Roma

Okay like Paris Rome is too big for a few days. We left Civitavechia, Rome's port, for Fiumicino only to find that, that's also Rome's port. Then just up the road at Ostia is Rome's port. You begin to wonder what the hell is going on. Then somewhere amongst the guide books and touristy stuff they explain that the River Tiber kept silting up making shipping dodgy so all these ports are subsequent attempts to get round that. The Fiumicino canal being a cut off the Tiber to the sea forming the Isola Sacre. Almost but not quite as confusing as the bus system.

The trouble with the Fiumicino canal is that it has two bridges that need to open before you can get to the cheap berthing areas. Our info said the guy to see was Max at Albula yard up the canal. The guide book said the bridges don't open on Mondays and Tuesdays. We arrived Monday and went in to the Darsena Traiana for a couple of days parked amongst a lot of debris and dead things with a Gary Glitter type, taking 50 Euros a night from us but unable to give receipts. We then discovered that the guide book was wrong and the bridges did opened on Mondays but not Tuesdays and Wednesdays so we were in Gary's gang for an extra expensive night.

Still Gary gave us some tips and explained that getting to Rome was inexpensive if you liked hard travel.  And we did. The next morning we were at the appointed bus stop ready to do Rome. The bus duly turned up and we got on only to be told that we needed to get a ticket from a tobacconists and that you couldn't buy them on the bus. So amongst some very Latin language we got off and made for the bloody Tobacconists to get a 1.30 Euro ticket and another half hour wait for our trouble.

After a trip to Ostia and jumping on the Metro for 1.50 Euros with one change we hit central Rome Termini. The first thing you see is our old mate Diocletian's bath house just off the termini. Clearly he did take time out from butchering Christians for a short dip from time to time.

We went for a bus trip for orientation purposes and saw many very old things.

Castle Sant Angelo. Emperor Hadrian's mausoleum.  Very, very old.

The next few days saw Mrs K wilting under the sun and the enthusiastic husband rocketing about trying to sound impressive about Roman Emperors. One thing I have really enjoyed are the beggars in Rome. They don't approach me because I have cantankerous old Englishman written all over my face but they do approach Mrs K. Little do they know that I have to beg for money off her and need reasons in triplicate. They have no chance.

The first day was bus tour to try and orientate ourselves but too much info and some deplorable music, then we did the great big museum next to the Termini railway station. Its claim to fame being the bronze life size boxer.

Or guy taking a dump.

When the bridges opened we moved up to Max's yard which was great, reasonably priced and max restored our faith in Italians.

The Pantheon is pretty impressive. Basically built by Hadrian in its current form in AD 118 it was the largest dome in the world for nearly 1400 years. Still standing today.

This is supposed to be the spot where Caesar discovered that Brutus wasn't the mate he thought he was.

This is the Romulus Temple built in 307 AD with its original bronze doors and a lock mechanism that still works. My Raymarine wind thingy at the top of the mast is not yet ten years old and that does not work any more.

A stroll around the Palatine hill is a 'must do' as you get a feel of the Empire a couple of thousand years ago, it all went on here.

The Colloseum has to be the most impressive building completed by Titus in AD 80 ish much of it is still there and you only really see that when you get inside if you can tolerate the 'I can get you in quickly touts.' 

I don't need touts as I have Mrs K who knows all the deals. And luckily she spotted that the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel were free on the last Sunday of each month. So off we marched with wrong bus tickets in hand to make our way in. (The bus tickets had been my job!)Despite some confusion over the tickets no one on the buses gave a damn and we got a free ride in. The Sistine experience is a bit of a build up as you are lead through corridors with ornately painted ceilings with everyone, particularly Americans, asking in each room Is this the Sistine Chapel? Towards the end I did too.

All I know is that this isn't it as you aren't allowed to take pictures in the chapel as there are guards in there yelling at you not to, between yelling at you to be silent. It's very noisy.

Now I have been worrying about Mrs K going in to a bit of a spiral with the heat and all the exhausting travel.

But I think I have brought her round with homemade packed lunches and a couple of visits to McDonalds.

The Spanish steps. We were too knackered to go up them.

The Trevi Fountain. We can relate to this as it depicts two horses, one is mild and settled and the other is wild and angry. This represents the sea in its changing moods but what most people don't see is it represents our weather Apps with mine being meek and mild about everything and Mrs K's tempestuous 'we are all going to die' App.

I think I may need to get down to some chart corrections. Got these cheap in the market.

Rome has to be the world's greatest 'selfie' spot. They are all at it.

Well that's Rome done. Or it is if you only have a few days.

Next stop Anzio as long as I can miss the sunken boat just across the river.