Dear Friends,
Thank you for your valuable comments and appreciation for the earlier parts of this travelogue. Here is the fourth and final part of the travelogue. Hope you enjoy reading it!
Day 9 – Italy – Rome &
Vatican City
After breakfast we drove towards
Rome and our first stop was at the world famous Colosseum at Rome. We have seen
this place in many Hollywood movies like Gladiator, Return of the Dragon etc.
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| Colosseum - Rome |
The Colosseum originally called as Flavian Amphitheatre was built during 7th
to 8th Century AD and can accommodate 75000 people at a time. It is
the largest amphitheatre ever built. It is an iconic symbol of Rome and is
listed in the new wonders of the world. The Colosseum has an arch in front of
it which has been the inspiration for many countries to build such structures.
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| Altar of the Fatherland Monument - Rome |
After visiting the Colosseum, the
local guide took us on city orientation tour and showed us many places of
historical and archaeological value at Rome which dates back to more than 2000
years. The entire city of Rome is under UNESCO and declared as a world heritage centre.
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| Vatican City |
Our next destination was Vatican City. The Vatican City is the
smallest country in the world. It is separated from Rome with just a wall
around it. The Vatican City has the Vatican Palace where the Pope resides
usually and St. Peter’s Basilica, one of the holiest Catholic shrines in the
world. There’s a tower in Egyptian style just like the one in Paris and is
called as the Vatican Obelisk.
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| Vatican Obelisk |
We waited in the queue for more
than half an hour and entered the Basilica. Once we entered, we understood that the wait was worth it. What an artistic place!! Paintings and sculptures everywhere, a real treat to the eyes!! We were awestruck by the grandeur
of the Cathedral! No wonder why the Roman history and art is praised worldwide!!
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| St. Peter's Basilica |
In front of the Cathedral there is a stage and a huge space adjoining, where the Pope meets the
people twice a week. The adjoining space can accommodate more than 150000
people at a time. The Basilica had various chapels inside. The ceiling is 150
metres high and is beautifully decorated with sculptures and paintings. It was
an awesome experience to pray in one of those chapels and walk around the great
historical and religious place.
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| Inside St. Peter's Basilica |
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| Outside view |
Later we headed towards
‘Ristorante Gandhi Indiano’ for enjoying our dinner. The irony was the restaurant named Gandhi, did serve alcoholic drinks too😜. After dinner, we checked
in to Hotel Duca D’Este at Rome. Later in the night, we had a get together of
all families. We shared our experience during the trip and also enjoyed the
singing and dancing.
Day 10 – Bidding Adieu
It was our last day in Europe.
After breakfast we took a small walk around the hotel and caught glimpse of the
beautiful landscape.
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| At the Hotel lawn |
We packed our bags to bid adieu to Europe and drove
towards the Fiumicino Airport at Rome. During our three day stay at Italy, we
had a chance to taste the Italian Pizza on and off, whenever possible. But we
never got to taste the Italian Pasta. That was upsetting me. But thankfully the
food court at the airport had Pasta and Lasagna and we tasted it there before
leaving Europe. (Jenma Saabalyam 😋)
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| Italian Pasta and Lasagna |
After flying for five hours, we reached Kuwait at around 8.30
pm. As we took a taxi to reach our home, we were more delightfully surprised
when our dinner was arranged to be delivered at our doorsteps, thanks to the
wonderful gesture of Mr. Satish.
Pleasant Memories
The trip did get over but it
seeded several pleasant memories to cherish in terms of the scenic beauties, wonders of
the world, fun and entertainment, friendship and bondage, support and
motivation. I am sure I am gonna keep talking about this trip for many more
months to come to everyone around me.
We had lots of fun games during the
travelling hours which made the travel stress free. The organizing committee
did a fabulous job; everything was perfectly planned and well executed. The
travel agents Thomas Cook did a tremendous job too, very professional tour
manager and driver to take us to various places. I take this opportunity to thank each and every person in the group for everything, because without this wonderful group this trip wouldn't have turned out to be so awesome!!
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| Pic Courtesy: Internet |
An excellent trip ended making us to long to have many more such trips!!
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