All roads lead to Rome

Guest blogger Celesta Ernst on Rome:

Morgan and I arrived in Rome on April 27 and were eagerly greeted by Courtney and Miguel.  It was wonderful meeting up with them in beautiful Roma.  We quickly unloaded our luggage and headed to downtown Rome via the Metro.   The Metro is quite something--extremely efficient, on time, and always packed with humanity!  It was a great way to maneuver the city.  We were on our way to the Coliseum when we had an omen and at this point we felt it was a great one!  Several pigeons flew over Courtney, Morgan and me and dumped one huge load on ALL three of us.  We had pigeon poop in our hair, on our clothes, and all over Courtney’s handbag.  We are not quite sure why Miguel was out of the line of fire but, bless his heart, he quickly cleaned each of us and made us presentable once again.

As the saying goes “all roads lead to Rome” and this was definitely the case when we arrived.  There were visitors to Rome estimated at over 1,000,000+ (yep, all the zeros belong!).  The reason—the beatification of Pope John Paul II was days away.   It became an art form weaving through the crowds.  We were fortunate to be able to see most of the sites on our list—Trevi Fountain, The Spanish Steps, Michelangelo’s Moses (my personal favorite), the Roman Forum, Coliseum, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Square.  We were unable to get into the Cathedral because of the throngs of pilgrims that had arrived for all the beatification ceremony that weekend.  We found an open set of steps in the Square, sat, and watched the masses of people.

Fontana di Trevi

Piazza Navona

Piazza Spagna

Hercules...I can take him

School of Athens

Sistine Chapel...no pictures please!

We had a blast sampling the delicious fare and eating our share on gelatos.  The cappuccinos are so delectable—and I don’t even like coffee.

We were in Rome 4 days and had a blast but to be honest, we were definitely glad to get out of all the crowds and head to Bologna and Venice.

this guy was fishing out people's coins from the Trevi fountain

Molto gente!

Buon giorno Mario and Luigi!

China Highlights

We spent 27 days in China visiting the cities of Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Xian, Jiuzhaigou, Chengdu, and Macau.  In previous blogs we have discussed our visits to some of these cities, but there is still plenty more that we saw and ate in this wonderful country.

Shanghai
Shanghai was our first stop in Mainland China. It’s a beautiful metropolitan city with the majority of its skyline situated on Wong Po River. The view of the city and the water is best seen from The Bund, a pedestrian walkway very popular with first time visitors.  The Bund, regardless of the time of day is full of action and the perfect spot to people watch. We spent many hours here taking photos, enjoying the views, and watching the many colorful people. If you ever go there, watch out for scammers.  Couples will approach you in a friendly manner and then ask you to hang with out them a local tea shop.  Two different couples tried fooling us, but fortunately we were two steps ahead of them!

Shanghai is well known for its dumplings and Miguel and I stuffed our faces with so many. We had our best experience at a hole in the wall restaurant. There is no sign to identify the place, but the line out the door is the way to spot the place. The many patrons are encouraged to get to the restaurant well before the afternoon rush to avoid the line and your favorite dumplings running out. The no frills atmosphere is complimented by the simple presentation of the food. Our entire meal (including drinks) was $4.63. Perfect for the budget and our bellies.

Jia Jia Tang Bao...AWESOME!

view of Pudong from the Bund

Din Tai Fung, not as cheap as Jia Jia Tang Bao, but still delicious!

Mushroom dumplings at Din Tai Fung

Fried dumplings

the line outside Jia Jia Tang Bao

Grand Hyatt in Pudong, Shanghai

Shanghai train station...it is huge!

ready to go to Beijing!

It got a little chilly on the train

Beijing
We travelled to Beijing by China’s bullet trains that travel at over 300KM/H.  The overnight ride was pleasant and affordable.  The capital of China is enormous!  The streets were huge and they reminded us of New York City or Las Vegas city blocks. We navigated the city by making good use of their numerous cabs and extensive subway network.  Our objectives here were to visit the Forbidden City and the Great Wall, and to try the famous Beijing Duck.  Our four nights here were fruitful and relaxing!

entrance to the Forbidden City

soldiers at Tiananmen Square

The Great Wall at Badaling

Menu at Da Dong Restaurant

carving of the Beijing Duck

Beijing duck, one of the best meals on the trip

Sea Cucumber...we didn't have the stomach to try this

Xian
The site of the Terracotta warriors is the primary reason most tourist come to this city.  However, the city has much more to offer.  The old part of the city is enclosed in a spectacular wall that has a moat running along its side.  The wall contours are lit up at night, which allow you to appreciate the enormity of the structure.  The city’s diverse ethnicity has also made its food a delicacy among China’s vast range of smells and flavors.  Lastly, you cannot leave the city without visiting the Bell and Drum towers which sit close to each other and dominate the center of downtown.

Drum Tower

Bell Tower

Walled City entrance

The other great wall

The Terracota Warriors Excavation Site

The Muslim Quarter

Mutton Paomo...molto buono!

Macau
The Las Vegas of Asia! We came here to relax and wind down after our heavy travel schedule.  We stayed at the Westin and got a chance to gamble a little and just hang out before heading to Italy.

The Venitian in Macau