I have the pleasure of going on a vacation to Athens and Rome for two weeks. If any of you have been there or have any good ideas, please let me know.
On a side note, I’ve been bulking for a while and was wondering what would be a good idea for food to carry around and snack on all day? This would have to be something that is allowed on the plane.
I’ll be attempting to overtrain for the two weeks leading up to the vacation, would that be the best idea?
[quote]chewie wrote:
I have the pleasure of going on a vacation to Athens and Rome for two weeks. If any of you have been there or have any good ideas, please let me know.
On a side note, I’ve been bulking for a while and was wondering what would be a good idea for food to carry around and snack on all day? This would have to be something that is allowed on the plane.
I’ll be attempting to overtrain for the two weeks leading up to the vacation, would that be the best idea?
[/quote]
Been to Rome, my advice would be to definitely spend a day each at the big three tourist attractions: the Coliseum, the Forum, and the Vatican. None will disappoint. Maybe combine the Coliseum and Forum into one day, but there’s a ton to see at both. Food’s delicious in Rome, and in Italy in general.
I always like nuts (mainly almonds) mixed with dried fruit as a travelling snack. Grow bars washed down with milk is another good one.
I’ve been to Rome a couple of times. There is a lot to see so plan accordingly. Both times I was there, someone was giving a free tour at the Coliseum. I think we got there around 9-10 o’clock.
Basically, what they were trying to do was give you a free tour for the Coliseum and hope that if you liked it you would meet later for another tour of another location (The Roman Forum)that you would pay for.
The first time we really liked the guide, funny and interesting, so we paid for the next tour. The second time we listened at the Coliseum but didn’t take the paid tour.
Rome is great, we walked a lot becasue everythihng is so spread out. But they have a subway system that worked out pretty well getting from place to place. Hang out at the Spanish Steps if you need a break.
We were usually beat at the end of the day but managed to find a place to relax and have a cold drink.
BTW - They have at several Irish Pubs 
Been to both, though haven’t been to Athens since 1995.
From what I recall, you could cover most of classical Athens within a day or two. Definitely hit the national museum if you are a fan of Greek art, particularly pottery and sculpture. Obviously you need to see the Parthenon ( Parthenon - Wikipedia ).
For Rome, I’ve been there twice, including last summer. I highly recommend buying the Lonely Planet’s city-guide to Rome ( http://www.lonelyplanet.com/ ) – it has some great walking tours, and good restaurant recommendations as well. In fact, their Athens guide would probably be a good one to pick up as well.
One tip – if you want to see the Vatican Museum, remember it’s not open on Sundays and can close early on other days. In fact, try to find out as much as possible about operating hours and days of operation for whatever you want to do on a certain day – things are closed at random times over there. I particularly remember that Greece seemed to have a national siesta time in the mid afternoon during which everything, including food shops, was closed.
ADDENDUM:
Lonely Planet’s online Athens page: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/europe/greece/athens
and the Rome page: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/europe/italy/rome
I still recommend buying the books - very useful, and not expensive.
Don't know if you are into motorcycles or not but think about hiring a scooter in either of these cities, had a great time in Rome with a scooter! and it allows you to get out of the metro area's into the country.
Thanks everyone.