Rome…last days

Well, the end of our holiday is nigh.  Rome has been one of the best places we’ve visited so it’s a fitting conclusion.  The weather has been so lovely, warm sunny days; the food, as we’ve mentioned in Italy, continues to be great and the sights have been super fun.  The Colosseum, Palatino and Roman Foro, the Trevi Fountain, Villa Borghese, The Spanish Stairs, Piazza Navona, The Sistene Chapel, The Pantheon and we even saw Eggs Benedict at Vatican City.  There we were wandering aimlessly about the Vatican when all of a sudden the bells ring and who appears at the window?  The very man himself.  He gave us a little sermon before wishing us a good week and closing his window.  Some pics. 

The Colosseum

The Colosseum

The Colosseum

Russell Crowe in retirement

Roman Foro/Palatino

Roman Foro, from the other side

Trevi Fountain

One of the locals 'hard at work'

Inside of the Pantheon

Piazza Navona

St Peter's Square, Vatican City

Vatican City

St Peter's Square from the Cupola

Vatican City

Inside St Peter's

Pieta, one of Michelangelo's finest

The Tiber

Castel St Angelo

Villa Borghese

Villa Borghese

The over crowded Spanish Steps

Pope Benedict at the window

Hercules inside the Vatican museum

One of the many tapestries inside the Vatican

A Raphael frescoe at the Vatican

The Sistene Chapel

As this will be our last entry, here’s some final stats and other stuff regarding our trip to finish up:

• Total number of photos taken (not incl. Dubai) = 6534 
• Total number of hotels stayed in (incl. Dubai) = 52
• Total number of hostels stayed in = 0
• Total number of times we slept in the car = 0
• Total number of times we went to McDonalds (not incl. toilet stops) = 1 (it was raining, it was late and we were hungry, ok?)
• Total number of countries ( & Republics) traveled = 14
• Total holiday time =23.5 weeks or 163 days
• Total number of car days = 86
• Total number of km’s driven = 11,230
• Avg speed overall (incl. Naples) = 47km/ph
• Cheapest fuel = Spain (€.86c/litre)
• Most expensive fuel = France  (€1.14/litre)
• Best mode of transport = Peugeot 207
• Best mode of public transport = Eurostar
• Lowest Temperature = -5 in Turin, Italy
• Highest Temperature = 27 in Sicily, Italy (Dubai will be warmer)
• Biggest rip-offs = Parking in Nice, France  & Gelato in Florence, Italy
• Best deal = €2.75 for breakfast in Paris because the waitress couldn’t count the change correctly
• Best tourist attraction: Mont St Michel, France &  Sagrada Family, Spain & The Vatican, Italy
• Favourite countries in order:  France, Scotland, Belgium, Germany, Austria, England, Spain, Italy…they were all great, this is a tough list 

So tomorrow we fly for Dubai where, because we haven’t gone over budget, we’ll be spending a few days shopping before returning home.  So thanks to all the  readers & commentators who followed our trip, we’ve had a ball.  See you in Australia.  Over and out.