Exploring Palatine Hill and Roman Forum

Have You Seen This Before?

Another recognizable ancient monument is shown here.   Do you know what it is?   Hint:  we saw it a short distance from the Roman Colosseum.   Read on to learn more about more of our Day 1 explorations of Rome.

The Arch of Constantine stands a short distance away from the Roman Colosseum.   As we continued our day one Roman adventure, we passed this triumphant arch which was built to commemorate the victory over Constantine's co-emperor, Maxentius.

Next we continued our exploration of the Palatine Hill, which is an open-air museum with views of the Roman Forum on one side, and the Circus Maximus on the other.  Click the link to learn more about the history of Palatine Hill.  

The entry lines were shorter at Palatine Hill, so if the lines are too long for tickets at the Colosseum, you might want to consider starting here.   The ticket you purchase is a combined entry ticket, so it doesn't matter where you make the initial purchase or entry.

Near the entry of Palatine Hill you'll find WCs and a fountain with constantly running water.   Did I mention that it was quite warm, and cold water was something that was very welcome?   Keep a water bottle of some sort with you and refill it at one of the fountains as you walk through Rome  or purchase refreshments from one of the street vendors if you are more comfortable.   But whatever you do, be sure to keep hydrated.

This Stadium was seen along our journey.   As you can see much of the structure is no longer standing, but you can still imagine yourself there in the crowds to watch some event.

There are many more sites along the pathway that can be explored.   If you'd like to relax, something we didn't really do much of, there are some benches and grassy areas where you could rest and take in the surroundings.

Our exploration continued with the Roman Forum.

The Central Square of this Roman settlement was known as the Forum.   Here is where people would gather for meetings, trials, political discussions, and other activities.  Markets, shops, and taverns were nearby as well as the stadiums for games and races, which the Romans enjoyed.

Learn more about the Roman Forum here, or by searching other references on the web.

Palatine Hill - Roman Forum Photo Album


We have a photo journal of our visit to these ancient outdoor museums on our FB page.  We were starting to drag a little due to jet lag and the warm temperatures, so we moved on to other parts of Rome from here.   Also, we were starting to get hungry, so it was time to find some pizza and gelato.

Learn More

Italy Guides - Rome

Rome Tours

Hopefully you are enjoying Rome through our eyes.   There is still much more to come, so be sure to monitor our blog and FB page.

Additional photos can be found on our Facebook Albums.




Click on the image to the left for more Blog posts about this trip.

Connect With Us On

        

Sign-up for Exclusive Email Offers


Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us every Wednesday night for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat

Day 1 Pre-cruise in Rome

Do You Recognize This?

You should recognize this since it is the most famous monument in Rome, known as the "Colosseum" or "Coliseum".  Its original name was the Flavius amphitheatre because it was started by Emperor Vespasian of the Flavia family and opened by his son Titus in 80 A.D.

Today it is just the skeleton of what was the greatest arena in the ancient world, with three-fifths of the outer surrounding brick wall missing, but it remains the most imposing and recognizable structure of ancient Rome.  Read more about the Colosseum on  Italy Guides - Colosseum.

Enter the Colosseum

It is possible to purchase tickets to the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine before arrival, which would allow you to bypass this line. Another way to bypass the line is to purchase a Roma Pass, which could also give you free entry to your first museum or other attraction. The Roma Pass can be purchased in advance or across from the Colosseum (among other locations).

Since we didn't know what time we would be arriving, we decided it was best to purchase tickets onsite. The cost for the combined ticket was 12€.

Two of our group had gone across the street to check out the ticket office which is how we learned that the Roma Pass was sold there. They asked where the restrooms were and were told ...

"The restrooms are to the left of the Colosseum"

When they returned and told us this, we all couldn't stop laughing. Just where exactly is the "left" of an elliptical building? Luckily, when we entered the building to purchase tickets, we did see the sign for the WC. For those that aren't familiar with the term "WC", that is short for water closet, the European notation for restrooms (washrooms, toilets, or whatever you know them as).

These Feet are Made for Walking

The Colosseum has multiple levels with steep staircases you'll need to climb, so please take that into consideration before purchasing your tickets. You'll find that most of Rome isn't designed for accessibility, but for those that can get around with some assistance, it is still possible to explore a good portion of the city.

Imagine yourself sitting in this arena watching the gladiators in one of their combats. No matter where you were seated, you'd have a good view. Of course, if you were of higher status, you had better seats. This was the birth of stadium seating in modern times.

We explored all the levels of the Colosseum starting with the exhibits on the top floor working our way down to the ground level. You'll want to experience the Colosseum from all the levels, so be sure to have good walking shoes.

We've updated our Rome - Colosseum Album with some additional photos, so even if you looked at it previously, be sure to check it out again on our FB fan page. Be sure to sign up as a fan so that you'll be notified of additional updates.  We'll continue our Day 1 in Rome in another post.

Additional photos can be found on our Facebook Albums.




Click on the image to the left for more Blog posts about this trip.

Connect With Us On

        

Sign-up for Exclusive Email Offers


Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us every Wednesday night for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat

Air Canada Strike

Airline Strike:  Air Canada

Air Canada is very disappointed that an agreement with the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) leadership has not been reached, leading Air Canada's Call Centre, Airport Check-In and Gate agents at nine Canadian airports (Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto Pearson, Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax and St. John's NL) to take strike action.

UPDATE - Friday, June 17th: Air Canada and CAW Reach Tentative Agreement on New Contract

Air Canada's full schedule will remain in operation and check-in/airport services provided at international and United States airports are not impacted. All of Air Canada's regional airlines, including Jazz, and the airport check-in services they provide are also fully operational.

Starting Tuesday, June 14, 2011, Air Canada has implemented its contingency service plan at airports and Call Centres to minimize impact on customers. In anticipation of longer than usual lines at airport kiosks with limited available personnel:

• customers must check-in online or with their mobile device, prior to arriving at the airport.
• if possible, customers should avoid checking baggage in order to expedite airport processes.
• customers will have access to over 500 self service kiosks for check-in and baggage tagging in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto Pearson, Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax and St.John's NL).
• same day flight changes will be accommodated free of charge, subject to availability, when requested via online check-in or kiosk.

 You may also visit AirCanada.com for more updates.  

Air Canada to Continue to Operate During Strike by Airport and Call Centre Agents in Canada.
Learn more

With the busy Alaska cruise season in progress, this could impact your travel plans, so be sure to monitor this situation closely and allow additional time at the airport. 

 

Puyehue Volcano Erupts in Southern Chile Disrupts Flights

Puyehue Volcano Eruption    AFP PHOTO/CLAUDIO SANTANA

Chile: Volcanic Ash Cloud

Grounds Flights in Australia, 

New Zealand, South America

See Updates Below

A volcanic ash cloud in Chile delayed flights across South America and Australia on Monday, stranding thousands of travelers. On the 4th of June 2011, the Cordón Caulle volcano complex in Chile erupted approximately 50,000ft (15,000m) into the atmosphere. The Buenos Aires Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) began issuing advice to the aviation industry on the location of the ash plume and its expected movement.

Volcanic Ash Advisory Centres (VAAC) - location and movement of clouds of volcanic ash

The volcano has remained active and as of the 9th of June, the ash plume from the original eruption has traveled across the southern Atlantic Oceans and under Africa to stretch into the Indian Ocean. Volcanic ash is affecting the areas of responsibility of three Volcanic Ash Advisory Centres: Buenos Aires, Toulouse and Darwin.

Airline Updates on Ash Cloud Disruptions

Australia's two largest airlines made different decisions on how to deal with ash from a Chilean volcano Tuesday, with Qantas Airways Ltd. continuing to suspend some flights but Virgin Australia Ltd. resuming all services.

Latest information on Qantas flight disruptions due to Chilean Volcano

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR VIRGIN AUSTRALIA GUESTS 

Photos

Photos taken by Chilean Air Force of the Eruption

Photos: Puyehue Volcano Erupts in Southern Chile | Denver Post Media Center — Denver, Colorado, Photos and Video

We will continue to monitor this situation and provide updates.   Contact your airline / airport for the latest updates for your particular flight schedule.

Update: Wednesday, June 15th - Volcanic Ash Cloud Moving Across New Zealand and continues to disrupt flights

Update: Friday, June 17th - Many flights are returning to normal but there are still some delays, consult the links above for latest status.


Update Saturday, June 18th - Virgin Australia Operations return to normal scheduled services to all destinations from midnight Friday, 17 June 2011

Update Wednesday, June 22nd:  Volcanic ash from the eruption of Mt Puyehue Cordon Caulle volcano in Chile continues to cause flight disruptions to the Qantas network. The volcanic ash plume has now drifted over New Zealand, resulting in the ongoing suspension of all Pacific Blue services to and from New Zealand.

Update Friday, June 24th:  

Ash Cloud Returns to Argentina

The ash cloud produced by the Chilean Puyehue volcano has again forced the cancellation of a number of flights across Patagonia, said to be due to the shift in wind patterns, and is predicted to reach Buenos Aires Province over the course of the next few hours. Lan Argentina and Aerolíneas Argentinas cancelled flights to Neuquén and Comodoro Rivadavia on Thursday morning, despite announcing that services toward the south were back to normal. Flights to Río Gallegos, Ushuaia and El Calafate have also been cancelled. As of Thursday afternoon, ash cloud activity was observed over the northern part of Patagonia and is expected to reach Buenos Aires Province and central zones of the country over the coming hours due to new wind movement. Currently Aerolíneas Argentinas' inbound and outbound flight services are still suspended at the following airports: Bariloche, Chapelco, Trelew, Viedma, Ushuaia, Río Grande, Comodoro Rivadavia, Esquel, Santa Rosa, San Rafael, Bahía Blanca, and Mar del Plata. 

Updated Tuesday, 28 Jun 2011 at 1:00AM AEST

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA GROUP OF AIRLINES SERVICES RETURNING TO NORMAL

Back Home from Mediterranean

Terminal 5 Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO)

End of Mediterranean Cruise Vacation
Home Sweet Home

We are now back from our 12-Night Mediterranean Cruise from Rome to Venice.  We have lots of information and pictures to share with our readers.  This was a fabulous cruise vacation and one that we would highly recommend to our readers that have any interest at all in the region and its history.

When we last posted, we had just arrived in Rome. It is hard to believe that the 15 days have gone by already.   Our initial intentions were to post some pictures along the way to keep you updated on our progress through the cruise, but uploading pictures was too slow on the ship-based internet connections and this became impractical.   In addition, we had very little down time as we took full advantage of our time in each port and did take some time to relax, which is a must.

Long Return Trip

We will detail our return trip saga so that it will help you plan your flight times.  You need to allow sufficient time if you are connecting and also be sure to allow enough time for check-in at the airport in Rome.

Our return day started really early, 5:30 AM, as we got ready for a 6:30 AM taxi ride to Rome's Fiumicino International Airport (FCO) from our post-cruise hotel, Hotel Giardino, which was located nearby the Trevi Fountain.  The cost for four of us to the airport was 45 € which we rounded to 50 € to include a tip (due to all the luggage we had).  It was less than a 30 minute ride from the hotel to the airport on this early Sunday morning.

Our traveling companions were leaving about an hour earlier than us out of Terminal 3, while our flight was leaving from Terminal 5.   We knew there was a shuttle bus between the two terminals, so we took the taxi to their terminal.    After saying our good-byes, we walked to the shuttle bus which took us the remaining 800m to the other terminal.

You will want to allow 2-3 hours for an international flight, even though you probably won't need that much time.   Security is quite different at international locations than we are used to in the states.   The one big difference in Rome was the need to put electronic gadgets (cameras, laptops, cell phones, iPods, games - anything with a battery) in plastic bags that are provided when you first show your passport at the airport.

At FCO, from the initial passport control desk, you  then proceed to the airline ticket counter to check your luggage and get your boarding passes.   After that, it's off to the security screening just like other airports, but as already mentioned, the electronic gadgets go into the plastic bags and need to be put in plastic bins for scanning separately from other items.

Next stop is passport control which is a breeze, at least it was for us.    This process took us less than an hour, so we had plenty of time to kill before our flight.    There was very little seating in Terminal 5, and the seats were anything but comfortable.    We decided to get some refreshments before camping out on the metal chairs for the duration.   

To make a long story shorter, time for boarding finally arrived and we lined up for our turn based on class of service and seating areas.    Since we had Premier status with UAL, we were one of the earlier groups called.   Once again, our boarding passes and passports needed to be checked and some passengers were screened.   

We then took an escalator downstairs where we boarded a bus that took us on the tarmac to the waiting Boeing 777 airplane.    Lugging our luggage up the stairs, we finally were on the plane.   (I make this point so that you don't have too much hand baggage if you aren't able to handle carrying it up stairs).

The flight from FCO to IAD was uneventful, with it taking off on time and arriving on schedule in Washington, DC. (Dulles Airport).    After deplaning, we arrived in the customs hall where we lined up in a maze to be welcomed back to the USA.   There were at least 10 international flights arriving at the same time, so the hall was quite full.

Getting our stamp of approval, we then headed to baggage claim, through the final customs check point, baggage recheck, and then into yet another long line to wait for security screening for our next flight.   One German passenger was wondering how many more security checks would be needed.  We assured him we were almost done at that point.

This was the usual process we were used to, except that the lines were much longer.   People were getting worried as their flights were about to take off, some within minutes.   People were helpful, allowing those with little time to cut in line.   I think that even surprised the TSA agents, who said if we didn't mind, it was fine with them.  

This whole process took 1.5 hours from the time our plane landed until we got to our connecting gate.   Take this into consideration when booking your connecting flights.

Our day was about to get interesting as a thunderstorm rolled through and forced a ground stop on flights.  That might have been the saving grace for some of the passengers in line with us that had short connections.

As luck would have it, our plane also had mechanical issues that had to be sorted out, so we started a creeping delay after the storm passed by and the ground crews were allowed to continue working on planes.    After we boarded, another issue with a seat  caused a further delay.   The final  delay was caused by the lack of ground personnel to push back our jumbo jet resulting in a total delay time of almost 3.5 hours.    

Now that you've heard the beginning and ending of our trip, be sure to come back for everything in the middle.   We'll post pictures for our Facebook fans, so be sure to visit our page there.   All in all, this was a great vacation.   If you want relaxation, you need to make an effort to fit that in the schedule, as it is easily possible to fill every minute of every day between touring in ports and activities on the ship.

Additional photos can be found on our Facebook Albums.




Click on the image to the left for more Blog posts about this trip.

Connect With Us On

        

Sign-up for Exclusive Email Offers


Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us every Wednesday night for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat

First Hurricane of East Pacific 2011 Season

Tropical Depression ONE-E 

Became First Hurricane 

of East Pacific Season

Not the storm you are looking for?  Click Image or Here

800 AM PDT SUN JUN 12 2011
 
...ADRIAN WEAKENS TO A POST-TROPICAL REMNANT LOW...THIS IS THE LAST
ADVISORY...

The first named tropical storm started as a depression on June 7th with a maximum wind speed of 30 MPH. It was located about 365 miles South of Acapulco, Mexico. By 8 PM that same night, it had already become a tropical storm with winds of 45 MPH and it was continuing to intensify.

By 5 PM June 8th, Adrian was now the first hurricane of the season with winds at Category 1 strength around 75 MPH. Adrian grew into a Category 4 hurricane on June 9th making it the first Major Hurricane of the East Pacific 2011 Season with maximum winds of 135 MPH.

After peaking in intensity on Friday June 10th, Adrian started weakening in the afternoon and rapidly continued to weaken on Saturday when it was downgraded to a Tropical Storm. By Sunday morning June 12th, Adrian had weakened to a remnant low and was no longer monitored by the NHC. It had a short and powerful ride for a few days, but fortunately, it did not make landfall.

Hurricane ADRIAN Advisory Archive

800 AM PDT TUE JUN 07 2011

...FIRST TROPICAL DEPRESSION OF THE 2011 EASTERN NORTH PACIFIC
HURRICANE SEASON FORMS...

Throughout the Hurricane Season, we will continue to monitor active storms and provide updates in our blog, especially paying attention to storms that could impact cruise ships in the vicinity.