For previous honeymoon posts, click on the links below.

Chapter 1 – Arriving in Rome & Wedding Memories

Chapter 2 – The Vatican

It’s been too long. It’s been almost three months since I’ve posted any honeymoon photos, and that needs to change. So I present to you, Chapter 3, the bus tours. It might seem strange with how I have all of this broken up, but I promise at the end it will all make sense.

Remember, anything in quotes was written in my journal, and it was written the day after all of this happened, so when you’re reading it that might help things to make sense. I’m SO glad that I kept a journal as we traveled, there are so many memories of small things that I would have forgotten. Please note, most of these photos were taken while moving on a bus, so be kind. :)

After visiting the Vatican, we decided to get some water and go back to the hotel. One thing we’ve done every day since we’ve been here – SIESTA! I love naps, no argument from me, but I’m kind of surprised Tom loves them so much. We nap, eat, then spend our evenings sightseeing. I love Rome during the day, but just after the sun has set and the sky is that gorgeous blue, it’s like a whole different city. We awoke from our nap and grabbed some tickets for the hop-on hop-off buses. Because things were starting to close for the day and entry wouldn’t be possible, we decided to do the whole circuit, and just see the city. All of these buses are double decker buses, with headphone jacks at all of the seats so that you can hear the information as you drive by the sites. At first we were stuck on the bottom of the bus and we were COMPLETELY miserable. No air, stuck in traffic, breathing in the awesome exhaust with no ventilation – not exactly fun. I told Tom if we see someone come down, we will push anyone and everyone out of the way to sit up top. Luckily it never came down to violence. We took our seats on the top and relaxed.

The traffic here? Bad. The parking? Bad. But the scooters are just terrifying. I can’t even tell you how many times we thought we were going to cream someone on a scooter with that bus. And really, a double decker bus versus a scooter? There’s really no question who would end up a Roman street pancake. It was pretty scary being on top of that bus, having a bird’s eye view of all of the craziness in the Roman traffic. Moving through the city was stressful, so we focused on what we were seeing instead.

The architecture is amazing. I love the detail in the buildings, the molding and the statues that are so small that you really have to look closely to see them. The streetlights hang across the street, which is a little odd for me. I love it though, it’s a new perspective. Even modern government buildings look like they belong in a past decade, the history is part of every part of the city.

There were two stops that I really wanted to make, but with the darkness and the end of the bus route approaching, we didn’t really want to be stranded at the Coloseum that late at night. We were staying by the Vatican, not exactly close! So I took photos from the bus of the Forum and the Coloseum, with Tom’s promise that we would get to the Coloseum. I had a goal, a specific photo that I wanted to take, and damnit I didn’t want to come all the way to Rome and not take it!

We got to see most of the main sites from the bus, but didn’t really have time to get off. We rode the two hour circuit and ended up back at St. Peter’s Square. Except this was a different St. Peter’s Square than what I had experienced earlier. Earlier it was SUPER bright, filled with tourists and people trying to sell you things, and it was a little unnerving. This time, it was dark. And absolutely gorgeous.

I really love this photo… my point and shoot had a panorama function, and I used it a TON. Yes, I had three cameras with me while traveling. Don’t judge me. The photo is grainy and the quality of the panoramas kind of sucked, but I love how Tom looks like some awesome shooter, some superstar that is too cool for a photo from some adoring fan.

I found a happy place at St. Peter’s when it was quiet and peaceful, and wanted a photo of us. Unfortunately, the point and shoot didn’t do a fantastic job, but the memory is still there.

The basilica was lit against the black sky. It was so unbelievably peaceful. Rome is a big city in Europe – chaotic, crazy, and a little overwhelming at times. But this place, at night, was so peaceful and quiet. I felt a wave of calm wash over me. Even though we had been here for two days now and had seen a LOT, it still seemed surreal to me. Here I am, on my honeymoon with the love of my life, in the eternal city. I am SO aware of how blessed I am. Tom had taken care of me so well on this trip, making sure that I was safe, and watching over me. Although in hindsight, I didn’t realize how much I would really need him the next day, when my peace came to a screeching halt.

Chapter 4 coming soon… a very scary day.