Sunday 17 November 2013

Fall 2013: Day 2, Rome

Unlike previous trips, I was pretty lax with the planning on this trip. So I decided to just go with the flow, during this trip - go where I feel like going, when I wanted to. So the 2nd day was pretty relaxing.

I began the second day with a visit to Rome Grand Mosque. I decided to purchase a Metro Day Pass for my train travel throughout the day. I figured its cheaper than buying Single Tickets. The Metro Day Pass was €6.00 - unlimited rides for the whole day. From the Metro Station nearest to my hotel - Manzoni - I took the Metro to Flaminio Station to change to another rail line. Flaminio is the start/end station of the local line. To get to the mosque, stop at the Campi Sportivi Station. The ride is less than 10 minutes.

Metro Day Pass
Campi Sportiva Station
From there, its a straightforward and easy 5 minutes walk to the mosque. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to enter the main prayer hall during this visit. I had to contend with doing my "Solat Sunat" in a smaller prayer hall. In any case, I managed to get a photo of the sprawling mosque's complex.

Rome Grand Mosque
Musollah
I left the mosque and headed for Spagna Station on the Metro Line A. This is the station to stop at should you be looking for the Spanish Steps. It is just a few Spanish Steps away. Nearby, you'll also find yourself in an open space - a piazza - with many tourists, people selling roses, and horses pulling carriages. The area is also where all the designer labels are - Louis Vuitton, Prada, Channel, Gucci, and the likes.

Spanish Steps
Horse Carriages


Rome, as per many European cities, should be enjoyed by walking. Buskers and street artists line the streets. If you are into architecture, the walk will be filled with plenty of buildings to marvel at. I continued my walk on Via del Corso towards Galleria Alberto Sordi - a Shopping Mall. I stopped here for a cup of coffee at illy. If you've been around, illy is almost everywhere in the world. 

Buskers

Americano at Illy, Galleria Alberto Sordi
After coffee, I continued my walk around the area. Its my first day in Rome, so I thought getting myself acquainted with the area will be helpful. On the way, you can browse through plenty of souvenir shops, restaurants by the sidewalks, and cafes. Since the food will not be Halal, I dropped the idea of getting myself into one of those restaurants. But if I could, I will probably want to be seated in one of those restaurants by the side of a piazza. To me, that will give the "Italian Experience".

Cafe by the Piazza
The Fontana di Trevi is just a stone's throw away from the Galleria Alberto Sordi. As expected, throngs of tourists are gathered here. Other than taking photos, tourists are more than excited to throw coins into the fountain. Apparently, it should be thrown with the right hand, over the left shoulder. I'm not into such things, so I wouldn't know if any wishes should be involved with that action.

Fontana di Trevi
Moving on, I walked more towards the Barberini Metro Station. This time to tick Hard Rock Cafe Rome off the list. If you are taking the Metro, stop at Barberini Metro Station. After that, it is a 5 minutes walk. If you can see Hotel Majestic on your left, you are on the right track. I managed to get my shot glasses to add on to my collection, and made my way back to the hotel.

Image Credit: Hard Rock Cafe, Rome

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