Treasure and flip flops in Rome

 

Day 1

No camping involved, but a 3 day getaway to Rome.  Purchased on Groupon from a dodgy Travel Company for the OH's birthday, it was no hardship going along with him (well it was sometimes tbh)

After checking with the airline and hotel that they actually had our bookings, we flew to Rome early Sunday morning

Customs were interesting.  15 minutes while my bag was packed, repacked, pulled apart.  It was a teensy cabin bag, so wasn't really expecting this.  It turns out my 'flick knife' was causing concern.  Once the whole of Birmingham Airport had seen my entire baggage contents, and luckily just before the anal searches started, they found the 'flick knife'

I am just composing my letter to boots about their travel toothbrush design

Dropped the bags off quick at the hotel and planned to go straight out, but I couldn't work out why the wet wipes I used kept changing purple.  It was only when the OH said you are purple all over that I had to investigate further.  On taking off my practical new purple t-shirt, it seems that 99% of the dye was now adhered to my body.  It took 3 showers to actually remove all trace of the bloody dye.  Now i know I am gruffalo obsessive, but I have no intention of walking round with purple prickles all over my blummin back

A quick rinse....

The plan was to do a few geocaches around Rome so that we could take in the sites, but find some of the more offbeat places on the way.  As a large amount of walking was planned, we both brought out heavy walking boots.  At 34 degrees, these were perhaps a bit impractical, so first call was kitting Steve (the other half) out in flip flops.  Easy task you would think, but obviously no.  To most people wearing flip flops is a simple process.  But it transpires Steve has flipflopphobia.  So 3 hours of whinging, moaning and ranting followed.  He would not put his toes in the shoe as he got blisters.  Then he moaned they were too small and his feet were hanging over (which they were because he wouldn't put his bloody toes in them)

Getting the hang of them now...

Didn't get an awful lot done the first day apart from a few geocaches mainly around the colloseum, but at least Gruffs is a bit of an expert now (he was more pleasant company than Steve and his bloody flip flops by now)

 

 

 

 

 

It was getting late so we finished off with a meal and a few cocktails. Shame the youngsters can't keep up

 

 

We obviously drank more than the average tourist as they started serving us every bit of left over food in the building

Then it was back to the tube for the trip home.  I'm not sure what speed these actually travel at, but I think they actually warp from station to station faster than the speed of light....

Had the usual game of spot the 'looky likey' on the tube

Amazingly, after ridiculous amounts of alcohol this actually was Jeff Goldblum, and was referred to as 'The Fly' all the way home

Day 2

 

Up bright and early to do the tourist bits, visiting the sistine chapel, vatican etc. 

We were stopped on the way in as we had to cover our shoulders and knees.  Had to buy a couple of scarves so we could go in.  Unfortunately a bit got lost in translation, so Steve thought he had to cover his knees as well (being 4ft 2" there wasn't a lot showing anyway) .  On re-entry the security pulled him aside and asked him to remove the scarf as it wasn't a 'carnival'...oops....

David Beckham eat your heart out...

Brief walk up the basilica (551 steps in 34 degrees was interesting)

 

Just have to walk down again now..

 

More steps...

 

 

 

Inside St Peters

 

 

 

 

Think I would have been bodily removed if I took pics of Gruffs lighting a candle, so I didn't attempt it

No photo's allowed in the sistine chapel, so here is a photo in the sistine chapel from behind a newspaper...

loads of corridors like this, so took stupid amounts of pics and have to post them now

woohoo the pope has a veedub!!

i dont think he actually wanted it, it was a present. Makes a change from bibles and rosary beads i suppose

Gruff sized carriages

Brief stop for a ice cream complete with pope wafer...

 

A scared looking Gruff being accosted by some strange beggar woman.  (he had no money on him, didn't want to buy an umbrella/scarf/hat so dunno why she robbed him)

 

 

 

In the afternoon we went mooching again, combined a couple of geocaches with the sights.

The Spanish Steps were hard work for Gruffs little legs

 

Then next stop was the Trevi fountain

 

 

Cmon Gruffs make a wish...

 

 

well...it seems to have worked...

 

 

Stop for ice creams was longer than expected as we sat rattling to some brits for about 2 hours

 

 

 

 

Then back to the colosseum for more alcohol and a meal before another early start tomorrow

 

Day 3

Yet more geocaching around Circus Maximus and the Forum

 

Spartacus race track....(actually is just a grassy bit now - you need a good imagination for Rome)

 

 

 

 

Then a walk up through the parks to out of the centre as I wanted to visit a keyhole....

 

So up to the Villa Malta until we found a few people hanging around a door

 

 

 

Steve first....

 

 

Then gruffs of course...

 

 

Then trying to poke the camera through to get a picture...

 

 

And off we went!

 

A visit to the mouth of truth next

 

Had to queue

 

 

 

Gruffs escaped unscathed, but that little crappy mouse would have been eaten for being a nasty liar

 

 

 

Finally back to the colosseum to actually get in when it was open..

 

Went to check the colosseum geocache, but they obviously take this geocaching very seriously in Rome.  It had it's own security parked by it

Did finally log it, and got 2 trackables, one from canada and 1 from Austria which was exciting. The unfortunate people who left them there will now find I have removed them and took them to craphole in the Midlands

 

 

Bloody hot at the colosseum

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another meal in 'gay street'. We were treated to an outdoor disco tonight

 

 

And thats about it!

 

Quick tear arse across rome in the morning (we were late) and back to Birmingham for 1pm

 

An emotional reunion...