Tredici giorno (Day 13)/ Partenza (Departure): "... do as the Romans"
"I have found out that there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them." -- Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer Abroad
K: What to do and where to go? Since Elizabeth would be returning to Rome with her classmates within a year, we opted for low-key, alternative sites. We chose a morning train ride to Ostia Antica, an excavated 2,000-yr-old working-port town, which Rick described as “similar to Pompeii but a lot closer” and much less crowded, for sure. However, there was a mad rush of teens to board our train, then it got more and more crowded at each stop. Eventually, we were packed in so tightly, I was afraid we would not be able to exit the train on the opposite side to where we were standing. I communicated to Elizabeth that we would need to push our way to the exit or risk missing our stop. It dawned on me that the Saturday-morning rush was caused by young people headed to Lido beach, a stop or two past Ostia Antica. Once there, however, it was pleasantly uncrowded and, once again, we used our Rick Steves’ guidebook to tour the area. At the top of the theatre, the entire valley was in view. In sight was a field of poppies, brilliant red. Original mosaics survive and you really did get a sense of life in this town.
E: Back to Rome and back to Rick’s guidebook! We decided to take in as much of Rome’s atmosphere as possible, choosing a daytime version of his “Dolce Vita Stroll,” which took us through Rome’s fashionable Via del Corso. Walking until we could walk no longer in the summer-like heat, we hailed a taxi and returned to Hotel Selene to clean up for one last group dinner arranged by Margaret for our farewells. We caught a bus to the restaurant, where we enjoyed a fantastic Italian dinner of pastas and wine (Coke for me.) We all shared a lot of memories and captured last-minute photos. After dinner, we strolled to the Pantheon, well lit by night. With very little enthusiasm and with heavy hearts, we packed for the morning flight. Margaret had been a lifesaver, making sure our boarding passes were printed at the hotel, so we were well prepared for our return journey.
K: Dread struck when the alarm sounded to get up and depart. How quickly the two weeks had passed and now we had to leave with nothing but our memories and our photos. Gratefully, it was an uneventful trip back – first the train station, within easy walking distance of our hotel, then the airport – no problem. We were happily exhausted and settled easily onto the airplane. We didn’t talk much on the flight, both of us just trying to take in all that we had seen and done on our trip. We hope to travel again together, but knew there would never be a shared experience quite like the one we had just taken. |
Our Favorites:
K: Visiting Ostia Antica, off the beaten path and holding unique treasures of Ancient Roman life.
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E: Our "last supper" of our wonderful trip to Europe together! Unforgettable!
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