The city that has no low season

Trip Start Apr 23, 2007

Trip End Ongoing

Loading Map

Map your own trip!

Map Options

Show trip route

Hide lines

Flag of Italy Rome, Italy
Sunday, October 14, 2007

i stayed at what must officially be the smallest hostel ever... but what they lack in size they make up for in hospitality... free breakfast (if you get up early enough, cause when its gone, its gone) and free dinner! just order in pizza, but still!! there are the rooms which are crammed and then just a halway with cushion seats.. so its just a non stop party in the halway... no choice but to meet people... i ended up meeting a bunch of people and had a great time in Rome... first day i was going to go to the colloseum but saw the line (it was 9:30) and it was huge, so i figure i would come back later... so i did and it was even longer!!! there really is no off season in Rome... and silly me thinking the weekend would be a great time to visit! haha... will i ever learn... so i just started walking around near the colloseum and the roman forum and was so lost as to what everything was, so i ended up joining a walking tour and actually learned what i was seeing... i saw the place where Julius Caesar was cremated (which is really ust a wodden shack, who woulda known!) and then later where he was assasinated..

arch of constantine

. pretty interesting... we went to Trevi Fountain, which woulda been better had there not been swarms of people around... the Pantheon (probably one of the best preserved roman buildings)... Piazza Niavoni, which is pretty nice plaza... and the national monument of Victor Emmanuel II which is just gigantic! there was this political rally going on that evening, so alot of traffic congestion and overwhelming amounts of people were roaming the streets... i learned the trick to beating the crayz long line at the colloseum... because the entry is for both the palatino and the colloseum, you can buy the ticket at either... the line at the palatino is much shorter, so i got my ticket there (with a cheap rate for being an EU citizen under 26!) and toured that first.. its pretty much an extension of the Roman Forum with larger ruins and a little museum as well... it was a great place to walk around, have a picnic and chill.... afterwards i braved the crowds at the colloseum... from the outside it is just enormous and very well intact, the inside is just as awesome...
that nite the hostel bailed on dinner so a huge group of us went out for chinese food and then caught the Argentina VS South Africa Rugby game at a local pub... the place was just packed, everyone was getting totally into it!
so, funny story about that nite... me and one of the girls were chatting at the table and this woman behind us asked where we were from (curious cause we're speaking english in a bar full of italians) so we get to chatting.. she's from new york and in Rome for a yoga seminar... staying at a ritzy hotel cause she admits she's pretty high maintenance... so i mention that i've been travelling around for 6 months now and still going strong... so she says "6 months travelling, and in hostels!! i don't think i could ever do it.. and if i ever did, i would be a wreck, a total mess... but you, honey, look awesome.. you are just glowing!" i couldn't believe it... here i am thinking, man, i got this birds nest thing going with my dreads lately, i don't wear makeup, my clothes are getting kinda ratty and by no means the cleanest... and this woman says i am glowing and look awesome.. i don't think there was ever a more needed compliment!!