Day 4 and 5: Rome

Rome was much better than Paris although just as touristic. Our hostel was much better too, and we were fortunate to meet this queer guy called Mario (who we think owns the hostel) and gave us some great tips (although sometimes we doubted his kang tao).

The streets of Rome are very walkable and most importantly, there are public taps and fountains all over the city which supplied cooool, portable water which is a luxury under the scorching sun of 37 degrees!

What I liked about Rome:
-relatively cheaper cost of expenses
-easy to navigate, you will never find yourself “holland-ed” (lost), which is why there is a saying “All Roads lead to Rome”
-the cheerful guy who sells cheap Kebabs and pizzas at Roma Termini. I am not sure if he is Turkish or not because he looks like he had Italian blood in him too. We liked him so much that we visited him 3 times in 2 days and he was very happy to have us back and gave us extra pizzas during our 2nd visit until we had to stuff ourselves.

-the passionate tour guides who I think are Uni students that live in Rome and work independently. For them Rome is their life and they are happy just being there and telling the story of Rome all over again to different people. It is not easy to be an independent tour guide because you’re competing with the agents and there’re lots of them in Rome.

What I did not like about Rome:
-actually nothing much to complain here, except that I developed blisters on my foot from too much walking already. Moreover I bought only a pair of shoes (which I won’t wear actually but had to cos of the Moulin Rouge dress code).

-bino

Rome… hmmm… nothing much to say about the place. You gotta see and feel it for yourself. The history part can be a bit mind boggling. And the heat. Sorching! Got a sunburn but very nice tan. I like. I love basking in the sun. And the walks were relatively easier than paris! Most memorable has gotta be the very nice kebab man. We were speaking simple English but somehow I felt a connection with the owner. I’m sure bs and py felt the same! I have a feeling the owner liked us a lot cos we returned there 2 days in a row for lunch and dinner. Appreciated that we love the food.

Then there are the weird spots on my hand… don’t know what caused it but hope it goes away soon. Then stupid py was talking about my time of the month. Something about whether I got enough pad or something then my period came. Idiot. Cursed. Gonna try the tampons for the first time. With the hot weather I’ll die using pads. Cross fingers.

Yingzaghi

Rome was equally tiring as Paris but I love the place very much. Fascinating Roman structures and delicious kebabs, spaghetti and gelato definitely give Rome a high score on the overall rating. The only downside was the hot weather which is a killer for me. Luckily, the place was not as humid as Singapore and drinkable water fountains filled the streets of Rome. BS extremely loved them!

It is perfectly true of the saying; “Rome is not built in one day.” The grandeur and magnificence of the Roman monuments cannot be explained through words but to be felt and to be seen. It is astounding and had me gasping in awe time after time. The Colosseo and the Roman Forum will definitely leave many people stunned. The Vatican is a place not to be missed. Get to the top of the St. Peter’s Basilica to get a panoramic view of the city and Rome – I think it’s better than that of the Eiffel Tower. (PS: Oh yah, don’t miss the entrance like we did. We had to queue to go in again because we missed the turn towards the tower. The section is called the Cuppola). It is a pity that my knowledge of the history of the Roman Empire and Catholicism are rather limited. Or else, this visit to Rome and the Vatican would be a much more fruitful one, especially intellectually.

Another two quick-passing days. Venice, here we come!

~Piero~