Finally, I am here and ready to account our (Abhi and mine) first overseas trip together to Italy, France and UK. The charm still endures and I guess it is going to be there forever. Moreover, the difficulty and the high degree of uncertainty we faced, it was a well-deserved prize. Till one day before our onset, we were not sure if we were going or not! But, All is well, if it ends well!

Key Things to Act upon from beforehand:

1. If you require a visa, get it done before time coz of the very own working pace of the European Embassy  and the “False Emergency” created by people who apply for their visa 6 months in advance. Our case was exactly opposite, we got our Schengen visa in straight 3 days due to our esp Abhi’s unwavering persistence and determination.
2. If you want an economy trip and want to make the most of it, try booking  centrally located hostels(which are modest but quite decent and clean and friendly) for accommodation in proximity to metro, subway ,train, bus or waterbus station. You save a lot of time and your options multiply.
3. Get an idea of the spots you want to visit in a particular city or town and make a list as per your taste and likings. Apart from the regular touristy places, you can also visit some of the less known but better spots. All depends on your exploration skills and desires. Also, get an idea of their locations(the nearest bus/train stop from there) especially in big cities, this way you can be a little organized in your ventures and usage of public transport. Look for the interactive maps(for tourist spots, transportation etc) available online. Book the tickets for famous monuments and museums from beforehand to save the time standing in the line.
4. Eat well so that you can walk and stroll around places in good mood(I get finicky when hungry)and absorb and feel the essence of the place.

We started on Dec 18,2009 around 6:45pm for London, from where we had a connecting flight to the eternal city of Roma(Rome). I was privileged to have the window seat on all our flights. While still in sky, I was able to have a glimpse of the mighty snow covered alps. At the Rome FCO airport, there was minimal checking and we headed to the train station to take the metro to the Roma Termini (The central train station in Rome) and from where our hostel was a 2 min walk. Do not trust the tour operators and bus service operators for what they say, most of the time they will try to trick you for an extra euro. Buy your ticket from the ticket machine or any newspaper/tobacco stand. On our metro ride from the airport, we found the residential apartments very similar to the one’s in India with the balcony’s lined with clothes for sun drying.

On reaching the hotel, we entered a tiny ancient elevator, that hardly fitted 2 of us with our luggage, but it took us to our floor. We got the city and transportation map from the hotel manager with some basic knowledge about the commute.

Day-1 in Rome:

On our way to the metro station, we picked up a tourist map and started for the Vatican City. We took Bus#64 that crossed the Tiber river and in around 20min reached our first destination. I was awestruck by the beauty and the aura of the place. The piazza , the church, pillars…….everything had so much history to tell. Soon we were in the security line to enter the St. Peter’s Basilica and in around 15min, we were inside it. There were tombs and sculptors of various popes. Inside, the church had innumerable altars each with a different set of frescos, embellishments, sculptors and symbols. We attended mass for and in the end received the holy food which the Indians call “Prasad”. The music was during the mass was very soothing and divine. We roamed for several hours, went inside a museum in the Basilica and also went to the top of the dome through an unending flight of stairs. From the top, I had the glimpse of the beautifully laid Vatican city. We were very hungry after getting out from the church, hence after a long search was able to find a nice place to eat and stuffed ourselves with pizza and hot chocolate. Then we took the same bus#64 back to Piazza Venezia. After spending sometime there, we decided to go to Fontana Di  Trevi and have some authentic gelato. It was getting dark. The lanes that led us to our next spot were lined with designer label shops and all of them were crowded. The first sight Fontana Di Trevi  was a fresh breath of air and we were there at the right time! It is such a beautiful creation especially with the lights, hats off to the geniuses whose idea it was! After taking few shots amidst the hordes of tourists and absorbing the beauty, we headed for a train station, but instead reached the Spanish Steps which was in the middle of a shopping centre! We went up the flight of stairs to a beautiful church and after relaxing there, headed again towards the train station right next to it to go back to the hotel! It was a day! Had our dinner and slept peacefully.

Day-2 in Rome:

Woke up early, got ready , had Italian breakfast with fresh orange juice and moved straight for the coliseum by bus#87.Got our tickets and took the audio tour. We started from the second floor, listened to the stories each spot and piece of art had behind it, moved to the first floor. It started to rain and we had our umbrellas. I cannot describe the grandness of the coliseum. It could hold 50000 people at one time without any commotion. Each class in the society had a place to sit, the lower your rank was, the farther from the arena your seat was assigned. The exits were also designed in a fashion that there was no stampede once the show ended. The gladiators and the animals were brought to the arena in heroic fashion from underground tunnels and structures. The Roman empire took great care of its people , hence this show was free of cost.

Next, we went to the place of power-The Palantine Hill. It was mostly ruins, but each piece of rock was echoing the grandeur of the bygone era. Be it the king’s courtroom, the family home or the houses of the nobels . We kept moving up to the Roman forum. Then, Abhi was done for the day with rocks and stones, hence we took the bus  #87 from the coliseum to Piazza Navona. At Piazza Navona ,a big fair was going on and pampered ourselves with the street foods like Ciambelle(super sized doughnut).Our day ended there.

Day-3 in Rome:

It was raining, but we took the bus#64 to the treasure house which is the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. Today we had taken the full day pass as it was the last day in rome and we went several places. We kept moving and admiring the works, but I loved “The School of Athens” by Raphael the most. The ceilings, frescoes, tapestry, paintings, sculptures- everything was vivid, exotic, detailed and unique! It seemed like all the fine works of that era from around the world especially Egypt was brought in here and given a name. We came out hungry, still took the train to Piazza del  Popolo. After seeing quite a few piazzas’, this one seemed mediocre so we quickly went to a good Italian restaurant facing the piazza and treated ourselves. After filling ourselves, we took the train again to Fontana Di Trevi and had gelato, while admiring the beauty. It was getting late and next day we had an early morning train to Venice, hence we headed towards the train station. On reaching the common train and bus stop, we thought of taking a bus ride and took a round trip of the city in our local bus #64.Came back, washed, packed and slept.