When in Rome

Here’s more about the vacation in Rome that Garry and I enjoyed in 2003. You’ll recall that our first full day in the City of Seven Hills involved a lengthy walking tour of its central districts. On the following day, we focused our attention on the Vatican City. This included visiting its acclaimed Vatican Museum, the Basilica of St Peters, and the colonnaded expanse of Piazza San Pietro. 

As all good tourists do, we explored all of the Vatican’s most popular sights including Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling, the spiraling Bramante Staircase, Madonna della Pietà and the crusader-plundered Egyptian obelisk in the heart of Piazza San Pietro. Naturally, I raced down the Bramante Staircase for a classic “look at me” photo opportunity.

Our visit to the Sistine Chapel was my second. I’d seen it previously while backpacking in Europe in 1990. However, at the time, a fresco of The Last Judgment which fills the chapel’s west wall was hidden by a canvas shroud as it underwent restoration. During this second visit, I finally saw Michelangelo’s spectacular fresco in all its glory. 

It was well worth the wait (and undoubtedly was a far better experience post-restoration). Likewise, the majesty of the chapel’s iconic “Creation of Adam” ceiling left us in awe. Gazing up at one of the world's most replicated religious paintings really is one of those “pinch me” moments. The photo above simply doesn’t do it justice.

However, our most memorable moment of the day happened while soaking up the view at Piazza San Pietro.  As we stood under its curving colonnade, one of Rome's notoriously ubiquitous pigeons chose that moment to dump a load on my head.  I swore like a drunken sailor, and as I did, turned to find a sweet old nun bearing witness to my colourful expletives.

Our final day in Rome saw us exploring the Coloseum from top to bottom and weaving our way through the Roman Forum's extensive ruins. I'd missed some of these ruins during my first visit as a backpacker and thus was able to cross more off my tourist bucket list. Highlights included the bowels of the imposing Flavian Palace and the dusky bowl of Circus Maximus forever immortalised by Charlton Heston's spectacular chariot race in the 1959 movie, Ben Hur. 

We also took an excursion across town to climb the Spanish Steps. This sweeping symmetrical staircase, considered Rome's traditional meeting place, was immortalised by Audrey Hepburn in the 1953 movie, Roman Holiday. Although it's somewhat ironic that these days local authorities do everything they can to dissuade people from lingering on the stairs. Sitting on them currently attracts a 400 euro fine.

We rounded off the day with another visit to the Trevi Fountain. I’d like to note that, for the record, we tossed a coin into its midst to ensure we’d return someday. However, twenty years on, our wish has yet to be fulfilled. 

Our European holiday finished with a five-day stopover in Singapore. Here I spent time working before finally returning to Sydney.  We flew in on 18 July, did the tourist thing over a weekend, and then flew out again on 23 July. 

While I worked Garry made himself comfortable by the pool at the Merchant Court Hotel in Clarke Quay.  He also joined me and Text 100's Singapore staff on Tuesday evening for a traditional Black Pepper and Chilli Crab feast. The team took us to one of its favourite crab venues, Jumbo Seafood in the East Coast Seafood Centre, where I've dined many times over the years.

However, it was my antics that once again created the stopover's most memorable moment. During our Singapore Airlines red-eye to Singapore, I took a sleeping pill with dinner to help me sleep. However, I timed its consumption poorly.  By the time dessert arrived, I was struggling to stay awake. Then, much to Garry's amusement, while eating my ice cream, I passed out mid-spoonful.

Who'd have guessed that our humble Italian vacation would kick off another two decades of globe-trotting adventures? In the years since we’ve stepped foot on every continent while visiting almost 70 countries along the way.