Italia - Rome

After Florence we traveled even further south to Roma. We somehow managed to take the SLOW train, as it took us over three hours to get there and it should only take about two. Of course we both assumed it would only take a couple of hours and we didn't think to get any food to snack on. Thankfully I had one last granola bar in my bag, and it saved us. It was quite an empty train, probably because it is soooo slow. And about 3/4ths of the way through our trip a middle aged man got on the train at our train car, he surveyed (seeing that there was almost no one else in the entire car) and decided to sit with Alyse and I. Well, I should explain a bit better, we were in an open car (no little compartments) with four seats on either side of the isle. I was in one section of four and Alyse was across the isle from me. So this man, sat across from Alyse and put his bag in front of me. There couldn't have been more than 5 other people in the entire car and he chooses to sit with us....It made me think a lot about what compels a person to sit where they do and what influences that decision. I have no idea why he sat with us, he was a bit awkward, but nice. Although making conversation was a bit difficult and he had some trouble understanding us. Somehow Alyse's major ended up going from Anthropology to Archeology but we didn't argue.

When we did finally arrive in Rome we set out for our hostel, which was extremely small and had a kitchen but in an entirely different flat and you had to get permission to use it. We only stayed there one night before transferring to another place that had a lot more life to it. It was quite enjoyable....and we made some new friends there. As usual we spent our first afternoon trying to familiarize ourselves with the city, which proved to be much more difficult in Rome than it had been anywhere else. As it turns out the maps have pictures of the big monuments on them, but they aren't facing the direction that they face in actuality. So for example, you look at a picture of the Pantheon on the map and it looks as though it is facing street X when in reality it is facing street R, so it took some time to get organized. In addition we were determined to find some food. We followed our tour book, aka the bible of the trip aka, Rick Steve's Italy (I know I hate to admit it, but it was a GREAT book). The restaurant we ended up at was perfect. We arrived just in the middle of a football (soccer) match between Rome and Cagliari. The place was packed with people watching the match, and it was intense, but a great introduction to Rome. We were there for the second half of the game....I think the food may have even tasted better because of the vibe in the room. We watched with bated breath as Romans of all ages grasped on to the hopes of winning the game. In the end Rome triumphed over Cagliari, but it was a close game. The final goal wasn't scored until the last couple of minutes. And the roar was overwhelming. People were jumping, cheering and whooping with joy. Something that I found interesting was that just as soon as the game was over the place cleared out. No one stayed to rejoice with drinks or food.

As it was nearing dark we set out on a night walk of Rome (thanks to Rick Steve's). The city glows at night and it was an incredible way to see it. Of course we got a bit lost trying to find the starting point and by the time we made it, we had seen most of the city, but we did the entire walk anyway. Shortly after we set out for our walk, I felt a tap on my shoulder and a friend (Bobby) that I had made during my time in Edinburgh was standing in front of me. I nearly fell over with a mixture of fright and surprise. In the back of my mind I knew that he was set to be in Italy about the same time we were, but I never in a MILLION years expected to run into him. We invited him to come along with us on our night walk, and he declined due to the fact that he had less than 24hours to see Rome. He wanted to see everything that night. So we split and went on our merry way. Not a half an hour later did we run into him again, and this time he was terribly lost and came along on our walk with us. As we were set to see a good bit of Rome on this walk he was quite pleased to have the company (and he thought we knew where we were going, we had the book but the directions weren't that great). To be entirely honest we saw so many things that night that I don't think I can remember them all, but here goes....Piazza Navona, Campo dei Fiori, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, the Spanish Steps and a couple of other places....of course it wouldn't be Italy without gelato so structured into the walk was a visit to what is supposed to be one of the best gelato places in Rome. Both Alyse and I though it was just ok, but it was still quite good.

During our walk we manged to meet a bunch of American student who had been studying abroad in Scotland and the girls in the group were even staying at the same hostel as Alyse and I. We met up with them later for drinks. We were also 'attacked' by people trying to sell us flowers. They were the last thing any of us wanted and we did not need to badgered into buying them....I actually had to yell at one guy to get him to leave us alone. I also noticed that it got worse after Bobby joined up with us. I think that they assumed to girls traveling together didn't need roses, but that one of us must be with Bobby and so he should buy us flowers. No such luck there, we were not about to do that!!

As I mentioned before we met some American students, we met up with them at an overly prices Irish pub with Guinness that tasted like water...we didn't stay there too long before trying to find another place. As it turns out, unless you want to go to a club, or you know exactly where to go, it is hard to find a chill bar or cafe after midnight in Rome. So instead we wandered around in the rain trying to find a place to eat, we were semi-successful and then ended up at an empty cafe where we ordered more drinks. Alyse and I didn't feel like finishing ours, so we employed Bobby to do it for us....(see photo).

The next morning we headed for the Colosseum where we met up with Bobby and endured even more rain. Even coming from the Pacific NW this was insane. It poured the entire time we were at the Colosseum and it was not fun. I mean sure the structure itself is pretty spectacular, but it is hard to appreciate it when you are drenched to the bone. On my last trip to Italy we didn't go into the colosseum, I can't remember why, but it is an amazing place. To think about the history that surrounds it, both physically and the events that took place there. There was also an exceptional art exhibit set up inside a section of it, so while it was raining we ventured through that. I learned all about the excavations of the site and how a lot of the art was stolen and many tried to reproduce it, but to no avail most people were caught with the frauds. There is also a dispute of whether or not much of the sculptures and art should be restored or left in its current condition. From the Colosseum we visisted Palentine Hill, which is where there are ruins of old castles and palaces. It was pretty cool, but by that point we were hungry and wet. So we went to the Vatican.

Last time I was in Rome, it was just after the Pope had died and the Vatican was packed with people, in addition to the fact that we couldn't see the Sistine Chapel because cardinals are sequestered there, in what is known as a conclave until they pick a new pope. So, I was very excited to actually see the Chapel in person. I remember the vatican is being quite overwhelming but I don't remember it taking quite as long to get through. As it turns out, the museum if four miles of art. After a while it is hard to concentrate on it, you've seen enough religious iconography to last you a good while. But it was still pretty incredible. To think about how much art is kept in this one place. Many of the ceilings are painted exquistely and Bobby kept asking, "is this the Sistine Chapel?" and I just kept replying "No....you'll know it when you see it." Of course once we arrived, he knew it. (The photo to the left is not the Chapel, just one of the many painted ceilings). After the Sistine Chapel we visited St. Peter's Basillica, which is also quite impressive. It is supposed to be the largest church on earth (at least thats what the book said). It was here that we said good-bye to Bobby as he headed back to Florence and we continued to explore Rome.