Brussels, Belgium

The meeting point was Sam's Cafe, an ode to my own middle name. I searched the sea of bodies passing me by and soon found the one I was seeking. I embraced my cousin, the first familar face I had seen in over a month. We caught up on the latest family news and made our way back to his apartment, albeit with a short layover at a local tavern.

Brussels turned out to be much bigger than I had anticipated. The home of not only the European Union's Parliament, but also the headquarters of NATO, the city is by many accounts the capital of Western Europe. And yet pocketed within its blossoming urban reconstruction, its history still breathes, not having been sacrificed to the gods of capitalism. The heart of the city is no doubt Grand Place. The spectacular neo-gothic Town Hall sits in the center of the scene, flanked by the old bread sellers' house. Polish soccer fans crowded in the middle of the square, randomly bursting out into chants whenever they spotted another group of expatriates. But no, it was not an invasion, but rather the preparation to the evening's soccer match with Belgium.

An alley down from Grand Place lies what has become one of Brussels most famed inhabitants. They tell the story of a wealthy man who lost his son. He was missing for days, until one day as the man was scouring the streets, he stumbled upon his son relieving himself in the corner. The man ordered a statue to be built on that very spot, chiseled in the image of his son when he was first found. All that splashing water reminded us of our parched throats, so we stepped into the Pub du Manneken Pis.

One of the most welcome parts of staying in a city where you know someone is being able to actually relax in a place that feels like home instead of hostel common rooms and shared bunks. In the evening we relaxed and blew the froth of a few with my cousin's Belgian friend. The evening veered off onto an unexpected tangent when one of us uncovered a construction worker's hardhat hiding underneath a pile of clothes. Perhaps this image can be used for blackmail someday, but at the moment, it functions solely as a reminder of the good time that is possible when Belgian beer is allowed to mix company with friends and novelty hats.

The next day we continued the tour of the city's attractions, first heading to the famed Atomium. Built for the 1958 World's Fair, the structure represents what an iron crystal would look like were it magnified 165 billion times. It is unlike anything you have seen before, like a science fair exhibit with an unlimited budget. Around the area, wagons with Belgian fries and an entire salad bar of dipping sauces vie for your attention, and you can only resist for so long.

Not very far from Brussels is one of the most famous battlefields in European history. The site where the oft caricatured short general from France met his demise: the lush green acres of Waterloo. The vast majority of the land is now used for farming, but in the center, commemorating where the Prince of Orange himself was wounded during battle, a giant pyramid of grass looms over the countryside.
And atop that hillock stands a lion, frozen in iron, unleashing an eternal roar to thunder over the battlefield. Wars and battles are fought across the globe, but over that particular ground, the very air holds a palpable reverence.

My final night in Brussels took me to the largest building constructed in Europe in the 19th century: the Belgian Palais du Justice. Built on the site where criminals and revolutionaries alike were hanged in the Middle Ages, it has become one of the landmarks of European architecture. It overlooks a view of Brussels from its high foundation, and trams negotiate the jungle of tracks splayed out before it. Brussels is a very hard city to categorize. It is a perfect blend of modernity and heritage. Cobblestone streets encircle the stock exchange. A Maybach dealership stands abreast of a gothic cathedral. These seeming contradictions are meant to charm, and they do not fail their design. I looked around to let the city lights and sounds bathe my senses one last time, and turned to head back to the apartment. My trip since landing in Rome had taken me from south to north, without exception. However, even though I did not know it yet, I was to return to Brussels very shortly, and add an impromptu visit to the Loire Valley to my itinerary. But for the moment, I said goodbye to Belgium and donned my backpack in search of Anne Frank and Van Gogh. Amsterdam was next.

Cologne, Germany

I woke up early to catch my train to Cologne, or Köln as the locals call it. When I arrived at the station I was surprised to see that I was about to be on a bullet train, which travel at over 300 kmh. You can tell they get their name not only from their speed, but for theirs aesthetics as well. It is like a gun is fired on the tracks and out shoots the train.

The countryside was giving me a headache as it was streaming by so fast. Finally we disembarked at our destination and I was introduced to the most ingenious locker system in the world. You don´t get a traditional door and key, you put the luggage in a automated kiosk and your bag is fed through conveyor belts somewhere else. When you want it back you go to any kiosk in the station, put in your card and the conveyors bring it right to you. Forget storage, just use it to dump your heavy bags and let the machines carry it to your gate.

Right outside the station is Cologne´s Cathedral, the largest gothic church in Europe. It is so enormous it is impossible to keep the entire structure in your field of vision. Constructed over the course of 600 years, it houses the remains of two of the Three Wise Men. They lie in a gold encrusted altar behind bulletproof glass. Around the perimeter of the cathedral you find all sorts of ancient religious relics, three of which have been credited for performing miracles. The most impressive of these is the Gero Cross, the oldest monumental crucifix in the Western World.

I walked outside to see a little of the rest of Cologne before boarding my next train to Brussels. I took a stroll down the main walking street and ended up right in front of the Rhine. So much history has unfolded on its banks across Europe, it was something just to be standing next to it. As I looked at the view from the river I saw something hilarious. Cologne has a David as well, but their take on art is just a little different from the Florentian version. He is painted to have white skin and blonde hair. It is David as he would be after meeting Walt Disney.

I made a few more twists and turns around the town and headed back to the train station. I got my bag from a different location just because I could and made my way to the gate. My stop in Cologne was over, but ahead was a very happy reunion with my cousin in Brussels. The train shot onto the tracks, and I was on my way.

Munich, Germany

Munich was not on my initial list of cities to visit. I had been here long ago when I was younger, but only for a few hours. Then a friend in Montreal mentioned how amazing it was, and then I met someone from Germany while I was in Rome who also said Munich was very much worth visiting. So I decided to board a train from Zurich to Munich and let chance take me where it would.

Upon arriving at the train station I immediately saw why German engineering is so sought after. Almost all of the trains are bullet trains, which travel at over 300 kmh. When you walk onto the street you see Mercedes after BMW, and those are just the taxi cabs. I got to my hostel which turned out to be the best hostel I stayed at on my whole trip. It had everything you needed in a place to stay: clean rooms, clean bathrooms, and a pub downstairs that served cheap (but delicious) beer. I checked in and did a walk through the city.

The main walking street is littered with lions, the symbol of Munich. They are outside restaurant holding beer mugs, outside phone stores holding cell phones, and the unemployed ones just stand around wearing different colored clothes. It is one of the most whimsical ways I´ve ever seen city pride expressed.

My stroll took me straight to the sqaure that surrounds Munich´s town hall. It is a gothic building but it does not retain any of the somber mood of most gothic structures. A large clocktower makes up the center of the building, and underneath it every hour a variety of painted wooden soldiers and court jesters dance in celebration.

I came back to the hostel and decided to sit in the pub and watch a soccer game. I ran into a guy from Adelaide, Australia (home of Cooper´s Pale Ale) and we both decided to go see what the famed Munich beer halls are like. Beer halls are massive rooms with tables strewn all over to accomodate the thousands who want some German cuissine and beer. There are over 120,000 seats in beer halls, and that is just Munich! The food they bring is enough for two people, but the star of the show is the biggest mug of beer your eyes will ever see. No visit to Munich is complete without sampling this style of dining.

In the morning I walked to Munich´s main catheral with its world famous double domes: the Frauenkirche. Pope Benedict XVI was the cardinal at this cathedral long before he was called Pope. Most of the old town in Munich was destroyed during World War II, but this church is one of the few survivors, making it more than 500 years old. Inside the tomb of Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV, guarded by statues of saints and soldiers, dominates the entrance.

It was starting to rain so I searched for cover in the English Gardens. The largest park in the center of any European city, it contains sections for different cultures, each area fashioned under its traditional motifs. It is a hike worth taking, particularly as winding streams are alway within earshot, and sometimes they crash in a waterfall.

Weather was not my friend during my stay, as it would always end up raining at some point in the day, and with the rain came the wind, which bit right through your skin. So whenever the sun would peek over the clouds I was quick to take advantage of it. At this point the the sun was also peeking into the horizon, so I didn´t have much time. I made it to Munich´s Olympic Park and saw something strange: it is a combination of Montreal and Toronto. The tower is obviously reminscent of Toronto´s CN Tower, and the roof of the buildings around it are exactly like the roof of Montreal´s Olympic Park.

I walked up to a hill to be welcomed by a 360 degree view of Munich. The sun was just about to dip behind the buildings for the day, and with it end my Munich visit. I tried to stay up there as long as I could, but the wind picked up, then the rain again. I ran down to the U-Bahn station, where I sat down next to the craziest German Shepherd I´ve ever seen. He was with his family in the train, but everytime someone tried to pass him he would growl and bark very loudly. He almost bit one person. No amount of collar choking would stop him. I was getting a little nervous as my stop was approaching, and I would not only have to walk by him, I had to step over his entire body. One stop before I had to get off, his owner had enough of it and decided to walk the rest of the way. My sweat glands relaxed.

Munich was a fortunate addition to my travelling. I think it was the city where I had the most fun during this section of the trip. I also gained a new respect for German organization. When they say a train is leaving at 7:26, it is leaving at 7:26. The next day I was heading off to Brussels to see my cousin. But before I got there, I had a three hour stop in Cologne. And I had to make use of it.

Zurich, Switzerland

I forced myself to stay awake on the train across Switzerland even though I was exhausted. The whole point of coming to this country was to see the Alps and landscape, none of which can be seen while trying to catch a nap. I remember thinking how this was the most serenely beautiful countries I´ve ever come across. There are cows grazing absolutely everywhere, and in the background of every vista are the omnipresent Alps, capped in snow.

Upon reaching Zurich I wandered around lost again, trying to find my hostel. It was tucked away on a little street parallel to the main walking street. I checked in and began exploring the surroundings. Absolutely every street is cobblestoned. I almost twisted my ankle on several occasions. It is the kind of city that does not really have historic wonders to boast (especially after coming from Italy), but walking around you come to appreciate its charm. Everything is small and close together. I think when someone thinks of the stereotypical European city, the image in their mind is very similar to Zurich. It is clean, quiet and everything was built sometime in the 18th or 19th centuries.

I was only in town for two days so I walked around quite a bit. I went to see my first beer hall. It is quite a fun atmosphere, you are seated with whomever has space and you just start eating, drinking and talking to whoever is next to you. And when you order a beer it isn´t a beer. It is a jug, a cauldron of beer with a handle. I met another Canadian at the hotel and we went around town in search of something called the Spaghetti Factory. When we found out that garlic bread was more expensive than beer, the decision was easy.

In the end Zurich is a place you should come as a base for exploration of the countryside. It does have things to offer on its own account, but if you have travelled to or are about to travel to much larger and older cities, it is more like a break than a destination in itself. That was my experience of it in any case. It was worth it just to be able to withdraw cash from a real Swiss bank. The next day I was on to a city that was put on the itinerary late in my planning, but I am so glad that I went. I was going to Munich. As a farewell from Zurich I remember being at the train station and seeing a married couple at a cafe. I think the husband brought the wrong coffee or something, but that triggered a fuse in his wife who smacked the cup onto the ground (smashing it), flipped the table she was sitting at and stormed off. Both the husband and waiter looked on, absolutely clueless. It was a very funny end to my visit. On to Germany.

Pisa, Italy

The walk from the train station to the Leaning Tower takes you clear across the entire town. There is a walking street the runs almost directly across the city center, slicing it in half. A bridge takes you across the Arno, another way to travel from Florence to Pisa. Finally, after about 20 minutes, you see a familiar image peeking up above the row of houses.

The Leaning Tower is the most fortunate miscalculation any engineer has ever made. Initally meant to be a normal tower, the earth beneath one side began to give. At one point it was leaning 5 meters off center. But the mistake made it world famous. Galileo himself would climb to the top of the tower and use it to perform his experiments. Today the sqaure, Campo dei Mircoli, is said to be one of the most beautiful in the world.

After reaching the actual piazza that is home to the Leaning Tower you see Pisa´s Duomo standing right next to it . In all honesty it does not get enough credit, forever having lived in it´s neighbor´s shadow. But it is impressive in it´s own right. It stretches around for a long while and it´s sheer mass dominates the entire square. But people´s eyes are magnetically drawn to its brother. The tourist in us is irrepressable.

The strangest thing about the Leaning Tower is that while you look at it, you are entirely expecting to see it come crashing down. You secretly look for tiny wires holding it up but find none. It is the kind of building that has no business standing up, like a tower of Legos leaning so far you know it will snap in two. And yet there it stands, defying all the logic you´ve spent years acquiring.

A walk around the town is well worth it, as the gelatto is very cheap. In fact it was 3 times cheaper here than in Florence, so I doubled up. Italian ice cream will ruin the Breyer ice cream you´re used to. Taste it at your own risk.

One thing was extremely funny. As you are walking around the square you see patches of people posing in front of a camera, but in a very weird position. Their arms are up and hands flat, as if they were pressing against a wall. You look at the background and realize that in the picture they will be holding up the Leaning Tower. You can actually see someone doing this in the second picture.

Finally after wandering around for a while and avoiding getting pitched by the local bazaar owners, it was time to head back to the train. Pisa was the last stop on my Italian tour and I was off to see it´s neighbor to the north: Switzerland. I had an incredible time in Italy, the country is filled to the brim with intriguing things to do and see. What Switzerland has to offer is rather different, but a nice change of pace. I said goodbye to Italy, but the Fontana di Trevi and Metal Pig promised me I would return.

Florence, Italy

My train pulled into Florence at dusk. I wormed my way out of the station and was expecting to see old buildings and steeples. But I found myself in a completely residential area. I didn´t think too much of it and made it to the hostel. It looked great from the outside, it even had a courtyard. But once I was inside, it was like a hospital. Long corridors in dead silence, without a soul in view. My room was locked and I didn´t have the key, so I waited at the couches. There I met a girl from New Zealand who was happy to finally see another backpacker. Apparently most of the people in the place were permanent residents. Her roommate was a 40 year old overweight woman hooked on 2 packs a day and an aversion to sunlight. We commiserated for a while then struck up on the idea of going to a different hostel in the morning. It was set. We went out for a while then went to sleep. My room was so bad I didn´t even change or get under the covers.

In the morning we made it to the center to our new hostel. It was completely worth the headache to move. It was smack in the middle of everything, just a five minute walk from the Duomo. We checked in our luggage and started exploring. We walked by the cathedral and then decided that we should know where we were heading. This gave the opportunity for my first Italian espresso, the biggest jolt to the system I´ve had in a long time. You´re so awake your eyes almost start watering.

We decided to head to Ponte Vecchio, the famed Florentine bridge. You stroll through narrow alleys that are actually main roads, a bazaar comes into view with another of Florence´s famed residents: the Metal Pig. The nose is polished as poor people clasp the pig by the mouth in order to drink the water it spouts. Legend has it that a coin placed in this pig´s mouth and allowed to drop into the drain below guarantees that you will visit Florence again. The bazaar behind is abuzz with movement as people haggle over the price of pashmina and leather purse.

The Ponte Vecchio is everything about Florence reduced down to a bridge. It used to be filled with butcher shops until Lorenzo de Medici decreed that their refuse was intolerable, so he replaced them with gold merchants. Since then it has become alight with jewelry shops and apartments. Yes, apartments on the Ponte Vecchio. If the lady who owns the apartment with the red flowers is reading this, please sell me your apartment, name your price.

The walk continued along the Arno as we winded towards Piazza della Michaelangelo. Scooters once again rule the day, I think Italians should get a discount to scooters just because their country is keeping the entire industry in business. The piazza is up a hill and the walk itself should be a destination. A very enjoyable hike. Once you get to the top you have a bird´s eye view of Florence, and you can stand next to David as you take it all in. The statue of David is in the Academia, but there are two copies of it in Florence. One outside the Uffizi (it´s original location) and a brass copy atop Piazza dela Michaelangelo. And it has the best view of all three.

The Uffizi is one of those rare museums that has international acclaim not only for its collection, but for the history of the very museum. It contains the greatest collection of Renaissance art in the world. As it should, since Florence gave birth to the age. It took the better part of a day to make it through the whole collection, and I remember near the end I was praying that it would end, because my brain could just not take any more concentration. But it is impossible to say you know Florence if you don´t see the Uffizi.

Gelatto. Before coming to Italy no one told me to make sure I see the Colosseum or the Pantheon. They said to make sure I try gelatto. So I couldn´t leave without trying it. It is so creamy, thick and soaked in flavors you´d think it is from Bacchus himself. I had pistachio, but that was not the last one by far.

Night fell and I had to return to all the sites I had seen earlier to take some photographs. The Uffizi is bustling with activity at this time, soprano singers who should really be in an orchestra sing along the sides of the streets with hats in front of them for any loose change. Along the side of the museum´s exterior are statues of dozens of famous Italians. People like Galileo, Da Vinci, Dante and Vespuci adorn the walls. Immediately afterwards is the Ponte Vecchio again. Floodlights bathe the side in different colors, from red to green to purple, changing between then every minute.

I made it all the way back to the Piazza della Michaelangelo one more time. I was greeted by a group of Japanese tourists who were taking pictures of the city with the flash on (please never do that if you are taking a night shot). One of my main goals in coming to Florence was to do the Hannibal Lector tour. Throughout the trilogy there are references to this city, and I really wanted a picture of what he drew in his cell in The Silence of the Lambs: "The Duomo as seen from the Belvedere." It is quite a dark walk to get to the Belvedere, but I finally made it and snapped a picture.
In all Florence was an amazing experience. It is the kind of city that is to be experienced and not just seen. Sipping an espresso in the midst of a piazza makes you stop and appreciate just how unique a city it is. I would leave the home of the Renaissance and Italy behind, but not before stopping to see a little leaning tower.

The Vatican

I managed to wake up quite early on All Saints Day. It was a Wednesday if I remember correctly, although by this point on my trip I had already forgotten what day of the week it was. I rode the metro to St. Pietro and walked with the rest of the crowd towards the Vatican.

The huge semi-circle of pillars was in front of us soon. The Vatican. The visage of St. Peter´s Basilica creeped into view from the right. There was an enormous line curved along the edge to get into the church. The Pope was getting ready to address his flock. I was able to find a seat outside where they had a few rows directly in front of the stairs to the cathedral. We waited. And then on the huge screens outside the Pope began to speak, in Latin for the most part, as he continued to for 2 hours. It was the most unique mass I´ve ever been to. Afterwards he came to a window in his cloisters and a maroon flag was draped from the sill. He greeted and blessed the crowds in no less than 6 languages (Latin, French, English, Spanish, German and Italian). It was easy to tell where everyone was from. You just had to wait to see which language they cheered for.

After that I waited for the Bascilica to clear out and then I went inside. Lines were something you just had to get used to. As you enter the cathedral and turn right you see what some say is Michaelangelo´s masterpiece: La Pieta. Carved when he was all of 25 years old it foreshadows the genius he would was about to unleash upon the world. It is so delicately sculpted it almost seems as if he had made a mold from the actual moment.

As you continue to walk around there are shrines and statues for popes and saints. What distinguishes them is their sheer size. They are all made to be so big they impress you just by their mass. The ceiling is also very high. I went to the back to walk up to the cupola. Five hundred and fiftey-one steps to the top. You can cheat and take an elevator halfway, but I wanted to walk up all the way. And about halfway up is when you start to regret making that decision. It really is a push to get to the top. You get an unrivaled view of the inside of the Basilica and if you push a little further outside you see Rome like you have never seen it before. It goes all the way around and I saw everything I had spent the last few days seeing in Rome. And as a side note, the Papal Gardens are unbelievable. I could just picture Benedict himself strolling through them while he gathers his thoughts.
A descent from the roof of the Basilica down to the crypts put a bookend on the day. There you can find the final resting places of many popes. At one point there is a massive gathering. You see nuns in a row on their knees praying. One girl gave the guard a necklace to place on the tomb and return to her, now blessed. It is the grave of John Paul II. Soon after is the final resting place of St. Peter himself, given a very fitting shrine all of its own. That section of the walk was mindblowing.

The Sisteen Chapel was closed so I had to return another day to see that and the Vatican Museums. It was a very long day at St. Peter´s, but well worth it. I went back to the hostel and relaxed before coming back for the rest.

* * *

I went with a group of people from the hostel to see the Sisteen Chapel. It was a good thing too, what we initially thought was the line was the line to get into the line, and then it wrapped around and around until we were waiting for over 3 hours. But it was good because two could take a break while the others waited, and vice versa. Finally once we got in we started to walk through the Museums, and the Sisteen Chapel was near the end.

But there was one room called the Hall of Maps which I will never forget. The ceiling was so ornate and detailed that two of us started wondering if this was already the Sisteen Chapel. Along the walls were painting maps of different areas in the world in ancient times. My Brazilian friend and I both said "Cara..." That about summed it all up, that and two dropped jaws.

We continued on and saw more of the Museums until there is a staircase descending to the actual Chapel. On the loudspeaker we all heard that photos are not allowed. I really don´t think anyone paid attention to that rule, because everyone was taking out their cameras. And then, finally, inside. You look up and and see the 12 scenes Michaelangelo picked to grace his most famous fresco. The Creation of Adam, the Expultion from Eden. All right there above your very eyes. Then you look down and see what I liked even more than the ceiling: the painting behing the altar, The Last Judgement. I could spend months staring at that painting alone. It is so vibrant and filled with different stories it enslaves your attention. We stayed inside for a while before moving on.

After the leaving the Sisteen there still are quite a few more rooms, but the star of the entire place is still the Chapel. We stumbled our way towards the exit and grabbed some well earned lunch. The group broke up after that, some went this way and some went that. I had to go back to the train station to catch my train to the next destination: Florence. Rome was an amazing experience, something mere words can only hint at. I don´t think there is any other city that threads its history so completely into everyday life. Any opportunity for more time there should never be cast aside.

So, I was off to Florence. I grabbed my things and headed off, in search of Michaelangelo and a picture of "the Duomo as seen from the Belvedere." Until next time.

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.