"Live from" Queen Elizabeth to the Mediterannean! My First Cunard Experience

[jbhcw]

Sarah…please carry on…and post! I love your writing style..and pics…all the little details….I once shared a picture of my empty lobster shell:D Forgot to take a pic prior!! Really enjoying this thread and cannot wait to see pictures of the ship….thanks again...

[lovely_serenity]

Something I forgot to add to the last post, was that we actually ate other things first before heading back to the hotel :D

 

Our stomachs were still not yet full, so we explored Termini station for something else to eat. Something I noticed about Rome, was the fact the sandwiches like these:

 

 

And these:

 

 

Are EVERYWHERE. These types of deli sandwiches with cold cuts & whatnot are so common, it seems that they are seem more than regular fast food. If you are not really a sandwich person (just like me), you’ll find it difficult to find snacks and small meals throughout the day. They even have a sandwich deli-fast food equivalent, which I have never seen in Canada!

 

Anyways, since the only person who likes deli sandwiches is Sis, we just went to try Italian McDonald’s! I’m not the only one who does this, right? Every time I’m in another country, I have to try their McDonald’s at least once, just to see if they sell things that our Canadian McDonald’s don’t.

 

After some discussing, we opted for the “Share Box” for 8.90€. This consisted of 15 pieces of variable nuggets, and 2 sauces. The 15 pieces were made up of 5 Spinach & Parmesan Croquets + 5 Chicken McNuggets, and 5 Crock Brie (Fried cheese nuggets):

 

 

(This was oddly disappointing and expensive. Since the Chicken McNuggets were the only things we had ever eaten, we wanted to try the other 2 new stuff. The spinach and parmesan nugget was just gross. The inside was filled with a spinach/cheese disgusting glue, instead of the actual ingredients as I had hoped. The cheese nugget was just so-so. It wasn’t good but it wasn’t terrible. My suggestion, don’t buy it. The Chicken McNuggets tasted the best. -_-)

 

As well as the 1.90€ little box of Chicken McBites.

 

 

(These were pretty good. Regular popcorn chicken. I recommend it c: )

 

And a snack-sized Chocolate Brownie McFlurry:

 

 

(This was pretty good. It had kind-of hard chunks of brownie, and had cocoa sprinkled on top. I liked it! ^^)

 

Notes about McDonald's:

 

-The chairs are nailed to the floor, so don't bang your leg on it. It'll hurt

 

- *****IT COSTS $0.70 TO USE THE BATHROOM. 0_0 Seriously? They charge for bathroom use??

 

Once we were all full, we headed back to the aforementioned hotel, and then spotted the gelato shop next door!

 

Since we were all pretty much full, we just got one:

 

 

Nutella – Pistacchio (pistachio). This tasted SO GOOD. If those flavours are your type, GET IT. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT. Sis got this exact combo every day after this.

 

 

 

 

End of Day

Edited December 2, 2013 by lovely_serenity

[busmech]

Enjoying posts. Some peoples cruise starts when leaving home. Also how many posts are "What should I do/see in ...... before my cruise". As someone who has only spent a port day in Rome you do give me FOOD for thought about what to do if I get to spend more time there in the future.

[lovely_serenity]

Thursday, November 7, 2013

 

 

That morning, I woke up at 4am, and at 9am (trouble sleeping). The plan was actually to wake up at 8am and head out quickly, since we had many things to do that day, but that obviously didn’t happen ^^. We were actually ready to go at ~11am (Mom & Dad aren’t very happy) due to Sis & I squabbling over clothes, having to use the bathroom, needing to put in my contact lenses and eating some snacks (Oreos/cinnamon bun from Alitalia & fizzy water from CONAD. Fizzy water tastes gross, don’t drink it. It’s essentially club soda).

That day, the plan was to time ourselves walking to Termini station from our hotel.

 

 

One person had told us before, that it’d be a 2 minute walk, another had claimed it’d be a 10 minute walk. We tested out, and Dad said that it took us 7-8 minutes to get there.

 

 

Upon arrival at Termini station, we decided to walk and explore the rest of the building in search of lunch.

 

 

 

We checked out ever place that sold food in the building. (I was looking for non-deli sandwiches)

 

 

[lovely_serenity]

After dawdling for a while, our parents impatient, we finally decided on an Italian restaurant across the street from a Termini exit (the one we came in from after the Terravision shuttle).

 

 

As we looked at the menus displayed outside the restaurant, we saw a person begging for money. This person had a cloth wrapped around his/her head and was supposed to look like an old lady with a cup, asking for money. His/her hand was shaking, as though he/she was very elderly. The first time I saw this, I felt a little guilty. After seeing about 10 more people dressed like that, doing the exact same thing, you slowly stop wanting to give money. :/

 

Anyhow, we picked from the menus outside as to what we’d eat. We chose the “Menu Turistico” combo for 13€:

 

 

Which came with a pasta of your choice (we chose, since we were in Rome, Carbonara Pasta):

 

 

(This was excellent, absolutely delicious. Cooked al dente, main ingredient is egg white for sauce)

 

Fried chicken, and French fries (supposed to be salad, but we changed it):

 

 

Also very good. I liked the fries, they were cooked well.

 

We also got a combo from the “Menu Pizza” for 12€:

 

 

This came with a pizza of your choice (we chose Pizza Diavola):

 

[lovely_serenity]

And French Fries:

 

 

They all came with ketchup and mayonnaise. (Yum :D)

 

Both of these combos came with a drink. We opted for 2 sodas:

 

 

The alternative was wine. Initially, we thought it’d be one glass of wine. Reasonable, right? As it turns out, “wine” means a whole bottle of wine. o_o Wow, is it cheap in Italy.

 

I was actually the one who ordered. Since I can speak French, I figured Italian wouldn’t be so hard to pronounce :P. Mom & Dad pronounce the words too “American”, so I did it instead. The way I think is, if I try to say the words, just as they would, the likelihood of them understanding what I’m trying to say is higher, right? So I made my speaking bouncier, rolled my “R”s, and said the words just as the waitress said them, and she understood me perfectly fine. ^^~

 

We finished up and paid for our delicious meal (Apparently it’s rude to tip in Italy) which successfully covered 2 out of 3 of our three P’s of the trip. Beforehand, we had decided we needed to try pasta, pizza and pastries in Rome before leaving. This covered 2 of them! (:

 

Before leaving, I took a few more shots of some of the food on display in the restaurant:

 

 

 

After our lovely meal, we headed back to Termini station and took the metro to station “Colosseo”. We were already somewhat behind schedule, as it was already 1pm. We got off the train and headed out. We were met with mobs of people trying to sell tours, souvenirs and tickets to see the Colosseum. Something I cannot forget, was a man dressed as a gladiator, selling pictures with people. He saw us and said “NI HAO, EE QUAI EE QUAI :D” LOL. That mean’s “ONE DOLLAR, ONE DOLLAR!” in mandarin haha. It was cool, as soon as you exited the station, you could see the Colosseum!

 

 

(I actually took this after we left, better angle).

 

We went inside through the main entrance and lined up to buy our tickets. There was a separate line to our left for people who wanted to jump the line and pay for an extra tour (an extra 5€ on top of the original 12€ for the ticket). We later found out that Sis & I were free, and didn’t need to pay admission because we were under 18 years old. You just need to bring proof. Dad took a picture of our passports beforehand, so he just whipped out his phone and showed to lady at the counter. The lineup was messy and disorganized, and people just sort of squished, making multiple lines. After finally getting a ticket, it’s a good idea to ask the lady for a map too, since they aren’t just everywhere for the taking.

 

We went in and explored! Lots of pictures taken :)

 

[candhu18]

Absolutely loving your report. Any chance you could post some more photos of the Colosseum. I was there earlier this year, but due to time constraints, was only able to view the outside. Your photographs are so clear and well composed. Please don't neglect the schoolwork.

[lovely_serenity]

We took several pictures and explored one of the 7 Wonders of the World. Sis thought that the Colosseum would’ve made a great location for the Hunger Games idea. But instead of tributes, there’d be victims, and instead of other tributes, there’d be lions. LOL

 

 

As we were walking about, I spotted a little dark crevice that immediately had me thinking about many science fiction movies. I told Sis to go in there and to squat in the corner & pretend to be Golem from Harry Potter/ some sort of little gremlin/goblin. :D

 

 

It was actually much darker than this so we found it really funny :P

 

We went around and took several more pictures, some of which, was of me: ^^

 

 

 

Once we finished walking the Colosseum, we found the exit, and headed over to the Roman Forum. Here’s a map of the area I found on the way to a bathroom:

 

 

You can see the Colosseum on the right, and the Foro Romano (Roman Forum & Palatine Hill to the left.

 

We walked up a little hill and was met with this (to me) Arc de Triomphe look-alike:

 

[lovely_serenity]

Absolutely loving your report. Any chance you could post some more photos of the Colosseum. I was there earlier this year, but due to time constraints, was only able to view the outside. Your photographs are so clear and well composed. Please don't neglect the schoolwork.

 

I tried to LOL, I also noticed after you asked for more inside Colosseum photos, that I didn't have many of the place itself ^^" We took mostly family photos, I posted as many as I had, sorry there aren't that many. & of course, thanks for your concern (:

 

Sarah

[capnpugwash]

We took several pictures and explored one of the 7 Wonders of the World.

 

I have to enquire, which one?

Great Pyramid of Giza

Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Statue of Zeus at Olympia

Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

Colossus of Rhodes

Lighthouse of Alexandria

Edited December 2, 2013 by capnpugwash

[busmech]

Its on this list:

http://world.new7wonders.com/new7wonders-of-the-world-page/new7wonders-of-the-world/

[candhu18]

Captain - Whilst the Colosseum may not be one of the Seven Wonders of the World it was the largest amphitheatre of the Roman Empire. Today it is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and engineering. It was/is the largest amphitheatre in the world. I think most of us reading Sarah's post understood what she meant. It is an extraordinary building built nearly 2000 years ago. I believe it is listed as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

 

 

Sarah – thanks for the photos. I look forward to my next visit to Rome when I can spend more time at the Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain (it was mobbed on the day I visited). You are quite correct to keep your family photos private.

Edited December 2, 2013 by candhu18

[durante]

I an enjoying your report, however feel sad for you at posting those stomach churning photos of McDonalds, with such a good camera too!

[capnpugwash]

Captain - Whilst the Colosseum may not be one of the Seven Wonders of the World I believe it is listed as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

 

 

Partial quote...

 

That was why I enquired :)

[lovely_serenity]

I have to enquire, which one?

Great Pyramid of Giza

Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Statue of Zeus at Olympia

Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

Colossus of Rhodes

Lighthouse of Alexandria

 

I believe those are the 7 wonders of the Ancient world?

[BruhnSisters]

Your reporting is awesome. My cruise is ten days away. Still looking forward to QE pictures . . . especially food! Bless you for all the time you invest to share with us :)

[Goldenfox]

Sarah, as with your Alaska report, I am loving your blog and your photos. You're absolutely fantastic, and your detailed info on Rome will prove very useful when I start planning my Med cruise. Can't wait to hear the rest of it!!

[Scrapnana]

Sarah,

 

I keep forgetting that I should not look at your marvelous food pictures on an empty stomach.:D Keep up the good work.

 

Kathi

[SurelyUcantBeSerious]

Sarah,

Just ignore the "Seven wonders" and whether you're really "Live from" posts. I guess some people can't help but try to pick apart posts on this board.

 

At your age, to bring us such a great thread with pictures and details, is a wonderful thing to have on here. Keep it coming!!

[monina01]

like that gollem photo of your sister. :D

[Jules 1970]

 

Hi there, Lovely Bones,

Your photos of the Colosseum are very good. Below is a similar photo taken last year (Sept) from the Ho-ho bus.

As you can see there were lots and lots of tourists about.(To many :( )

Was it busy when you visited :confused:

It was so crowded in Rome that we decided to stay on the top-deck of the bus and do a complete circuit of the City :)

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

So many food choices.

Glad I have already eaten dinner.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Before we started cruising (before I could convince DH to get on a ship), we did quite land tours -- many through Europe.

We also spent several days in Rome. I love that city. Your pictures are great of the Colosseum.

[candhu18]

I believe that the attached photograph of the Arch of Constantine shows the platform from which you took yours. Platform is on the right of the photograph. The relief detail on the Arch is amazing, I'm afraid that my photograph doesn't do it justice. Your photographs are bringing back great memories already. Keep up the excellent work.

 

 

[monina01]

actually it is quite normal in many European countries to pay for using the restrooms. here we usually pay 20 or 50 eurocents though.

Edited December 4, 2013 by monina01