The Ends of Rome and Last Day in Germany

I apologize for taking so long to finish blogging about my excellent trip. I tried to cram everything into the last couple of days, and it got slightly hectic which meant I had to finish this after getting home. Even so, it stayed in my drafts for a little bit.

My last days of Rome, I just ended up walking to see where I ended up. Of course, after the Pantheon and the Roman Forum. My last day in Rome was absolutely perfect! I got on the train and rode out to the Spanish Steps or Scalina Spagna, which connects the Spanish Square with the Trinita dei Monti, a French Catholic Church. The whole area is absolutely beautiful and severely crowded, but it is considered “The Meeting Place.” Even though it has the widest staircase in all of Europe, it was packed. I sat on the steps for a while, enjoyed my surroundings, and people watched. Off of the steps, there is the house that English poet John Keats lived and died in, and is now a museum of the English Romantic Generation.

The Spanish Square had all the grand shops or so it looked, so many of these people were doing their shopping. Granted, I suppose it was  “Spring Break” time and the weekend, so everyone was out. The weather could not have been any nicer. It was about 80 degrees in the day time, and at night it dropped about 30 degrees. So if you’re going to be out all day and night, make sure you bring a jacket or a sweater! 

The Pantheon was just beautiful.  The marble floor in the Pantheon is the original floor, so considering that it was built between 118 AD and 125 AD, that’s are to conceive of! And the rest of the beauty within was even more beautiful!  The stone columns were “shipped” from Egypt which, in itself, is amazing.

I sat by the fountain and just enjoyed the sun on my face. There must have been a choir competition because there were several choirs around the area. So, I just sat, watched and listened to the young kids singing in English, Italian, German, and Spanish. It was fun. Then, I decided to have lunch. I couldn’t have gotten a better view, as I enjoyed my “carbonara” and red wine. It was magical.

The staff at the restaurant was very kind and provided excellent service. This was one of the biggest meals I had on this trip. When I travel, I’m not usually hungry. and sometimes I forget to eat, but I usually try to have a little something to appreciate the cuisine of the countries I visit. After this meal, I was exhausted, but I forced myself to keep walking and enjoy everything. I began walking down a random street wondering where it was going to take me. I found a lot of street vendors, and so many artists, painting, drawing, spray painting, and drawing caricatures.. I enjoyed just watching them create.

Somehow through the random streets, I made it back to the Trevi Fountain, so, of course, I had to throw a coin over my shoulder. This is what tourists do to ensure that their wishes will come true.  And as much as I don’t like being referred to as a tourist, that’s exactly what I was. So I was going to do touristic things such as throwing the coins into the fountain. Plus, all the coins that are collected are donated to a Catholic charity called Caritas, which helps the poor and needy. Of course, it being the weekend, I  really had to maneuver through hundreds of people to get to the fountain. I sat on the fountain wall while I threw in my coin (or coins, you’ll never know!). It was slightly sad because you sit with your back facing the fountain, which is good for selfies, and throwing, but you miss out on the beauty and magic of the fountain. But you do see the people doing fun things around it. (I love people watching, if you hadn’t realized.) I didn’t want to sit at the fountain too long and rob others of their opportunity to be near it. The back of my shirt however decided that it wanted to take a dip, so I walked around with the tail of my shirt soaked from the marvelous Trevi.

• One Coin to Return to Rome
• Two Coins for a New Romance
• Three Coins for Marriage

How many coins did you throw in on your visit?

OH! There is a side fountain at the Trevi, where it’s said if you and your love drink from it, you will be partnered forever. While that’s a beautiful thought, and may be true, this fountain is recycled water. So. I wouldn’t really suggest that.

I went browsing around the Roman ruins for a while and while looking at the Roman Forum, I came into contact with so many Americans. Actually, this was true throughout Italy. In the airport in Germany, I met some people from Minnesota, and then I ran into some ladies from Chicago as well.  Very cool.

I took the subway to the main train station and caught the train that runs straight into the airport terminal. I got there a bit early and waited in line to get my boarding pass—it was unbelievably hot in this airport.  It was about 80 degrees outside, and I was wearing a sweatshirt because it was going to be cold when I got back to Munich.

As I arrived in Munich, I got a cheap taxi to my hotel., the Moxy—which is a Marriott Resort. It was unbelievably beautiful, super clean, and it had such a very modern feel. I got a welcome drink at check-in, and the unbelievably knowledgeable desk agents got me set up with a shuttle for the next morning to take me to the airport and begin my long journey home.

Moxy has purple lights,  art work on the walls, and lights under the bed, on the cabinets, over the bathroom sinks, and behind the television. The hotel had a pool table, a nice bar, and a lot of people congregating around the social areas. It was super quiet as well. By this point of my trip, I was completely exhausted, and I had to repack my bag and organize myself.

Unfortunately, I did not get all the souvenirs and gifts I wanted to bring back, and the last time I was in Germany, I didn’t get any either. That’s always the thing with me, I feel like I’ll be able to “get it the next time,” but then I don’t run into the little souvenir shops when I’m ready. (And I hate carrying around extra things—my purse only holds so much, and I usually have a water bottle in there to weigh me down even more.)

I fell asleep for a few hours, got ready for the day, took the elevator to the first floor and checked out of the hotel. The man at the front desk walked me out and showed me where to catch the shuttle, which was directly across the street. The shuttle then dropped me off on the backside of the airport, so I, along with many others didn’t know exactly where to go once on the inside. When I did finally see the monitor with flights listed, my flight was not on it. This was the beginning of a very long journey home.

Categories: Adventure, Germany, Italy, Outdoors, passport, travel, Uncategorized, Weekend Trip