August 3-5
Rome was fantastic. I loved the architecture, history and culture. It was much more refined than Athens. Athens reminds me of a Latin American or Caribbean city where many of the stucco condos are falling apart. In Rome, everything is very nice and well kept. I think the most amazing part of Rome for me is that even more so than Athens, the Romans live their everyday lives around all the historical sites and ruins in the city. Rome is much more expensive than Athens. Beverages from street kiosks were three to four times as expensive. 4 Euros (around 6 bucks) for a Sprite that is smaller than a Bottle of pop in the States- wowsers. I found the best places to get beverages on the go were grocery stores and mini marts.
Coliseum
Pretty neat. I didn’t go inside because the line was very long and I didn’t have much time. My favorite part was there were Indians selling hats and Chinese junk (just as I have found in Athens and Crete). Apparently they are not supposed to be there because there was a police car chasing them around. The police would spot one, drive pretty fast toward him (and the area was pretty crowded with ppl) and the Indian would pick up his good and run! I watched this for at least 10 minutes. It was a hoot!
Vatican City
Very impressive. If you have not been, you should go. The history and scale of the buildings blew my mind. I went in the afternoon around 2 or 3. No line for the Basilica. I walked around the outside of Vatican City to check it out, not knowing what was back there. Found the Vatican museum, again no line. There is amazing art in there from many periods including sculptures, paintings and tapestries. Apparently you aren’t supposed to take pictures in the Sistine Chapel because after I took one, a guard grabbed me by the shirt and told me to leave. But I still got my picture!
The Yellow hostel
I stayed in an awesome hostel! It’s called The Yellow. Definitely recommend for any young people traveling to Rome. It’s in a good location a few blocks from the train station. I arrived in the evening, maybe around 9:00. I found a sign for the hostel on the side of the building but there was a restaurant or bar under the sign and there were 50 people outside and inside. Walked past all the commotion and couldn’t find the entrance to the hostel. Someone who was outside in the crowd asked me if I was looking for the checking desk, I told him I was, and he showed me inside. Turns out the hostel has its own bar in the ground floor! When you check in, they even give you a token for a free drink. Pretty good way to meet people from around the world! Lots of Aussies in Rome (and Florence).
Food
The food I ate in Rome was rather underwhelming. When you get pizza from a pizzeria (not a restaurant), it is cold, then they warm it up in a toaster oven if you want it to go. And it wasn’t all that great. But to be fair, I didn’t eat at a restaurant. I found the gelatti I tried (and I tried a few places that looked decent) to be not so great as well.
