Ciao Italia!

Roma. I’ve arrived. The last time I was in Rome, five years ago, I tossed a coin to the Trevi Fountain to secure my return. What can I say? It worked!

My high school friend and I slept in a really great hostel overnight, to catch our early flight out of Edinburgh. I was able to see even more of the city – which was quite a treat! Holyroodhouse Palace, royal residence of HM the Queen, and hearing a concert at St. Giles Cathedral, mentioned in the last post, were two of my favorites. Hostels, I have to say, are such interesting places. My first hostelling experience was ideal, but certainly an adjustment. Also new is the reality of living out of a backpack for two weeks. Home is literally on my back - just like a turtle. In terms of hostels, I found it interesting that people expect to strike up conversations with perfect strangers and form such temporal relationships. Actually, I had a rough time falling asleep but was well enough rested to face our busy travel day. After a bus, plane, and train – we arrived in the Eternal City.

You know you’re in Rome when STOP signs instantly become irrelevant. The airport shuttle actually bumped into a car along the way. My friend and I stared, slightly amused, as the bus driver peeled away from the scene. A nation fueled by caffeine, nicotine, and pasta – it’s as if they couldn’t get places fast enough and , yet, could casually sit for hours once they arrive. I would recommend that any traveler put away the cameras on buses, and simply let the landscape unfold before their eyes. Eyes are the best lenses into a new place. Watching Italian life on the streets is certainly a treat, hearing them speak is even better. Whereas Britons seem to use language to hear themselves talk, Italians seem to use language to romance the listener. Faces expressive and hands flying, it’s hard to miss the point of any conversation in Italy.

Staying with my high school friend, I’ll call her Abbey, in an elegant Italian hotel just outside the city center – I think this Holy Week in Rome is going to be memorable, if not a little nuts. (Hopefully no one will mind that I’m Protestant!) Buona Notte!