Monday, September 3, 2018

The Italian Traveller

For an Indian who travels on the Bangalore roads, any foreign street would appear magical. Imagine Rome! You will instantly fall in love with the city and with the people.. Italians are quite cheerful people..

We arrived at the Rome airport in the afternoon. Emirates have better cook comparatively, since we ate sandwich in the flight,we weren't really hungry. After learning on which counter our bags arrive., We collected our bags and my baby's stroller ! The airport is not as big as Dubai's or Singapore.. So we collected our bus pass, called the Roma pass at stall near exit..Also we took new sim,TIM .

 Since we booked the trip through 'pick your trail' ,they had prebooked our Roma pass, which could be used for train , bus within the city and free entry for few museums. After collecting the Roma pass we went on to buy a sim. Because we had just arrived from India,35 euros was a lot of money for us. With 15 GB data and minimum talk time, 35 euros plan was sufficient for our 8 days trip in Italy.. our agent had booked a taxi to the hotel.. the driver would be waiting with our name on a board.. so this was easy for us, we didn't bother which bus/train to catch to go to the hotel, especially after a long flight journey.The driver seat is on the left, and seat belt is a must for everybody, Even if you are sitting in the back seat.. these taxis are quite different from ours.. they have a huge trunk space, all our bags including baby stroller could easily fit into it..The airport is quite far from the city.. it's about 30-40 minutes drive from a city center..(I guess that's okay, because we drive 2-3 hours to reach our Bengaluru international airport)

The moment we got off the taxi(didn't pay anything, since it was prebooked) ,we came to know that our trip is going to be full of ups and downs,  literally , everywhere there are steps up and down and roads as well.  Our hotel,Palazzo Al velabro was in the city center and quite easily accessible to bus stop and pizzeria..It was like a service apartment ,we had a dining hall and and a kitchenet as well. After almost 12-18 hours of journey, we were desperate to fresh up. We had a half day to roam around so we asked our receptionist about nearby restaurants. The guy was very friendly and helpful and advised us to go to a nearby locality.. Trust me, instead of Google, Consult a local about how to properly see their city..and only in the hotels and few tourist place, Italians talk English (if you don't speak English,no big deal, unlike INDIA) So, He told us to go to a area called 'Trastevere' about a kilometer walk and across the Tiber River.The area was built in15th century,it's old charm will take you back to olden days..

Believe me ,it was a very beautiful walk. Rome is best explored through a walk. Cobble stone Street, beautiful walkways, narrow roads tucked by old fashioned  medieval buildings, nothing less than a magic. Our stroller was very helpful ,my daughter is 2 years old. Carrying her is difficult and she can't walk long distance.. so the stroller was a bless !!

We crossed the bridge on the Tiber River and took stairs down,on the river banks ,you will find few caffeteria.and hookah bars..My daughter was hungry and we ordered her favorite dish, french fries and my father and my husband ordered beer. For 5 Euro we get a large quantity of fries.After spending some quality time we headed to a nearby Indian restaurant, restorante indiano, as Italians call it.The prices are reasonable, the waiter said that they collect table charge, which is 1 euro per person..so recommend to take away food to our hotel..So very nice of him. While we were at restaurant,my husband went to a nearby store to get some fruits for my daughter..you will find a lot of Bangladesh people,at a local fruit stall, selling small objects, selling water bottles and stuff like that..

It was 8.30 pm ,the sun was about to set. We hired a taxi from there. On asking the fare,the drivers will give you the average cost,  if it suits your budget you can hire..

It's 10 th August, we welcomed the sun.. the Summers are really hot there.. we didn't face any problem as we are used to hot climate back here .

We had the typical English breakfast in the morning.the list goes like this.....bread ,butter, variety of jam and ham and cakes and crossiants and mozerella,my favorite and Hot chocolate !! Its really yummy.
Never search for an Indian restaurant till you are in Italy !! The Italian Cusine is popular world wide..Eat Italian when you are in Italy, for rest of your life you can eat parantha(north India) or sambar rice(south India)..
We enquired about the bus which goes to St.castle angello. The receptionist told the bus number 81 and where would it stop. Actually the bus stop is very close to the hotel and the buses have numbers which Take the certain routes and what all stops it would cover..
So after 10-15 minutes wait(they have got a display board to show which bus number is next and approximately what time it's arriving),the bus arrives and we must get off near st.castle angello, but the fun part, nobody knows where it is, we tried asking 3-4 local italians,they all looked puzzled after hearing that word. Because we pronounced it wrong,or say we asked in English! They call it santa cassello.Italian buses wouldn't display the next stop names, so it's a bit difficult to Know about the stops and where exactly we need to get down..
 Fortunately,we came across our far relative, I mean ,Mr. Bangladesh understood what were we looking for., He guided us really well and we finally reached 'santa cassello' as italians would call it . Their stood a magnificent castle across the river 

PYT  had mailed us the tickets voucher, so we easily cut the queue and were about to enter the castle when a security guy came running behind us, we are not supposed to take stroller inside because there are a lot of steps up and down and we can't carry both the baby and the stroller. So we left the stroller in the locker room near the entrance..
The castle has a history of over 1000 years. Some part of it was reconstructed. The castle is a must visit giving you the glimpse of a history..They have a story for every stone and pillars ! And the story worth to be told..

You get a beautiful view of a city on reaching the first floor.It will take minimum of 2-3 hours to explore the castle. Before going to the castle, opposite to the bridge,we found a small tobacco shop and they were selling a carton of water !! Hurry !yes ! Yes !! Water and why not , we we're paying a euro to half litre bottle..My husband was more interested to buy water than to visit st.castle..Whenever you come across such shops buy a carton of water bottle without a second thought..
After our trip to castle , we were quite exhausted, Just across the the castle, take a opposite road going down, you will find few pizzeria.We ordered spaghetti with basil pesto and a mozerella topping pizza .It was pretty tasty and the bill around 20 Euros . After that we hired a taxi to our hotel 'Palazzo Al velabro' , as usual before hiring a taxi we enquired about the fare, and the driver said it would be around 9-10 euros, since we were very tired to go by bus we agreed on that fare and started our drive..  Here's a small story about a driver, rather a experience ,he was young and carefree but honest person,  he appeared drunk and took few extra rounds before dropping us but he charged us the exact amount what he had mentioned before we boarded the taxi. We came to know that he was going in the wrong direction, we said something he said something else and after few exchange of statements he came to know what we were talking about. The taxi meter shows 15 euro but he said the bill is 10 euro because he had taken an extra round., Why would we care? We got to see the off beat streets in the taxi for free !! 
In the evening we were set to go to the Colosseum ..since it was 2-3 kms from our hotel, we decided to go by walk.. There it is , the Colosseum, again we had pre booked with 'PYT',so we could cut the queue, really a bless!! Because of it popularity,Italy attracts crowd from all over the globe..
Security check again ! and this time there weren't any lockers !We had a mini stroller which had the following items -water bottles, baby food, diapers, camera , selfie stick......and so on, maybe the would have allowed camera and bag pack, the stroller and few other items weren't allowed..So my husband waited along with the stroller while me and my father and daughter completed our much waited Colosseum trip.. there's not much of walking and it might take 30-40 minutes to watch it , unlike the museums which requires 2-3 hours. We just kept staring at those fallen walls and broken bricks, it surely take you back to those days, i mean  around 1000 years back.... It's really amazing to see something which is 1000 years old.



We boarded the bus and used our Roma pass and got down at the bus stop near our hotel. It was around 7.30 or 8 pm .,the sun was about to set , perfect time to grab a bottle of wine or beer after such a long day.. There was a small pizzeria near our hotel, men ordered beer while I was checking for vegetarian cuisine. Spaghetti is the only vegetarian food they had..After Dinner we went to the bed early, so that we could start early to the Vatican city ,the next day..We were supposed to reach there as early as possible because it is always crowded and the summer vacations add to the crowd.. 

So the next morning we get ready, since we were going to the church, we were all dressed to cover our knees and shoulders. I had read about it earlier,that visitors need to dress appropriately(avoid shorts and sleeveless).We hired the taxi to the Vatican museum. PYT had prebooked our entry tickets, we could just show the vouchers and enter.. 

We were about to enter when a Bangladeshi stopped us. He was trying to sell the tickets which we already had. He wouldn't stop there,he offered another package for 20-25 Euro per head, and that he would help us see the museum in shortest way possible! We were skeptical and didn't entertain him. He started like, you have a baby and it's very difficult  to explore by yourselves and silly things like that. For one moment I wanted to believe him but he suddenly reduced the package amount from 20 Euros to 15 Euros and said he did that because he thought Indians are like his brothers! . Now we weren't doubtful but clear that this guy is a waste of time and money and be aware of such agents. There is no need to hire such guides ,they are not authentic. So we firmly said 'no' to  him and entered the museum..

We produced our PYT vouchers at the counters and went through the security checks, they allowed the
Baby food and stroller, we also had another stroller that had extra few things which they didn't allow. They issued us token , upon producing it we would get our bags back.. So tickets were verified, our extra bags at the security deposit, we were all set to explore the Vatican museum !! The moment we hear the word Vatican ,it reminds us of our history books back in school days! Not only does it have a rich history,but is a mystery in itself ! The country lies within the Rome city, population less than 5,000 and is a home to the pope. Sistine Chappelle is the largest Catholic church in the world.and Vatican museum is the largest museum in the world. It takes months to explore Vatican museum. 4-5 days to just  glance at all the paintings and monuments briefly,but with that summer crowd and a overactive kid,We had no option but to cover it with-in 4-5 hours..  The paintings and monuments are centuries old and so beautiful that they take your breath away. And it's difficult and unfair to describe its beauty in words. Just go there and watch it and bring back the memories..We have been there, watched the paintings, touched the monuments (check before, if you are allowed to touch), we could feel the presence of the artists who have poured their hearts out into the paintings and monuments ! 


We collected our bag from security deposit and arrived at the exit. we found a Caravan selling snacks, just what we needed. we ordered double scoop Gelato and a vegetarian sandwich, so now we had our quick lunch and we had a half day left and we were super tired.. just wondering what to do next and Voila!! we found a hop on hop off bus, just what we needed..it was €12 per person and they would cover the major attractions and it would take around an hour..so  it was a good idea to give some rest to our legs while we see the city. so we hopped on quickly to gaze  the beautiful city of Rome. We hoped, the journey of cobblestone streets mediaeval buildings and clear skies never ended but all beautiful things must end !!  Bus dropped us at the Saint Peter's square which is  just besides the museum ,we walked down till the Saint Peter's square observed the beautiful architectural buildings  and headed back. on the way back we found few water taps and we were quick to refill our bottles and not to forget there was a queue for that.There were also few Pizzeria and tobacco shops,it's called tabacherri shops in Italy,where we bought some beer . we hire the taxi to our hotel we again enquire taxi fare before we hire.As soon as we reached the hotel,  we all got the quick nap and were up for some more sightseeing.We had couple of things on mind, like trevi fountain and Spanish steps, which would again be energy consuming and super crowded , we just wanted to spend some alone quality time with the city !! So we skipped it and took a off beat path and started walking down any street which we felt like walking....After walking some distance, we found a square (you'll find such squares every few kilometers).My daughter was sleeping in her stroller, we just sat on the steps and started to stare our surrounding, which looked like it was a beautiful painting. The sun was about to set, the sky was golden,the breeze was cool.. I just wanted to sit there forever staring at nothing !!

After that , We took the tram to the same Jaipur restaurant and ordered some rice, to keep it light because we had train the next morning to the Florence !!


No comments:

Post a Comment