Wedding of Wonders – The Blog

One thing I didn’t get a chance to post about while we were in Rome was the Swiss Guard.  For those of you who have seen them (or perhaps have read/seen Angels and Demons) you know that the Swiss Guard is one of the most elite fighting forces in the world… but they dress like… well… you be the judge. So it is with that that I would like to play a little game called “Trained Killer or Ballerina?” I’ll show you a picture and you choose whether or not it is a trained killer or a ballerina. Let’s get started.

Ok, first up we have this guy:

He doesn’t look too much like anything… So what do you think, Trained Killer or Ballerina? Ok that one was easy, he was clearly a ballerina… But now they start to get harder… Alright, let’s try once again:

He looks a lot like the first guy… He’s wearing a beret, has very puffy pants and is very skinny… maybe a court jester or something? …Nope! Trained Killer! Alright how about another:

Alright now this guy is rugged, he’s tough and it looks like he could probably do some damage (you know, for a guy wearing… that outfit). So what do you think, Trained Killer or Ballerina? …Oooh, and he’s a Ballerina. Ok, one more:

Again, this guy looks like he should be playing the fife at the Renaissance Fair, right? …WRONG! One of the world’s elite trained killers in the Swiss Guard.

So I hope the lesson learned here is that you can’t really tell the difference between a ballerina and a trained killer. Next time you walk down the street and see somebody that looks like me (on the lanky side and extremely well dressed – perhaps wearing a tremendous scarf), think twice, he may be the next Chuck Norris.

The second half of our trip to Rome was the perfect medicine after our less-than-relaxing visits to both India and Egypt.  Waking up around 11:00AM without having to worry about what types of bugs might be crawling either in or around the bed was extremely refreshing.  (Not sure if we mentioned this before, but we had a major bug infestation in our hotel room in India that caused both of us to jump onto our couch like little girls and call the front desk for help…not the best.) 

Our second full day in the city was filled with little more than a casual walk through the streets andback to the little cafe we had found the day before.  More gelati, wine and people-watching was pretty much all we had on the agenda since the following day would be filled with a fair amount of exploring, in search of the perfect place to take our wedding photo.  We headed back to the hotel fairly early and indulged in a nap, which turned into a marathon 12-hours of sleep and erased any plans that we had for grabbing dinner. 

We woke up the next morning and prepared for the long day ahead of us.  Not only did we need to visit the inside of the Colosseum and find a good place for our photos, but we still had to venture out to the Vatican since Mike’s inner-Catholic-schoolchild-guilt would most likely eat away at him for years if we did not at least take a walk through St. Peter’s Basilica and St. Peter’s Square.  (I, on the other hand, grew up with a Christmas tree topped with a Star of David – a perfect example of me and my brother’s less-than-religious upbringing.)  We packed our bag with the usual wedding of wonders arsenal (still camera, video camera, tripod, map, water, wedding dress and tuxedo) and ventured out into the warm Rome air.  First stop?  The Colosseum.

Just as we expected, the area surrounding the Colosseum was completely overwhelmed by tourists from all over the world.  We quickly made our way past the souvenir stands and greasy Italian men dressed as gladiators (seriously) and into the long-ish line to buy tickets to see the inside of this colossal structure.  While many of the American tourists (including one super classy 20-something couple from New Jersey) were whining about the somewhat lengthy wait to purchase tickets, the line seemed like a piece of cake to us after all of the waiting that we had done over the past few weeks (airports, bathrooms, restaurants, etc.).  Eventually we purchased our tickets and made our way to the interior portion of the arena. 

To call this structure impressive would certainly be an understatement since the sheer scale of the building coupled with the fact that a large portion of it has really withstood the test of time (had it not been for numerous earthquakes stone-robbers, the majority of the structure would still remain today),  makes for an amazing sight, especially considering it was completed in 80 A.D. 

We made our way throughout the two existing levels of the structure and quickly realized that a photo here 1) would probably be impossible considering the overload of tourists 2) most likely would not capture the impressive size and recognizable features of the structure and 3) could possibly get us escorted out by security.  We snapped a few more photos of the inside and moved onto Plan B – finding a place on the outside where we could change into our outfits and take a good picture without turning into a huge spectacle in front of thousands of tourists.

After leaving the inside of the Colosseum, we made our way to the surrounding area known as the Palatine Hill, where there are numerous ruins as well as ongoing archaeological dig sites.  Since this particular area sits on the hill directly above the Colosseum, we were convinced that we would find at least one good photo location somewhere along the way.  We walked and walked and walked.  Nothing.  Most of the decent spots were either obscured by large trees, overlooked a less-than-stellar view of the Colosseum or were closed off to visitors by large gates and/or “pericolo” (aka danger) signs.  Feeling slightly defeated, we climbed a hidden set of stairs along the path and hoped for something promising once we reached the top.  We were in luck!  We had stumbled upon the back entrance to a fantastic lookout point with views of the Colosseum as well as most of Rome. 

Although this area was also filled with tourists (who somehow got the memo about the great view before we accidentally stumbled upon it in a more haphazard fashion), it was much less crowded than the area directly surrounding the Colosseum itself, so we decided it would be the perfect spot for our photo.  We found a grassy area off to the side (although my dress is slowly getting destroyed, I am trying to avoid dust and dirt as much as possible) and changed into our outfits as inconspicuously as possible.  Once we were in full wedding attire, we spotted a friendly-looking couple and asked them to take a few pictures of us since our tripod was not high enough to reach up over the railing encasing the perimeter of the overlook.  They kindly agreed and took a bunch of pictures as we once again became a spectacle with tourists pointing and snapping pictures of us. 

Once we had the perfect shot, we changed back into our street clothes and made our way to our next location:  Vatican City.  Since my toe was once again giving me issues (ugh), we hopped on the metro and arrived at the “Musei Vaticani” stop in no time.  A quick walk past the main gates and we emerged in the center of St. Peter’s Square. 

Wow.  We never thought we would set foot in a place that rivaled the grandeur and opulence of the Palace of Versailles, but this was certainly a contender.  The Vatican certainly got the memo about marble columns and decided to put them pretty much anywhere they could find room.

We explored the square for a few minutes and then made our way into the line for the metal detectors that would allow us to enter St. Peter’s Basilica.  After passing the security checkpoint, all visitors must then make it past the decency checkpoint.  You probably think I’m kidding, but I’m not.  If you come dressed in anything shorter than capri pants or 3/4 length sleeves, the Vatican decency police will turn you away, thus making you feel like a huge slut.  One girl in front of us was wearing a skirt that was too risque for the church andwas turned away.  She had a black tank top on under her shirt, so she decided to pull it down around her waist so that it would sit below her skirt and would cover the portion of her legs down to her knees.  Although she could barely walk with her shirt pulled down so far, she went back towards the decency policy and made her 2nd attempt at entering the facility.  One of the guys at the door attempted to turn her away again, but then realized that she looked soo utterly ridiculous, that he took pity on her and let her through…laughing at her as she hobbled along like a baby deer.  (I’ll be honest, it was pretty hilarious.) 

Once inside the building, we decided to head over to the Vatican grotto first to see the more than 100 tombs beneath St. Peter’s Basilica.  It was pretty incredible to see one place where so many historical figures (not only past popes are buried here) have been laid to rest.  Perhaps the craziest thing we saw here was the handful of visitors sobbing hysterically over the tomb of John Paul II.  While I understand the importance of religion to many people and the impact that a figure such as the pope has over them; it was incredibly awkward to walk through such an intimate moment in these people’s lives (especially considering there was no other way around them besides walking directly between them and the tomb).  Maybe a private mourning area, away from the main walkway? 

After visiting the grotto, we made our way to the main floor of St. Peter’s Basilica.  Our jaws nearly dropped to the floor when we saw the elaborate artwork, sculptures and marble-work covering every single inch of the basilica.  The space was absolutely enormous and 2 amazing rays of sunlight shining through the windows made it nearly impossible for anyone to enter without feeling a sense of awe regardless of their religious affiliation. 

After a quick walk throughout the exceptionally expansive space (the basilica can hold nearly 60,000 people), we began our trek back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.  It had been a long day in the hot, humid air and we were ready for a nice, relaxing dinner. 

Once back at the hotel, we got ready for dinner and traveled down a whopping 2 floors to Vivendo, which was conveniently located in the lobby of the St. Regis.  Dinner was absolutely delicious and was complimented perfectly by the wonderful service and fantastic wine pairings of each course.  The best part of the night was definitely the fact that our room was only a 2 minute walk away, making it very easy to collapse into bed after what ended up being an extremely long (albeit productive) day. 

Our extra two days in Rome was definitely one of the best decisions we have made during this trip.  Although the city is extremely walkable, thus making it easy to see everything very quickly, it was wonderful to take our time and enjoy such a beautiful place with an impressive history of art and culture.  I certainly would not recommend only spending 4 days here, but our visit gave us a taste of what we will see once we return. 

Arrivederci, Rome!  Here we come, Brussels!!!

Ah Italy, a place where people eat ice cream every day, drink like fish and smoke like chimneys yet somehow manage to outlive the US – I thought I had just stepped into heaven. And our first taste of heaven was absolutely our hotel. The St. Regis Rome is, as expected, a portrait of Italian opulence so over-the-top that you continually ask yourself if you magically became royalty. It’s the type of style no one would ever want in their own house, but in a hotel it’s just enough ridiculousness that you really enjoy it. We were even upgraded to a suite so our room had a NAME!

Once we stopped laughing like giddy little children, we made our way out into the city to explore. Being that Rome is such a compact, walkable European city, even Katie’s toe didn’t slow us down too much and we were able to cover most of the city in our first full day. Our first day actually happened to be Republic Day in Italy so there were parades and all sorts of special events.

Unfortunately, this also meant that some of the icons of Rome were closed for the holiday, and significantly more depressing (for someone who will remain nameless), Gucci, Valentino, Dolce & Gabanna and other shopping icons were also closed.

Nonetheless, most of Rome is simply soaking in the beauty and impressiveness of what the Romans were able to accomplish 2000 years ago.

This entire city is basically a giant museum of beautiful art works to be enjoyed from the small cafés peppered throughout the city. It is impossible to look in any direction and not see an amazing building, sculpture or church, so as much as we would love to litter this post with a million photographs (and we do have a lot in store), it just makes more sense to see it yourself.

Our first pass through the city included the big things that no one should miss while here in Rome (also the places most crowded by tourists). The Pantheon, The Trevi Fountain, The Spanish Steps and countless beautiful Piazzas throughout the city (it would take me all day to list them all). Having just read Angels & Demons, I was looking a little closer for Illuminati imagery as I was walking around (I know, huge nerd).

It was at this point that Katie and I were starting to get a little tired and just wanted to experience the Italian culture. We found a cute little café, ordered a massive gelati, two café lattes and a bottle of red wine (not all at once, this is over a few hours) and watched the people pass by. If anyone was looking for a fun past-time, watching Italian men perv the many women that pass by (for those who don’t know: perv, v.t. to stare at impertinently, flirtatiously, or amorously). It really is quite comical.

It was about this time that Katie and I made the realization (crystallized easily into a phrase by Nick – thank you) that New Jersey really does give Italians a bad name. Apologies to those of you from The Suburb State, but spending my summers at the Jersey Shore in my youth, I have my share of run-ins with people like this guy (children should not watch that video… or read this paragraph…). After speaking with a few locals (who are hard to come by in a tourist metropolis like Rome), people are very very different than the “jacked and tan” variety I grew up with. Don’t get me wrong, there are some stereotypes that are extremely true. For instance, I have seen about a hundred people just like this guy and it really is impossible to try to mock Italian by being loud, oscillating your voice and using your hands – you will just fit in. Those things said, Italian people are just awesome.

After watching the world go by for a few hours we made our way back to our opulent palace of a hotel and called it a night. The rest of Rome had to wait until tomorrow.