Going LIVE on Nieuw Statendam roundtrip Rome ⛲🛵Oct 26-Nov 9: Planes Trains Vespas & Ships w/GOT!!

[Haljo1935]

2 hours ago, SUESEABE said:

Looking forward to following your adventures.

Thank you, me too!!

[Haljo1935]

Status updates:

The extra tips arrived and neither kind fit, so now I'm off to drop them at an Amazon return location. That was not on my list, ugh.

Wrong dog food arrived, so it also has to be returned, but that's a different store and replacement has to arrive before we leave. Double ugh.

Sunglass holder arrived but I cannot figure out why they sent nose guards and how they're supposed to impact functionality of the case, but they have to be important cuz the glasses are moving around in the case. Who knew a sunglass holder required instructions and that said instructions would not be included?! All I want to do is keep my Sunnies safe while on my trip😪

DH socks arrived - no return needed on those - yay! I like a win.

Let's hope the next round of deliveries goes better than this round.

Come on Wed - I need a vacay!! This preparation is too much work🙄

More to come...

[Haljo1935]

Hey, You - yes YOU!! 📣Have you been to Rome and said, "I wish I could go there again (wherever " there" is)" or "man, that was awesome, I need to eat there again" or "that was really fun, can't wait to do that again" or... You see where this is going?🥴

Since we haven't been to Rome and have limited time - let's face it, 3 days is not a lot of time when there is SO much to see, do, eat and drink - we're turning to You for suggestions, recommendations, tips or insights. Even if it's a simple "that was the absolute worse, stay away!!" we want to know.

We promise not to cuss or blame you if "it" turns out to not be our favorite, but will absolutely give you all the credit if we love it and put it at the top of our "wash, rinse, repeat" list.😎 

Can you help us out?

[skatelady]

We had a few days in Rome prior to a bus trip.  The meal I remember most was a neighborhood mom and pop pizzeria.  We were out for a walk and passed it, decided to give it a try.  It wasn't fancy, they only had a few tables but great pizza and the house red was a few euro a litre.  We enjoyed it too.  DH, born in Italy, likes to say they keep the best wine for themselves and export the rest.  We were in Italy about two weeks and only ordered  house red.  We were never disappointed but we also aren't connoisseurs.

[SUESEABE]

IMHO top five sites not to miss in Rome:

Pantheon

Colosseum

St Peter's Basilica

Trevi  Fountain

The Sistine Chapel

[Haljo1935]

1 hour ago, SUESEABE said:

IMHO top five sites not to miss in Rome:

Pantheon

Colosseum

St Peter's Basilica

Trevi  Fountain

The Sistine Chapel

We have tickets already for Colosseum, thanks for the reminder on St Pete's; our nighttime tour of Rome will go by the Trevi Fountain so we'll get 2 views of it. 

I think the Sistine Chapel is covered on our Vatican tickets, but I'll check.

I do believe we'll be able to complete your list🫣

[Vict0riann]

6 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

Do they sell them at street vendor carts like we buy hot dogs over here? DH will love them!!

Yes, all over the place!  Beautiful Italian chestnuts! 

 

Edited October 22, 2023 by Vict0riann

[Haljo1935]

15 minutes ago, Vict0riann said:

Yes, all over the place!  Beautiful Italian chestnuts! 

 

Ooh, nice, thank you! DH will LOVE those. That should get us started on some holiday cheer.

[Cruising-along]

5 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

Have you been to Rome and said, "I wish I could go there again (wherever " there" is)" or "man, that was awesome, I need to eat there again" or "that was really fun, can't wait to do that again"

If you can, the tour beneath the Colosseum is interesting and very worthwhile.  Also Palatine Hill, Cappuccin Crypt (if you can stand the "creepy factor"), Nero's Golden House, stroll along the Ponte Sant'Angelo to Castel Sant'Angelo, and a walk on the Appian Way.  So, so much to see and do in Rome!

[Haljo1935]

Ok y'all, let's get real - do these suitcases look like they're ready to be zipped? No they do not! And half of them will not even be going on a trip!!

 

 

Maybe this has something to do with it - GO RANGERS!!

 

[Haljo1935]

Well, now that this is settled, perhaps I can get something done!!

Of course, we will miss the World Series...

[VMax1700]

Sorry I am late to the party, but have a great cruise!

Rome is a wonderful start to any cruise.

 

Love the snacks!

 

[Haljo1935]

1 hour ago, VMax1700 said:

Sorry I am late to the party, but have a great cruise!

Rome is a wonderful start to any cruise.

 

Love the snacks!

 

Glad you're here! What kind of sandwich is that?

[Heartgrove]

Have a Grappa for me after dinner while in Italy!

 

- Jack

 

Edited October 24, 2023 by Heartgrove

[VMax1700]

2 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

Glad you're here! What kind of sandwich is that?

It was a tuna salad in a Roman Rye bun. It was really good. Got it in a cafe near the Vatican. 

[Haljo1935]

44 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

It was a tuna salad in a Roman Rye bun. It was really good. Got it in a cafe near the Vatican. 

DH will be very keen to try one.🤭

Edited October 24, 2023 by Haljo1935
Typo

[Haljo1935]

So, HAL has (finally) given official notice that Olympia is out and Split is in. DH is very bummed 😞 😔 😕 😪 😢 but the Rangers are doing their part to raise his spirits by blessing us with an appearance in the World Series.

GO RANGERS!!

This itinerary change also means he will get additional GOT locations since Split is apparently GOT heavy. There's the silver lining 🙄

Navigator says 4 more days - let's gets this party started already!!

[Vict0riann]

Evidently, in the underground shops in Diocletian's Palace, there is GOT stuff.  You have to pay for the privilege, but it has an oculus to rival the Pantheon!

 

PS  Well, maybe not rival, but it does have an oculus...

Edited October 24, 2023 by Vict0riann

[Haljo1935]

15 minutes ago, Vict0riann said:

Evidently, in the underground shops in Diocletian's Palace, there is GOT stuff.  You have to pay for the privilege, but it has an oculus to rival the Pantheon!

 

PS  Well, maybe not rival, but it does have an oculus...

Ooooh DH will be so excited. Thanks for the head's up.🧐

[SusieKIslandGirl]

We loved the Pantheon (do you need tickets now?) and walking around Piazza  Navona. There we found the best cantaloupe gelato-yum! And a painting of the piazza that now hangs in the living room. Have a great time. 
Next time you’re in Rome, give yourself a couple of extra days and take the high speed train to Florence. Easy and fun.

[Haljo1935]

1 minute ago, SusieKIslandGirl said:

We loved the Pantheon (do you need tickets now?) and walking around Piazza  Navona. There we found the best cantaloupe gelato-yum! And a painting of the piazza that now hangs in the living room. Have a great time. 
Next time you’re in Rome, give yourself a couple of extra days and take the high speed train to Florence. Easy and fun.

Have not checked on tickets for Pantheon, but it's now on my to do list. We talked about taking the train to Florence so there's a reason to shoot for a "next time."

[Dobby36]

I was on a HAL cruise that stopped in Split too (our ship also missed Olympia, but that was due to nasal swabs and paperwork delays in madness of restart in 2021). 
 

Split indeed has plenty of GOT tours and shops and seems to embrace it as a reason to visit. The main walled city centre is a short walk from where we docked, alongside many ferries and other local boats.  There was tons of artisans and booths on the short walk into town but it could have just been the day of the week? Tours were easy to find for GoT sights, but we just ventured to a few of the points of interest along the walls, which were marked in signs in multiple languages. We ended up at a cafe along the waterfront boulevard and had a inexpensive lunch and some local beers. Was very pleasant! We were also in October and lucked out with sun and 70f weather to stroll around in.  Charming and easy to navigate port!

[Haljo1935]

1 hour ago, Dobby36 said:

I was on a HAL cruise that stopped in Split too (our ship also missed Olympia, but that was due to nasal swabs and paperwork delays in madness of restart in 2021). 
 

Split indeed has plenty of GOT tours and shops and seems to embrace it as a reason to visit. The main walled city centre is a short walk from where we docked, alongside many ferries and other local boats.  There was tons of artisans and booths on the short walk into town but it could have just been the day of the week? Tours were easy to find for GoT sights, but we just ventured to a few of the points of interest along the walls, which were marked in signs in multiple languages. We ended up at a cafe along the waterfront boulevard and had a inexpensive lunch and some local beers. Was very pleasant! We were also in October and lucked out with sun and 70f weather to stroll around in.  Charming and easy to navigate port!

Happy to hear from someone w/experience and same time 8f year, too - very helpful. 

Split did look very walkable when we were doing some very brief research. Now that we know for sure we're going, we will dig in. Husband will undoubtedly stop at every site that looks familiar to him. He could probably host his own GOT tour, lol 😆 🤣 

[Heartgrove]

1 hour ago, Haljo1935 said:

Have not checked on tickets for Pantheon, but it's now on my to do list. We talked about taking the train to Florence so there's a reason to shoot for a "next time."

 

From Roma Termini to Firenze S.M. Novella is 1H 36M by Trenitalia Frecciarossa trains. About every half hour, plus Italo trains are scheduled in between the Trenitalia trains as well.

[SUESEABE]

Unfortunately, looks like tickets now required for Pantheon.

 

https://www.pantheonroma.com/home/