WHEN IN ROME - Rachel En Route

I know, what a cliché.

But it was a great excuse to stuff my face full of pasta, pizza, and great wine while in Italy.

As I sit on a crammed bus with too many bags at my feet and an Indian mans’ knees pushing into the back of my seat, I glance over and notice the most stunning view. I am on my way to Florence after just leaving the eternal city and I see a grouping of Tuscan houses atop a lush, green hill, with an entire rainbow embracing it from above. It’s truly as if I have been dropped into ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’ or any other fictional movie based in Tuscany. No camera will ever capture that image. It doesn’t seem real.

Neither did tossing a coin into the Trevi Fountain, or walking the circumference of the Colosseum. Or sipping authentic Italian spaghetti on a Tuesday afternoon. But I did all of those things. I’ve always had the confidence that these things would be checked off the bucket list

one day,

but you just never know.

‘One day’ can have quite the effect on your life if you allow it. And not in a positive way. I can’t imagine waking up in another 25 years, not having witnessed some of the most iconic landmarks of our lifetime. Simply because I expected it would happen ‘one day’.

For our third, and final day in Rome, we woke up early to make our way to the infamous colosseum. Depending on what time of the year you visit the colosseum, may make a difference when deciding which route to take when buying tickets. Seeing as this was my first time visiting the colosseum, I only have my own experience to share {as always, haters}. You have a few options when visiting the colosseum. The first being, risk the queue, wait the designated amount, and purchase tickets once inside. The second being, purchase ‘skip-the-line’ tickets online designating a time to arrive at the colosseum, and then do so. And the final, purchasing tickets for the colosseum at Palatine Hill the day before, and standing in a different queue to enter the colosseum the next morning.

Eric and I went with option number three. We took the slight risk of having to queue, and purchased our regular {not skipping any lines} tickets at Palatine Hill the afternoon before. We arrived a half hour prior to the opening hour of 8:30 AM. Guys, we were the fourth and fifth humans to enter the colosseum that morning. Again, this was in the beginning of September when technical ‘peak season’ had ended. But I was expecting so much worse…

The ‘skip the line’ tickets have advantages in the sense that you can choose your arrival time. For example, 8:30 AM brings with it a sun that hasn’t completed risen, causing most of the photos you take to be shadowed. But you are paying at least double what you would normally, if you purchase a ‘skip the line’ ticket. It all depends on your preference.

Eric and I took it upon ourselves to wait out the sunshine and wander about the colosseum for about an hour or so until I could capture some decent light in my photographs. Killing time in the colosseum is not a bad place to find yourself in… at least in 2016. It was strange, being in the same arena as so many unfortunate souls were in the past. If killing for entertainment is on the menu, it is a place I need to be far, far away from. I was just as in awe, as I was in pain, thinking of the history that occurred at the colosseum. I hope history will never repeat itself in this case, although the Hunger Game series has given some maniac out there some good ideas if it does.

Upon leaving the colosseum, we wandered to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. Both are included in the price of the colosseum ticket {hence why you can purchase tickets for the colosseum at Palatine Hill}. It was worth the time to visit both of these. We then found ourselves craving pasta, and when in Rome…

It’s true, the pasta is actually that much better in Italy than anywhere else in the world.

Our final stop of the afternoon was the Trevi Fountain, a highlight for me. I have always imagined myself throwing a coin {or 17 in order to get a good photo} into the fountain ‘one day’. But I am glad it only took me 25 years to do so. The fountain is crowwwwded. So be prepared.

You are meant to throw two coins into the fountain.

The first guarantees you will return to Rome. The second, you will find romance. You are also supposed to throw the coin over your left shoulder, using your right hand.

I did it wrong. Typically.

But I will make it my mission to return to Rome, and I’ve already landed a hot kiwi so I’m good in that department.