the other and were rewarded with the spectacle of the Palazzo Venezia, and enormous white building which Musselini hijacked to use for his lodgings. Beyond that we could glimpse the Coliseum, place we're looking forward to seeing tomorrow, it was time for a drink. That was a shock too, a beer and a large bottle of water, €14. It was almost worth it for the view of the palazzo and the antics of the drivers negotiating the extremely busy junction, pandemonium!! Never seen anything like it, not even Hyde Park Corner. Home around 6.40 and cottage pie for dinner. Exhausted. Bus tour tomorrow.

Thurs.27^th.Oct.

Took the train into the centre today, earlier, hoping to avoid queues , much more sensible, the buses were packed and the traffic looked dreadful. Straight to the tourist office and bought tickets for the open top tour bus and the archeobus which takes in the archeological sites. They have audio commentaries and help to understand what you are seeing. Fascinating to see all the sites you've seen a hundred times on TV. Janet is like a child in a sweet shop, we went to the roof of the Palazzo Venizia and had a wonderful view of the whole city. We decided to visit the art gallery at the Villa Borghese and were told we had to book!! I phoned and was told there was no availability until next week. Unbelievable, it's highly recommended in the Lonely Planet guide to Italy, but it must be pretty special to be booked up 5 days in advance. After a kebab lunch we took the Archeobus and for an hour touredsome of the finest ancient sites in the world. Must walk some of them tomorrow. Left home at 9.30 this morning, got home at 6. This sightseeing is hard work let me tell you. Sometimes it's only the gelato that keeps us going.

Fri.28^th.Oct.

It's Saturday morning. Got back last night at 7.15 and just about had the energy to eat dinner. Set off at 9.30am for Coliseum. Train to Flaminia, Metro to Termini then another Metro to Coliseum. What a culture shock, even when commuting into London I have not been jammed so tightly into a train, thousands of people with one aim in mind, to get to the Coliseum!! When we arrived it was a pleasant surprise to find that the Roma cards,( €25 each for 3 days and lots of discounts and free admissions ) allowed us to bypass the queue for tickets. €5 each for guided tour and we were in. Just being there was a buzz and we enjoyed the commentary which lasted 45 minutes. The crowds were enormous, we thought we'd come at a quiet time!! The day was perfect, sunshine and 70. History everywhere you look. Although the tour lasted only 45 minutes we spent nearly 4 hours there, drinking our own coffee and eating a picnic. Even then I had to drag Jan out kicking and screaming, she'd have stayed all day. Footsore and a little weary we jumped on the tour bus for a sit down before returning to view the ruins at Palatine Hill. We wanted to hire audio guides and were told that the site closed at 5.30 and we wouldn't have time to hear it all. It was just after 4!! We walked around the sites of Paletine Hill, amazing, the ruins and the park, didn't know where to look next. Shame we couldn't have the commentary. In the museum Jan joined the queue for the toilet, I hung around and she seemed to be taking forever. When I went looking for her she said people kept jumping the queue for the 2 WCs. I stood with her and put a stop to that. Got the train back, again packed like sardines and got home tired but happy. Lots of good pics. Large whisky reward. No gelato today, must have Saturday.

 

Sat.29^th.Oct.

Lovely morning, put the shorts on, first time for days. Sun shining, set off for Castel St. Angelo, got train to Flaminia and walked along the Tiber, passing the Palace of Justice, wow!! Arrived at Castle, fabulous walk along embankment with fair, market and street performers to entertain. Charming. The castle itself was fascinating, built over the tomb of the emperor Hadrian and used by Popes in medieval times as a refuge in times of strife. Some of the wall paintings are spectacular and the view from the terrace alone is worth the entrance money. Lunched on piece of pizza and half an orange, shared with Jan on a bench. We're really living it up. On to the Pantheon, spectacular, in a piazza that was exactly what you expect when you think of Rome, so much going on, two or three restaurants with tables outside, several market stalls, buildings of all colours, shapes and sizes and of course the Pantheon itself. Inside is astonishing, it is the oldest surviving cement dome of it's size in the world, 1^st century AD. It had such an effect on us that Jan needed a gelato to assist her recovery. We took the archeobus after this, dec ided to view the catacombs of San Sebastian. Had a nasty shock when they told us it was €8 and no discount for the Roma Card. Well, who wants to wander around catacombs when the weather is so good?? They're just old graveyards for heavens sake. Got the bus straight back to town and headed for the station. Had to do some shopping and bought two good sized trout for dinner. I cooked them on the barbecue. Delicious. We're both tired out again and have an early start tomorrow at the Vatican. Heaven help me!!

 

Sun.30^th.Oct.

Up at 5.45am. Jan is determined to see a procession we've been told is taking place from Castel San Angelo to St. Peters. Fair enough!! We miss the train by minutes and waited half an hour for the next. A walk along the embankment and we arrived at the castle right on 8am. It was a pleasant experience to walk the streets without crowds of people. Something we would remind ourselves of later. A few people were congregating in the piazza, the women, heads covered by white lacy scarves. A band started to arrive in dribs and drabs and it was clear something was occurring. We walked up towards St. Peters and drank some coffee, and waited. Eventually, at about 9 we saw some action. A man addressed a growing crowd, in Spanish, the band struck up and incense burners were ignited. They were off, singing a slow march dirge, men in purple robes carrying a platform with a large and heavy looking crucifix. Those women swinging the incense burners and other pilgrims, not helping the carriers, walked backwards, very slowly. I know that Jan had expected to see gaudily dressed clerics carrying religious paraphernalia and was a little disappointed, but it helped to pass the time. We made our way to St. Peters Square where a girl offered us a tour of the Vatican museum, including the Sistene Chapel for €25 each. After some hesitation we took up her offer, attracted mainly by the promise that we would not have to queue!! By now there were thousands of people in the square, most of them in the queue. The guide was brilliant, an American who knew his subject well. We pushed and shoved our way with the rest of a group about 30 strong to the entrance of the museum, a walk of at least half a mile and just made it inside before it closed at 12.30. We then were given a detailed explanation of what we would see in the Sistene chapel, prior to going in as silence is demanded inside. There was then the ordeal of half walking, half running through the crowds in the museum to get to the chapel before it closed. As we approached the chapel down a staircase, jammed in a crowd four wide and steaming it became clear that there was a similar crowd coming up a staircase from the opposite direction. Horrendous!! What a scrum, we pushed and shoved our way into the most beautiful room in the world and all I could think was, "get me out of here" , how sad!! We fought our way to the back of the room and found a little space where we could view the walls and ceilings in relative comfort and I have to say I now know what all the fuss is about, spectacular artwork and I would hate to have missed it but the whole experience left me disappointed. It should have been a unique and enjoyable event in my life and I felt a little let down. It was a relief to escape at the end of the tour and explore the wide open spaces of the cavernous St. Peters Basilica. Enormous, I'm tempted to say, just another church but even in a country full of churches this one is special. We stayed maybe 30 minutes but then had to go off in search of gelato and beer. The whole morning had been an endurance test, I ached from head to foot, I was carrying a rucksack which was not particularly heavy but awkward and Janet, although uncomplaining was clearly suffering too. Found gelateria and administered ice cream first aid. Headed for home. This sightseeing is not for the weak and unfit, there were people in our party in wheelchairs, how their carers coped I don't know. An unforgettable experience!! A word of advice for anyone reading this and planning to stay at Camping Flaminia. There is what I would guess is a dog kennels nearby and the only thing which has spoiled our stay here is the constant, relentless barking of a large number of dogs, on one night I don't think Jan slept at all. Apart from that it's great. Monday morning, a lay in and get some housework and washing done. Maybe venture into town in the afternoon and enjoy Rome by night. Watch this space.

Mon.31^stOct. Took it easy this morning. As promised, did some washing and housework. Put some stuff on facebook and had scrambled eggs for lunch. Another beautiful day, cloudless sky. After lunch decided to have an hour's siesta before setting out for Rome. Laid down, dogs started barking and two workmen set to work with the noisiest leaf blowers known to man. Not a chance of a kip!! Took myself outside and laid in a chair in the sun, trying to ignore the noise. It will be a relief to get away to somewhere quiet (although I'm not sure such a place exists in Italy). Took the train into town, walked to Vatican to post cards to get Vatican post mark on them. Walked back to Via di Corso, Jan's favourite street, checking out all the jewellers on the way. Looked for two restaurants recommended in Lonely Planet Guide, both no longer in existence!! Found a small place with an attractive menu and took a chance. Fabulous!! Started with wild boar smoked ham, truffle and pecorino cheese, exquisite! Next was tagliatelli, with red snapper roe and truffle, delicious with a main course of Rabbit stew for me and Lamb chops for Jan with French fries and spinach. Accompanied by beer, red wine and fizzy water. For sweet, tiramasou, coffee and brandy completed a sumptuous and memorable meal. A great way to see in my birthday. The bill was horrendous but heh!! You only live once. Birthday tomorrow.