The Final Frontier...

SPQR

I have a great deal to write about this first entry. So, I’ll start with, today, one week ago. British Airways was kind enough to inform me, via e-mail and then via telephone call that i would not be guaranteed a flight on my original date of departure (20 March) and that the next possible flight out might be sometime in April but they couldn’t assure me of that either. I had two options, they could cancel my booking, give me a full refund or I could leave 2 days earlier on 18 March.

So the rest of the week was one big whirlwind of people to see, and things i had to make sure were set for this journey and so by Thursday i was on a 747 (first time) headed to Heathrow to catch another airplane to Rome.

My parents, sister and my friend Bonnie saw me off. Rina, (my sister) gave me some money with the express intention that i eat at Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant at Terminal 5, ”Plane Food”. So after i exchanged my American Dollars for Euro’s that’s where I went.

Didn’t have time to sit, so i ordered the takeaway items. They gave me a really cool little picnic thermal bag that i decided to keep so that i can carry sandwiches and what not in for the trek.

When I arrived in Rome, i realized that I left a group of documents at home which had directions to the hostel I was supposed to stay at and some e-mails from people living in Rome with suggestions of things to do etc…

The first thing I learned is, we are really spoiled in America when it comes to wifi internet access. Its practically everywhere, not to mention that with the iPhone i usually had internet everywhere. So here I was at the international airport without internet, the tourist office is telling me that i have to go into a bar in the city and use the web there, and that wasn’t even guaranteed and they couldn’t tell me the names of any hostels at the moment because their computer systems were down.

All i had on my phone was the address to the Apple Store, so i went outside and showed that to a cab driver. I was about to learn a really important lesson about Romans…

A not about Lazio International Airport. One of the neatest approach and landings I’ve ever seen. There is virtually no fence or anything separating the airport from the most picturesque and beautiful fields behind it. Really a great way to see the natural beauty that awaits me.

Roman people do not want to let you know that they have no clue how to get someplace. This is consistent with every Roman and possibly with every Italian, although i haven’t left Rome yet, so i don’t know…

I show the cabbie the address and he says he knows where he’s going, the meter starts running, he stops 9 times to ask for directions and finally when we arrive, my bill is 90 euros!!! I start talking to him about all the times he stopped for directions and the circles we went in and all he can say is he doesn’t understand and suggests that he’ll call the police if i don’t pay.

The Apple Store was pleasant, it was somehow very consistent with the ones we have back home, except also very different. I won’t bore you all with the details, but my Apple friends should ask me about it when I get back. Finally I had my bearings, and so I had no choice but to call another cab. This time the guy knew where he was going. He kind of looked like Zeus, but old and little. He really made an effort to talk to me the whole time and this was good because the Italian that I learned in highschool started to come back to me in little bits here and there and before I knew it, I was actually beginning to speak to him and he could understand me!

The trip from the store to the center of Rome, to the hostel, (well not quite, he dropped me off about 3 blocks from it but i couldn’t be upset at him because I really liked him for trying to be friendly) Hostel Mama Mia!

I met this girl named Leah in Boston when i went up to visit my friend Monie, and her friend Eugene suggested that i stay here, and here’s where I met his friend Cristina.

From the start her smile voice, her warm and friendly manner just made me feel like everything was going to be alright. She’s from Romania and has only been in Rome for about 4 or 5 months. Cristina is the first friend I’ve made here and I couldn’t be luckier. My mother and sister would be very happy to know how well she took care of me.

So, my first hostel experience… Not what I hoped for, but better than expected. I never did the whole college dorm roomate thing, but i’m pretty social so sharing a room with 8 other people isn’t too troubling. It was clean, and though there were shared bathrooms, there were two of them. one a bath, very pink and large, and then a shower, very compact and modern. If I’d payed extra to go in a single room, i would have had my own shower and bathroom but I’ve got to stretch my money so no luxury for me.

4 nights at 80 euro’s without a pre-booking was not bad i thought, (until later) but it was worth it for the company and again, meeting Cristina. Staying in the room with me were some very interesting characters. A wonderful couple, Judit and Kyle who’d been traveling all over the world together for about 6 months, (or about to be 6) a guy and girl from Iowa, a girl i instantly connected with named, Jessie, a guy from Russia who was very quiet, and a man from Sardina who was not shy about being naked.

The first night we went out and had a Pizza that wasn’t unfamiliar. It actually reminded me of Pizza i had in Elementary school at the snack shop, run by an Italian couple. I was quite happy to be invited by my hostelmates and got to know a bit about them.

Jessie and i took a side trip after to a little groceries store to get some toothpaste and tic tacs. I immediately noticed that there doesn’t seem to be a supermarket in the city, I was also very pleased to find out that there is no starbucks. not one. and people still ask if there are any. the coffee here is exquisite!!!

Those who are used to starbucks, its like drinking dirty river water compared to the coffee and variations of that you can get at even the smallest cafe in Rome.

That night i fell asleep and i guess i was so jet lagged that i snored really loudly. I knew this was going to happen and apologized in advance because i felt bad. I’ve been told my snoring is awful, and that i might have sleep apnea… 

Saturday I met Eugene. We met at the Colosseum, i walked there from the hostel and it was the first historic, ancient thing i saw. I can’t really describe the feeling other than to say it felt awesome. There was this building that has stood for for over 2000 years, and i could actually touch it! How many stories are in those stones? I can’t really think of one stadium or amphitheater in use today that might inspire such awe.

After meeting up with Eugene, also instantly connected with, we just started walking and he would explain what everything was, and its significance. This was absolutely marvelous! I’m very fortunate to have this happened, but he didn’t just do this one day, Eugene took me on walks Sunday and we did a short one plus a farewell dinner on monday!

Saturday we saw:

The Colosseum
Cosmo e Damiani
Imperial Forum
Capitoline
The old Forum
Capilene Museum
Theater of Marcellus
Octavian’s Gate

Then we had lunch in the old Ghetto. My first Roman meal and Kosher at that! It was delicious!!! I had fried artichoke, and the most delicious meatballs ever!!! And the table wine is very nice here. you can’t go wrong even on the cheap, though i was told this was expensive for rome… that was good to know, because it seemed the same as an average priced meal in the united states, even considering the exchange rate.

we continued:

Palazzo Senatario
Santa Maria Aracoeli
Piazza Venezia
The Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II
walked down the Via de Courso (famous)
Piazza de Coluna
Trevi Fountain
Piazza de Popolo
Santa Maria del Popolo
up some steep steps to the park, and walked to the Spanish Steps

Then we got back on the metro, went to the Hostel, picked up Cristina and went to Trastevere and ate at Hosteria de Ottelo. Delicious but i was still full from lunch so we didn’t have a huge meal, and the desert there was out of hand!

Then we went to a bar and i met a really nice guy there named Fulvio, we had some really strong light ale, that hit the spot, and i kinda expressed how much I loved Rome to anyone who came by. I remember thinking how lovely it was to see the Tiber at night! The Tiber!!! I know, I’m getting excited in the same sort of way that i do when Apple releases a new and magical revolutionary product, but its even more exciting than that! Then we saw the Palazzo Fernese which Eugene says is the most beautiful in the world and we ended by walking by the Pantheon. I’m getting goosebumps just remembering the sight. It just snuck up on us, and there it was.

It was a good night. The next day I slept in, couldn’t help it we got home at 3.am Roman time. When I got up the room was empty except for Jessie, she notified me that everyone was really worried about me and that really touched me, the Iowan’s had left and the chap from Sardinia was gone too. and shortly there after a whole new crew came in. I still had Kyle and Judit.

Because we got a late start, we could only do a little the second day, but Eugene took me to see, San Giovanni in Laterrano, Santa Maria Maggiore, (where i got my first camino stamp) and la Scala Sancta or sacred steps. Then we went to Termini Station to meet up with Cristina and went into the Santa Maria del Angeli which is built atop the old Roman baths.

That night i didn’t get home too late, but i was sensing the cold, so i doubled up on vit c and went to bed, needless to say the next morning i woke up with a sore throat, so i downed another vit c and went back to bed. That did the trick. It was Monday now. Supposedly my last day in Rome. Cristina and I met up with Eugene, was supposed to be at 3.30 p.m. but getting around in Rome is really difficult if you don’t plan ahead. Which we didn’t. And you cannot ask a Roman for directions because they are so proud that they’ll very confidently give you incorrect directions even if they don’t have a clue where you want to go. so we finally got to Eugene after about 5 p.m.. Plus, if that weren’t enough two Bancomat’s, (ATM’s) rejected my card and i thought that money got withdrawn anyways and that my card was blocked, so i was having quite a panic attack. Turns out according to Eugene, this is very common in Italy and that i should just try another ATM.

Incidentally if you ask the ATM to go in English, its a weird sort of approximation with more Italian words than English ones.

It was a very pleasant last day, we went to the Pantheon and saw the inside. Okay, biggest dome in the world, still. Very beautiful and very impressive. It made me a little sad that a building erected to Roman gods, was now a church honoring Christian Saints and God, but at the same time, I was glad this happened because its still around, and you can sense the original purpose and beauty. I suppose we’re getting better at Live and let live though.

After, we walked to the Tiber, across the bridge past the Castel Sant’Angelo to Vatican City and saw St. Peter’s Basilica. WOW. I can see why people would instantly convert to Christianity upon seeing something as grand as this. There were a lot of beautiful sculptures inside the most beautiful being, La Pieta. Its behind glass now to protect it but its still pretty epic.

After that we had a little walk, successfully took money from an ATM and had our last dinner together at a wonderful local restaurant. It was totally out of the way, in an Alley way and extremely inexpensive! Eugene comes here often and the people knew him. The food was delicious.

It was pretty sad to say goodbye but I suspect that this is going to be the case for anyone amazing that I meet. A Pilgrim’s life?

Cristina and I didn’t get back to the Hostel until about 1 a.m.. I fell asleep instantly but my snoring was bothering Brenden, the Australian guy so about 10 times i was startled awake by a piece of cloth hitting my face. I suppose it was my fault for having whatever causes snoring but really, rude.

Well, he checked out around 6 a.m. so i was finally able to sleep. I got up, got dressed and then I walked around for about 2 hours trying to find a Laundromat, again no help from the Roman’s, then i gave up packed in a hurry and left. Cristina made me some food and it was delicious but i felt so bad because i had gotten Pizza while on my quest for clean clothes. So i couldn’t even finish it all. I said my goodbye’s. It was a bit emotional but we both understood that I had to leave and was off. I didn’t actually leave the hostel until about 3 p.m. so i was debating taking the bus to the next stop. I’m glad I didn’t.

I decided I needed a day or two more. One to organize my pack (not in a hurry) and two because I had been sight seeing and eating and drinking so much i needed at least a day to recover. I just walked around until i found an internet point and through google found a hostel called, Pensione, Octaviano a stone’s throw from the Vatican!

This hostel is really cool. So far I’ve met really amazing people, including a law student at Berkley who is my age but looks 20 and some really fun party girls, and one of the Hostel keeper’s named Matt who’s totally going to be an Italian Politician some day. It’s now 11 p.m. and time to go to sleep. Tomorrow I’m waking up early, having breakfast, heading to St. Peter’s Basilica to touch the feet of the statue of St. Peter, good luck for pilgrims and then off to, Torrione Cerquetta. Wish me luck! I miss you all!

Love,

Sohail