**Trip of a Lifetime Review - Italy and Rhapsody of the Seas 9.16.2016**

[Virtopia]

After going through the Roman Forums, I quickly made my way back to the bus stop to head to the Vatican museum. Now, the one thing that I didn't yet realize would make my plan a no go is how far I had to go to exchange my voucher. It felt like a 20 minute walk. Once the voucher was exchanged, it was another long walk to the entrance of the Vatican museum. During this walk I realized 3 things ... 1, I wouldn't make it back to enter the Colosseum. Sigh, I was sad but this brought me to realization 2, I didn't make good use of my time yesterday. If I had realized where to exchange my voucher, I could've easily done the Colosseum then. But this brought me to realization 3, that I need more time in Rome next time, at least 3 days. But, let's get to the beauty that is the Vatican museum and the Sistine chapel.

 

We weren't able to take pictures inside the actual Sistine chapel but it was absolutely amazing. While I was in there, there was a call for silence and you could've heard a pin drop within a matter of seconds ... it was incredible.

 

From a distance ...

 

 

 

Looking up ...

 

[Virtopia]

The next few posts will just be pictures of my time going through the Vatican museum ... I didn't even see all of it so the fact that I got this much pictures from my time there is incredible ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Virtopia]

I can't recall a time in recent history where I was so in awe with art. I just didn't know what to do with myself as I looked at all these sculptures. They were immaculate. I don't even feel like my pictures do them justice. I looked at all the head statues, the ceilings and the various figurines and shook my head in amazement multiple times. I spent about 90 minutes going through most of the massive hallways and the Sistine chapel.

 

 

I was slightly happy ...

 

 

 

 

[Virtopia]

 

 

 

 

 

I would like a human form of this gentleman ... if anyone knows someone, please direct them to this review :D

[Virtopia]

After being in awe for most of the day, I made the long walk back to the bus stop and waited for about 15 minutes.

 

 

 

I took an unorthodox trail back to the bus stop and was met with streets lined with restaurants ... so beautiful!

 

 

 

Now, let me sidetrack for a moment by something that had started to annoy me by day 2. Having been on many Caribbean cruises, I am accustomed to the sellers ... whether its a souvenir, a tour, whatever it may be. A simple no is usually enough to get them to leave you alone. From the moment I first walked out of my hotel the day before, the amount of people trying to sell me a bottle of water, a selfie stick, a USB charger or something else had far past exceeded a standard 7 day cruise ... it was just too much. Coming off the Hop On Hop Off bus, I'd be met with at least 5 of them and I'd have to say no 5 separate times and this continued throughout the trip. By the time my trip was over, I was at the point where I was unfortunately raising my voice. This was definitely my least favourite part of the trip but something I'll know how how to better deal with next time I'm in Europe.

 

Okay, back to our regularly scheduled program!

 

By the time I got back to my hotel, it was about 5:30, which was way past the final entrance into the Colosseum. I walked around in the local area for a bit, just taking it all in that I was actually finally in Italy. I went to a local deli for lunch and then went back to my hotel to get ready for a long day of travel as I'd be taking the train to Venice with a few hours stop in Florence.

 

Lunch was amazing and so fresh!

[Virtopia]

Here are some more pictures of my hotel, which I absolutely loved ... they offer free wi fi and breakfast, but unfortunately I didn't get to take advantage of the breakfast either morning I was there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I couldn't get enough of my neighbourhood ...

 

[laedw]

Deon, I'm onboard with your review! I'm so looking forward to reading more about your trip. I took a land trip to Rome and fell in love! Greece is on my bucket list. You are motivating me to duplicate your itinerary.:D

[MomtoCCC]

Can't wait to read more. Italy is on my bucket list also! Doing Alaska first (next year).. but Italy is going to happen soon! :)

[daff67]

We're loving this review! Reading it out loud to my daughter! It's like a great story! So exciting! We're ready for more!

 

Sent from my SM-G920P using Forums mobile app

[cincicruisers]

Awesome review, nice pictures. Following

[Virtopia]

Ok, so today was a busy travel day. I would be leaving Rome, taking the train to Florence for a few hours to visit the museums and see the Duomo and then catch an evening train to Venice. First mishap of the day ... I misread my train departure time. I thought it was 8:43am when it was in fact 8:15am. Luckily, I had gathered all my things together the night before so it was a quick check out with a payment of 8 euros total for the city taxes and caught a quick taxi ride to the train station ... Only to be met with a delayed train situation.

 

 

It appears that our train was broken down and they had to wait for another one to come in. The train ended up being delayed for about 60 minutes, which totally messed up my Florence plans (side note - I checked my email sometime during the cruise and was surprised with a lovely email by Italo that they were issuing a partial refund for the delay ... Bravo to them! I wasn't expecting that at all). The train ride was comfortable and very nice. I booked all my train trips beforehand through Rail Europe. I had a reserved seat for all the train rides and tickets are checked throughout the journey. Their rail system is extremely sophisticated and I wouldn't hesitate to use a train again in future Europe trail.

 

 

 

 

 

A complimentary snack for the 90 minute journey!

[Virtopia]

It took 90 minutes for me to get to Florence, which was the exact same time I had for my Uffizi galley entrance. By this time though, I had decided to myself to forget the museum plans and the restaurant booked for lunch and just go with the flow for the few hours I was there. I used the left luggage service (which I found slightly expensive ... My suitcase and carry on bag were about 16 euros and it was there less than 5 hours) and ended up booking the hop on hop off bus service. Since I used it in Rome and still had my ticket, I was able to get 10% off this ticket, which was helpful.

 

 

 

 

 

The ride was very beautiful. Florence is a gorgeous city and the few short hours I spent there was enough to make me want to come back and spend a few days during my next trip (it's already in the early planning stages!). I took the bus to the piazza Michelangelo to see the amazing view of the city of Florence.

 

 

[Virtopia]

A lot of these sites just left me speechless and staring. The bus came around about every 15 minutes so I caught the next one and went through the narrow streets again and did the full circuit.

 

 

 

 

 

[Virtopia]

When I got back to the train station, I asked one of her bus attendants which stop the Duomo was and she said this one! I didn't realize how close it was to the train station. She set me off in the right direction and about 5 minutes later, I saw my first glimpse of the Duomo and all I could say was whoa ...

 

 

As I got closer, the reaction was more dramatic ...I have to say that seeing this amazing site was one of the highlights of my trip. I had to look so high up and all I could do was smile. This is the Duomo folks!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had to control myself from doing a serious happy dance in the streets.

[Virtopia]

I walked around for a bit (of course in awe) and then my stomach reminded me that I had missed breakfast so I found a nice little restaurant right beside the Duomo.

 

Yes, I know there's a pattern, but it was still so tasty!!

 

 

 

Oh, that's just a glass of wine by the Duomo, don't mind me :D

 

 

After my excellent lunch with breathtaking views, I walked around for a bit and went to the bookstore. I love to read so anytime I find a bookstore abroad now, I'll be going inside. I found myself a few souvenirs and then found another Cafe for dessert (I'm greedy, sue me!)

 

 

Probably one of the best muffins I've had in my life ... and I've had a lot of muffins.

 

[Virtopia]

My train to Venice was leaving at 5:30pm and I didn't want to rush so I started making my way back to the train station around 4:30pm. I walked around for a bit in the underground mall and picked up my luggage around 5pm. My train came on time but it was packed. I was seated with 2 gentlemen and promptly fell asleep for the 2 hour journey after they checked my ticket. The ride was scenic but between Mestre and Santa Lucia was just amazing. All of a sudden, you go from seeing all land and hills to just water surrounding you. I grabbed my luggage and hopped out of the train station, which of course, is breathtaking as well. The view when you exit is just something else.

 

 

 

I got lost fairly quickly and a local gentleman helped me find my hotel. I chose hotel Caprera because it was close to the train station, fairly close to the port and had easy access to the main sights in Venice. If I had the ability to do it over again, I wouldn't have chose this hotel again unless I was staying for one night. I understood the room would be fairly small since it was a single but the windows were left open the entire time and I maybe got about 15 mosquito bites which weren't pleasant and lasted the entire trip. I also felt it was fairly overpriced for what I received But whatever, I was in Venice and I'd just have to deal.

 

 

 

 

[Virtopia]

I quickly checked in, dropped off my stuff and went off to wander the enchanting streets of Venice. It was just so cool to see, the little alley ways with shops and restaurants.

 

 

 

I found a restaurant beside the Grand Canal and had my first order of pizza for the trip ... OMG!! Pizza will never taste the same again - it was divine! It was so light and flavourful, and paired with my Italian spritzer, it was the perfect dinner option for my first night in Venice. It was also nice to be in Venice as I knew that meant the cruise was now just around the corner.

 

 

 

I also met a couple who has escaped from their tour group for a romantic dinner and they graciously shared their scallop appetizer with me ... It was equally amazing.

 

 

I walked through the streets some more before I made my way back to the hotel as I had a tour scheduled for tomorrow at 8am.

[Cel_cruise]

I am loving your review! It's a journey back in time for me as I have made a nearly identical journey thru Rome / Florance / Venice! I just didn't get to take the cruise at the end!

 

We stayed at the same hotel in Rome as well!

 

I am 100% Italian - and agree - Pizza will never be the same again after that trip! Can't wait to read more!

 

 

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[reney313]

I'm absolutely loving your review. I can't wait to read the rest. Thank you for sharing!!

[TishGiggle]

Love your review and photos! Can't wait to read and see more!

 

Sent from my SM-G935P using Forums mobile app

[Virtopia]

I woke up from little sleep (I felt like I was being eaten alive by the mosquitoes!) and started to get ready for my tour. The front desk did call me to let me know that the breakfast area was closing soon so I went down for a quick snack. The first part of my tour was a 2 hour walking session that started at 11am ... Here I am thinking, great I booked this one for a reasonable time so I can make it.

 

Sigh. Wrong.

 

When I asked for directions to the meeting spot, I clearly missed the part that said there were multiple water bus routes to get there and this chick hopped on the longest one ... at 10:30am. I called the tour guide and she said they wouldn't be able to wait for me and that the tours for the rest of the day were full, but I could join the boat tour at 4pm. Sigh, ok that's cool, entirely my fault. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the sights on my boat ride.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[IsanTom]

Great review following!

[Virtopia]

As you can see by the pictures, it was a damp day in Venice and it started to rain lightly while I was on the water bus. I finally got to the San Marco stop and once again, I am in awe (yes, this happens quite frequently during the trip, so you've been warned!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Virtopia]

I also just need to do an FYI for pretty much the majority of the pictures that will be posted in this review.

 

I do not know the names of most of the buildings or areas that I took pictures of. I'm not a big history buff so I don't know all the background behind them and how they were important to that particular countries development. All I knew is that there were beautiful buildings, statues and objects in front of me pretty much all the time and I wanted to capture them with my camera. So, for those who may be looking for those specific details, I apologize but I won't have that information. For any details that I am aware of, however, I will be posting it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Virtopia]

I walked around, took some pictures and attempted to find the meeting spot for the boat tour, but my stomach reminded me that my morning snack had long since been digested and that I need to refuel. I walked around until I found a nice restaurant with decent pricing and I took a seat. I had some time to kill so I ordered lunch and started talking to another female solo traveler and we had a lovely chat.

 

Looks familiar? Different restaurant but equally as tasty!

 

She mentions that the weather looks like it's about to rain again, but I don't pay too much attention. I'd say about 20 minutes later, the torrential downpour begins. I'm fortune enough to be sheltered where I am and it was fun watching everybody trying to escape the rain. Eventually, I had to get up as they were closing the outer portion of the restaurant and I had long ago finished eating. I walked, well ran, through the rain until I found some shelter and stood there for about 20 minutes.

 

The rain won't hurt me!

 

 

It didn't look like it was going to let up and it was still only about 2pm, so at this point I had made the decision to forego the boat tour as well. I didn't suspect it would be cancelled but I didn't feel like waiting around any longer for it to start and this is probably one of the top reasons I prefer to travel alone ... I can make on the spot decisions like this and not worry how it's going to affect anyone else. I went and got a gelato (what else do you do when it's raining!?) and my eyes got a grand sight ... The Rhapsody!!

 

Yummy yummy in my tummy!

 

Hello there lovely lady!

 

The previous sailing had an overnight in Venice, so I ran out in the rain, along with others, to take a picture. It just looked so mammoth gliding by us and it made me even that more excited for the cruise portion of my trip to start. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed myself immensely up until this point, but I didn't feel like I could really settle in until my bags were unpacked and stowed away.