With Shiv and Lil now back at work in Toronto, we know for sure they’ve fulfilled one of their three simple goals: arrive home safely. I think it’s also safe to say that they’ve had a blast, so now we’re up to two out of three. But did they stick to their budget of $2500 each? I have a feeling that’s a strike!

So far we’ve only heard about their adventures in Madrid and Barcelona. The ladies were able to check off all the must-see places and must-do activities on their list and then some. Gazing at Antoni Gaudí’s unique architecture was a must and enjoying a flamenco show in an old man-made village was a bonus. In this week’s update on Shiv and Lil’s awesome European vacation, we find out if pizza, pasta, and gelato really do taste better in Italy!

Let’s hear from them!

Wednesday, September 21st 2011 – Rome, Italy

After the mad dash to the gates in Barcelona, our arrival in Italy was quite muted. We landed at Rome’s Ciampino Airport in the evening, gathered our luggage, and walked straight out of the door. Just like that. There was no need to go through customs much to our surprise. Perhaps this was due to the smaller size of the airport, but that meant there was no confirmation that Shiv and I had actually arrived in Italy.

We then caught a bus to Termini, the main bus and train station in downtown Rome. At 4 Euros one way, it was much more economical than a taxi which would have been significantly more as it took about 45 minutes to reach. In our selection of hotels, one of our main criteria was accessibility. The hotel we chose was easy to find and located close to Termini.

Hotel Galles is a three-star hotel, the highest rated hotel we would be staying at in our European tour, so expectations were pretty high. The hotel façade and main lobby were well decorated, however, upon checking in, we were told that our room was actually located in the next building. There, we had to ring to be let in, and then we were greeted by a very old fashioned elevator that could only be described as a birdcage. Rather than take the elevator, as we were on the second floor, we made our way up the spiral stairs. After climbing up the equivalent of 4 storeys, we finally made it to the 2nd floor, and our room was another surprise. Decorated in a dated fashion with dark green patterned walls, red carpets, and lots of mirrors, the two-storey room was actually quite scary. Nevertheless, we reassured ourselves that we would not be in the hotel for very long as we would be out and about.

Deciding to grab a bite to eat, we walked through the area of hotels that surrounded the Termini station and were pleased with the amount of restaurants. We ordered pasta of course; Shiv was very pleased with her seafood dish. I had water with my food while Shiv had a glass of wine. This was the last bottled water I ordered! The price difference between wine and water was only about 1 Euro but since the tap water in Italy isn’t recommended, it had to be bottled.

Completely stuffed, we headed back to the hotel to get a good night’s rest. Due to the hotel’s décor and atmosphere, we ended up needing to leave on one light to sleep. It was far too dark and scary without it on to sleep peacefully!