It was a three hour bus ride from Siena to Rome and we had seats right at the front of the bus. April was not impressed to see the bus driver take his eyes off the road to organise a cigarette, or the speedo showing we were travelling 120km/h in an 100 km/h zone.

We arrived in Rome to a local bus strike. Fortunately we'd noticed a warning about this the previous day, and had enough time for our helpful Airbnb host to organise alternative transport for us to our accomodation. So we were met on arrival - with no need to consult a map or try to work out what direction to start walking in, what luxury we thought....
But we'd forgotten about crazy Italian driving - it was slightly amusing to be inside a mini van as we swerved around cars and pedestrians . A real Italian driving experience, but we got to our address without incident - close to the Pantheon amid throngs of tourists.

Having spent all day travelling, and with wet weather forecast we were keen to get out and about, so we headed for the Colosseum, about a 20min walk away, and just in time before they closed the ticket booths - an hour before the attraction closes. A lovely time of night to experience it - and not too many people which was great. First impression of Rome is quite incredible - historic buildings and ruins around every corner. It is quite busy with a lot of people, but it's not a hectic busy - it has a bit of a relaxed feel to it.
The colosseum itself is an amazing structure - and dusk was a great time to see it.
We headed back as it started to get darker - plenty of street artists around. We'd been tempted by some art on the way in, and were pleased we hadn't bought anything when we subsequently realised that they are all just cheap reproductions and the open paints and brushes on display are just a guise to fool tourists like us. It becomes obvious once you see a few of them all selling the same pictures!

After dinner April and Darryl decided to go for a late night walk - we could see a light show on the Pantheon entrance so they went to check it out.

April: I like Rome more than Paris. It's busier but different. The light show was cool, it projected the original structure as if it was built new, and then showed bits falling off as it aged until it was left as it is today.
Scott: The bus ride was boring.
Sarah: I liked the Colosseum.