Trastevere

We start our day with another simple breakfast at our BNB. The owners leave us with a key to get back into the building and the common area of the apartment. They are allowing us to leave our packs here while we explore the city today. We get all packed up and checked out, leave our packs, and head outside. It is another beautiful day today.

Baths of Caracella

We are going to find our way to the train station that has the train to the airport. It is about two miles and we have not been to this station so this way we get some exercise and don’t risk getting lost later with our full packs. It is a pleasant walk as we reach and go around the Roman baths of Caracella and then we get slightly misplaced. What is labeled as a road in google maps turns out to be a stairway down to the next road. When we get there we turn the wrong way before retracing our steps and finding the next street we are looking for. From that street, it is just a short walk to the Ostiense Train Station. We go in and buy our tickets for later today. The good news is that there is a train about every 20 minutes to the airport and the tickets can be used on any train. The mystery of how to get to the station is now solved and we now wander towards the Trastevere neighborhood of Rome, where we intend to spend our afternoon.
Trastevere is on the left bank of the Tiber River and is known for being more of a local neighborhood than some other parts of Rome. We cross the river and start to make our way to the center of this neighborhood.

Italian Salad

We are getting hungry as it is almost 1 o’clock and we see a place that has a nice looking menu and outdoor seating. We secure a table outside and order our meal. I get a walnut pasta dish and Carol decides to go with a nice Italian salad. We get a glass of white wine to accompany our meal. The atmosphere is nice and we chat with a couple from California that is sitting next to us. The food arrives and the meal is very good. It is just the right place to have what is probably our last restaurant meal on our trip.
After paying our bill and using the facilities, we walk a few blocks to the Church of Santa Maria in Trastevere. There sure are a lot of churches that start with Santa Maria, here in Rome. This is one of the oldest churches in Rome and was made a basilica in the fourth century when Christianity was legalized. It was the first church dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

One of Romes Oldest Churches

There are some very nice mosaics dating back to the thirteenth century, surrounding the altar and in the dome above it. We go back to our walking and wind up a hill and some steps where we come to another old church and a mausoleum which honors those who fought and helped Italy become unified in the mid to late nineteenth century. We continue climbing until we reach a fountain and an overlook of Rome. This overlook faces the forum and the Victor Emmanuel Monument that we were at yesterday. It is starting to get late in the afternoon so we decide to start walking back towards the BNB. We wind back through the Trastevere neighborhood, cross the Tiber, and then back towards the Coliseum and on to our BNB. We stop for a gelato along the way and also buy a couple of Panino sandwiches for dinner tonight. Arriving back at the BNB, we put our day pack and the sandwiches in our packs, and head back out the door. The two mile walk to the train station goes smoothly, now that we know our way, and our timing is good as we catch a train with no waiting. It is a half hour ride to the airport and we now look for signs to the Hilton which is supposed to be connected to the Terminal.
As we walk, we see a Lufthansa counter, so we stop there to see if we can get our boarding passes for tomorrow. The lady is very nice and helps us out. We were going to check in to the hotel first, then come back here to try and get our passes, so it is really nice that we do not have to do that. Having our boarding passes will also make tomorrow morning much easier and hopefully hassle free. I ask at an information booth how to get to the Hilton and with the way pointed out for us, we keep moving. We are able to use a series of skywalks and in about five minutes we are at the Hotel.

Unexpected Dinner and Drinks

When we check in she tells us we are on the executive floor and there is free food and drink for people staying on that floor. There is also breakfast in the morning for the executive floor. I really don’t know how they knew we were VIP’s but am glad that they figured it out. We were not expecting any of this or we would not have bought sandwiches for dinner. We will save them for tomorrow. Our room is very nice and as it is nearly 7 P.M., we go to eat and have some drink. The executive lounge is nice and they have beer, wine, soft drinks as well as pasta, cheeses, fried mushroom and olive balls, salad, cous cous, and desserts. It is all pretty good and we are happy just to have it. Finishing our meals, we return to our room. It doesn’t seem real that we are flying home tomorrow. Time to get some sleep as it is a long way home in the morning.
Expenses
Lunch and Wine at Cajo and Gajo 25E
Gelato 4E
Paninos from Otbred 9.5E
Train to Airport 16E
Hilton Hotel 80.69E
Walked 10 Miles