Italian Vacation. July 2012
Back in January, while we were riding the train from Amsterdam to Brussels, Maris (my husband) promised to take me on a road trip across Europe.
I don’t have any grand illusions about my driving skills: I drive pretty well around a city I know, and I can even zip along a highway, but that’s about it…
So I happily jumped at the offered opportunity: to go wherever the road takes us, stop wherever we want, and simply enjoy the journey!
All you need for this is a vehicle, a good GPS, and internet, because there was a catastrophic lack of time for planning.
(I remember my first trip to Europe — to Berlin, for a seminar with Celia Fenn about 5 years ago. Back then, I had a whole notebook with a detailed description of everything worth visiting, plus tips for every situation gathered from travel forums ))))
This time, we had tickets to Rome, a reservation number for a pre-booked car, and two weeks of time. And THAT’S IT!
After seeing off the last participant of the retreat training in Cyprus (I’ll tell you about the training itself a bit later) and packing our suitcases, on July 3rd we headed to Larnaca Airport to fly to Rome, where we arrived two and a half hours later.
Airports can be so different… Some are easy to navigate, others require a bit of wandering… At the Rome airport, we spent a whole hour trying to find the Europecar office where we had booked the car…
The first surprise, from the not-so-pleasant category: they REFUSED to accept cash payment for the car rental at the office?!
The reasoning was simple: a credit card is needed to verify the driver’s identity.
Okay. Let it be a credit card then. A couple of seconds later, a text message arrives confirming the withdrawal of funds from the card… My eyes nearly pop out: 86 thousand rubles ?????
In response — an innocent smile with an explanation: well, we don’t know what condition you’ll return the car in; after you return it, the funds will be unfrozen within 3-4 days.
Making a mental note: first clarify all the details, then hand over the credit card (thank you for the lesson, it came in very handy in Naples, but more on that later).
We get into a brand new Opel Astra and drive to Rome. First goal — buy a SIM card for constant internet access and find a GPS. It turned out that Russian GPS devices don’t have detailed maps of Europe. The solution — buy a TomTom on the spot.
After cruising unfamiliar streets, we stop near a Wind mobile store, where a smiling Italian, besides the SIM card, hands us a local map and marks the most popular tourist attractions.
How can you visit Rome and not see St. Peter’s Basilica?! And the famous Trevi Fountain?
And what about the Colosseum? — my daughter echoes the Italian…
Okay, we park the car and go explore the historic center of Rome.
An unusual feeling: right next to quite modern buildings, remnants of ancient structures are visible everywhere.
Some are under reconstruction, some are just fenced off with a low barrier… it’s gorgeous!
This is what the largest fountain in Rome looks like — the Trevi Fountain, built in the 18th century.
There are tons of people around it; we barely caught a moment to take a photo without strangers in the frame.
On the way back, we stop by the Colosseum again. In the twilight, it looks much more majestic than in the daylight.
We book a hotel for the night through booking.com, closer to the Vatican, where we’ll head straight in the morning.
Day 2. July 4, 2012
Approaching the Vatican — there’s a huge line. We got lucky; it turned out these were people wanting to get into the Vatican Museum. Maris was there a few years ago, and museums are the last thing that attracts me.
We wander along the towering wall surrounding the Vatican on all sides and finally emerge onto the square… Right in front of us is St. Peter’s Basilica, the center of the Roman Catholic Church.
It’s just a cathedral, I thought… until the restless Maris dragged us inside!
Oh, really?! Now it’s clear why this cathedral became a symbol of faith.
It’s hard to imagine how, in the 16th century, without cranes and modern technology, they managed to erect SOMETHING like this! The size and scale are impressive. No wonder Michelangelo and Raphael left their mark here?!
The audio guide in Russian gives a detailed account of all the saints who suffered martyrdom for their faith and were immortalized in stone by great masters.
Here are the origins of sacrifice and self-sacrifice, celebrated by religion for centuries… freeing oneself from which takes years of work on oneself. I somehow prefer the little angels who bestow abundance.
Well, isn’t Maris like an angel… just as curly-haired )))
Another idea from Maris — to see the city from the cathedral’s dome. It took us a long time to climb up there. But it was worth it.
View of the Vatican from above
Right after the Vatican, we set off in search of a GPS navigator. Without it, getting around Italy is problematic, even for an experienced driver like Maris…
This time, there were no adventures. In the very first little shop, we found a TomTom with detailed maps of Europe, which we immediately renamed Svetlana.
Thank you, Rome. But we’re moving on. Ahead — Naples.
To be continued…