Day 98 (Rome)

Today I woke up relatively earlier then I needed to, making sure our flight didn’t get cancelled, and having a relaxing packing day rather than a stressed/rushed one. It was a good call on my part. We then headed off to the airport. A funny thing happened, Brent bought the airport metro pass, but forgot to validate it… I noticed a bunch of guys in suits in the front of the cabin, and said that they were probably going to do a ticket check – and to talk to them. But instead we did not talk to them, and they did indeed do a ticket check at the last stop. Brent and I got written up metro fines, 60 euro, I did the smooth move of giving them my drivers license instead of my passport. In which they probably will never be able to even trace this to me, and if they do, I lost my license in Greece, right? ;) This isn’t to mention that the entire fine in the first place was stupid, we bought the ticket to the airport, AND the whole thing is written in Greek! I can’t read one word of it, let alone who to contact… sorry Greece metro system, but I’ll give you an I.O.U.

Once we got into the airport, we were able to grab our boarding passes and check-in without any difficulties. Jumped on the plane and were on our way to Rome! Upon landing we needed to get on a train to meet up with the guy we would be couchsurfing with, and who would generously be hosting me for the next 3 nights, Gianfranco. This train took forever, an hour and a half to be exact. We finally met up with him around 6. He lives out in a small city 30 km outside of Rome, called Castelnouvo, meaning new castle. He told us how almost all old Italian cities were built in two parts, one consisting of the new modern city, and the other hosting the old remnants and buildings of the past. With this being said, he took us to the old part. It was beautiful, way out in the country side, with green hills packed with trees, tiny streets and layered architecture that you can trace back through the ages from the very walls. This was how you experienced a country, he told us, the little cities that have so much character. We walked through the entire city, appreciating it and what it had to offer. Upon returning to the town square, Brent and I got Gelatos and Barley Coffee, which actually isn’t coffee at all – but a popular coffee like drink enjoyed by most Italians. All three of us sat outside and talked for a bit, about different cultures, languages and ways of life. It was nice. After this we headed to a local pizzaria for some dinner.






Our appetizers consisted of a variety of grilled vegetables and other things; fannel, potatoes, spinach-like-stuff, beans, some flat bread, zucchini, and mushrooms. It was all very good, and only prepared me for the delicious pizza I was about to devour. I ordered the “speciale” pizza, it had fresh mozzarella, buffalo cheese, mushrooms, ham, sausage, peppers, and oregano. It was so good! I traded Brent a piece of mine for his, he had mozzarella and ham – but his ham was basically very lightly cooked (almost raw) bacon. It was pretty interesting, and I think I made the better choice . After the pizzas, it was time for desserts, I had a tiramisu, which is a pretty traditional Italian dessert. I have only had it once before, when my Dad made it. I think he did it better, but I could just be biased (probably), either way, this one was delightful as well! Mmm… All this food was great, definitely a good way to start out my Italian culturing. Unfortunately, it hit me with a huge price tag, at least for my current budget. Oh well, sometimes you need to have an excellent Italian meal!

We walked a little more around the old city after dinner, then headed back to Gianfranco’s house. When we got here, he made us some Italian drinks, which were absolutely amazing. It was concentrated fruit juices, such as “menta” “coconut juice” and “orzata”… mixing one of the last two with the mint, and then adding water. They were great, and I will make a mission to find them when I get back home. We talked for a bit more, and then he gave me all my necessary information to making it to the city of Rome tomorrow morning. Brent is leaving at 7:30am… and I am thinking about waking up around the same time and starting my day. Rome has a ton to see, with a landmark on almost every street corner, so it will be an eventful day. Well… I am all settled in now, and ready for some sleep! Goodnight world.