Roman Adventure

Okay, so last night after the Vatican we decided to take a cab to the H&M in Rome. All we had was a street name from the website but we were determined. The hotel called us a cab around 7:00 and we headed out. About ten minutes into the journey we could tell the cabbie was confused. Unfortunately he did not speak English and we were not exactly fluent in Italian. We called the H&M and spoke to a guy in English, then handed the phone to the cab driver. After that, we drove another half hour...including two stops to chat with fellow cabbies about directions and then one point where he stopped the car and got out. We were in the middle of a street so it was a little worrisome. After a little pacing he got back in. So about 8:00 we make it to some random brand new mall in the countryside. When the cab dropped us off, we're pretty sure he said that we were outside of the cab zone and we'd never get anyone to pick us up...but it was in Italian so we weren't sure

While checking out at H&M the cashier asked if we were the ones that called. That was pretty much a given since we were probably the only non-Italians in the whole mall. We said yes and told him about our crazy cab experience. He offered to call some car services that they use and we were very thankful. Marcello then came back and said his drivers were in Pisa and Florence so could not help us out. He mentioned a train station about 20 min away by foot. We thanked him and left to try to get a cab.

After numerous calls to the taxi company, things weren't looking good so I headed back to H&M right before the mall closed at 10pm and flagged down Marcello. He gave me walking directions to the station. As I share them with the other 2 girls, we seem to remember the street towards the station being a two lane curving, hillside, shoulderless, dark road. Not good.

We finally get what we think are 2 different cabs on their way to fetch us. And we wait. And wait. Now we're also on the phone with the hotel, telling them we are stuck and THEY are calling the cab company. Camielo at the front desk is trying his best but not making much headway either. After an hour and a half of waiting for a cab, we are sitting on a concrete barrier on the top level of a desserted mall parking garage. A car drives by and says, "Are you guys still here?"

It's Marcello!!! He and his girlfriend offer us a ride to the train station and since it's now 11:30pm we jump in. He seemed like a nice guy, he spoke really good British English so at least he could help translate for us. Camielo calls and is now worried that we are in the car of a random H&M manager, he says he will call back in 5 minutes to check on us. We drove for a while to the most run down station I have ever seen...it is closed. We pull around to the bus stop and it is closed for the night as well. Now three American girls are in the back seat with a random Italian couple and they are figuring out how to get rid of us without having to drive us back to Rome.

Marcello says, "We will drive you to a hotel. They will get you a taxi." We have no choice but to trust our new friend. Camielo calls, and we tell him the new game plan. Again, he will call back in 5 minutes. 15 minutes later we arrive at the Novotel Rome la Rustica. Yay! A chain! They can help us out. Marcello gets out and goes in to the lobby. We all get out of the car and he returns to tell us that Luca (and his cab) will be at the hotel in 5 minutes (about 20 mins Italian time). We are so thankful to Marcello and his girlfriend. We tell them to come to Dallas and we will drive them all around! Camielo is glad we have a ride but is staying at work over his shift to make sure we arrive safely.

So Luca comes and picks up up and we finally get to the hotel a little after midnight. We enter the lobby to a very excited Camielo who welcomes us home and apologizes profusely for the taxi service. After many laughs, we decided it was all worth it for the great bargains we picked up at H&M. And we will definitely be sending Marcello a thank you gift.

The End.

Camielo, glad to have his Americans back safe and sound.

Tuesday Museums

We started out this morning at the Villa Gulia checking out Etruscan artifacts. I took a couple of illegal photos, which is becoming a theme for me.

Next I headed back to the Vatican Museum. The line was a mile long yesterday so I put it off. Today we got in pretty quick and it was well worth any wait. Here are a few shots including a COMPLETELY illegal one from the Sistine Chapel. I had to hold the camera down at my side and just hope I was capturing something good...which was not hard in the Sistine Chapel.

Monday Morning

Just finished up lunch and thought I'd check in before meeting up with my class this evening. I headed out at the crack of dawn for Vatican City. I breezed right into St. Peter's with no line. I was begining to doubt all the hubbub I've heard about crowd. It was absolute breathtaking. As my daily torture, I climbed to the top of the dome. You can see below how high we're talking.

Thanks to some friendly fellow tourist, I am finally making an appearance in my blog. Here I am on the hike down from the top.

And on my second appearance, a little magic. Me with the ceiling of the Gesù. It's with the aid of a mirror they have place below. I think every church should do that!

Okay, my feet are killing me so I'm headed back to the hotel to rest them. Arrivederci!

A sign from...David Chase?

I was listening to my iPod on shuffle and Journey's Don't Stop Believing came on...it was followed by Pete Yorn's Alive. I think it's a sign.

Speaking of music, when walking around the bustling streets of Rome and you find yourself with no Italian mood music on your iPod, Buena Vista Social Club seems to be a fine substitution.

And speaking of walking, Monks? Big fans of Birkenstocks. Who knew?

My Sunday Afternoon Continued

I can't believe all I was able to pack in today. I have covered most of the sites in Rome that I wanted to see, all in my 9 hours of walking. Tomorrow I'm heading to the Vatican for most of the day.

I just finished up dinner at a cute little Italian sidewalk restaurant. Anna, the music playing while I ate included James Morrison and Paolo Nutini. Thought you'd get a kick out of that. Very nice.

Elsa, here's a pizza shot for you. It was lunch today.

One of the most amazing things I did today was visit the Holy Stairs. I climbed them on my knees, it was a painful and humbling experience.

And I leave you with this ceiling from Santa Maria Maggiore. It's 10:30 and time for me to head back to the hotel for some sleep.

Pictures!

Here are a few of the sights I've so far.

Trevi Fountain last night

Colosseum

Roman Forum - Temple of Antoninus Pius and Faustina

The Pantheon

The Spanish Steps

5 hours of Touring

Still no pics...sorry!

I headed out of the hotel at 7:15am this morning. I was trying to avoid lines at the Colosseum and ended up being one of the first there! I was in and out without messing with crowds. I also hit Santa Maria Maggiore and St. Peter-in-Chains on the way.

After that I roamed about the Forum before heading to Palatine Hill, followed by the Victor Emmanuel Monument and Capitol Hill.

Next I hit the Trevi Fountain by day. That's where I am now and it's only noon! Whew!

The weather is beautiful and sunny. I'm off to the Spanish Steps and hope to post some pictures tonight!

I made it!

I was delayed out of London but finally made it to my hotel around 8pm. The room is perfect. I hit the streets last night to check out the Trevi fountain. I canàt upload pictures on this computer but hopefully I will have some up soon!

I apparently have a sixth sense for direction because I was able to find the fountain without a map. Now, this is not because I don't have a map...it's because I am not very good at figuring out what street I'm on, thus said map is useless. Hopefully in the daylight things will be better.

Prince Harry Say "Cheers!"

I made it to London this morning. I managed to sleep the entire way here so I'm feeling pretty good. My flight to Rome is at 2:00 so I've been killing time in the huge Duty Free mall that is Gatwick.

4 more hours

Thanks for everyone who came out last night for the last supper of sorts. It was a blast and I'll miss everyone! I'm at the office with a huge suitcase staring me down. I get picked up at 4:00 so let's hope everything's packed.


The Girls

The Boys

A vacation from vacation planning

A quick trip to the beach was the perfect thing to give me a break from planning all the minute details of my Italy adventure. I could have used a few more days, but instead I am back and trying to figure out how all the piles overtaking my guest room are going to fit into my suitcase.

Oh the Places I Will Stay!

Here's a picture of my Rome hotel, let's hope it's as nice as the internet says. ;)

This is my place in Cinque Terre and a random view of the area

And finally, the hotel in Vicchio, NE of Florence

One More Week!

I head off for Rome in one week, after a quick trip to the beach in North Carolina. The basic itinerary for my 17 days in Italy is Rome, Orvieto, Vicchio, Florence, Cinque Terre, Bologna, Rome. It's going to be pretty jam packed. While in Vicchio I will be participating in an Etruscan Archaeological dig at Poggio Colla, a site that SMU, Penn and Franklin & Marshall College have been digging at since 1995. I hope to keep everyone updated on my travels so check back starting next week for updates and pictures!