Rome–25th April

Today was a 50 minute flight from Nice to Rome – that took almost the entire day!

After a hearty Ibis buffet breakfast, I set out to catch a couple of places I wanted to see before I left Nice.  The Russian Cathedral of St Nicholas is (from the outside) quite a spectacular building.  Apparently after the Crimean war the Russians were banned from the Black Sea, so the Tsar did a deal to base his navy in Italy.  The Cote d’Azur became a favourite holiday destination for the sailors and their families.  The3n after the Revolution, many ‘white Russians’ settled here and the Cathedral is the centre of their continuing presence.  The sign said it was open ‘de dix heures’ .. I waited till 10.30 and gave up.  Was soon time to get my things and hop the ‘aeroport direct’ bus to Nice International.

My first experience with a dodgy airline!  Blu-express is a no frills outfit:  no lounge of their own, no seat allocation, no gate staff.  At 13h45 (take-off time) a note appeared on the departures board that the flight was “retard 14h45”.  At 14h35 we were loaded on a standing only bus and driven to our plane that was parked way out in the paddock. Then we waited for nearly 15 minutes while the incoming passengers were unloaded.  Then the dash to get the best seats! Actually, no problem:  it was a Boeing 757 (my first encounter) and carries 230 passengers:  ours was only half full.  We eventually got away:  was served a snack of water; at Fiumicino airport we waited 25 minutes for bags to come in;  then took the express Leonardo train to Termini – 30 minutes.

Hotel easy to find;  just 3 minute walk from station, and not a pickpocket kid in sight!  My room is 606.  Sixth floor in the lift, right?  Wrong!  Go out the front door, walk along the street 2 doors, use the electronic room key to get through the solid front door, and wind around the corridor to 606.  Quite a nice room, clean, well appointed, with a bathroom almost as big as the bedroom.  A bit of traffic noise, but that is Rome!

I decided after all that to blow the budget tonight on a decent meal.  On the manager’s recommendation (and 10% discount card) I found the Ristorante Regina nearby.  I had forgotten just how wonderful Italian food can be.  The vegetable soup had half the market garden in it.  The roast lamb = cutlets were nicely seasoned with a side of fried greens.  The tiramisu was heavenly.  The discount paid the tip; all for 30€ which left the budget looking pretty good.

So there was the day that almost wasn’t a day.  Tomorrow will grab a day transport pass and hit the sights. 

Just a couple of pics of St Nicholas Cathedral today, here.