My favorite city in the world since forever

Since I wrote my last blog, a lot has changed in this amazing “Dubai” quarantine. It is already like this for 10 days now. We can stroll the streets, roads and hmm nature of the United Arab Emirates. The rules are simple. We don’t need a permit anymore, but masks are still required. Anytime, anywhere. Penalty for not wearing a mask is 250 euros. We are allowed to do sports activities for up to two hours. We can stay in the mall for a maximum of three hours, and in restaurants and cafes the space occupancy must not exceed 30% of the capacity. There are many more rules, but I quickly mentioned the most important ones. Why? I am glad that the country is opening and I hope to be able to visit Slovenia and my loved ones as soon as possible. Okay, now to the serious stuff.

As the title implies, I will talk about my favorite place in the world. Those of you who know well, they know what I’m talking about. Everyone else will get to know soon. Not quite right away. I’ll give you a few hints and reveal the answer in the last sentence. The city lies in Europe. It is the capital of one of the European countries. There are exactly 50 (confirmed), so I can talk about 50 different capitals. But no, I’m only talking about one. The ideal time to visit this city is March and April, when there is no cluster of tourists. And believe me, there are endless columns in front of main attractions. It extends beyond the banks of the Tiber River and the seven hills: Palatino is one of them. Do you already know what I’m talking about? If no, let me give you another hint. All routes lead to this city. Which one? His most famous landmarks are: The Pantheon, the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, the Piazza Navona, the Spanish Steps and the famous Fontana di Trevi. I think it’s clear now what my favorite place in the world is. Rome.

Frankfurt. Why I mentioned Frankfurt now? On my monthly roster I first received this German city. Rome was not there. However, at the last minute someone sent me a so-called swap. I decided to accept this Italian capital. It was my first flight replacement since I started working at an airline. The scheduled take off time was four in the afternoon. That means I was at HQ at two in the afternoon. I had time for breakfast, exercise, lunch and, most of all, good night sleep. It meant a lot to me, since I had big plans for Rome. Even though I was already on vacation in this ancient city, it is a sin not to see it again. We took off at four in the afternoon. The flight has passed in a pleasant atmosphere, as is mostly the case with Italian destinations. On the flight I spoke a lot with girl from Croatia Ana, whom we agreed to go to town next morning. We landed at eight and a half. The Hilton Rome Hotel is located at the airport so we were in our rooms within an hour. At ten o’clock we met for late dinner, which did not last long. Why? We wanted to gather strength for the next day. With a comfortable eight hours sleep.

At the hotel lobby, Ana and I met at nine in the morning. We were joined by Russian Alisa and we took a shuttle bus to the city center. The drive from the airport to Rome takes about 45 minutes. In the meantime, my girlfriends and I were wondering if it was a really good idea to go to town. Why? The rain was pouring. And I do not exaggerate when I say that it has been raining like crazy. We had umbrellas with us, but they would definitely not help in this weather. We were hoping for the best. The bus driver dropped us off near the Monument of Victor Emanuel II. This is a great point from which to start exploring Rome. We had the next six hours ahead of us. Let’s see how we used them. If you ask me, we have definitely exceeded our expectations.

1. Piazza Venezia and the Victor Emanuel Monument are considered as the starting point of our tour. It represents the homeland, military bravery, rebirth and nation monument. It was built between 1895 and 1911 for the 50th anniversary of the unification of Italy. It stands in front of the palace in which you can find the library, museum and institute of Italian Revival History. If you are not interested in the history of this country (which is definitely interesting), it is worth at least a look from the outside. However, most of the Romans disagree. According to them, the architectural construction and mightiness of this palace somehow does not coincide with the ancient image of Rome. Therefore, it is best for everyone to see for themselves. Every malar has his own eyes, that’s right.

From here we went for a late breakfast. For me this is the most important meal of the day. And I have to admit that I was visibly disappointed with the service and hospitality. The restaurant is located 3 minutes walk from Piazza Venezia. Name – Bibo Ristorante Pizzeria Bar. Maybe they make good lunches and dinners, but breakfast didn’t return them. In fact, prepare for an Italian breakfast – desserts and sweets. Since there was not much to choose from, I took a mozzarella and tomato sandwich, fresh orange juice and brioche. For all of you who don’t know the word – brioche means croissant. In half an hour, we were fairly satisfied (at least we weren’t hungry anymore) and headed for the first real sight.

2. If you ask me, this is most popular spot in Rome. Even more than the Colosseum. I’m talking about the Fontana di Trevi, which is considered the largest in the city. The name is derived from the Tre Vie (three roads) linking Trevi square. And what does a legend say? Throwing a coin into an old fountain over your left shoulder means that you will come back someday. If you throw two, you will find the love of your life, and if you throw three you will very likely get married. Each one is his own forger. But maybe there’s some truth about this story. Daily, as a result, coins are cleaned from the Well. How many? About 3000. You can read the history of the fountain on the internet, but I would like to mention just one more interesting thing. Birds cannot approach the Trevi Well as it is electrified and creates shocks. This thing only scares away the birds. It’s not harmful. We made some pictures with the girls here. One will surely be on my Instagram profile. Alisa was challenging her fate and she jumped on the wall where she wanted her Instagram picture. The policeman quickly approached us and the photo shoot was over. Safety comes first.

3. We continued our journey to the next landmark. Spanish Steps on the Spanish Square (Piazza Spagna). They consist of 138 steps and are the widest in Europe. They are one of the main tourist spots in Rome, so you are no longer allowed to sit on them. You can get a fine of up to 400 euros if you sit on historic monuments anywhere in Rome. Not to mention the penalty if you drink or eat next to them. It is also forbidden to pull carts or suitcases after them. At the top of the steps is the French Church of Trinita dei Monti, owned by the French Government. There is at least 900 churches around Rome, but one worth mentioning is Vatican church. Take all day for this small country in the country.

We stopped in Zara for a while, because I had wet feet since morning rain. Yes, my tennis shoes were water leaking. And no, I didn’t know they had holes. I needed to buy new ones. The last thing I wanted was to get sick again. It took me exactly 10 minutes to buy regular white tennis shoes and socks. I quickly changed and we went on for the day. And where did we go this time? Get some food again. This is life. Since Alisa is vegan, Ana and I left the decision where to eat to her. She chose the vegan restaurant Ombre Rosse. The food was top notch even though the restaurant was vegan. I ordered the ravioli in a cream sauce. Alisa wanted a pizza and Ana ordered a pasta. The main reason we went to this restaurant was actually the dessert. Vegan tiramisu. And believe me, it was more than excellent. If you have the chance, come and enjoy great food.

4. We continued our journey. Because we were really tight with time, we used the metro. We drove to one of the wonders of the world – the Colosseum. It is definitely one of the most famous and magnificent sights of Rome. The giant amphitheater stands in the middle of the city of Rome. It could accommodate up to 50,000 spectators and was originally intended for gladiator fights. Make no mistake – it is the largest amphitheater ever built. I definitely recommend visiting it. Including the interior. We didn’t go inside that day. I had no desire to visit it again, since I had a look at the Colosseum in 2008. So exactly 12 years ago. Yeah, it’s a long time ago. And I confess to you that on the next occasion, I want to step into this mighty structure once again. It is definitely worth the wait in the long queue at the entrance. We walked all around the amphitheater looking for that right spot for pictures. Yes, we also checked on Instagram to get ideas for the perfect picture. Did we take any good ones? If you ask my darling who reviews everything, we didn’t do our best. Well, here’s the answer to why it’s better to stand in front of the lens than behind. I think posing is still better than just taking pictures. At least for me.

5. From there we went to the heights. As I mentioned earlier, Rome is built on seven hills. One of them is the so-called Palatino. The oldest settlement in Rome was erected here. You can see cuts of stones depicting human activity as early as the ninth century BC. To visit the hill above the Colosseum you need to buy a ticket. Ticket for the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and Roman Forum are 12 euros. I think it is quite a moderate price. Is Palatin Hill worth seeing inside? This is the judgment of each individual. But don’t expect too much. If you are interested in history then you should definitely take a look. However, if you just want to tick one of the sights on your list, you can easily miss it.

6. The last point of our long day was the Forum Romanum. As the name implies, it was the center of daily life in Rome. People gathered here for speeches, trials, gladiatorial games, gossiping, performing and everything that is still done in the main square today. On the same spot today, you can see ruins in the rectangular area, reminiscent of important government buildings from our history. Many of the most important Roman city buildings are in or near the Forum. If you want to look close to the square, you have to pay an entrance fee. I mentioned this in a previous point. Combo ticket. If you wish to see it, tickets are definitely not worth buying. I have to admit that the Roman Forum is well seen from distance. There is a footpath all around it, where you can walk around and make some pictures. Touching the monuments is forbidden anyway. Let’s keep history for our great-grandchildren.

And we came to the end of a full day. And what would you say? We visited Piazza Venezia, Fontana di Trevi, Spanish Steps, Colosseum, Palatine and Roman Forum. Almost everything. And in just a mere six hours. All without paying one entry fee. What is one thing I would like to look at next time? Vatican City and its surroundings. I will definitely go there the next time. When I can travel again and circle the world.

When the shuttle bus driver arrived, we sat down tiredly in the seats. Another 45 minutes drive back to the airport awaited us. We arrived at the hotel around four in the afternoon. I fell asleep for three hours as the wake-up phone rang at seven. Although tired and quite unprepared for the night flight, I did my makeup with a smile on my face. Why? Because I saw my favorite place in the world again. Mighty Rome. Ancient Rome. My Rome. Our Rome.