ROME - THE ETERNAL CITY

Rome became known as the Eternal City because is of its fierce history of achievements and conquering lands far and wide, so it is easy to see that Romans felt themselves invincible.  Their belief was such was that if Rome fell - then so would the rest of the world - hence it became known as The Eternal City!

And the saying that Rome wasn't built in a day? Well that's easy to see where that came from - during the great days of the Roman empire, their fabulous buildings were both architecturally beautiful and also built to last - with many still standing several centuries later.

This is Anne C and while my colleague Anne H has been to Rome many times (and wrote about it a couple of years ago here and here),  but this was my first visit. I have tried to approach it slightly differently to her blog, so I hope you're not bored!

My daughter and I flew to Rome in January to celebrate her birthday - and we both fell in love with the city! It is everything you read about, see in photos and watch in the movies - and much more.  

It is a vibrant, happy, beautiful, stunning and historic city with plenty to do and see.  Turn any street corner and you find remains of the magnificent buildings which once formed one of the most powerful civilisations in the world at the time.

Our hotel

We booked into a small Bed & Breakfast, the Domus Libera, in the centre of the city and obviously had no idea what it would actually be like.  My daughter made the arrangements, and when I saw the address, l was disappointed to see that it was in a back alley and we had a code to enter the door as there was no reception between 7pm and 7am. However, we did actually get in without any problem as the code worked perfectly.  The lift was so tiny that the two of us and two cases didn't fit it, so she gamely walked up the three flights to our room - which was opened with said code!

But what a surprise! The room was just lovely - a large king sized bed, huge bathroom with double sinks, loo and bidet and lovely toiletries. (See my daughter's Tripadvisor review here  for more information about the hotel). 

The Trevi Fountain

We ventured out to get something to eat, and just a few minutes later found ourselves next to the Trevi Fountain.  Tick one off the bucket list! Despite the fact that it was January, the fountain area was very very busy, so I dread to think what it is like in high season.  We visited both during the day and on our first evening, and I think it is probably my favourite place in Rome - it did not fail to inspire with its beauty and stunning turquoise waters.

After a good night's sleep, we went down to reception, which doubled as the breakfast area.  Again, we had a fabulous surprise.  Although small, there was plenty of continental fayre to eat, and they had catered especially for my daughter who is gluten intolerant.  The two reception staff, friendly Speranza and handsome Lorenzo, were absolutely lovely and totally made our stay enjoyable with their help, constant smiles and helpful suggestions.

The Colosseum and Roman Forum

A short 15 minute stroll took us straight to the Colosseum, which of course is stunning.  We had booked a full tour which wasn't cheap (there are several from which to choose), but our tour guide, Tiziana, spoke excellent English and had the most wonderful sense of humour (apparently ancient Romans were short and women were not allowed in the Colosseum, she told us - so imagine 6,000 Hobbit men in here....)

You will notice that only part of the Colosseum outer walls exist due to the great earthquake of 1349 - half of the structure was built on sandy terrain and the rest on more stable ground.  The damaged stones were later used to build palaces and churches throughout Rome - hence why there are many holes in the walls where the metal rods holding the stones were also removed.

Unfortunately because it was January, we were not able to go underneath the ground floor during winter months, but we could see into the Hypogeum (the underground), which was a disappointment. Currently the area is a building site, undergoing a $20million renovation to construct a new arena on the site, which will eventually be used to hold events and re-enactments.

The tour also included the adjoining Roman Forum - known as the heartbeat of ancient Rome and its Empire.  Historians believe the first meeting there was 500BC.  We saw where the funeral pyre of Julius Caesar took place, and the following day just happened along the Largo di Torre Argentina in the middle of a shopping district, which was where Brutus inflicted the fatal wound that killed him.  

This area was close to shops and our favourite gluten free restaurant, and was actually in part a cat sanctuary where you could "adopt" a kitty.  (It's a wonder we didn't come home with another one since we wanted to smuggle one home, they were so cute). We had found the restaurant, incidentally, when Lorenzo rang round on our behalf to local establishments near to the hotel to find one which served gluten free food.  Obviously when you're in Italy, you have to eat the most delicious pizza and pasta!

Vatican City

Our next tour was of the Vatican City, again, one which we pre-booked.  Our guide was an art historian so we certainly got chapter and verse about every painting, fresco and map,  since she was extremely knowledgeable about all the famous artists and sculptors.  

MichaelAngelo, famous for painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling was in fact a celebrated sculptor before he began one of the most famous tasks in the Western world!  Of course all were completely awe-inspiring and such stunningly beautiful works of art from the ceiling to even the floors - one of which was decorated in the luminous blue, ground from lapiz lazuli stone and which was used by many of the Renaissance artists - often for the Virgin's Mary's startling blue robes.

The Vatican is the smallest country in the world, and the Pope is the King.  It is easy to be confused by the number of popes and kings unless you have studied them, but each has left something of themselves behind in the Vatican, even including the scandalous Borgia family (Pope Alexander V1 was born Rodrigo de Borja and fathered several children by his mistresses).

Photographs are not allowed to be taken in the Sistine Chapel (so I've used this photo below which I found online), and in certain parts of the Chapel and St Peter's Basilica, there are signs requesting silence.  I was horrified, particularly at the gate of St Peter's tomb to hear a family loudly shouting and laughing at their young children who were running riot at the tomb.  While I am not particularly religious, it is a holy place and not an amusement park.  The kids were obviously bored - maybe they should have taken them to a playground.

St Peter's Basilica

Staying with the Basilica, we saw the world-famous statue, Pieta by Michaelangelo, depicting Mary holding the body of Jesus after his Crucifixion.  This sits behind gates and bullet-proof glass, since a  vandal attacked the priceless artifact, chopping off Mary's nose, arm and fingers with an axe.  He was never charged with an offence, but spent two years in an Italian sanatorium and then deported. The statue is one of the few ever to be repaired, since this can negate its authenticity, but it was felt this piece was too important to leave so severely damaged.

You can climb to the top of the dome, but there are more than 400 steps, and a lift which only goes part-way, so I knew I would never make it to the top.  Besides, I hate heights, and this is one scary drop!

If you do every venture to Rome, visit the Vatican on Wednesdays.  Unfortunately we did not know when we booked that Wednesday is the day the Pope appears on the balcony when he is in residence.  We went on Tuesday!

Rome by Night

We later returned to the Colliseum that evening to see the fabulous building at night - and it is just as stunning as during the daytime, although we couldn't actually go inside the walls.

In fact Rome is just as stunning at night as it is during the day.  Many of the old ancient stones are lit up and are even more impressive by moonlight.

Hop-on, Hop-off Bus

As always when we do a city tour, we do the hop-on hop-off bus tour.  However, because the streets are so narrow, the bus cannot drive through the centre - so it did a loop around the city, pointing out yet more fountain monuments (250 of them) and water drinking fountains (several hundred) but you couldn't actually see the main attractions because many are down side alleys and in pedestrian areas.

The Pantheon

We had seen the Pantheon on the first day - the circular church in the  Piazza della Rotunda (where we had the most delicious pasta lunch, though also the most expensive!) Originally a Roman Temple, it is now a Roman Catholic Church ( the Basilica de Santa Maria ad Martyres, or Church of St Mary and the Martyrs).  Despite its age - it was dedicated around 126 AD, it is still the world's largest unenforced concrete dome, despite being in constant use.

Our final day there was spent revisiting those places we loved the most - including the Trevi Fountain by day, which is stunning - and eating the most delicious ice creams.  The gelato shops sell so many delicious flavours that you just have to try as many as you can while you're there! We also paid a second visit to the Spanish Steps - again another place which was very busy so it was difficult to get good shot without hordes of tourists in the picture. It's also very close to all the designer shops -  a good place to go window shopping only!

The Spanish Steps

I hope I haven't bored you with the history - there is so much of it and so many churches. ruins, museums and fabulous buildings of such historic significance, that it was impossible to see in just a few days.

I have to admit there was a lot of walking - something which I find difficult after a while since a bad accident a couple of years ago fractured my spine.  I had to have frequent stops with either cappuccino or gelato to fortify me, but a tip for those not used to walking is to wear very thick rubber soled shoes, trainers or boots - there are lots of cobbled streets and after a while I could feel every piece of grit in my normal-soled patent leather boots!

It is one of the few places to which I hope to return - we had such a magical time.  The weather was kind to us, the people were friendly, the food was incredible and the place is just stunning.  It is also hard to imagine how far advanced a civilisation Rome was more than 2000 years ago, and how well it has stood the test of time.

Caio Rome - I'll be back!

MARRAKESH

Anne H here. I was lucky enough to spend a week over New Year in Morocco visiting Marrakesh with some friends and being joined by my daughter for a few days.

THE MEDINA 

We were based in the Medina (the old town with its distinctive high walls) for the duration of our stay, which was the most amazing experience. This is a particularly busy time of year as not only foreign tourists visit, but there is a massive migration of Moroccans to Marrakesh as well.  This sometimes made navigating the streets quite an arduous task, but once you were off the main routes getting about was relatively easy, especially with the help of Google maps!

There are plenty of restaurants in the main square that overlook the market on the outer edge of the Medina, and many an hour can be spent there over a mint tea just watching the world go by.  One thing to note is that many of the restaurants within the confines of the Medina are "dry" and if you want alcohol you need to venture to the outer edges or into the larger Hotels more appropriate for tourists.

Shopping is an absolute dream, I could have filled a container with amazing handcrafted items but managed to contain myself. Rugs are something for which Morocco is world famous and we saw some absolutely beautiful examples. Bartering is the norm in Marrakesh and takes some getting used to. If you can't cope with the slight aggressiveness of the bartering system there is a shop called Establishment Bouchaib  that has lots of examples of  gorgeous jewellery, artefacts, rugs and furniture where the prices are fixed and where we spent many happy hours.

The hustle and bustle of the place is amazing and the colours are dazzling.  But there are opportunities to escape down quiet alleyways if you crave some peace and quiet.

One thing to be aware of is being pointed to the direction of somewhere and then being picked up by people who will show you the way and then demand payment.  We made this mistake on the first day when being pointed to the Leather area, being told that it was only open that day as the Berbers were going back to the mountains for the holiday.  It wasn't the worse experience in the world but did involve paying our guide who was waiting for us when we came out of the final stop which, of course, was a shop!

Our impromptu tour involved visiting the leather tanning area which actually turned out to be very interesting.  On entering we were handed a spring of mint to help mask the smell of urine which is used in the process. The shop we were then taken to included leather, carpets, lamps and furniture and there were some lovely examples of all.  I succumbed to a suede jacket and my friends bought a carpet .... pretty much guaranteed one of us had to leave with one, though how they managed to get it home is still a mystery!

WHERE WE STAYED 

RUE JEMAA DABACHI 

We booked accommodation in a Riad via Booking.com  ( A riad is a type of traditional Moroccan house of palace with an interior garden or courtyard. Nowadays the term is used to refer to a hotel or guest-house style accommodation with shared common areas and private rooms), and stayed at the Riad El Bellar which was in the centre of the Medina down a quiet alleyway (above). They organised a pick up at the airport and met us at the big square to guide us through the Medina to their location, which we certainly would not have found without their help.  But thereafter we managed fine by getting a SIM card that allowed us to access Google maps on one of our phones.  Data charges otherwise are prohibitive and you go through your capped limit in the first day very easily.

RIAD EL BELLAR 

The Riad El Bellar was clean and comfortable and included a lovely terrace where you could sit out and get the afternoon sun.  Breakfast was served in the courtyard area above and we were looked after really well.

PLACES TO EAT 

We had one local restaurant which we frequented a lot called the Chez Brahim on the Derb Dabachi which served amazing Tagines and was incredibly reasonably priced. 

TERRASSE DE LA FONTAINE 

We enjoyed a lovely lunch at the Terrasse De La Fontaine and loved its decor as well. We also enjoyed a marvellous meal on the roof terrace at Nomad admiring the views of the medina and the Atlas mountains.  Nomad is part of a chain which includes Le Jardin which we also visited and highly rated. Although more expensive than the Brahim they were both very affordable and the surroundings were beautiful.

NOMAD ROOF TERRACE 

GARDENS

JARDIN MAJORELLE

A short cab ride from the Medina (and cabs are not expensive)  is the Jardin Majorelle which was stunning. As one of the most visited sites in Morocco it is worth getting there early so that you can wander the gardens and enjoy the peace and tranquility.

Created by French painter Jacques Majorelle over a forty year period the use of plants and colour is inspiring and just made me want to get back to my own garden, though the weather is not very inspiring for English gardens at this time of year.

Interestingly, the garden was falling into disrepair after the death of Majorells in the 60s and was bought by Yves St Laurent and Pierre Berge in 1980 who saved by them from being turned into a hotel complex.

The site also includes the Berger Museum and the gardens of the Villa Oasis.

LE JARDIN SECRET

A true oasis of calm in the hustle and bustle of the Medina is the Le Jardin Secret. Set in a traditional Riad, the garden is housed in the centre and is protected by high walls. Comprising of two gardens - The Exotic and The Islamic Garden, both have water features fed from underground channels via a hydraulic system, and there is a cafe and plenty of areas to sit.

We had also ventured into the newer commercial area of Marrakesh but really it was totally overshadowed by the wonders of the Medina.  I think if I ever returned I would make a point of taking excursions to the coast and the Atlas mountains to experience the variety that this beautiful country has to offer.

CRUISING AROUND CROATIA

Last week was the first of our two travel blogs about our P&O Cruise on board the Oceana.  Flying into Malta, our first visits were to the beautiful city of Zadar in Croatia, followed by a day in glorious Venice. You will have read in the news this week that that beautiful city was subsequently hit by the "acqua alta" - the high tide which has caused millions of pounds worth of damage, including to the beautiful St Mark's Basilica. Such a terrible shame that some irreplaceable artefacts have been lost forever. It isn't the first time Venice has been flooded, and we doubt it will be the last, but we hope that Venetians will be able to overcome such terrible losses.

We set sail just before midnight, heading to Split - though we had originally been designated to visit the UNESCO World Heritage town of Sibernik, but because of our late embarkation, there wasn't time to make our way there.  Sibernik - like much of the Dalmation coast, is a beautiful medieval city, boasting two UNESCO sites - the Cathedral of St James and the Fortress St Nicholas. This fortress city is often overlooked since most tourists head for the better know cities of Split and Dubrovnik.

Sadly we never got to see it - much to Anne's disappointment, but for me, it meant a visit to Split - which is where I wanted to go in the first place!  Croatia's second city is a vibrant and energetic mix of ancient and modern.  The stunning medieval buildings and Diocletian ruins sit alongside bustling cafes, restaurants and modern shops.

The 4th Century Diocletians Palace  (not an actual palace, more like a collection of ancient churches/buildings and homes) was built by the Emperor Diocletian between 295-305, and while much of the original palace and its mausoleum have been demolished, the area is still home to around 3,000 residents.

Stroll around the streets and you will come across a ruin in a park, and while the St Duje's  (St Domnius) Cathedral boasts a Romanesque bell tower, the ancient sits side by side with the modern.  The architecture of course spans many centuries, and the cathedral itself has had a number of important additions over the centuries - the elaborate 13th century pulpit, the 15th century Altar of St Anastasius, and the 13th century wood carvings and carved choir stalls - all stunningly crafted by hand, and which have stood the test of time.

Like many of the Croation cities we visited, the streets are paved in pure marble, beautifully worn down by the thousands of residents and tourists, but you can never forget that the buildings require constant upkeep and underpinning because of their age.

Our next port of call was the beautiful Dubrovnik - which has long been on my bucket list. However, I have to admit that I did not get the buzz I expected from it.  I'm going to be a little controversial here and admit that tourism can damage some of the world's beautiful places, and I think Dubrovnik is heading that way - unfortunately due in part to the cruise ships.  Dubrovnik, like Venice, has taken the decision to limit cruise ships into port, to two per day, carrying a maximum of 5,000 tourists.  

The reason is evident, since Dubrovnik has become one giant outside restaurant, with cafes and bars catering for the thousands of visitors who throng the streets - not helped of course by the popularity of Game of Thrones, since much of the filming was completed here.

The picturesque wide boulevards were overcrowded, with shops catering to souvenirs and jewellery.  While still beautiful, somehow it lost its shine for me.

One can't help but mention the terrible events of December 1991, when Dubrovnik was badly damaged during the war which led to the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia. The devastating cost of the conflict led to a loss of around 140,000 lives and the destruction or damage to many of its ancient buildings.   One family documented how they fled from their home with only the clothes they stood up in - while carrying the 99 year old granny from their burning house.

Having said that, it wasn't a negative experience - it is a beautiful city and has been very tastefully restored.  There are stunning churches, since Croatia is still a religious catholic country,and of course there are museums detailing their chequered history.

Ending on a positive note, our final visit in Croatia was to a beautiful small resort just outside Dubrovnik called Cavtat.  Fortunately this lovely harbour is unspoiled and provided a welcome oasis from the hustle and bustle of the larger cities.

With lovely beaches, crystal clear waters and boats for hire, this was a much more peaceful alternative its more famous sisters.  We settled into a rooftop cafe for a very welcome cappuccino, and strolled along the promenade, making friends with a lucky black cat which wrapped itself around my legs! 

Like everywhere in Croatia, there is an ancient mansion while notable churches in Cavtat include the church of St Nicholas, and Our Lady of the Snow, while the nearby island of Lokrum offers 19th century botanical gardens and citrus groves if you need to get out of the summer heat.

Richard the Lionheart was famously shipwrecked on Lokrum in the 12th Century as he made his way home from the crusades.  But beware - there is a naturist beach on Lokrum!

We are aware that this was a whistle-stop tour, and gives a small glimpse of Croatia and Venice, but that's cruising for you.  Next week we will compare the cruises we have taken, and talk a little about life aboard the ocean waves!