On board Emirates flight EK 097 from Dubai to Rome Fuimicino International Airport, I was enjoying the business class accommodation of the ever luxurious Airbus A380 of the Emirates fleet. The flight was magnificent as I befriended two EK flight attendants, Joanna and Naila.
Arriving at the airport was fun. I was thrilled upon seeing the signs in Italian. I told myself, “this is it”. I am finally in Italy, I am finally in Europe! I’m on queue to the immigration for a stamped in my passport. It’s fast, you don’t have to wait longer than the usual queues I am into in other countries. I didn’t have any checked-in luggage as the ground staff in Luanda lets me carry my things with me. I directly looked for a money changer since I only brought US Dollar. I came to a Forex counter before going out, when I told her that I will buy Euros, she then ask me if I am willing to pay for the commission which is very high. I don’t have any choice then so I agreed. The good thing was, she told me that she will not be charging me the usual rate, instead, she will just be charging me EUR5. I was so thankful that I saved approximately EUR 100 for commissions.
I immediately went to my airport transfers booked ahead with Viator. It was efficient, we have just waited for awhile to fill the vacancies on the shared shuttle service. Off we went to the city after everybody was on board the van. Buckle-up as the driver had instructed us. The driver can speak a little English which is quite good, at least we can understand each other a bit.
I was excited along the way, seeing the green fields, wide roads, the railways and the trains, I’m also watching for signboards. I am attentive on the plants, flowers, the trees that we have passed by. A first-timer really had this feeling like mine.
I was with some tourists from Australia, Canada, UK and US. While they were being dropped at their respective hotels, I was like having a tour already. We passed thru the side of Vatican City, going through narrow stone streets, and I was seeing signs going to famous site like Trevi Fountain. I was dropped last among the group and I was really excited when we passed along Colosseum. I immediately told myself, “see you tomorrow”.
The location of the hotel was already familiar to me since I already have searched it using Google earth. I checked-in, freshen up and went to St. Peter’s Square as i have agreed to meet Joanna and Naila there by 4:40pm. I went down to the subway which was just across the street from my hotel and bought a pass for 3 days in Rome. Took the train and hopped off at the Ottaviano station which is a walking distance to Vatican City.
Walking along the street going to Vatican was exciting. I’ve seen several souvenir shops in which I already have checked for the prices to compare which shop offers a good bargain. While in the middle of St. Peter’s Square, I was overwhelmed that I felt like I am the luckiest person the world being there in that very moment, I’ve seen the Basilica with very own eyes. I just can’t explain the feeling, it’s kind of mixed emotions. Now I believe I was already in Vatican.
Since the two ladies were not yet there, I went to Castel St. Angelo just near the area. Took some pictures there and feast my eyes with other wonders around it. After some time, I sent a message to Joanna and we’ve exchanged messages and agreed to meet at the center of the square. They arrived first while I was walking back to the square. I hardly noticed them at first since they were no longer in uniforms. When we saw each other we immediately took some pictures, there were jump shots and I couldn’t forget the acrobatic tumbling of Joanna. It was great!
We went inside the church, in which it’s already 6pm and there were no more queue. It was brilliant, it was superb, and it was marvellous! There we met Jerwin, a Filipino working inside Vatican City. We asked him to tour us around the church and convinced him to tour us around the city. Thanks to him that in spite the whole day of working, he still have time to take us to the spots at night. It was for a friendly price…. FREE of charge.
I booked several tours with Viator. I had a Colosseum and Ancient Rome tour in the morning of my second day in Rome. The tour was excellent with our guide Franceska taking us into the depth of history. She was very entertaining and knowledgeable. She had shared her knowledge as an archaeologist very well. I booked the skip-the-line tour with access to the dungeon and the third level of the Colosseum. It was all worth it. Having skipped the line was a great factor with all the long queues of tourist wanting to see for themselves the beauty inside the Colosseum. We went down the dungeon where the gladiators and animals were staying before the fight. We also climbed up the third level to catch a better birds-eye view of the structure. Not minding the heat of the sun, we enjoyed the place. Continued our tour to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, which was called the Ancient Rome and the ruins were breathtaking. They have done diggings in the area to reconstruct the ancient city
Another guided tour that I booked was the Vatican Museums tour. I thought that with a guide, I can maximize my understanding on the artifacts that are on display. Also known as the second most visited museum in the world next to Louvre Museum in Paris, I felt the privilege of coming in and seeing for myself the loveliness of each and every precious items being featured. There were creations of some famous artists like Michelangelo, Rafaelo and others dated centuries ago and were still being preserved. Included in the Vatican Museum tour were the Sistine Chapel and Rafael’s room. The museum had a vast collection of precious items that are like inter-related that some of the sculptures were used as figures in the paintings.
Ended my tour with a peek at the Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica giving a wonderful panoramic view on the whole of Vatican City and Rome. It was a challenging climb with the twirling stairs and smaller passage going up but it’s worth the sacrifice.
I had a chance of coming back to the site that I and my new friends visited. After coming back from Pisa, I wander in the city to have the Rome by day shots. I took the subway and dropped at the Republica Station, then to Barberini and walked to Trevi Fountain then made my last stop back to Vatican for some souvenirs that I want to buy.
The whole Rome experience was a blast! One dream that came true and there’s more to go!
Been here: May 7-10, 2012
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