Rome is amazing!
Once you come down into southern Europe, around mid-Austria, these gelato stores start to take over the cities, you can't go a block without running into one. It's ice cream but the consistency of soft ice cream in a myriad of flavors...delicious and irresistible really. Everyone talks about different places having better gelato than others but everything I've tried so far has been pretty much equal...until yesterday. Oh. My. God. Baileys flavored gelato exists at this place a few blocks from the Cavour train station...there are no words to describe the astounding joy I experienced with my first taste. I have been planning my entire itinerary here around twice daily stops for Baileys gelato.
Rome is amazing, so much to see and so much history. The weather has been hot (25C the last two days) and I am having a great time. I went on a walking tour on my first day which are always good. I learned so much that I would have ever known.
I saw the coliseum, the ruins at Palestine hill, the pantheon, trevi fountain, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's church/square, the pope...I could go on and on!
There is an endless amount of cool things to see here. I was even searched by an officer with a machine gun (I must have looked shady trying to make my way through a peace protest) and almost died on several instances by traffic and heard the WORST pickup line ever by a sleazy Italian man.
I was walking down the street by Circus Maximus on my way back from the Coliseum yesterday and this guy swerves over 3 lanes of traffic on his scooter, up on the side walk and says: "Scuzi, but do you have the time?", I answered him and he asks "Are you from America?" ....while trying to make my escape I say "No, Canada", he says "you are so mysterious with your sunglasses on, I can't see your eyes, take them off". I decline and try to leave, he yells out "Wait where are you going? You don't have a map, I can take you on a tour", I decline again saying I took one yesterday and am not lost, he asks where I am staying so I answer "a hostel" to which he says "Do you want to come to my house and stay with me?"
I made a very hasty exit at that point. God. Italian men are actually very overbearing, aggressive and can be creepy. Did he actually think that would work?!
Traffic is crazy here, there is no other way to describe it. I have noticed all through Europe that motorists make no effort to stop for pedestrians, but in this place I swear they actually speed up to hit you! There are no real pedestrian crossings except for big intersections and even those are iffy. The only way to cross the street is to start walking in front of traffic and have faith that they will stop....you can't hesitate as they smell fear. They also have these big free for all traffic circles that are a car accident waiting to happen and parking is at a premium. People park anywhere, sometimes 2 deep and always on sidewalks...they park so close to each other that the only way to get out is to hit the cars in front and behind you and inch you way into the road. I would hate to see the insurance costs.
The public transport system sucks too...they can't dig a metro line without running into an archaeological site under the city so they just have two lines that cross like an x across the city...and get this: the fare is 77cents and they only take exact change. Who has 77cents in their pocket?! AND you can't even buy a ticket from the bus driver so you have to find one of the few and far between metro stations and buy a ticket in advance if you know you'll need a bus...which is insane.
So everyone just uses the bus for free and hopes they don't get caught...you can actually use the same ticket over and over...if you pull it out of the machine fast enough you won't get a validation stamp but the door will still open. I've been scamming Rome's transportation system like everyone else out of necessity.
Rome is amazing, so much to see and so much history. The weather has been hot (25C the last two days) and I am having a great time. I went on a walking tour on my first day which are always good. I learned so much that I would have ever known.
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| Trevi fountain |
I saw the coliseum, the ruins at Palestine hill, the pantheon, trevi fountain, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's church/square, the pope...I could go on and on!
There is an endless amount of cool things to see here. I was even searched by an officer with a machine gun (I must have looked shady trying to make my way through a peace protest) and almost died on several instances by traffic and heard the WORST pickup line ever by a sleazy Italian man.
I was walking down the street by Circus Maximus on my way back from the Coliseum yesterday and this guy swerves over 3 lanes of traffic on his scooter, up on the side walk and says: "Scuzi, but do you have the time?", I answered him and he asks "Are you from America?" ....while trying to make my escape I say "No, Canada", he says "you are so mysterious with your sunglasses on, I can't see your eyes, take them off". I decline and try to leave, he yells out "Wait where are you going? You don't have a map, I can take you on a tour", I decline again saying I took one yesterday and am not lost, he asks where I am staying so I answer "a hostel" to which he says "Do you want to come to my house and stay with me?"
I made a very hasty exit at that point. God. Italian men are actually very overbearing, aggressive and can be creepy. Did he actually think that would work?!
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| The Coliseum |
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| Circus maximus |
Traffic is crazy here, there is no other way to describe it. I have noticed all through Europe that motorists make no effort to stop for pedestrians, but in this place I swear they actually speed up to hit you! There are no real pedestrian crossings except for big intersections and even those are iffy. The only way to cross the street is to start walking in front of traffic and have faith that they will stop....you can't hesitate as they smell fear. They also have these big free for all traffic circles that are a car accident waiting to happen and parking is at a premium. People park anywhere, sometimes 2 deep and always on sidewalks...they park so close to each other that the only way to get out is to hit the cars in front and behind you and inch you way into the road. I would hate to see the insurance costs.
The public transport system sucks too...they can't dig a metro line without running into an archaeological site under the city so they just have two lines that cross like an x across the city...and get this: the fare is 77cents and they only take exact change. Who has 77cents in their pocket?! AND you can't even buy a ticket from the bus driver so you have to find one of the few and far between metro stations and buy a ticket in advance if you know you'll need a bus...which is insane.
So everyone just uses the bus for free and hopes they don't get caught...you can actually use the same ticket over and over...if you pull it out of the machine fast enough you won't get a validation stamp but the door will still open. I've been scamming Rome's transportation system like everyone else out of necessity.
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| Spanish steps |
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