I have arrived! Forgive the errors in this missive. My keyboard is full of faded out keys. Those that are visible are international characters that don’t correspond to what comes up on the screen. Eh.
Scenes from the flight over:
Watching the full moon rise over the wing, illuminating the Atlantic churning below.
Glancing down to see the Alps in Austria. Fresh powder covered the higher peaks and beckoned at me. ‘Joshua, you’ve yet to ski the Alps.’
Rome itself:
The building’s here all give the impression of being run down and half-constructed at the same time. I think that it’s the open arches and outdoor staircases that add to this impression. The buildings stagger into each other and lean over the street in a druken fashion that explains the ‘straight line’ the road takes. Every other structure is a ruin that shows the age of this city.
Around me, dusky hued people rush by speaking a language I can’t understand. Leather coats and cell phones are the fashion accessories of choice. I brought neither. Instead, I’m bringing faux-yuppie Midwest fashion to southern Europe. My t-shirt and cacky shorts make me stand out as a tourist even more than my lack of a tan. It will make me easy to pick out from group pictures.
After checking into the hostel, I grabbed a quick shower and met my roomies. Gretchen, Sara, Tiffany, & Kate are American girls studying in Amsterdam. They’ve come down to Rome for Easter. Together, we set out to see some of the nearby sites.
Friends, if you ever travel in Italy, be sure to bring 4 coeds. Traffic would stop, vendors suddenly offered deep discounts whenever the five of us passed by. Gawking is a an acceptable hobby in Italy.
Starting in the late afternoon, we saw the Trevi Fountain. It is an amazing monolith of marble, skill, and water. The type of display that you build for no particular reason and that’s why millions fall in love with it.
After that was the Spanish Steps. Thousands of people congregated there, surrounding the Bernini fountain and draping themselves i n the sun up and down the steps. We joined in and relaxed as Western Rome lay before us.
After that, a long walk lead us to a recommended pizzeria and dinner. Turns out that I did use too many anchovies on my homemade pizza a while back.
Today’s objectives. Hit the Vatican today to see it before the crowds on Easter Sunday. Visit the Collesseum for the Pope’s procession this evening. Find a good cup of cappucino.
9:15 AM Rome Time
Ciao