I have a lot of content hanging around from my 2007 trip to Europe. We’ve gone from London to Rome. There are plenty of awesome and historical places in Rome, I remember seeing them and being amazed, but my 24 year old self got stuck on the cultural differences. Here’s what you can expect.
I don't know what I was complaining about in Ireland. Here, the minute you walk out the door, you need to drink three litres of water to replace the sweat that jumps out of your pores. It's a case of the grass always being greener, be careful what you wish for. I resent my jacket now for all the space it takes up in my bag. I'm going to have to chuck out some stuff I think. I like my stuff, though…
Tim is still coughing from the flu. We have a springy bed, and every time he coughs I feel like I’m back in Disneyland. Note to self: when sick, spend up big for somewhere with a mattress that’s not ancient.
We saw some stuff, but we were hot and sweaty, and when we couldn't find a McDonalds, we settled for a cafe and the pasta was a little too al dente. It was supposed to be meaty pasta, too. There is more meat left at the bottom of the dogs bowl at the end of a meal.
Then, in time honoured tradition, we walked around the corner and straight into a McDonald's. It's not that I think Maccas is great or anything, I was just hoping for something that wasn't pizza or pasta, and well priced.
Something crap about Rome: the sit down drink price. There are two lists for drink prices in the menu. We thought it meant 'small' or 'large'. NO! WRONG! If you take away a drink of water, it costs you about a pound. If you sit down at a table and drink it, it will cost you six.
Something kinda cool about Rome: the mini vans. There are vans parked all around the city, all pretty much exactly the same, selling drinks, sandwiches and gelato. They all have awnings with 'sandwiches', 'bibite', 'gelato', written on them, and stuff stacked around the outside. The only difference is the colour schemes, and the names of the vans. And the degree of angry man you get standing in there.
I don't know why, they're standing in the middle of a row of freezers, so it can't be too hot. We got a slightly angry man give us cold water at the Colosseum, and an incredibly angry man hand over our gelato on the Spanish Steps. He was probably angry because the Spanish steps were so crap.
On the Spanish Steps: one of our guide books described them as 'impressive and overwhelming'. Yeah right. There were 136 steps, I counted. And they were... just steps. Swarming with tourists, hard to climb, and unrewarding at the top. There was no great view, and at no point can you see all of the steps at the same time. It is definitely a case of the picture doing the place justice.
You should see their little public buses! Like a mini- bus, but cuter. It's a scaled down version of an actual bus. They’re little fat things that can get around some of the tighter corners in the city. Beep beep!
They are still manned by crazy drivers though. As long as you don't look through the window into the crazed eyes of the driver as it bears down upon you, you can have a Playschool moment. Then make sure to come to you senses and leap away in time...
Who am I? I’m a craft and DIY blogger located in Perth, Western Australia. I want to share my 2007 travel posts with the world, but they don’t fit into my bog niche so I decided to post them here! A lot of the stuff is still relevant, and hopefully you’ll find it both amusing and helpful if you’re planning a trip to Europe. You can check out my blog, Eryn_With_A_Y here.
