Backpacking Europe 2014: Roaming In Rome-being my own tour guide

Buongiorno! Como sta? Ok so let me start by sharing yesterday's journey through the city of Roma. Ill provide tips a long the way from my experience or that which I heard and read previously from others (will not provide proper grammar and punctuation once again). All day I went around rome without a map. Luckily each attraction has a nearby metro station, and I had baught a day pass so I can take any train or metro in Rome. On a serious note, US economy needs to strengthen up! The dollar holds little value against the euro. Everything is so expensive! But I love the little things, things money cannot buy. Like walking behind pigeons (they are becoming my new fav birds!), watching families and kids enjoy romaning around Rome; in fact, my best memory of the Colloseum feom yesterday is this little girl who was getting her picture taken on one of the ancient columns that are lying flat in the corridors (people sit on them now! ). The little girl's dad was taking her picture, and she was like, "make sure you get doggie (her stuffed animal toy) in the photo!" Then click, next she said excitingly, "now just a picture of doggie!" :) I love ancient ruins, but I love kids more! Besides that, the colloseum was ok. I liked the ampitheater aspect of it and brilliant architecture. It was designed so people can enter and leave quickly. Good thing I watched a bunch of documentaries before leaving for Europe because I had no guide at the places. My phone was not loading audio guides fast enough! Anyway, it was really cool being able to hear this guide talk in Spanish at the podium while I was all the way on the circular walking area away from her! Magic of amitheaters (I used to want to be an architect so these kind of things fascinate me!). Besides that, I was not too pleased with the notion of gladiator fights and animal fighting. The colloseum felt more like a symbol of violence than peace. But I just like that it is an ancient piece of amazing architecture; do not support some of theactivities that took place there..) I then walked over to the Foro Romano (roman forum). It was nice to see remnants of a city and main gathering area. Walked and walked some more to monte palatino (palatine hill). It was like a maze up there, but very incricate and intereating little monuments, gardens, fountains along the way. After 3+ hours in those 3 a ites combined, my stomach was growling. I was ready for lunch, so spent another half hr orso figuring out my way down the hill and out of the forum area. I finally walked to this street full of pizzarias. Of course they were all expensive, and I am too economical, so I kept walking. I did get gelato though, hmm mango and milk chocolate! That gave me energy until I found a small elegant restaurante tucked into a side street! Got myself a marinara pizza, cheapest dish on the menu! It was good, but had no cheese.In Italy, marinara pizza is just that, crust and marinara sauce! But i liked it! I did try asking for cheese in Italian, i did not get the cheese, but at least the waiter understood me! That is success! Then just kept walking and walking (the usual, but I love walking!) And came across these steps leading up to another street that had a church or cathedral. It was so serene. I just sat in there for a while! I wasn't following any map, just allowing the streets to take me to lovely places like this! ..and I was reading st. Signs too :) actually, I was looking for the metro station to get to fontana di trevi when I saw the steps. Eventually, I caught the metro to termini to barberini (the station to get off at for the fountain and pantheon as both r walking distance from there). Just had to get lost some more, but I was determined to follow my insticts, the on and off arrows pointing to the direction, and found it! But that wasn't my main attracttion...I found this other fountain that actually had water in front of the metro that i sat on and soaked my legs in. After all that walking, some water therapeutic messaging was a gift from God! A crowd fu of people were sitting there doing the same thing! .i liked this fountain more than the trevi foundatin.. (the trevi fountain was under construction aka no water). then I went to Pantheon and headed back to hostel.

Beautiful random fountain by metro