Matt and Janelle in Europe

Today was mostly a travel day, which we spent traveling by train from Genoa to Rome. After waking up and checking out of our strange Genovese hotel, we walked around looking for some lunch before our train arrived. We found a nice cafe and ordered some coffees and panini, then headed for our train at the nearest station (which was much closer than the station we'd originally arrived at).

The train ride to Rome was nice and scenic, taking about four and a half hours and traveling along the western Italian coast. We talked a bit with some fellow passengers (both Italian), which was a linguistic challenge, as always.

After arriving in room, we hiked the short distance to our bed and breakfast, where the host showed us to our room. Our room is on the fifth floor and has a great view of the facade of the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano to the north-east.

After dropping of our gear, we had a chance to explore Rome a little bit. We stopped in the aforementioned church (which was preparing for its Easter masses) and were amazed by its size. Afterward, we headed east and wandered through a park at Caelian Hill, then stumbled upon the Colosseum, getting a chance to read a bit about its history.

As it was getting dark, we searched for food and decided on a restaurant on the way back to our hotel. It was the first meal with which we were disappointed; the pasta dishes were mediocre, especially for the price. After dinner, we headed back to our hotel, where we finally got the chance to update our blog.