The Last Day of Samm's Trip: Pisa and Rome

We woke up on Sunday morning at 6:15 so that we could stop by our cute coffee shop before going to the train station. Unfortunately the place was closed, so we got some breakfast at the station. We almost missed our 7:30 (5 euro) train because I needed to ask information something about our tickets, and then Samm and I couldn't find each other. Luckily, we did make it for the hour-long ride to Pisa. 

We got to see a little countryside on the way, but nothing too characteristic of "Tuscany". When we got to Pisa, there was absolutely nothing to see out the windows. That town is dismal and sad (I bet the slightly overcast sky didn't help my opinion). So we wander around a little not really sure what to do. We knew we needed to take a bus to Pisa, but nothing else. I finally asked a newspaper stand vendor and he sold us tickets and told us which bus to catch. The bus eventually came right outside the station, and we were on our way!

At one stop, a man on the bus leaned over to Samm and told her that was where the tower was. I am so thankful he did that because we had no idea! We quickly get off and walk to an entryway in a large protective wall. Through the frame you can see a cathedral with a dome, another building, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa in the back. I think that walled-in area is the only attraction of Pisa. The city is a little dirty, and I would never want to spend more than a day trip there. Anywayys, we get right to the picture-taking.

Samm got up on one post of many that lines a grassy median and I took some pictures. Then it was my turn. Then we re-did Samm. Then I had to go to the bathroom. Then we took a couple more shots. That was literally the extent of our time in Pisa! We went to take pictures! I think we got some really good ones too. Our photoshoot actually took a ridiculous amount of time, and we ended up having to take a taxi back to the train station in order to catch our train. We got there in time and grabbed some McDonalds for the ride (seriously, what would we do without that place?! so sad...) 

There were assigned seats on the train again, but we kind of ignored that. Instead of being a train that I am familiar with taking (like Amtraks up to New York with rows of seats) like the setup from Rome to Florence, this train had cabins with six seats in each. Samm and I got our own cabin. I am so thankful because we were able to catch up on some sleep over the three hour ride back to Rome. 

When we finally got to Rome, we went directly to the Colosseum so we could catch it in the daylight. We each paid 11 euro to go in. I think Samm liked it, but we both determined that it is not worth the cost. We headed back to my apartment to drop off our stuff before heading out for the night. 

We took the metro to Piazza del Popolo so she could see it, and that is also where you get off to go to the Pantheon. We walked there quickly because I knew it closes its doors at sundown (which it wasn't yet). We get to the Pantheon at 6:03...I specifically remember looking at my watch. The front doors are closed! It turns out the building closes at 6pm. I was so upset. I really had no idea. I know Samm was a little disappointed to. It just wasn't fair for her to get excited over seeing something and then it not working out (more than once). So I tried to make it all better by suggesting we go get gelato (which she was obviously up for)! 

We walk around a little and end up at the Trevi Fountain. It was so crowded! There were people everywhere. I am soooo glad she got to see it at night though. It is gorgeous when it is all lit up. We tried to get some pictures, but there were too many people. I told her that we could come back after dinner to see it without so many tourists. We then made our way to the Spanish Steps, which were also crowded, but more manageable. 

We sat on the steps for a while and met a very nice and adorable Japanese woman traveling with her daughter. They had asked us to take a picture of them, and then the woman just started talking to us. She spoke very good English while telling us about all of her travels. Samm said it when she was here, and I definitely agree, that one of the best things about traveling is meeting people from all around the world. It was really cool to have a conversation with the woman.

When we started getting really hungry, we headed to a restaurant that the man sitting next to Samm on the plane to Rome recommended to her. On a map, it looked only a Metro stop away, but we ended up having to walk a while. 

The restaurant was nice inside with tables very close together. There was an Italian couple on one side that left shortly after we arrived and a man eating alone on our other side. This man struck up conversation almost immediately and ended up conversing with us through our entire meal. He even left the restaurant with us. A little odd, but he was nice. He is from Copenhagen, traveling alone, and all his baggage got lost in transit. We didn't get his name or anything. Again, it was nice to meet someone from a completely different culture.

The food at this restaurant was decent, not my favorite. I don't think I would recommend it to anyone. I got the gnocchi and Samm got spaghetti carbonara. I really liked mine, but not hers so much. We then shared osso bucco (we decided to go all-out for her last night!). That was a good dish, but neither one of us were too hungry for it! We got tiramisu for dessert nonetheless! I got a cappuccino, but the foam was very strange. That is when I became hesitant to ever return...and Italian restaurant messing up cappuccino? Peculiar.

Sooo we decided that because it was so late (like midnight) and I had to sneak Samm into my apartment (we didn't book a hotel for that night) we would go see the fountain again early Monday morning. We made it back to my place, despite the Metro A line shutting down at 9:30 every night for construction (so inconvenient), and she got in without a problem. According to Italian law, I'm not supposed to have guests, but the guards didn't notice!

We got up at 6am, Samm finished up packing, and we got out of my apartment nice and early. We have a little difficulty finding the fountain from the Metro stop, but we finally get there. AND THE TREVI FOUNTAIN WAS TURNED OFF!! I could not believe my eyes. Just our luck. Who turns off the Trevi Fountain?! I owe Samm so much for all the ridiculous things that happened to us. We do what we can with a couple last minute pictures and head to Termini so she can catch a train to the airport.

I opt not to go with her because that would be 22 euro round trip, and I really wanted to go back to my apartment and upload pictures and sleep! We get her ticket and just hang out for a little while. She finally left around 8:30. We had such a crazy trip! I am sooo glad she came to Rome, and that I took her to Florence, and that we got to see pretty much everything a tourist needs to see.