December 2005 Archives

I couldn't believe it but I spent a good 7.5 hours in the vicinity of the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel.
I got in early enough to purchase postcards and have it sent from the Vatican City.
Although within Italy, the Vatican City has its own postal services and it's meant to be a very efficient one at that.
I was a little sorry that I was not able to post my tube from the Vatican Post, having to rely on the Italian postal services instead has made me a little worried about it every arriving!

The tour took about 3 hours on foot, even then, it felt like we only covered the tip of the iceberg. So much history, dating back to the 1st century, which is something I cannot comprehend. I visited Pope John Paul II's tomb. Not quite what I expected but still a fairly sombre few minutes.

I bought my mother a rosary from the Vatican and had to linger around St Peter's for an hour to have a session with a Father to have it blessed - hey, since I was there, why not? It would have been nice to have it blessed by the Pope but he has audiences every Wednesday and I have a plane to catch.. just a case of bad timing perhaps.

Anyway, Rome's been a dream. I didn't throw my coin into the Trevi Fountain which means I may not return. We'll see if I get to come back soon.

It's hard to believe that the trip I've waited for over 9 months has come and is almost over.

Manchester's next..

Ciao!

And so I walked the Colosseum, the Forum, stepped on grass where Chariots once raced through.
I stood where Julius Caesar was apparently burnt, where Mark Anthony made his famous speech.
I crossed Italian pedestrians with great confidence, and yet, only once did I come close to getting run over by the bus. All in a day's work.

I even managed to keep lunch costs below 3 euros (what a feat it was) - my first in my entire trip!
Managed to dodge the crowds, taking the metro and gypsy ladies.

Tomorrow will be my last day in Rome but there's still too much to see and I am feeling very overwhelmed.
It may be just a case of visiting the Vatican and St Peter's by mid afternoon and calling it a day.

Ciao!

The past week has been a dream
Living out of my backpack, hours travelling on bus
Feeling motion sickness for hours
But it's all worth it
When you come face to face to the Eiffel Tower, illuminated in the darkness
The fresh, biting wind from the top.. The romanticism of Paris.
Compare that to the serenity of Interlaken.. who would have known that I would one day send postcards from Jungfraujoch - The Top of Europe at -8 degrees celcius. I'm still laughing with powder like snow being blown on my already cold cheeks.
Pebbled streets of Milan and Florence, full of history, art, sculptures..
Rome wasn't built in a day and I sure am not going to see it all in two.
If only I lived a stone's throw away.. I'll loved to say "Oh Roma, I'll be beack before you know it"
I've been practising my Gratzie and Prego.. rolling the r's.. picking up simple words to get me by.
If all else fails, a strong caffe will do the trick.
The next 2 days in Rome will be interesting. I have left my travel group and am on my own now.

More updates soon!