July 4, 2023 (Author: J)
Trip Report: ABD Day 1
After two days of exploring Rome on our own, it was time for the start of our tour. Our morning began with another 8 am wakeup and buffet breakfast at the hotel. Then, we stopped at the hotel bar to meet our Adventure guides, Massi and Gabby. We knew where and when to find them because a welcome letter was delivered to our room the night before our tour started.
We introduced ourselves and Massi and Gabby offered some suggestions for how to spend the morning. (Our first activity was a 3 pm visit to the Colosseum. Theoretically, this timing allows guests to arrive the day that the tour starts, something I definitely do not recommend). I made a mental note of some of the possibilities but knew that sightseeing would need to wait until after we had accomplished our primary objective for the day: P wanted to buy himself a football (soccer) jersey. Massi, who is a football fan, was very excited to hear this. His top suggestion was to wait until we got to Florence where P could purchase “the most beautiful purple jersey.” I bet you can guess which team Massi roots for. P did not need a hard sell; he quickly decided to buy jerseys in both Rome and Florence. Massi marked the official fan shops for both of Rome’s football teams on a map for us and we headed out for some shopping.
In front of the hotel, I opened my trusty Taxi Now app and requested a ride. After a short wait, the app informed me that there were no drivers available – again. A long walk in the heat sounded like torture to us. I opened Uber instead. In Italy, Uber has an option to call a taxi. We used it and — after a short wait – we had an assigned driver! We were soon on our way across the river and into the most touristy part of Rome. On our way to the fan shop, we passed ruins, churches, obelisks … and more ruins, more churches, more obelisks. I tried to figure out what we were looking at so that we could return to see some of it on foot, but the city was so densely packed with historic things that I was never quite sure if I had correctly identified them. Before too long, our driver dropped us around the corner from the fan shop, pointed us in the right direction, and bid us “Ciao.”
Rome has two football teams: Lazio and Roma. In consultation with Massi, P had decided that he preferred a Lazio jersey. But the Lazio shop only had adorable baby jerseys and XL men’s jerseys. P is nearly as tall as I am, but he is a long way from a men’s XL. We convinced P that spending a large sum on a shirt that he might never grow into was a bad idea. Fortunately for him, the Roma shop was a ten-minute walk away. We stretched the walk out a bit by stopping frequently to admire old buildings and monuments. I had some success identifying sights by Googling their key features. That our destination on this journey was a fan shop kept P from complaining about walking in the heat. He did, however, question whether it was necessary to cross the street so frequently. (Only if you want good photos of all the columns with little Roman military dudes on them).
(Photo: Column of Marcus Aurelius, if my Googling was accurate).
P had better luck shopping in the Roma fan shop. It was enormous with every size and style of jersey imaginable. P found a jersey that he liked and, even after we explained the unfavorable exchange rate, he was willing to spend his savings on it. Then, we continued our walk. Without the carrot of a souvenir, P soon announced that he was tired, hot, AND hungry.
We had been headed in the direction of the Victor Emmanuel II Monument, a sight that Massi and Gabby recommended for its views of the city. I quickly confirmed that the monument had a café and restrooms and then proposed it as a lunch destination. To my delight, P and D signed off on this plan.
(Photo: The Victor Emmanuel II Monument)
The Victor Emmanuel II Monument – also known as the Alter of the Fatherland, the Vittoriano, and the Wedding Cake building – is an enormous white neoclassical building in the middle of the historic part of Rome. If Rick Steves is to be believed, many people find it unsightly. I am not those many people. Standing at the base of the building with an endless white staircase in front of me and multiple winged victories above me filled me with awe. I assume that’s what the architect intended. Or maybe he just wanted to sell slushies to hot tourists. Either way, his vision was fulfilled. Because after climbing all those stairs in the hot sun, we were ready for some slushies.
(Photo: winged lion statute in front of the monument)
We enjoyed our slushies and a mediocre pizza in the monument’s terrace café. The views are ridiculous. Everywhere you look is some important monument: the Colosseum, the Arch of Constantine, the forum. So many interesting things are crammed together that it is surreal. I had to remind myself several times that I was looking out over the actual city of Rome and not some theme park recreation of it.
(Photo Gallery: View from the terrace of the Victor Emmanuel II Monument)
After lunch, we called an Uber and headed back to the hotel to rest. P vetoed the pool in favor of reading in our air-conditioned hotel room. So, when we arrived back at the Gran Melia, we made a beeline for the room. Unfortunately, upon arrival, we discovered the “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door of our room.
“Why did you put out a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign?” I asked D.
“That’s the ‘Please Make Up Room’ sign,” D said hopefully.
“It says ‘Do Not Disturb.’ In English,” I responded, pointing at the words for emphasis. “The other side is Please Make Up Room.”
“What kind of hotel puts ‘Please Make Up’ room and ‘Do Not Disturb’ on one sign!?”
“All of them.”
And that is how we wound up taking an afternoon swim, after all. Before we left, D called the front desk to apologize for his sign mistake. When we returned to the room to change back into our regular clothing, the room was spotless.
My biggest concern about taking a group tour was that we might be forced to spend a lot of time waiting for stragglers. Not wanting to bring my own fear to life, we arrived at the lobby bar 10 minutes before our meeting time for the Colosseum tour. I needn’t have worried. For this tour, at least, everyone was chronically early. When our official meeting time arrived, we were on our way to the bus with whisper headsets in our ears. (ABD uses small headsets to allow you to better hear the guide in crowded locations. On this trip, we each received a set on the first day with instructions to return it at the end of the trip or face a hefty fine).
In addition to our two Adventure Guides, we had one or more local guides in each city who provided the narration about what we were seeing. One of our local guides joined us on the bus and told us a bit about the city as we travelled to the Colosseum. Once at the Colosseum, we parked in an area designated for tour buses and walked a short distance to the arena. It was packed with tourists, but we were able to use an entrance that required only a minimal wait in a security line.
Once inside, there was a quick bathroom break. Pro tip: If you leave your earbud in while using the restroom, you can learn about the bathroom habits of the ancient Romans while using the bathroom. When I came out of the ladies’ room, P was still giggling about poo sticks.
(Photo: me, P, and D in the Colosseum. One great thing about ABD is that the guides take a bunch of family photos for you).
Once everyone was reassembled, we walked out into the arena itself. The feeling that you have while standing in the Colosseum and looking up at the stands is indescribable. I think that even someone who knows nothing about the structure would understand that it is a place that has seen epic things. You need only squint to imagine the stands full of toga-clad spectators. As you have probably guessed, being on the stage was the highlight of the Colosseum for me. But going into the stands to see the stage from the audience’s perspective rounded out the experience.
(Photo: The Colosseum from the stands with portions of the underground visible).
After our tour, we returned to the Gran Melia for the welcome dinner. The dinner was held in the same restaurant where we had our breakfasts. It featured an open bar with beer, wine, and soda; some munchies placed on each table; and a buffet of salads, pastas, and meats. At the end of the meal, there was a long delay and then the dinner buffet was switched out for a selection of desserts. We were glad that we asked Gabby before turning in for the night; P would have been heartbroken if we had caused him to miss tiramisu. My only complaint about the evening was that the table set up discouraged mingling. Both appetizers and the main meal were in the same room at assigned tables. I would have appreciated a stand-up aperitivo time so that I could have met more guests early in the trip and – maybe – learned more names.
After the welcome dinner, we headed straight for bed. We were in for a 5 am wakeup the next morning and didn’t want to lose a wink of sleep.
Travel Monkeys 