When in doubt go to Rome

I just decided that I could swap some shifts around at work and the next thing I knew I had 5 days off coming up. What should I do with these 5 days off? After work I rushed on home on pay day and thought it is time to get back on a plane and see more of the world. Lets buy some tickets, there was thought on Wales, Venice and even Amsterdam....Rome was the one that strummed the right chords.

After some hilarious antics, tickets are now booked!

First stop, Sky Bus trip to East Midlands airport. I didn't think that there could be an airport smaller than Edmonton's but I have found it here right in the UK. 12Pounds a family ticket got both of us a return ticket from Derby [40 minutes one way] and back, not a bad deal. (Apparently to buy two adult return tickets to the airport would have costed us 12.50Pounds, I like helpful bus drivers.) Off to a good start!

Since I do not hold a UK passport I had to go find the visa check counter, which was very much ust a counter. We had shown up in advance just in case there was a huge line up, instead it took all of 10 seconds. i assume that not very many people that holds a non-UK passport come through here.

We bought our tickets through RyanAir now the website itself states that tickets are relatively cheap but with     all the airport fees it pretty much doubles or triples the price of the ticket. either way, I didn't like the fact that you would have to pay extra for checked luggage. there were no allocated seats and if you didn't have a printed boarding pass on an A4 sheet of paper it would cost you 60pounds to get it printed off at the airport. On the better side of things, if you like first come first serve seats this is an excellent airline to fight your way onto the plane. I personally don't like to have to  line up in a rush at the boarding gate.

2.5 hours later we arrived at Ciampiano airport. From the airport we caught a bus (another 40 minutes) into Roma, conveniently they sold bus tickets return airport shuttle for 8 Euros.

Arrived at Termini station {this place is pretty darn big} the hub for tourist and tour guides. We wandered around for awhile looking for our hotel and hitting up our first tabacci store. Our hotel was hidden away since we were looking for a huge neon sign like all other hotels but it was on the smallest plaque on the side of a huge hotel near the buzzer saying that it was on the third floor. To only find out that we weren't at the correct one and was escorted over to another hotel since they have three hotels within a 3 block radius. Christina Hotel was advertised on hostel bookers as a featured hotel since their regular prices are 60-100 Euros per night and we got it for 20 Euros/per night!

Our double private room had carvings on the ceiling and nicely pattered blankets and wallpaper with a reading chair, a very small TV, mini fridge and a kettle. Much nicer than I had expected, the only things was the fact the walls are a bit thin.

Now we are ready for our first day in Roma.