All Roads Lead to Rome.....

I'm in Roma!! Wow... this is my last major city before heading back to the UK!! I can't believe it!! This adventure has flown by! It actually makes me a little sad to think that in less than a month, I'll be returning to the US. Even though some things have really sucked, this has been amazing! I've experienced and seen so much!!!! Going back will be difficult....

Anyway, I got on a train headed for Rome around 12pm. It only takes 1 1/2 hours and since this was the Italian Eurostar, the trains were nicer though still packed! I ended up sitting next to 2 americans who had been studying in Greece and Italy. We chatted about art and culture before the conversation drifted to politics, the economy, and the future of America. After discussing American History, we decided that the current fight in America is for freedom from religion and conservative oppression. It was a fabulous train ride to say the least. I love conversation like that, especially over a glass of red wine.

So, the train pulled into Roma Termini about 2pm - yes, it was late. I found the street that I needed without any hassle and walked towards the hostel. Damn.... Rome is filthy. And as I continued to walk, it simply got dirtier and seedier. Yikes. this isn't good. I finally find the hostel and it is in the worst possible area. Think South Bronx or Bed Sty. Tentaively, I ring the bell. The door buzzes and I walk up the stairs. I'm greeted by these 2 Italian girls who spoke little English and were missing teeth. The few teeth they had left were stained dark brown or even black in some places. Oh dear. So, they were full (thank god) and they sent me to their other hostel. This one was in a better area and was cleaner, but it was still cramped! I mean sleeping right on top of one another. Well, that simply will not do! I dumped my bags and went on a quest to find a decent place to stay! I eventually found myself at a nice hostel and I'm only paying a few Euros more. Satisfied, I went the restaurant around the corner. I was starving! I had a wonderful dinner! I had a 1/4 liter of delicious red wine, breadsticks, fresh bruschetta, a huge bowl of Fettuccine Alfredo, and a fabulous Apertif.... for 10 Euros!! You can't beat that!! Especially when the pasta was fresh and made from scratch!! Oh, it was wonderful!

With my belly full and warm from the sweet apertif, I slowly made my way to the crappy hostel. When I got there, my roommates had returned. They were from Oregon and we had a great time discussing everything under the sun. Of course, the conversation eventually came to the impending primaries and Hillary Clinton. We even discussed abortion and woman's issues! I loved it!! this was the 2nd time in one day that I had an intellectual conversation!! It the hostel seem a little better.....

The next morning, I woke fairly early. It was terribly hot and there was no A/C. I got dressed and packed pretty quickly, and went out into the office to get "breakfast." It was awful! Fake OJ and this strange stale cake thing??? I don't really care what is was, because it sucked. I have no desire to repeat the experience. After choking it down, I grabbed my bags and booked. I got to the other hostel in record time, dumped my bags, and hit the town! Wow, Rome is filthy and very crowded! Not just with tourists, but with Romans, as well!! The traffic is horrific! I'd compare it to LA!! The scooters and motorcyles are everywhere and are driven by psychotic Italians hell bent on death and destruction! To make matters worse, there are very few pedestrian lights! If you want to cross the street, you simply walk out into traffic and hope they stop. They are supposed to.... in theory. They usually simply go around you. It feels like I'm stuck in a bizarre Frogger game.

Any-hoo.... my first stop was the National Mseum and the Baths of Diocletian. Very interesting! It's amazing to stand in front of a sculpture that was created nearly 4000 years ago!! After wandering the grounds, I headed to the Piazza della Republica. A few Frogger leaps and I was on my way to Trevi Fountain!! I worked my way through the narrow alleys and found myself in front of the gorgeous fountain! It really is a wonderful sight! I threw in 4 coins, just in case!!

After making my wishes, I walked over to the Forum! Wow!! It's pretty incredible!! It must have a wonder! After exploring the ruins, I headed down Via del Fori Imperiali. The Colloseum loomed ahead! It was incredible! I decided that I would brave the line and check out the interior. As I rounded the corner, I saw that there were a bunch of people up on the lookout shouting and blowing whistles and chanting! I figured it was simply a school group or something. I didn't pay it any attention and got in line. After about 30 minutes, the line had not moved and neither had all those people. I asked someone what they were saying. The chant was "Occupado Tutto - No Tourist" - which means, loosely translated, that they had fully occupied the Colleseum so no tourists could enter! They were demanding that 1 million affordable houses be built in Rome. OK.... now everyone who knows me knows that I am a staunch supporter of affordable housing and the general right to protest without fear. But this was ridiculous! they should have chained themselves to the Arc or something!! Anyway, the police and the news crews finally arrived and they CLOSED the Colloseum. They pulled out the few non - protesting people and SHUT THE GATES!! I thought there was going to be major drama, so obviously I hung around as did most people! But, the people left peacefully. As they filed out, it had be 500 of them!! Wow! Lots of them were hiding their face from the news cameras and photographers. Stupid! If you are going to protest, do so proudly! Well, after they got them all out, they reopened the Colloseum and I went in!! Coooooool! Worth it!! I loved wandering through the same passageways that Gladiators took on their way to battle!

So, after the excitement, I wandered over to the Pantheon. It was cool, but I suspect it was MUCH better when it was a Pagan Temple. The Christians came along and destroyed it by pulling out all of the original pagan statues and replacing everything with christian ones. Stupid. But the temple itself was very cool! Afterwards, I headed over to Piazza Navona and checked out Bernini's wonderful work!! At this point, I was completely exhausted and my feet were killing me!! So, I walked.... hobbled.... my way back to the hostel.

Whew! I've had a very busy day and it's only 8 pm!! I dropped off my laundry so in a few minutes, I will ahve clean clothes!! hooray!!! Rome is ridiculously hot and dirty, so I will do it again on my last day! I want to have clean clothes for London!! It is so weird to think that I'll be back in London in 6 days!! I'm very excited about heading back to London, but I'm also a little sad. It means that my adventure is coming to a rapid end. Hmmmmmm..... what to do....

Any-hoo, I go to the Vatican tomorrow! I'm going to stand in the Sistene Chapel! I also want to go into the catacombs, crypts, and tombs! It's supposed to be very cool! I'm not sure what I'm doing on Friday, but I will let you know tomorrow! Well, I'm off to rescue my laundry!