When in Rome...

We bought a Eurail Global Pass to go on our European train trip. The pass gave us unlimited journeys inside a 15-day period of time. We could have jumped on international or local trains everyday during our 15-day trip, though we took breaks in various cities along the way; still, in total, we visited 9 different cities in 6 different countries, excluding Spain.

A couple words about the Eurail: I think that it's a great deal if you plan your trip out ahead of time. There are many newer high speed trains that require reservations. You'll need to plan ahead a little bit if you want to make other reservations you might have, like hotels/hostels and flights. It's best to make these train reservations with a travel guide, because in Europe it's more of a hassle. From Europe you can look online to find where you can make these reservations in whichever country.

Travel by train is fantastic. I loved it. You get to see the countries you're going through, and when you arrive in the next city, you arrive in the center, not at some airport an hour out of town. The Eurail Pass was easy to use and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to tour Europe.

Though we did tour Europe by train, we started by plane. We flew to Rome from Barcelona, and stayed there for two days. Rome is the capital and largest city in Italy. What they say about Rome is most definitely true: the city is an open air museum. The picture above is the inside of the famous Coliseum. The is the arena where the gladiators fought against lions and tigers and other foes in front of Caesars and millions of cheering Romans. As you can see, the ground level has been taken off, revealing the dungeons and underground passageways that wind beneath perhaps the oldest most famous fighting ring the world has ever known.

Here is the outside of the Coliseum. It is bigger than it looks. The stone walls have tons of holes bore into them so that they could support flags and banners and many other things.

Right next door to the Coliseum is the Roman Forum, a collection of ancient ruins from the heydays of the Roman Empire. This mass of spectacular columns, arches, and stonework used to be the old center of the city.

Me standing down in the Roman Forum.

This is neoclassical Monument of Vittorio Emanuele II. It is the home of the grave of the Unknown Soldier for all those killed during World War I.

Another one of Rome's most famous sites includes Trevi Foundation, with fantastic statues of Neptune the God of the Sea and horsemen submerged in its waters. If you throw a coin in this fountain, you're destined to return one day. It's worth going back, the area has lots of nice restaurants.

Our second day in Rome, we got up early and made our way over to the Vatican. These are statues that line the top of St. Peter's Basilica, the largest Christian church in the world.

Here is the plaza that stands in front of St. Peter's Basilica. The Pope makes appearances outside here, and there are thousands of chairs lined up for those very occasions.

It's tough to take pictures inside these dark churches, but this is inside St. Pete's. The sheer magnitude of everything inside this basilica was astounding. Peter, apostle of Christ, is actually buried inside, along with the first Bishop of Rome and the first Pope.

Here's the view from back to front.

The street leading to the front of the St. Pete's was a great shot also.

Of course we visited the Vatican Museum. The Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo's masterpiece, is indeed within its walls (although you can't take pictures of it... or talk loudly... or sit down... or dawdle while you're in the Chapel--they push you along after about 15 minutes). Though the Chapel was incredible, my favorite rooms were the Maps Room (shown above) and the Library (shown below). Lotsa gold.


Here is the library. I loved the center columns and the way the texture and diversity of the ceilings showed off the paintings. It was such a bright room, it was far and above my favorite.


Another room in the Vatican Museum. This is the Hall of Statues.


We are standing here on top of the Spanish Steps, a famous stairway that connect two sectors of the city (one on top of the hill, the other below). The street straight in front of the steps is probably the most fashionable in all of Rome.

Here's a large square in central Rome called Piazza Navona. In front is one of the large fountains in the plaza, and behind is a church and an Egyptian obelisk. Very pretty.

Here are a couple more shots of St. Peter's Basilica, one of the most famous and awe inspiring sights in Rome.