Dwindling
Trip Start
Jul 09, 2008
1
42
44
Trip End
Aug 22, 2008
Rome,
Italy
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Yesterday was a bit more subdued. I ended up walking around the city on my own for a while. I saw the Coliseum and the Roman Forum, though I only took pictures from outside as I wasn't up for paying admission prices to either. At that point I wandered back to the hostel to meet up with Loryn so her and I could meet up with Emma and Millie for supper. On the way I even got to nab something from Rome for Shasta, finally!
Since it was the last night in the hostel for all 3 of the girls, we decided we'd all do a nice meal together. Afterward, we hung out by this fountain in Trastevere, had gelatto, and listened to a string quartet performing in the square.
Piazza della Republica
Not only was it fantastic because I love strings, but we all enjoyed watching on particular violinist who was especially hot. Woo! We wandered back to the hostel and finished off the night with our final games of cards.I haven't been up that long, but the girls have all cleared out. I chatted with some other girls who are in the dorm now, travelling from Ireland. It turns out we were in Amsterdam at the same time, staying at the same hostel, them just one floor above me. Crazy! Anyway, I plan to spend today visiting the Pantheon and checking out the art exhibit Augusto said I should see. (It was closed Mondays, so I couldn't actually visit it on the day.) Yes, some of you will notice that I have no plans for the Vatican but, really, the queue is far too long for my liking and I'm not about to wake up early enough for it to be a reasonable wait. Later tonight, I'm meeting up with Augusto for gay karaoke. He said some of his friends should be coming and if Loryn can sneak away from her family, she'll be joining us, too.
It's only hit me yesterday, but I'm now finally realizing that I'm going home in 2 days. After weeks of travelling, meeting incredible people, seeing new places, experiencing new cultures, and not having to do anything save what I want, I'm really, truly going to miss it. The sheer amount of freedom and stimulation you encounter on a trip like this is like nothing else. I've heard how many people return home after a trip like this and end up slightly depressed for months after, and I can see why. Granted, there'll be quite a few distractions when I get back, but I know part of me will be longing to just grab a backpack, or meet a new face, or wander through a city I've never been to before.
In light of all that, I've decided that for my last full day in Europe tomorrow, I'm going to lounge on the beach. Some people might ask why, when I could be off doing exciting things, but being able to just take the day to relax and say I've done what I wanted to do is extremely inviting. Plus, beaches aren't exactly common in Canada (especially warm, nude, gay beaches), so I'll still be doing something I can't back home. Regardless, I'm very much looking forward to how I plan to spend my last day.
-Justen
