Day 10 [16-Oct]: Rome

Started the day real early and left the hostel at around 8am. I headed my way to the office for the bike tour, but stopped by a cafe nearby to have a donut and cappuccino for breakfast.

At the bike rental/tour office, I was pleasantly surprised that I am the only customer for the day's tour. As such, I had full attention of the guide and it was easier to control the speed and pace of the tour.

We cycled round many places in ancient Rome area and stopped by places to get views of famed colosseum, Spanish steps, Trevi fountain, Roman forum, Piazza Navona with the fountain of the 4 rivers, obelixes, churches, ruins, and more. I was simply awed by the architecture and art of the buildings. I supposed I've always been very impressed with ancient European architecture and designs, esp so when the walls and ceilings inside several churches that were so intrinsically decorated with paintings or decorations.

After the bike tour, I walked around in search of lunch. Decided to sit down outside a cafe and ordered Tonnarelli Bolognese for lunch. One of the main reason is that the waitress can speak good English, which is not that common away from the highly touristy landmarks. But what really surprised me after the meal is that I was charged €26. And I thought my pasta costed only about €10 and the cola should cost no more than €4. Seems like it is a "black shop" (bill is given as a sum and not broken down into food, cover charges or taxes). Urrgghh.

I walked around the ancient Rome area and covered some of the places I passed by during the bike tour. But now, I have more time to appreciate the beautiful designs and take more photos of them. I also passed by several more fountains and churches not covered in the bike tour.

Along the way, I passed by the capucchini crypts and was contemplating whether to enter. I was a little put off by the €6 entrance fee since it used to be free from what I had read online. In addition, photo taking is not allowed inside. Struggled with the dilemma quite awhile before I decided to continue walking around elsewhere to explore the city.

For dinner, I had Sicilian pasta with a glass of white wine and almond ice-cream. After dinner, I headed back hostel to rest.