La Dolce Vita

As the countdown on our Bamako tour continues we decided to take one last long weekend out of town for Memorial Day.  Destination:  Rome!

It was spur-of-the-moment, which for me means only about a month of planning.  We stayed near the Colosseum in an apartment booked through Booking.com.  

Again, we took Turkish Airlines via Istanbul.  However, now we transited through the new Istanbul Airport.  It's new and it's huge.  It just opened and they are still working out some kinks, like better signage for transiting passengers and coffee machines that work at the airport concessions.

First stop in Rome was a haircut and beard trim at Machete Barber Shop.

After the freshen-up we had an evening tour of old Rome

The Altar of the Fatherland or The Vittorio Emmanuelle Monument or The Wedding Cake

Michael and Mark in Rome

Trajan's Forum 

The Roman Forum

Piazza Campodoglio

On the Piazza Campodoglio  

The Palatine Hill (I think)

The Colosseum 

The Colosseum 

Inside the Colosseum 

The Colosseum at sunset 

The Colosseum at sunset 

The next day was a bike ride around Rome.

At the Colosseum, again.

One of the quaint streets we rode down

Trevi Fountain

Yes, we tossed a coin - hopefully we'll come back!

Another Roman back street

The Spanish Steps

The Fontana della Barcaccia in the Piazza di Spagna

That would be a fun ride, too.

Our bike group on the Piazza di Spagna

Inside the Pantheon

Michael and Mark inside the Pantheon, bathing in the light from the oculus.

"No don't let that ugly church (St. Agnes in Agony) fall on me" in Piazza Navona

Having some bubbles on Piazza Navona.

Gelato stop in Trastevere.

Not only are artichokes delicious, they're pretty, too.

Dinner that night was at Restaurant Giulia along the Tiber.  It was soooo good.  Expensive, but worth it.  We had the tasting menu and it was a great contemporary take on traditional Italian/Roman food.  

My drink at Restaurant Giulia - the side is candied ginger.

Saturday was the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica.

Inside the Vatican with St. Peter's in the background

Michael and Mark in the Vatican

Statue of Diana of Ephesus in the Vatican Museum

The School of Athens fresco by Raphael in the Vatican Apartments

Stepping inside St. Peter's Basilica

The dome of St. Peter's, taken with my iPhone camera

and taken with our Nikon

Michaelangelo's Pieta

A Swiss Guard at the Vatican

Saturday evening we headed over to the Testaccio area for drinks and dinner.  Drinks at Tram Depot and dinner at La Fraschetta di Mastro Giorgio.  Tram Depot is adorable and a perfect spot for an aperitif.  La Fraschetta was recommended and it didn't disappoint.  Not quite the same level as Giulia, but not nearly as expensive, either.

There's a pyramid in Rome - who knew?

At Tram Depot for a cocktail

The artichoke was so delicious!

Sunday was another bike ride day - this time along the ancient Appian Way.  It rained for some of the ride, but it turned out to be quite refreshing.

Along the ancient Appian Way.  All roads led to Rome.

Out in the Aqueducts Park.

Out in the Aqueducts Park.

One of the tombstones that line the Appian Way.

Michael and Mark out in the Aqueducts Park.

Part of the ancient aqueducts of Rome.

Rome was the perfect short getaway to end up our time in Bamako.  Since we'll be in SE Asia for the next three years with lots of good regional travel opportunities, it was nice to have one last European jaunt.  I'll keep my eye on Rome as a posting further along in my foreign service career.  Who knows.

Piazza Campodoglio by night.