Rome

We departed Auckland on Tuesday night and had a very bumpy flight into Dubai. So bumpy, in fact, that I couldn’t eat the dinner as I was feeling quite queasy at the time they served it. Fortunately they also serve snacks outside mealtimes so a few hours later I was able to avail myself of a poke bowl of salmon. The turbulence continued sporadically through the night, but had eased by the time of breakfast so I was able to stomach that. A brief stopover in Dubai, with just enough time to get showered and freshened up, and we were on the last leg of the journey into Rome.

We arrived in Rome in early afternoon. We assembled all of our group in baggage reclaim, then after a brief mix-up about where to get our bus from, were finally boarded onto the bus to our hotel.

The Hotel Romanico is in an old villa near the centre of Rome – walking distance from the main attractions such as the Trevi fountain. We stayed in the hotel on the first night and had the hotel’s set menu – Antipasti, lasagne, veal and tiramisu. This was served at a leisurely pace which most of us weren’t entirely happy with – after the long flights all we wanted was some sustenance then to hit the sack. After two nights of little to no sleep, I was happy to have an early night.

The next morning we were up with the lark, and had breakfast in the hotel before setting out on a bus tour of the main sites and sights of central Rome, including a visit around (but not into – that comes later) the Vatican. We stopped at a couple of places for photo ops, including the Circus Maximus. Our guide, Marianna, told us about the history as we drove around. She’ll be our guide for the next couple of days.

The circus maximus

After a couple of hours we returned to the hotel and were released on our own recognisance to find lunch. There are plenty of little cafes around the area, so we selected a little place called Corsetti. We were lucky to get in early as no sooner had we sat down than the place began to fill up with local workers and similar, so it seemed to be a popular place.

In the afternoon we reassembled for our walking tour taking in the Trevi fountain and Pantheon. Also taking in the piazza Navona, which has three fountains.  We were duly walked around these and explained the significance, including the huge dome of the Pantheon, before arriving at our final destination – dinner at La Segrestia. Another table d’hôte menu, again served at snail’s pace. It’s regrettable to report that our dining experiences in Rome so far have been pretty dire – largely due to the selection made by Operatunity, I fear. Tomorrow’s fare is expected to be better…here’s hoping.

Garibaldi...not a biscuit

The Trevi fountain