Friday, May 29, 2009

I ___ ROMA

Salve, pueli! [Greetings, folks]

Being in Rome has brought back a number of my Latin lessons from high school, but before I go further about what I have been doing in Rome, there is plenty of catching up to do.

Last time, I was in Portugal on way to Spain, writing about some things that didn't go quite right. Please don't be sympathetic to our few plights here in Europe, as it is a joy just to be on vacation in a different continent. But of course, it is not all cloud 9 when you are traveling for a month. The bumps in the road have definitely kept the trip exciting.

Barcelona went off without a hitch, once we got tickets out of Spain. You see, the first thing we do when we arrive in another counrty is to book reservations for our next destination. It is one of the many querks of the EuroRail Global Pass. Anyways, we came upon a holiday and were not able to get any reservations to Innsbruck, Austria. Our solution is in more detail later.

There were many great happenings in Barcelona. The hostel where we stayed was the first place that was actually homely. When we arrived we were offered free dinner and a private room for our extra night in the city, which we needed because we hadn't yet aquired a way out of Spain. The paella they served us was deicious especiially when washed down with sangria. I was also amazed in Barcelona by the bohemian atmosphere and the architecture by Gaudi.

So because we couldn't get directly to Austria we thought we would drop in on some of my friends in Basel, Switzerland. On the way, 20 hours of slow trains, we missed a connection and got stuck in this little town in Switzerland. Luckily we picked up a hitch to Geneva where we spent the night. When arriving our driver pointed the fountain in Geneva saying that was all we had to see. So we got to see Geneva!

Finally arriving in Innsbruck, the hut-hopping we were planning on doing wasn't available until tomorrow. Apparently there was too much snow. So instead, we went to this camperland, which is this vamped up comglomeration of camping and a Nantucket vacation resort. We enjoyed the restaurant and the trails that we could take to enjoy the Austrian contryside. As the pictures will show you, it was magnificent.

It is okay that I don't have very long to talk about Rome. It is definitely my least favorite place of the trip. I don't feel safe, welcome, or respected. But seeing the Ancient ruins of the Roman empire was sweet. Anyone who has known me through my childhood knows I love living history. I got to stand on the Circus Maximus where the best chariot races used to be staged. Sneding a postcard from the Vatican City was also an experience. (Check the mail Mom!)

Anyways, Maria and I are getting a little travel weary but are nonetheless safe and happy.

Ciao!

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