Even at Four AM.
It was good to escape the menacing streets of Kenya and head for the reportedly safer streets of Europe. My flight to Rome connected through Heathrow the day after a runway accident there had made the news even in Nairobi, but I was still surprised by the impact it was having over 24 hours later. So a plane misses the runway – there were no serious injuries, just drag the wreckage out of the way and get on with it. But not at Heathrow, there they decided to close one of their two runways to investigate. I’m confused a little bit but then again I’m not so smart, wasn’t the problem that the plane missed the runway, why close it? So while I managed to escape on time a riot-torn African city where the government has possibly stolen power, hundreds had been slain, and tens of thousands are homeless refugees, in England the next leg of my flight was five and a half hours late while authorities looked at some torn up grass. Ahhh, civilization. So I grabbed a meal, found a comfy spot and started to read the new Lonely Planet I bought for Italy. (Holy shit, books are expensive in the UK!)
I finally landed in Rome at 3:30AM, long after the public transport options had closed and shared a taxibus into town with six other travelers. For 30 Euros apiece!!! Already I was getting the authentic ancient Roman experience - being treated like a Sabine. Dropped at the door of my reserved hostel at 5AM, I vainly knocked on their locked door for 15 minutes before pulling out my Lonely Planet to see what other options were available in the neighborhood. Squinting at the text and tiny maps by streetlight, I wandered several streets and knocked on several doors before luckily finding Freedom Traveler’s Hostel near Termini train station.
I slept through the free breakfast the next morning and got a late start on my sightseeing, but still managed to pack a lot into my day. With a tourist map in my fist, I headed to a street market to get myself some warm clothes - after months in Asia and Africa, I was freezing my ass off! Before this trip, I had always hated haggling, but I must have learned well in the markets of Thailand and Zanzibar, because I left a trail of upset salesman in my wake. Wearing my new black jeans, faux Gucci belt, black turtleneck sweater and a black coat, (when in Rome…) I walked all over Rome for hours seeing sights I’d only read about – the Colosseum, the Forum, Spanish Steps, the Vatican, Trevi Fountain and the Parthenon. I wandered through winding cobbled alleys into astonishing statue filled Piazzas, stopped for coffee in tiny cafes and sampled pizza or gelato whenever the mood struck me.
It was good to escape the menacing streets of Kenya and head for the reportedly safer streets of Europe. My flight to Rome connected through Heathrow the day after a runway accident there had made the news even in Nairobi, but I was still surprised by the impact it was having over 24 hours later. So a plane misses the runway – there were no serious injuries, just drag the wreckage out of the way and get on with it. But not at Heathrow, there they decided to close one of their two runways to investigate. I’m confused a little bit but then again I’m not so smart, wasn’t the problem that the plane missed the runway, why close it? So while I managed to escape on time a riot-torn African city where the government has possibly stolen power, hundreds had been slain, and tens of thousands are homeless refugees, in England the next leg of my flight was five and a half hours late while authorities looked at some torn up grass. Ahhh, civilization. So I grabbed a meal, found a comfy spot and started to read the new Lonely Planet I bought for Italy. (Holy shit, books are expensive in the UK!)
I finally landed in Rome at 3:30AM, long after the public transport options had closed and shared a taxibus into town with six other travelers. For 30 Euros apiece!!! Already I was getting the authentic ancient Roman experience - being treated like a Sabine. Dropped at the door of my reserved hostel at 5AM, I vainly knocked on their locked door for 15 minutes before pulling out my Lonely Planet to see what other options were available in the neighborhood. Squinting at the text and tiny maps by streetlight, I wandered several streets and knocked on several doors before luckily finding Freedom Traveler’s Hostel near Termini train station.
I slept through the free breakfast the next morning and got a late start on my sightseeing, but still managed to pack a lot into my day. With a tourist map in my fist, I headed to a street market to get myself some warm clothes - after months in Asia and Africa, I was freezing my ass off! Before this trip, I had always hated haggling, but I must have learned well in the markets of Thailand and Zanzibar, because I left a trail of upset salesman in my wake. Wearing my new black jeans, faux Gucci belt, black turtleneck sweater and a black coat, (when in Rome…) I walked all over Rome for hours seeing sights I’d only read about – the Colosseum, the Forum, Spanish Steps, the Vatican, Trevi Fountain and the Parthenon. I wandered through winding cobbled alleys into astonishing statue filled Piazzas, stopped for coffee in tiny cafes and sampled pizza or gelato whenever the mood struck me.
After walking around for eight hours or so, I dragged my tired butt back to my room and met the roommates I had tried not to disturb the night before. Anne from Gaucher college and Naomi from Australia (another one – is there anyone left down there at all?) had been in Italy for a little while and gave me advice for my visit. The next morning, Anne took off for Naples and Naomi and I headed out to explore. In between frantic searches for Twix bars and gelato, we actually saw lots of stuff. Vicki had advised me to avoid the line at the Colosseum by getting the ticket for both at the Palatine Hill, so we visited there first, enjoying great views of the city and centuries of ancient Roman ruins. Then we waltzed past the people in line like J Lo at a nightclub and were soon imagining ourselves as gladiators waiting to enter the arena for a fight to the death. Compared to modern sporting arenas, the 50,000 seat Colosseum is nothing special. But then you recall it was built almost two millenniums ago by people using only muscle power and it is astonishing. I wonder if Washington DC’s RFK stadium will still be around in the year 4008? Doubtful.
We spent the rest of the day exploring Rome on foot, finding all kinds of cool back-alley shops, cafes and cathedrals. We had lunch in fabulous Piazza Navona - my favorite in all of Rome. After hours more wandering, I took pictures and watched the sun set behind the Vatican. Crossing the Tiber to Castello Sant' Angelo, we stopped and watched ice skaters circling endlessly before finding a tiny trattoria for dinner and a bottle of good wine. It seemed to be locals only and many very satisfying courses later, and after some wrong turns, we headed home.
The next several days were a blur of sights, museums, famous works of art, cathedrals, great food and wine, and passing time in piazzas. There was always a fun crowd around the hostel, so finding people to eat, wander and go out with was easy. I took a walking tour with Will, one of the staff, who seemed to know all the out of the way cool stuff and good stories I like in a tour. We even went inside a Capuchin Church crypt where over hundreds of years, the monks had used their brothers' bones to decorate the rooms. The tour included some sights I had already visited, but Will's insider stories made them fresh and interesting.
I decided to spend a couple of days in Florence and Will had recommended I stay at D'Archi Rossi Hostel, and once again, he scored big. It was a larger place and I stayed in a 12 person dorm, but the place was clean, had lots of hot water, and was amazingly painted with murals by all the guests. looking at the replicas of Italian works of art, modern interpretations, and original pieces, I felt distinctly untalented. It seemed the norm in Europe was fun hostels with lots of cool programs and I gladly took all their advice and enjoyed the city. For a tiny city, there was tons of history, and signs of the taste and power of the Medici family was everywhere. Highlights included Il Duomo Cathedral, Botticelli's Venus at the Uffizi Gallery, and Michaelangelo's massive David. I think I hit every art gallery in the city! All in all I packed everything there is to do in Florence into just a couple of days, and even had a fun night out in a local Irish bar (the only place showing soccer games.) I had gone there to meet up with my hostel roommates (Adam, Kevin & Sean from where else - Australia,) who were hours late. I think they were actually blowing me off, so imagine their surprise and disappointment when they walked in to find me sharing a table with four American girls - a bunch of students from GWU taking a year to study art at the local Florentine University. We talked art, travel, sky & scuba-diving and DC for hours until the bar closed and I headed back to the hostel where all my roommates were long in bed. I bet they are still wondering about "that old American guy."
The trains to and from Florence were fantastic, just like the rest of the public transportation system seemed to be, especially in Rome. The Metro and Buses are easy to figure out, maps are simple, getting tickets a breeze, it's all in perfect shape, and it goes everywhere you need to be. The direct line to the airport, the Leonardo Express, has to be one of the nicest trains I've ever ridden but it was sadly taking me away for my flight to the last stop of my world tour - Spain.
Ciao for now,
C
