ROME!
After writing from a harbor-side cafe we went up to Monte Carlo, where the casino is on the hill over Monaco city. After many days of walking and walking with or without our packs we got tired and finally it hit us. We were both tired and grumpy but luckily we were not grumpy with each other. We had to waste a few hours sitting at cafes in Nice waiting for our night train but we couldnt buy much because that would require us to take out more ATM money in French currency and since we were leaving for Rome we didnt want to do that.
So we boarded our night train, which looked like it came straight from the Bronx with its graffiti and not so nice interior. I was relieved to find no one else in our compartment, but that changed when 4 more people arrived and we discovered that we had been reserved in the bottom (squished)bunks. It was hot, stuffy, and we were looking at 10 hours in a 10 inch high bunk area. Being tired and cranky and hot and squished I couldnt hold back the tears. I got a grip quickly and I got decent sleep (even though we didnt get showers) and to be honest it wasnt that bad. We arrived in Rome at about 8am, and decided to get away from the train station area that was dirty, and not too safe so where do you go when you want a safe area in Rome---the Vatican of course!!:-). While at the station we spotted some elders walking through and talked to them, one from Idaho, the other from Utah--two young, scared boys in a old, proud city.
We found a hostel two blocks from the VAtican and took two single beds in the dorm with 4 other girls. We hit the road to try and make it to see the Pope give his weekly address. Apparently we were very lucky to see it because usually he just waves from his apartment but since it is the Holy Year (every 25 years) he gives an address in several language (all in a mubbling voice) to a large crowd filling the circular area of the Vatican city. If we were Catholic it would have been a huge event in life, but seeing Gordon B. Hinkley 20 feet away last week superseded this event for me.
We then took a walking tour given by a 25 year old Art History major from Michigan. It was great because she saved us the time of figuring out how to get around, and since the navigating thing is exhausting I opted for the 15 person tour. The tour was of the Vatican, its museums, including the Sistine Chapel and other Michealango works and some of Raphaels too. It was competely overwhelming! What an amazing sight to see all the masterpieces and to see the wealth that was accumulated over the century. The Sistine Chapel is stunning and magnificent after its face-lift a few years ago. All the scultures in stone of thousands of people are works of art in themselves and there are so many that they line the streets. Some date back to before Christ even and the detail is equisite. We then went to St. Peters Basilica, walking through the holy door which according to the Catholic faith should have made us 25% abolished from our sins--hmmm. The Michealango sculpture of the Madonna holding Christ is one of my favorites from my humanities class and it was great to see in person, though it is covered with plexiglass because some nut came in years back and broke a piece off.
We then had some authenic lasagne and bow tie pasta, salad, and fruit and a corner cafè.
We did another walking tour, this one started at 6pm (stayed light until about 8:30) in which we saw the colosseum (very cool structure!!!), the Forum (amazing what they have excavated from below the ground), Trevi Fountain (one of my favorite works in Rome) ad the Pantheon and Piazza Navona (where we ate at a reccommended pizzeria--Pizzeria Baffeto--enjoying authenic Italia flat pizza). The Pantheon, which was designed by Michealango, is an incredible structure. The lights came on the Colosseum at night lighting up each arch way in yellow and green lights (the guide, Scott from Portland, said that it was green in protest--probably the liberal political party protesting some act by the new right-winged controlling party). For the first 10 years of the colosseum it is said that a gladiator died every 10 seconds and that over 5000 ferocious animals, bears, lions, tigers, etc. were killed in the spectacle they called entertainment. Slaves could win their freedom if they could win 1000 straight events--only 66 did in all the years.
After the tour we took the metro to the station to reserve tickets for Florence on Friday morning, while walking down an empty hall to the station we passed two men trying to find vein to shoot up their drugs. It was the first time that I had ever seen that in front of me. It was evil itself. We walked swiftly by.
On one of our tours a girl told a story of getting robbed by gypsies on a bus from the Rome train station, but it was obvious that she had not read the same books we did that say beware! and use a money belt and do not keep stuff in your pockets. We have been extra cautious and I think that has made a huge difference, plus having this strapping young man by my side cant hurt either!
We went back to our hostel after pizza and gelato and walked into a group of drinking, singing backpackers, of course the singing was led by the 23 year old girl was was running the hostel that night. The dorm was pretty quiet though and since the night before was on a train, we fell fast asleep.
Today we awoke, for the first time after 8am. We were showered and out by 10am and went walking the streets north of the Vatican looking for the internet cafe. We found a market that had meat, vegetables, fruits, and everything under the sun. We found a nice man who spoke English and told us about his cousin, Tony Totino, who is a chef-cook on a TV show-noon news program in San Francisco. Ben says he has seen him on TV!! The man, Vincent has been to California and loved it--We loved him. We could not help but buy a couple days supply of fruit from him and his wife.
The rest of today we plan to walk and enjoy Rome at a slower pace than yesterday. Ben loves this town--says it is his favorite place so far--but they have all been his *favorite* (cant find some of the symbols on this keyboard!)
Tomorrow morning we take the 1.5 hour train to Florence.
Ciao for now!
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