Lucky in Roma

Our hostel for the last night in Rome was...interesting.
The reception area looked a little sketchy, was hot, and not the cleanest, but hey. When in Rome, right?
Then we got some interesting news. They told us we were actually going to stay in an apartment a couple of blocks down the street, and that we would have to come get our key later in the day.
Okay, that works.
So we head out for the day, and get on the bus to take another infamous bus tour around the city. We stop first at the Colosseum - our night tour walked by, but we hadn't gotten to see the inside yet.
The line was ridiculous, but we really wanted to see inside, so we stood in the heat and melted for an hour or so.
Getting admittance tickets - one word - crazy.
All of the sudden, the civil line becomes chaos and people are shoving past one another to get to the front. Whoa. So Leslie made her way bravely through the jumbled mass of bodies and surfaced once again with two tickets in hand.
What a warrior! Or should I say, gladiator?
We were so glad we went inside. I was in awe at the size of the stadium and in its construction. During the heyday of the Roman Empire, people crowded into this stadium. You had to have a seat reserved to see the gladiators fight. Even if you were a woman or a slave and could only view from the very top level. (Women were required to sit separately to prevent promiscuity during the entertainment). The gladiators, contrary to Russell Crowe's 21st century part, were educated in fighting techniques and went through training before they were allowed to fight in the Colosseum.
Underneath the ground where these men fought is a locket-type area where gladiators got ready for battle and put on their gear.
The Romans had quite a system.
Next, we got back on the bus, heading to St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. And then we saw the line, curving around almost 5 streets to get into the museum and the chapel. No way, we said, no way.
It was about 2 in the afternoon, we hadn't eaten yet, and there was just no way we could stand in that line. So we found food. We were both really disappointed - this is the Sistine Chapel! And only feet away....
But the food we ate was amazing, we had a 4 course meal for 11 euro - so cheap! Pasta, salad, fish, and fruit. Yum.
And sitting there chatting after our meal, just across the street from the Vatican Museums, Leslie said, "There's no line!"
What?! What do you mean?!
We go outside - and the line had literally just disappeared. Not there. YES!
We later confirmed, as we had suspected, that the museums close around four-ish, so no one was lined up at 3:15.
Well, we walked right through, paid our entrance fee, and headed toward the chapel.
Not one inch of this structure was left unpainted, it was unbelievable. And the actual room where Michelangelo created his masterpiece took forever to walk to.
We entered the museum just before 3:30, and walked out at 4:30. We didn't stop while walking through - that's how big and how crowded the chapel was. We just kept walking, admiring the incredible art.
Even when you get to Michelangelo's masterpiece, security herds you into the room like cattle and keeps you moving through. Bodies crunched together everywhere, you just have to let yourself be carried by the crowd while you snap photos of the artwork. It's nuts.
But the idea is that everyone keeps moving...and still it takes an hour to walk through.
The paintings were just amazing, spread across walls and ceilings alike. In a couple of the rooms, the artwork was painted with shadows, so it really confuses the mind.
You think it's sculpted because it appears so realistically three-dimensional. It's beyond comprehension.
Some of the best painting that I have ever seen.
And Michelangelo's work is incredible. Such talent, such time. Indescribable really.

Success! We got into the museums! Because of our 4 course meal across the street! So great!
Celebration with huge gelato cones smeared with whipped cream. Mmmm.

We went back to the hostel, were led down the street to our room, which ended up being really nice actually. Definitely better than the reception area.
And then we did laundry - our first time on the trip washing clothes. Boy, did we smell. No getting around that, ha!

Washed clothes, used internet, then we were out for a late-night drink.
We noticed while getting ready that we had roommates in a couple of the other beds, but no one in sight. We thought they'd turn up later...

Surprisingly, we had trouble finding open restaurant at 11 pm on a Friday night. But we eventually found one near the city center, and enjoyed white wine with an excellent rice dish and bread.

We strolled back home and passed out, still no roommates to be seen. At 2 am.

Well, they finally showed up, but we didn't hear them come in. And I hope they slept through our departure - we tried to be quiet.

Our next stop was Bari, where we would have to find a ferry to Patras, where we would need to take a train to Athens. I know, sounds easy, right? =)