Was I really on my way to Rome? It's a great feeling when I can answer myself truthfully and actually like the answer. :)
Two of my sisters, my aunt, and two other friends were vacationing in Italy and I was on my way to Rome to meet up with them for a couple of days. The flight was only an hour and a half and I smiled another goofball smile as I got the Italian date stamp in my passport. As soon as I got outside, the sun obnoxiously greeted me and let the heat immediately swallow me whole. Even the shade offered little relief.
After waiting around for a half hour, my shuttle bus finally arrived. Luggage was loaded and people began boarding. It would be about a 40 minute ride 'til we reached the city. As the ride began, I started thinking about the book I had read a while back Eat, Pray and Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, who had spent 4 months of her life living in Rome. She had me regaled with ideallyc stories of the city, the italian people, the food and all the sites.
As the bus made its way through the first hints of Rome, I looked out the window and was shocked. This was Rome? Where were all the pretty buildings and gelato shops that Elizabeth Gilbert talked about? The streets were lined with dilapidated buildings and streams of grafitti that seemed to go on forever. Garbage was strewn everywhere and no street corner looked inviting. I realized then that even Rome has a ghetto area. Talk about a rude awakening in pre-conceived notions!
Evenutally, the bus pulled into the train station and after grabbing my luggage, I was soon on my way...except, I didn't know exactly where I was going. Apparently, the hostel I would be staying at was only about 10 blocks away. The train station was filled with wall to wall people. I looked at the directions my sister had emailed me and found the referenced McDonald's to be right in front of me. Having a better idea of my bearings, I started walking. The street curbs were lined with taxis.
"Taxi! Taxi!" some of the cab drivers were shouting.
"Taxi, miss?" One of the drivers said approaching me.
"My hostel isn't too far away from here. I think I'm ok. " I said showing him the address.
"I give you ride!" He said enthusiastically. "Only $15 Euros ($22 US)."
"What?! $15 Euros for only 10 blocks?" I said incredulously. "No thanks. I'll stick with walking."
I couldn't help but wonder as I walked away, what's the point of even having a running meter in a t
axi cab if you're not going to use it properly?Crossing the street, I noticed an italian man coming my way and he was staring at me openly and unabashedly.
"Ciao, bella!" He said with a great big smile.
I couldn't help but laugh. I've heard stories about Italian men and their forwardness. Looks like there's a little truth to that.
When it's almost 100 degrees and you have to walk 10 blocks...it feels like a really long time.
I saw what I considered to be the first nice looking piece of architecture since I had arrived. It was Santa Maria's church. I knew the hostel was close. Thank God! I was parched and beginning to overheat.
When I reached the narrow door of the hostel, I noticed the sign on the door that said "The front desk is closed from 2pm-4pm. If you ring the bell during this time, you will be fined $10 Euros." Scrambling through my purse, I looked for my cell phone to find out what time it was.
It was 1:58pm.
"No way." I sighed with relief. For once, my timing wasn't so bad!
