18.2.12 Naples and Rome, Italy

I was going to get up at 6 but I was too exhausted. I ended up sleeping until 7:20 and ate, still having problems with the internet. I was looking at going to Verona, but they had no rooms in the hostels. Same with Ravenna and Perugia. I was considering just going to Sienna and going to Bologna after but I would have only got about four hours there. I tried to call and text Luke but my phone didn’t work. I was getting frustrated.

I decided I should probably just stay in Naples. I checked out and spur of the moment decided I would go to Rome. I love Naples and didn’t know what I’d do there another day and didn’t want to ruin it.

I went down to the train station and could have got on a train right away but been standing. This didn’t really appeal to me so I bought a ticket for the next train an hour later.

In the neighborhood by the train station tons of people were out. All sorts of stores had bread, fish, clothes, all sorts of stuff out on the streets. I bought three pairs of socks for 1.50 Euros from one of the stands. I wandered through there and went up to the old town again.

It was much more full of life on the weekend. All sorts of stands selling stuff, people walking around the streets, it was great. I was regretting buying my ticket to Rome already. I tried to find soap in some stores but couldn’t find any. I’m not sure if they just don’t do bar soap in Italy or what. I couldn’t tell what bottles were liquid soap either. So I didn’t end up getting any.

I looked around the streets until I had to get back to the train. I became very sad to leave Naples. It’s a unique place. I’ll miss things like crossing the street and the cheap pizza and dirty narrow streets. I was glad I didn’t make it all about going into churches and got a real feel for the town. Hopefully I’ll be back.

I got on the train and my seat was by the window. I emailed Luke before I left asking if I could stay there that night and hoped that he’d respond and I’d be able to find wifi somewhere to see if he did. Otherwise I have no idea what’ll happen to me tonight, although Rome is on the way to anywhere I’d go and they have the most trains. Worst case I’ll take a slow late train somewhere. I’m hoping I’ll take a train to Bologna and stay at Luke’s tonight and then go to Verona in the morning. But really anything could happen at this point.

I fell asleep for a little and when I woke up I was in the train station, which is probably not all that surprisingly very familiar to me (and mom). I walked over to the opera house to see if there was a show tonight. There wasn’t. So I walked down to the Colisseum, passing Trajan’s Market and Trajan’s Column, as well as the huge monument to Vitorri Emmanuel II.

I did a lap around the Coliseum and walked down to the Pantheon and then over to the by the Spanish Steps. I went into Café Greco, where Byron, Keats, Wagner, and Litz all used to hang out. It opened in 1760 and was packed. It had fancy chairs and old paintings on the wall. The waiters wore tuxes. I sat in the very back room by some older Italians having a long conversation. When the waiter finally came over and gave me the menu, I was shocked. The cheapest coffee was 8 Euros. But I guess they say, ‘when in Rome, buy $10 cups of coffee.’ I got a caffe latte and it was fine. I have not been making my savviest financial decisions lately.

I went up the Spanish Steps and saw a bunch of people down in the piazza. I had no idea at the time, but they were celebrating Carnivale in Rome today. It’s a strange celebration. All the kids dressed up like for Halloween. I saw a bunch of princesses and American superheroes. I even saw a New York Jets player. All the kids go around throwing those little paper confetti things and it just covers the streets. Via Corso was shut down and made into a pedestrian walkway and above were lights leading to Piazza Popolo in the Italian colors.

In the piazza, it was packed with people all over. I was just standing around when they cleared out a huge spot where people in fancy old dress came in with a drum line and flag twirler guys and put on a huge show for about an hour. All the kids in their costumes were in the front and they loved it. The flag tosser guys were pretty good. They did a bunch of tricks and threw the flags pretty high. Elsewhere there were people dressed up in costumes and there was some sort of stage set up to one side.

I really enjoyed watching the festivities. This was finally something unique. I was feeling bad about not staying in Naples but this helped a lot. I also missed being in Rome with mom. So doing something new was good.

I stole some wifi and told mom where I was. I had a very difficult time finding places in Rome. I also got my phone to work and Luke said it probably wouldn’t work out for me to stay there, so I would take the overnight train to Verona.

I went down to the train station to get a ticket. I wanted to make sure I had a seat, standing all night did not appeal at all to me.

When I bought the ticket it said I had to take a quick train to another station and then get on the one I’d be on most the night. When the ticket printed, it didn’t say anything about taking a train from the central station. So I went and talked to customer service. He wasn’t very much of a help but he said it was easy to get to the other station, just a quick subway ride away, which was just a Euro. I was saving about 50 Euros by doing the overnight train so I was cool with it. I went down into the metro station to make sure I knew how to do it right and bought a ticket.

I walked back down by the Pantheon to get some food. I really wanted to get something different and not touristy. But I didn’t have a whole lot of time and the city is basically all touristy. I’m sure when Ryan goes he’ll find something great and tell me about it, and there were a couple places I read about I wanted to go. Maybe next time.

I sat under a heat lamp at in the first restaurant on the left of the Pantheon in the middle of the square. I got spaghetti, which was fine, better than in America but not the greatest. I talked to the Dutch couple next to me and they took a picture for me. It’s still one of the greatest locations in the world to eat there, and something I have no problem paying 9 Euros for.

I walked over to the Trevi Fountain, picking up a figure of the fountain for a Euro on the way. I picked one of the gelato stores in the main square and got banana, bacio, and fior de panna flavors. It wasn’t a ton of gelato but it was solid and they put the free whipped cream on. I took it down to the fountain and ate, watching all the people around me. When I was done I tossed a coin over my left shoulder. I think I’ll be back.

I walked down to the Colosseum and grabbed a banana from the stand mom and I used to all the time. I missed her a lot. It wasn’t the same without her there.

When I walk past the Roman Forum at night I’m always reminded of a great short story I read in college that mentioned how cold the forum was at night. It is amazingly chilly by it. I always think of that.

I ate my banana down by the Coliseum. It’s awesome at night. I thought of all the people who would never get to see it in their lives. And how in 6^th grade in Mrs. Mattison’s geography class I would sit by a poster of it. And I was there now. I could even see Orions’s Belt above it. I spent so many years in Troy looking up at the stars seeing Orion’s Belt in the driveway or out the back window. And it’s here too. And was 2000 years ago too. It’s sort of amazing.

I tried to get on the subway but my ticket expired within 75 minutes of purchasing it. So I had to get another. The metro is very easy to use and quick too. It cuts the walk from the Coliseum to the train station down from about 30-40 minutes to about three. I wish I had taken it earlier.

My stop was just a couple past the regular train station. This was a weird station, with the main area outside. I paid a Euro and went into the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. It would probably be worth it tomorrow, although I fully expect to feel super gross.

I got on the train and typed the rest of this up. My seat is in the window in one of those cabins. I’m slightly worried about sleeping through my stop but I set a couple alarms. I should be fine.

I was so overwhelmed when I first got to Rome today that I didn’t quite enjoy it until I actually sat down and had that coffee and went over to Carnivale. There’s something I find so fascinating about seeing how kids in other cultures act. It was a nice time, although it’ll never be the same without mom there. Tomorrow in Verona should be nice, assuming things go relatively well with the train. We get in around 5:30 a.m. I hope they have an inside train station.