Adventures in Rome

Okay, I know that I was going to do a blog on French food, but writing about Italy simply has to come first. I will probably do a blog on both French and Italian food in the near future, but for now I need to write about my experiences in Milan and Rome ... it has been very exciting, to say the least!

Admittedly, I did not get to see very much of Milan. My flight to Milan (from Bordeaux) was canceled, and so they put me on a different flight the following day, but I did not even get there until around six in the evening, and I was due to fly out to Rome the following morning. So there was not very much in the way of exploring Milan, and I did not get to take a small trip to Verona as I had planned, but what I can say is that my flight to Rome took off without any problems ... and it has been amazing!

The first day I got here, I had a few problems finding the monastery I was staying at. It was a bitch getting to the bus station (because of the 200lb -- yes, I am exaggerating, but it certainly feels that heavy -- bag I was carrying), and then the taxi dropped me off on the wrong street, leaving me to wander narrow alleys with a what-feels-like-200-lb bag in tow.

This, though, is where I get to the part about Italian people being so kind. When I was in France, the people were kind enough, but it seemed as though whenever I opened my mouth and English came out, an air of disappointment and even antagonism tainted the rest of the conversation. Not so in Italy. I have met very many really nice Italians, two of whom were women that I met in one of those narrow alleys while trying to find my monastery. They not only pointed me in the right direction, but helped me carry my bag. Really, if it were not for them, my first day in Rome would have sucked much more.

But it did not suck! I got to my room, dropped off my stuff, and then headed down to the Colosseum, which was about a five minute walk away. At first, I could not find it. I knew it was supposed to be close, but I looked down this street and that street without knowing which way to turn. I felt kind of dumb, because I thought that something like the Colosseum really should not be that hard to find ... and then, low and behold, I turned again and saw, in the distance, the huge and breathtaking image of the Colosseum.

So I went that way.

I arrived there and took my time going through it. By this time, I have seen my share of ancient ruins, but this one was unlike any other. It is really difficult to describe something like this ... all I can say is that it is something you have to see for yourself to really understand what Im getting at (sorry for the lack of apostrophes in this post ... Im at an Internet cafe here in Rome, and I cannot for the life of me find the apostrophe key). Though some of the structure has been rebuilt time and again over the centuries, there are parts of it that are still in their BCE ruins ... a few staircases that I saw, and also the underground corridors where the gladiators used to roam before battles.

After the Colosseum, I wandered for a bit and then settled in at a little outdoor cafe to sip espresso, enjoy the sunset, and write postcards. Yes, those of you who are reading this have postcards coming. :)

On to day two. On my second day in Rome I decided to go see the Vatican. Thanks to Will, I had a good understanding for how the underground metro systems work in most European cities, so I had no trouble taking line B to line A and getting off at the right stop for the Vatican. And once there, I had no trouble following the mass crowds to the Vatican itself.

The day that I chose to see the Vatican was, to put it mildly, extremely crowded . The reason for this, though, is because I just happened to go on a day when the Pope was appearing to speak to the public. Needless to say, even though Im not Catholic, I thought to myself that since I was at the Vatican and the Pope was appearing, I might as well get a good look. After all, how often does a person get the chance to see the Pope in person at the Vatican? So, being a relatively small person, I wiggled my way to the front of the crowd and, squashed like a sardine into hoards of other sweaty bodies and overstuffed backpacks, waited for the Pope to arrive. Sure enough, a few minutes later Pope Benny rode right by me in his Pope-mobile, waving to the masses. I got a few pictures, but for the life of me could not stop Elton Johns song, Benny and the Jets, from repeating itself in my head throughout the entire event.

Okay, so I saw the Pope and then decided to see the Vatican museums. This meant that I got to see many of Raphaels works, as well as the Sistine Chapel (among other things), and a good view of the Vatican Gardens. And then I went to see St. Pauls Basilica (the queue just to get through security for this was absurd, but how could I go to Vatican City and not see St. Peters Basilica?). The inside of this church was amazing ... by far the most extravagent and breathtaking cathedral I have ever seen (and this includes Notre Dame de Paris). Being there kind of makes you understand why Catholics choose to be Catholic. Well, at least the ones in Rome.

I then took the metro back to my area of the city and explored the Roman Forum ruins. This took quite a bit of time, as the ruins are huge. I saw the remains of old houses (ones that were burnt during the time of Nero), too many ancient arches to count on one hand, temples dedicated to Saturn and Delphi, among others, and so much more. Not to mention great views of the city from areas high up. By the time I reached the end of my self-guided tour here, I was in a completely different part of the city, and I then had to find my way back. You know me, though -- I got lost during this process. It did not, however, bother me. I enjoyed taking in all of the different parts of the city as I found my way back to the monastery.

Today I slept in a bit and then went to see the Pantheon. It was originally a pagan temple, and then, during the medieval days of Rome, was turned into a church. I had a hard time finding it, as there is no metro station close by, but I took the metro anyway and then walked the fifteen minutes to get to the actual Pantheon.

Well ... no, not really. It should have taken me fifteen minutes, but it took me close to an hour to find it because I kept getting lost. I asked for directions multiple times, stopped for a coffee (which was given to me as what tasted like warm, fudge-flavored ice cream, and required a few units of insulin), and then finally found the damn thing. It was really beautiful from the outside, but even more beautiful on the inside. There were various things I saw in this small little temple, including the tombs of the first and second kings of Italy, and also the tomb of the artist Raphael.

I have pictures of all of these things, and will upload them to Facebook when I get a chance to. But for now, let me just say that Rome has been amazing. Let me put it this way: I loved Paris with all of my heart and soul, and loved London even more than that, but I can honestly say that Rome comes before even London for me. The city is just beautiful and awe-inspiring. I have absolutely no gripes about it (except for having to cover my shoulders to get into St. Peters and the Pantheon. If you ever visit Rome and you are female, do not forget that if you want to see some of the sacred sites, you will need to be dressed modestly. They are very strict and serious about this). And, of course, I am missing Will. Rome is amazing, for sure, but there is something lonely about visiting by ones self, especially when I have been seeing everything else with my partner. But individual time has also been nice, for both of us I am sure, and tomorrow I fly back to London.

There is so much more to say, including everything about the food (mozzarella, tomato, and pancetti sandwiches; gnocchi and cheese; thin-crusted pizza; salad with green olives and fist-sized mounds of soft, real mozzarella), but I am getting ahead of myself. I will close now, and do my best to contain myself until my next post.

Arrivederci, my loved ones.