Roaming Through Rome - Italy

Finally! Our last and most awaited stop on our Mediterranean cruise. Rome, Italy. 

Rome is a little inland from the ocean so we ported at a town called Civitavecchia. There isn't a whole lot to do in this town. Cruise ships stop here because of its proximity to Rome. So if you book a Western Mediterranean cruise on it and it says Civitavecchia, that is your Rome stop and you should make every effort to make it there.

Why? Because of this shot right here. This is just a bus stop on any old street in Rome. Nothing really stands out and makes it special. Only the 2,000 year old columns from an ancient building next to 500 year old house on the right with a 50 year old street light illuminating the street that has probably been used for traffic in some form for over 2,500 years. This is Rome. Thousands and thousands of years of history and different eras and time periods crowded and mashed together forming this hodgepodge of architectural chaos that is seemingly alive and beautiful. 

Our path in Rome took us by Capitoline Hill, one of the seven hills in Rome. It's also where we get our word for capitol. 

There is evidence, like this ancient oven and brick structure, that Capitoline Hill has been settled for over 4,000 years. This here has been dated to over 3,000 years old and it just is on the street where you walk by on the sidewalk, plain as day.

This monstrosity is the Altare della Patria, a monument completed in 1925 to the first king of Italy after its unification. This building has caused major controversy due to the fact that to make room for it many ancient and medieval buildings were destroyed. It is the biggest structure in Rome and its white marble facade makes it stick out like a sore thumb.

Rome has all its major tourist attractions, but when you wander the streets, off the beaten track, you can find things like this - buildings with your name on it and ancient excavations in the middle of regular Roman neighborhoods.

This is the Pantheon. It is the most well preserved building from ancient Rome. Built between 27 BC and 14 AD, it has been in continuous use since it was constructed 2,000 years ago. 

Here I am with the kidlets inside. It is breathtaking! All the marble and the columns just amaze me. 

Here is the real marvel though. This geometrically perfect semi-circle roof that reaches a point in the center for light to come in. This roof is completely self-supporting. It has no columns at all. I wonder how many of our concrete buildings will be standing in 2,000 years.

Rome is famous for its fountains and the fresh water they bring into the city. While they are no longer the main source of water for drinking and bathing for Rome's citizens, they have come to epitomize Rome and are guarded as national treasures. This is the Fontana die Quattro Fiumi fountain situated in the Piazza Navona. 

It is a pretty nice place to hang out and to have a snack. Obviously.

Next we ran over to the Colosseum, the iconic symbol of Italy and Rome. 

The Colosseum is the largest amphitheater in the world. It is truly amazing. I feel like I say that a lot. That something is truly amazing, but that is really how I feel. These places just blow me away and sometimes all I am left with is, "Amazing!"

The Colosseum was built in 80 AD and had many uses. I am sure you have heard about the gladiators and chariot races and lion fighting, like I have. Ancient Rome seems like a pretty violent place.

The Colosseum was currently being cleaned and stabilized. The south wall collapsed back in 1349 when a great earthquake struck Rome. Scavengers took the fallen stone to build other structures through out Rome.

Across from the Colosseum and built into the side of a hill is the impressive and large Forum. The Forum was the center of Roman life.

The Forum originally started as an open air marketplace, but it quickly outgrew that need as political speeches and government service took up more and more room. It eventually became the center for all political and judicial life in the the city.

The Forum was used from the 7th century BC until the 13th century AD, when the buildings, which had mostly been abandoned, were dismantled for their stone and the site became a dumping place and cattle pen.

Excavation of the Forum began in the late 1700's with the current excavation ending in the 20th century. Ruins from different centuries are shown together due to the Romans tendency to build on former building sites.

We saw the ruins for the Temple of the Vestal Virgins.

And ruins for other temples and court houses.

And the ruins for the Temple of Caesar, a temple built for Julius Caesar after he was murdered nearby on the steps of the senate.

We saw the 2,000 year old Roman Senate building which was largely left intact due to the fact it was turned into a church. 

We saw so much history packed into one area the size of a basic city block. It was mind-blowing to think of all the things that had happened in that area in the last 2,700 years since it was used. 

The sun was beginning to set on an absolutely perfect day. I stood in the middle of the ancient Roman Forum feeling so small. So insignificant. But yet so lucky to have seen this place. To read about the people who lived and worked here. 

And of course, I continued to take pictures.

The golden, winter sun warming the roofs of Rome. I can see why my good friend Rick Steves calls this place Bella Roma, or beautiful Rome.

And in such a beautiful place, what does one do? Take pictures of the ones you love in a beautiful place, of course.

All my peeps.

More people I love. Mr. and Mrs. Point with their kidlets.

I had one last look around the Forum. The fact that the sun was setting right as I took one last glance around the Forum added a kind of finishing effect to the day. I stood quietly in the practically deserted Forum and thought one last time about all the people who had lived here, worked here, and died here. Could I hear them still? Did their voices echo here after all these years? Did they walk the ancient streets? Would people know in 100 years that I stood here once? Probably not. I did not leave a mark on Rome to let people of the future know that "I was here." But Rome left its mark on me. I think it is one of my favorite, if not my favorite city we have visited here in Europe. Make sure you get out and see it.

Very Cool Valencia - Spain

Our cruise on the Mediterranean in November had been going for over a week at this point. Believe it or not, living on a cruise boat can start to take on a tiny bit of monotony. Sleep in, buffet, lounge by the pool, buffet, take a nap, buffet, read a book, buffet, chat with friends, buffet, lounge by pool again, buffet. The days at sea are relaxing, but once the novelty of sitting around wears off, it borders on boring. At this point we had spent almost a whole month of 2013 on a cruise boat. I can hear what you are saying. "Po-or Kelly! She has cruised around Europe so much it has become boring!" I know, I know. I hate me a little bit too right now. 

On to Valencia!

We left the choppy seas of the open Atlantic behind us and sailed into the calmer waters of the Mediterranean with Spain's east coast in our sights.

One of our first stops in almost every new city is the large, medieval cathedral that dominates most European city-centers. Valencia's cathedral is dated to 1270 AD. I don't know how old the McDonald's is that shares this square with the centuries old cathedral. And for our group the McDonald's was more inspiring than the cathedral. They had WIFI after all. (Cut us some slack. We've seen a lot, I mean a lot of cathedrals.)

It seems like almost every old, cool thing we want to see in Europe is in some state of repair. I guess when things have been around for 800 years they need a little upkeep.

Valencia is the home of paella. That wonderful dish of spicy rice, vegetables, and sometimes meat. So of course we had to have some.

This tower looks misplaced among these modern looking apartment buildings. But this tower was likely here for hundreds of years before the apartments.

While we were here I wanted to get some pictures of orange trees. After all, isn't that what Valencia is famous for? Its oranges? Turns out the oranges that are so yummy, valencia oranges, aren't from Valencia at all. They are from California. They are just named after this town in Spain because oranges grow here. Bummer. So enjoy this picture of some non-valencia oranges in Valencia.

After some paella and non-valencia orange trees, we walked around Valencia enjoying the unique Spanish architecture.

Here is another side of the cathedral. If my describing Valencia seems a little ho-hum, that's because I felt a little ho-hum about Valencia. Don't get me wrong, it was beautiful! But it was our third stop in Spain and Valencia just didn't seem to jump out at me the way Seville, Cadiz, and Barcelona did. Maybe it was just that it was overcast that day. I should go back on a sunny day and see if it really grabs me.

We sat by this fountain and had ice cream. It was pretty good. As I sit now thinking back about our day in Valencia, I realize it was a fairly relaxing day. No rushing, no driving, no feeling like we missed something. So actually, a pretty cool day. Scratch that. Very cool.

We completed our circuit of Valencia and took one more chance to pose with flowers, palm trees, and oranges. What I've come to decided is that even a mildly boring day in Spain is still pretty darn good compared to any regular day. 

Up next - Rome, Italy!

Want to read about our day before in Portugal? Click HERE for part 1 and HERE for part 2.

The Coast Of Portugal

We had just finished up the day in Sintra, Portugal and it was time to head back to the cruise boat. We gave ourselves a little extra time in case we saw some things we wanted to stop and see on the way. It's a good thing we gave ourselves all that time because we saw a lot of cool things. Here are some of them.

Here is where mainland Europe reaches its furthest point out in the sea and the cold Atlantic battles the cliffs of Portugal.

Remains of an old fort built to defend Portugal slowly crumble into the ocean.

It's easy to see why some people call this place "where the land ends and the sea begins." It is the perfect mix of rocks, beach, and waves.

On our way back to Lisbon, we passed through Cascais, a small little sea-side town. Here in the cliffs along the beach is a cavern called Boca do Inferno, Hell's Mouth. So called because the waves beat here so hard that if you were caught down in this cave, I guess it would be like being in hell. Maybe?

The quaint hamlet of Cascais, Portugal. Lighthouse, cliffs, ocean, sky. What more do you need?

Mrs. Albania's husband and Mr. Point looking up at us.

I have always thought the ocean was the perfect backdrop for a picture. Smile Matt!

After leaving Cascais, we drove along the coast back to Lisbon where we passed this Portuguese fortress where people were body surfing in the waves breaking on shore.

We traveled back to the port in Lisbon. By the time we arrived, the sun had begun to set, treating us to this beautiful display of color. A spectacular canvas for the Cristo Rei (Christ the King) statue to look down over all of Lisbon.

We embarked on the ship and went to the back decks to get one last glimpse of Portugal. We were speechless as we silently slipped back into the Atlantic, watching the evening sky awash in flame like brushes of color.

As beautiful as that sunset was, it was not my favorite moment in Portugal. 

I think this one was. Sitting on a rocky coast in the sun, ocean wind whipping our hair, smiling into the camera, surrounded by my favorite people in the world. 

Up next, Valencia, Spain!

Want to read about the first part of our day in Portugal? Click HERE!