My first weekend

 

Saturday, July 1

Well, what am I going to do today?

I decide to follow up on a tip Ferry gave me. If I take the train to Trastevere station and keep right, I'll be walking through a short tunnel and I will end up in a nice shopping street. When I actually go there, it turns out to be correct. I'll need some time to see all shops and stores!

Then I want to do some sightseeing. I head back to Trastevere and take the train to Ostiense. If I walk north from there I should be at the Piramide and the Porte San Paolo according to my map. Correct again. I look around and take some pictures. Then I take a tram to go to Rome's city centre. Only this time not just to look, but also to take pictures!

When I finally get home, I don't feel like doing anything anymore. O well, I did do a lot of walking today. I get my camera and browse through all pictures I took today. And I think to myself: what am I going to do tomorrow?

 

Sunday, July 2

Today I start with train and tram to Largo di Torre Argentina. From there I walk east towards Piazza Venetia. There should be sight to go see and then I'll also be close to the Forum Romanum. Once I arrive at the Piazza Venetia, I'm very surpised: what a big building. This is a monument?? Italians don't think little, now do they? I see people walking on top of the building. Apparently you can enter it. I walk around the building and discover the entran ce. Once I am on the building, there turns out to be an exhibition about the Italian army. Interested I walk through it. It's nice and cool inside. I think it's only a pity all descriptions are in Italian; I cannot understand one word of it. 

Outside I see a van or wagon selling water and bread. I walk there and buy something to eat, because it's already way past twelve. I head south around the monument or whatever it is, and climb Campidoglio (Capitol hill). There I sit on a low wall to eat my sandwich.

After finishing my sandwich, I walk around the Capitol, because south of it should be the Forum Romanum. It is. Surpised I look down. Now it's clear where the Italians got their big-thinking from. My god, those Roman buildings were huge. I take some pictures and buy a souvenir. Slowly I walk down the stairs past all ruins. I take a lot of pictures. 

When I'm satisfied about the Forum Romanum, I refill my water bottle at one of the fountains and walk south. That way I'll arrive at the Colloseum, my map tells me. I take a quick look around and decide to walk back towards a tram stop via the Circus Maximus. Because it's getting quite late and I am starting to feel hungry. At the Circus Maximus I'm surprised. I distinctly remember from the "Ben Hur” movie how it must have looked. Now it's one bare plain. Only a corner tower and a little part of the surrounding buildings have been excavated. In thought I can almost see Roman wagons racing around that corner……….

 

Ciao,

Ingrid.