Rome, Italy

I spent the night in Stansted Airport. As luxurious as that may sound, it really isn´t. Sitting on a hard chair and leaning on your backpack trying to catch a few z´s is not very comfortable and I was just waiting for the time to pass by quickly. But that was not to be. Just my luck that that night was when we all turn our clocks back an hour, so when it hit 3 o´clock it went straight back to 2 AM. So not only did time stand still, it went backwards! Very enjoyable night.

Finally we did board the plane at about 6 in the morning and took off for Rome. I managed to catch a picture of the southern coast of Britain just before we flew over the British Channel. The flight itself was not very long, but on RyanAir you are crammed in like sardines and you get the option of buying lottery tickets from the flight attendants, something I have never seen before. As you fly further south you can see the sun start to get stronger and the very air seem warmer. As we descended into Rome I was greeted by one of its oldest residents from the air. See if you can spot it around the middle of the picture.

As soon as I walked out of the airport I knew I would not need any of my winter clothes. It was so warm and the sun had no hindrance of clouds in the sky. No wonder they make great wine in Italy. On the bus ride to the center of town I got a taste of what would really be my biggest challenge in Rome. That is, the drivers and their dislike for traffic laws. Motorists seem to think lane markings are more of a suggestion and traffic lights don´t count if you pretend not to see them. Somehow we made it to the center and when I got off I started walking around looking for my hostel. I knew it was near a church called Santa Maria de Maggiore, so I asked a nun where it was. She didn´t say a word but smiled and gestured with her hands to follow her. I didn´t know nuns had to take a vow of silence as well. But then in the middle of our walk she ran into a friend and started talking like there was no tomorrow. I felt a little strange just waiting around for her so I said "Grazi" and continued on.

Finally I found my hostel. My bed was not ready as of yet so the owner suggested I go to the roof and check out their 360 degree view of Rome. And it really is what he said. You can see so much from there, the Colosseum is right in front of you and if you look closely you can even see the Vatican far off in the distance. The sun was so warm I couldn´t resist going down to my boxers and sunning myself on a chair while I drifted off to sleep.

When I awoke I really wanted to see the city. Map in hand I walked towards the Colosseum. After about 10 minutes it was down the alley, and I got jitters. I really couldn´t believe I was looking right at it. Soon I was directly in front of it and the floodlights within illuminated its arches to gold. I walked around it a few times and had to touch its ancient stone. It felt so strange to be exactly where gladiators would come to meet their glorious deaths, all the while being goaded on by the chants of a bloodthirsty public. Right next to the Colosseum is the Arco di Costantino, erected in 315 to honor Constantine´s victory over Maxentius. I stood there in awe of such ancient reminders that still stand. It was just a taste of how Rome is a city constructed over the course of millenia, and not years.

I walked for a while longer before returning to the hostel. There was an Italian resident in the bed next to me who insisted on watching soccer games well into the night. I sandwiched my head between my pillow and went to sleep.

The next day was the first full day of exploration. I walked back to the Colosseum as a starting point as I knew that there was much more to see around it. I got to Palatine Hill but of course there is entrance fees. One trick is the walk all the way around the hill and enter on the other side, the Foro Romani. This side is free and quite honestly there is so much to see in this section by the time you are done there is not much in the paid section to gather up your interest. There are ancient temples to Roman gods followed by fallen columns, the spoils of time. If you stroll around you can see students dusting away the ground, uncovering even more ancient ruins. There is also a shrine where St. Peter performed his first baptisms.

I spent quite a lot of time there which I won´t go into. There is no way to capture every moment of my time there, but the goal is to remain true to the spirit of the journey. The day that I walked from the Colosseum to the Tiber was very full. Dodging scooters is a skill you must learn or not live to tell any tales ever again. They are absolutely everywhere. When people park the sidewalk is not enough. An entire square must be raided to contain them. My trip took me past a surprising number of fountains the most of which were found in Piazza Navona. Three pools are found on this elongated square, each created with intense detail. People are absolutely everywhere, and German tourists take the crown on sheer quantity. Most other places have armies of Japanese tourists taking pictures of absolutely everything (I saw one taking a picture of a leaf), and as quickly as they arrived they scoot off to the next attraction, changing film as they walk. Cafés surround the piazza and men with violins and guitars try and serrenade someone having lunch. It is famed to be Rome´s greatest square and I agree. These areas are the true Rome.

The greatest excitement of the day came when I was at the Spanish Steps. It is absolutely packed and by the time I reached there I wanted have a break. Everyone says "rest with the Spanish on their steps" so I looked for some Spanish people, didn´t see any, so decided to rest anyways. Just as I was sitting down a young man sprinted by me and raced up the stairs. I thought it was strange and thought nothing of it until a woman behind him came chasing yelling something at him. And you saw both of them trying to run up the steps (not very quickly I might add) and everyone was just staring. I had heard to watch your wallet when in Rome, but I didn´t think I would see a robbery in action.

As the sun was starting to set I came to the Fontana di Trevi. The legend is that if you throw a coin into the fountain you guarantee that you will return to Rome. People gather all around it and photograph themselves tossing the coin over their shoulders. The square is dominated by the fountain, there is nothing else there. But it is so massive there is not space for anything else. Out of every place in Rome, I think this was my favorite. The atmosphere is so happy and behind everything you can hear the loud gushing of the waterfalls.

The saying goes "Rome, a lifetime is not enough." I did the best I could in 5 days, but I know that there is so much more that I could not have seen. But the remainder of my time was spent in the Vatican and it´s surroundings. I budgeted 2 days for this alone and it really was worth it. The lines may be long, but if you can wait in line for a Star Wars movie you can wait in line for this. It is an experience like no other. But that will have to wait for another chapter.