Rome

The transfer from Riccione to Rome was a challenge.

Six of us with luggage had to get to Riccione station by seven in the morning to catch the train north (away from Rome) to Bologne then 20 minutes to sort out the stairs on the busiest station in Italy to get our connecting fast train to Roma.

The Fedora hotel came to the rescue by driving us in their van to the station - one less worry.  The icing on the cake was the breakfast they put on early for us - after which we proceeded to fill our pockets with food for lunch.  Would have loved to take the hotel with us.  Particularly since while I am writing this is lunch is dry cheese and bread.

We walked out Roma Central into a taxi rank with no taxis but lots of roadworks and waited in the taxi line.  No other people in the line and not a taxi in 20 minutes was enough to convince us that we had to find the real queue.  So we dragged our 13 pieces of baggage to the other side of the station to find a long queue and plenty of taxis.  Promising.

Then, like Paris three years before, we had to find a driver (or two in our case) willing to take on a challenge.  Took a while but we hired a nine seater van and a station wagon and headed for the inner suburbs to our third floor home for the next few days.  Should have taken a photo inside - it seemed a very Italian decor - with ornate paintings, ornate furniture and ornate toaster and coffee maker. Clean, comfortable and tidy but a little crowded in the kitchen department.

Not ours but the sort of street we were in.  Ours didn't have the pretty flowers.

Looking out the window on street level there were corner cafes in most directions with glossy chrome espresso machines, small grocery shops, kebab shops, fruit shops and 100 metres down on the main road a fair range of shops ranging from expensive clothes to supermarket.  Very much the suburbs Italian style.  And we were five minutes walk from the train/tube station which got us into "town" in 20 minutes.  Great spot.

So we bought a two day metro pass and headed into town with the photo bombers while David and Justine went on a food tour.

The photobombers.  And the view when you walk out of Colosseum subway station.

 If you get off at the right metro station you walk right into ancient Rome.  We walked out of Colosseum metro to our first view of ancient Rome in the evening sun.  Bigger than I had imagined.  Bloody amazing in fact.  Even tho' we'd had a long day it was hard not to be impressed.  We followed a wedding up a narrow curving paved street to a tiny chapel.  Then walked along reasonably aimlessly - the ruins which were everywhere.

An arch near the colosseum and some giant old pavers.

 There were hawkers everywhere selling everything from segway tour tickets to open top bus tours to umbrellas (which appeared magically the next day when it started to rain).  One thing they all had in common was selfie sticks for sale.  They were in your face but nothing like as pushy as the Egyptians or Ballinese in the Kuta area.

Rome is full of ruins.  Not much of this building left

I'd hate to be riding across this pave.  Well worn, uneven and slippery.  Photobombers are everywhere.

Lots of restoration work going on.

Ruins everywhere.  Some don't rate a plaque to explain what they are.

Roman ruins are BIG

Sorted food, ate then went seriously to town the next day.  Lined up to go inside the Colosseum and joined the thousands of other visitors swarming over it like ants.  There must be a fair bit of wear and tear on the place but the millions of euros in entry fees must go a long way towards the restoration.

The maize below the floor allowed gladiators, animals and props to be brought into the arena and up through the floor.  Pretty flash design and engineering.

 We "did" the open top bus tour because it was becoming obvious we weren't going to see everything and we needed to sit down for a while.  We went past impressive building after impressive building - probably just as many as Paris but many not quite as upmarket.  Some of the large building with their large marble and limestone columns were difficult to appreciate because they had been built out.  Huge building with columns on one side of a narrow street with a more modern building opposite crowding it out.  Pity.

Dunno.  But it was impressive

 We got off the bus at the pope's house (or just down the street from it).  We'd been in Italy long enough to be confident that coffee and snacks were priced fairly consistently so we order coffees and ice creams without looking too closely at the cost.  66 euros later and in a state of shock we vowed to get on trip adviser as soon as possible to out the thieves who had set up a cafe as a front.  The coffees were E6, single cone ice creams 10.  Were were shocked.  When we questioned the bill they just shrugged.  Obviously not looking for return customers.

St Peters.  We emailed the pope to tell him we were coming but didn't even get a reply.  If he wants to visit us when he's in Australia next we'll ignore him too.

Part of the Circus Maximus in the foreground and some impressive ruins in the background.  We waited a while but no chariot racing  on the day we were there.

 We'd been citied out after just 1 1/2 days.  Or I had.  With a day to go before we flew out we realised, when tried to book, that getting a taxi for us and all our stuff needed 48 hours notice and would be expensive.  So while the others went back to see they pyramid I waited for confirmation of a ride to the airport.  If the trip from Riccione to Roma was a stress, getting to the airport, flying to Chicago and getting to our hotel was a level up in difficulty.

What do you call a collection of mopeds?  Spot the photobomber.

After perfect planning, several text messages and four bookings (and three cancellations) the black nine seater arrived on time (3:30 in the morning) and with a little bit of persuasion (and a moderate amount of shock at all our luggage) the driver squeezed us in and we headed to the airport.  Speed varied from 20kph in the back street short cuts to 145kph on the autostrada but we arrived on time and within budget.  Step one completed.

At check in the less-than-helpful clerk informed us that despite our ticket clearly stating we were allowed two bikes we would only be allowed one.  With a moderate amount of urging she made several calls and we checked in our bikes and farewelled David, Justine and the kids as they disappeared into the business class lounge.

Chicago here we come.