Martin Travels: Back to Rome

We awoke at the dock in Civitavecchia, the port for Rome and lingered over breakfast on the Oceanview Deck on the ship watching the harbour traffic and cruise ships. We met a couple from Virginia who are taking a few days off in Rome before getting on another cruise. All in all, I think Cruises are preferable to other means of travel – if you can get where you want to go –that is. We’re not ready for bus tours. But I digress.We disembarked the Celebrity Solstice unceremoniously – there is more fanfare for a shore excursion - found our baggage in an on-shore building, took the chartered bus to the port gate – it’s quite a large port - and walked to the train station. After quite a long queue and suffering poor signage again, we found our way, and that of our luggage (down stairs, over and back up) to the right track. The ride was smooth and uncrowded, but the Rome train terminal was very crowded. We watched people loading onto a train for the airport and decided that a shuttle service would better suit us – and our 5 bags on Wednesday. We checked back in to the same hotel –Hotel Petit – in a much more petit room, and set out for a walk and lunch. No major sights were seen. Rome is a busy, loud city. Motorcycles everywhere. One has to be a careful pedestrian. Then a rest, then dinner at the restaurant next door, then another walk and then to bed.