So the Italian government is obviously just as nutty as ours in the good old US of A, because they have decreed that hostels cannot offer internet access as a means of reducing terrorism. Mmkay...so here I sit at an internet cafe, where I think they just charge you at whim, always a good thing for a traveler on a budget! But you know I just could not miss a chance to rub Rome in your faces...
Sidebar: keyboards her are weird, especially those that have been bashed to death by a million internet cafe visitors. So please excuse typos and lack of punctation.
Okie dokie, so to bring you up to speeds, yesterday I visited the Tower of London (what a downer, all they talk about is murder and torture, etc.) and then began the loooooong journey to Rome. Flying was still better than trying to take a train, but it took one London city bus, one airport shuttle, one hundred miles of walking in the airport (which was essentially a cattle yard, total madness), one airplane, one more shuttle and thankfully a very short walk to the hostel. Which kind of sucks ass. Aside from the lack of internet, it is in a pretty old building and it kind of stinks. The room is about the same as London though, which means dormtastic. On the plus side the showers are slightly better (no button) and you can actually control the temp yourself, as opposed to London where the only option was "too fucking hot for this muggy climate."
So! Feeling nice and clean and dry for the first time in about 3 days I set out into Rome this morning. I started out at a popular flea market called Porta Portese and let's just say I could have gotten almost the same experience at Lake Merritt BART. So I bought pirated DVDs for everyone! Too bad you won't be able to play them in America. Actually all I bought was a shawl for myself, I gotta get crackin on the souvenir hunting.
God, I can't believe that was only this morning, because I have basically been everywhere since then. I'm a total dumbass and didn't note the fact that most museums and sites are closed on Mondays in Rome, so I had to hit a lot of stuff today since I'm planning to leave Tues morning-ish.
So the list: Piazza Venezia, Roman Forum (and a couple other random forums)/Palatino, Colosseum, San Pietro in Vincoli, a nice lunch at Chinese place (I tell ya, these Italians sure know their lemon chicken), Palazzo Barberini and the Galleria d'Arte Antica, Piazza della Repubblica and the Museo Nazionale Romano, and now this lovely internet joint around the corner from the hostel. It is impossible to tell how much ground I actually covered but I estimate it to be roughly a lot. Roman public trans is cool, you basically don't have to pay. I did because I'm a sucker, but I'll be damned if I can figure out what to do with the day travelcard (no machines to run it through, etc). I guess it is the honor system. And speaking of, they aren't to hip to honor here because one of the first things I witnessed was the guy next to me on the bus getting pickpocketed (Mom, DO NOT tell Dad!). Overhearing his convo, it sounded like he didn't have anything for the thief to grab when he stuck his hand in his pocket, but he was all pissed off, which is pretty funny in a British accent.
I think I'm gonna head back to the hostel now and relax for a bit, and probably go grab dinner (there is a Korean BBQ place around the corner :-). Don't worry, I'll get to the authentic Italian cuisine soon, I just need my Asian fix after being away from Berkeley for a week. May try to go check out a couple more places tonight that I think will be nice all lit up (Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps), but who knows. If everything works out I'm going to the beach tomorrow (1/2 hr by train), and trust me, a day of lying down in the sun is just what this girl needs.
Love and miss each and every one of you, even those of you who usually piss me off ha ha. I'm a tiny bit lonely at times but looking forward to seeing you all when I get home is terrific. Can't wait!