June 9, 10:00 am, Home B&B
Well, jet lag has certainly hit. I really didn't sleep much last night because I was wide awake until 7 this morning. I did get three hours though, and actually feel better than I did yesterday when I awoke at this time. Hopefully today will be tiring enough to help reset my biological clock but not so tiring that I simply pass out from exhaustion! ;-) Thankful that the 6 hour time difference allowed me to catch up with several friends last night. I would have been both awake and miserable from boredom if not for them.
June 9, 12:00 pm, Valle de la Caffarella
After we took the metro to head toward the Appian Way, we found ourselves waiting a really long time for the bus, so we just started walking in the direction of the route. Somehow we became confused and ended up in a huge walking trail in Valle de la Caffarella. There were many different paths, and it was easy to become confused as to which one to follow. The best thing I can relate it to is a very large field with wildflowers, livestock, and ancient ruins, crossed by many paths leading in different directions, kind of like the Botanical Gardens in Clemson, except not as well structured; no landscaping and lots of dirt paths with manure traps. We walked for more than half an hour before we finally found ourselves on the correct street to head to the Appian Way.
June 10, 1:00 pm, Via Appia Antica & Catacombs
We walked along a good portion of the Appian Way. Once we made it down the streets to the actual cobblestone and cobblebouldered path, we walked about half a mile until we made it to the Basilica San Sebastiano (which was built on top of a portion of the ancient catacombs). Since the catacombs did not reopen until 2:00, we stopped and had a panini at a street vendor. It was parmesan and prosciutto. Yum! Then we went and purchased tickets to tour the catacombs. I expected it to be creepy and the walls to feel very close, but actually it was much better than I anticipated, and the tour guide was fantastic. She was of some sort of Indian descent, and had the most incredible accent. She spoke excellent English, but the way she emphasized certain words just drew her audience in. She obviously cared very much about what she did, and performed her job to the fullest extent. Even when she had to reprimand tourists for taking pictures in the catacombs (photography was not allowed), she was still able to do it graciously and effectively. She mentioned at one point that she had been working there for over 25 years. And her level of experience certainly showed! I think in terms of entrance/tour fees it was the best 8€ I spent!
June 10, 5:00 pm, Home B&B
We went home via the bus line and metro. We did stop to see a couple of minor sights along the way, but our main focus was to get back, buy some food to make for supper, and relax for the rest of the evening. I sat here and blogged for awhile, not realizing that Alfred thought I was taking the first shower, so I'm going to sign off for now and go get clean and refreshed!
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