Time To Head Back To The Ship

Who would go to Rome and not buy rosaries or other religious souvenirs? Well, us, that's who. My mother who is the one I buy gifts (pasalubongs) specifically requested us not to get anything at all. She has been getting rosaries from Rome from people we know who go to visit Rome and she said she has enough. Imagine that! But we looked anyway.
We allotted time for more shopping. This time for friends and co-workers. You think friends would like a Caesar bust or a Roman soldier's headdress?
Then my friend asked what else do we want to do? My husband wanted to see the Spanish Steps. Just our luck it happens to be a little walk away, we don't even need to take a bus. The steps have been featured in travel mags as this glossy, clean, and sparkly set of steps. What I saw was a bare, naked, simple steps filled with people. It looked dirty. I think my friend sensed our disappointment. She said during the Christmas season (which was a few weeks away), they hang decorative flowering plants along the side and make the steps really pretty with lights too.
Things we checked off our list while in Rome: eating Gelato, pizza, octopus salad, spaghetti (did not remember to take pics of the last three)
and enjoyed a cup of cappuccino.

We asked to be taken back to Termini to catch our train to Civitavecchia. We arrived early - was afraid to miss the train, it's the only one that's going back today. We kept checking the screen for the schedule of our train, after the cappuccino, it was posted so we got to our feet and walked the length of the station. I said goodbye and extracted a promise from her that she will come and visit me in California next year - which is this year. I hope that happens because I can't wait to show off my neck of the woods too.

Comments

  1. hmmm...yummy gelato. i got addicted to the pistachio and fragola flavors.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh those ice creams in southern europe!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I had beautiful times at the Spanish Steps, Maria, and have no memories of them being dirty. Hmmm. I wonder what that was about the day you were there. But those gelatos. OMG. To die for. You did indeed catch all the highlights of Rome. Good for you.

    ReplyDelete
  4. i LOVE ice cream and gelato!! my favorite here is ube though.. :D it's really growing on me. it used to be mango..

    ReplyDelete
  5. So why are the Spanish Steps so popular? There's so much graffiti on the wall too. There has to be a reason, because it just can't be because of how it looks.

    I wouldn't mind a Roman helmet as pasalubong. :)

    Can you order a tablespoon-full of each gelato flavor? I'd have a hard time choosing!

    ReplyDelete
  6. just curious, what gelato flavor was it? yummiest! ^0^

    i didn't know that spanish steps are one of the must-see, true, it's ordinary, maybe bec. there are hordes of people and with them around,the place suddenly looked tiring.
    the detailed kwento was fun btw, makes me feel like i was there catching the train ride. ^0^

    ReplyDelete
  7. oh and the rosary, i love collecting them ,
    i remember my last trip to europe, way back,
    i got one from each country, hehe. ^-^

    ReplyDelete
  8. I don't mind having the gelato for souvenir! :P

    ReplyDelete
  9. One indulgence I will do even in the dead of winter is a scoop of gelato in Rome. So densely creamy!

    ReplyDelete
  10. All very fine photos, a great trip indeed. During May the Spanish Steps (in Italian: Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti) are covered by pots of azaleas, in summer there are fashion shows sometimes broadcasted in television.

    ReplyDelete
  11. wow, gelato! who would not want italian ice cream? yum!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Those souvenirs look interesting. Wow so many flavors of gelato ... tempting!

    ReplyDelete
  13. wow what a wonderful trip you had...

    ReplyDelete
  14. I want some ice cream please! can't wait to visit here in August..already have my plane ticket!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh gelato would be oh so fine for these hot summer months! But I need to watch my diet, UNFORTUNATELY hehehe

    ReplyDelete
  16. from the photos of souvenirs, i like the helmets the most. i actually saw similar souvenirs in marinduque during the moriones festival.

    ReplyDelete
  17. hmmm... the ice cream is so tempting !

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment