Roman Holiday

Yesterday I got lost in Rome, which is a way of celebrating the fact that I'm traveling by myself.

After a morning of working on that ?£$%@$ paper (3/4 done now, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel), I went to Rome in the late afternoon. You have to walk to the Pantheon, which looked really far on the map, but as Stephanie and I have been joking, that European map scale... it was only a few blocks. It was too late in the day for a beam of light, except beside the occulus on the ceiling. After that I visited an antiques dealer and then headed off for the Colosseum...in the wrong direction. Turned around, went back toward the Pantheon and beyond. Somehow, I managed to go all the wrong directions and end up at all the major landmarks. I was clearly lost and an Italian man started to help me. He led me to a ticket office but wanted the money in his hand...and then I realized that he was scamming me. I said, "No thanks I just want to see the Colosseum, I don't want a ticket"; and he swore in Italian and replied, "First you want to go in the Colosseum, then you don't, I don't understand you" and muttered to himself like a lesser-known godfather away from the ticket station and into the sunset. Well, away from the sunset, rather.

I took a few more steps and found myself at the river. More than at the river, but at a footbridge leading to the famous island in the middle of Rome. So I wandered beside the water for a while, headed back into town in the general direction that I believed correct. By this time the sun had set and it was getting on to dusk. Then I rounded a corner to find an entire hilltop stretching off, covered in ruins. It made me gasp. I followed a wall around until there was a viewing fence and I was beside the Roman Forum and such. Then I climbed a hill with a church and a lookout, which happened to be behind a major square which I had just accidentally stumbled upon an hour before. Finally, I slowly made my way to the Colosseum, which by now was lit up and stood out against the night sky. So I've always wanted to see the Colosseum at night. And even though I might not make it into the structure, I feel satisfied with my visit.

Now I'm at a posh hostel in Sorrento and I'm looking forward to Pompeii, Ercolano, and the Amalfi Coast, as well as a boat ride to the island of Capri and the grottoes. That's my big splurge, but it'll be worth it.

Signing off!