Walking Italy’s Scenic Towns II: Rome Arrival

(A momentary departure from Orcas Island life, continued from Walking Italy’s Scenic Towns I: The Planning…)

Dumbfounded that we actually made it on a plane to Europe in COVID times, headed for a vacation in Italy, it was good to have ten hours to let it all sink in before arriving in Frankfurt.

I’m still always amazed that planes can fly. I’m blown away that for tens of thousands of years people tried to figure out how to fly, and somehow I was born in an age that allows humans to reach every country on the globe – within mere hours or days.

Some passengers get on a plane and immediately close their window shades to block the light so they can read, watch a movie, or sleep. I look out until there’s nothing to see but clouds. I didn’t just pay for a ticket to Italy, I paid for a chance to fly over the earth. How many people spent their lives hoping for that chance?

To gaze at oceans.

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To marvel at geography.

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To process what it is to be able to zoom past entire continents.

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At one point hours before these photos, the crew asked all of us to close our shades. We passengers would need as much sleep as possible in the final four or five hours of the flight before starting a whole new day. We left at 6:20 PM but we’d be arriving in Germany around noon the following day – ten hours of flying, but many time zones ahead.

All of the inner lights were dimmed and people began to doze. In between dreams, I awakened and opened my window shade. I couldn’t believe it – the northern lights! I’d never seen them before. They danced in the sky long enough for me to rouse the boys and point out the window. About four minutes later, they disappeared. What a fleeting gift! This photo doesn’t at all capture the magic of those moments.

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We began our descent over dense German forests dotted with green fields and small hamlets.

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These two photos pretty well sum up the German airport.

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Rome’s international airport, on the other hand, is like being plunked down on Rodeo Drive. It’s immaculate, gleaming with metallic reflections, and filled with all of the priciest brand-name stores you can imagine.

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From there, it was the Leonardo Express – a 30-km train ride from the airport, which is located in the town of Fiumicino, to the Roma Termini, which is the train station in the center of Rome.

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When planning all of the AirBnBs we’d stay in, my primary considerations were cost, cleanliness, modernish home-like surroundings, air conditioning, and proximity to train stations and ferry ports. Our goal was to be able to walk almost anywhere we needed to go without the need for taxis once we deboarded various modes of transit.

Our first night’s stay was a block away from the train station – a great little apartment owned by the nearby Kennedy Hotel. Graffiti covered the outside door for a full block along the lower section of the buildings, and bars covered all windows. But inside, it was fantastic – super modern, immaculately clean, and very comfortable.

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We set down our bags and headed back out in the 95-degree heat and near-100% humidity to take in as many sights as possible in our quick evening in Rome. We had arrived around 6 PM and the followng morning we’d depart on a train toward Sorrento to explore the Amalfi Coast for three days.

The Colosseum was the closest historic monument, so off we went on foot to find it.

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The sun was setting, street lights were coming on, and we’d gotten only a few hours of sleep, but we were motivated! All of a sudden, there it was in the middle of modern life.

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Back at the apartment, we took joy in the cold air conditioning, showered off the long day’s sweat, and nestled into beds covered only in top sheets.

We awakened early the next morning for a breakfast that was included in our stay – fruit, blood orange juice, yogurt, croissants, cereal, cookies, hot chocolate, and coffee. No one else occupied the breakfast room, so we sighed at being able to sit down unmasked and eat together.

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We took one last hour to explore Rome’s streets before heading back to the train station toward the scenic towns we longed to explore.

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Steps: 14,749 (~ 6.5 miles)

Miles from Eastsound to Rome (as a crow flies): 5,611

Next stop: Sorrento…

Walking Italy’s Scenic Towns I: The Planning

Walking Italy’s Scenic Towns III: Sorrento

Walking Italy’s Scenic Towns IV: Amalfi to Ravello

Walking Italy’s Scenic Towns V: Minori to Maiori

Walking Italy’s Scenic Towns VI: The Isle of Capri

Walking Italy’s Scenic Towns VII: Capri’s Marina Piccola