June 4th - Fantastico!
The hotel came with breakfast so we made sure that we ate until we were stuffed as a way of getting the most out of the expensive night's stay. After breakfast we went back to the room and started putting the bikes together. At the same time we did some laundry and hung it out on the balcony to dry. Jon also set up the solar panel to recharge the batteries for the camera. Two hours later we were pushing the bikes out of the room, taking them down through the lobby where I received the look of death from a staff member when he saw me with my fully loaded bike in his lobby. We agreed that it was a comfort to have our bikes with us and all of our familiar gear - our home.
We decided to push our bikes through the city. Looking back on it now (I'm writing this three days later) what we mainly remember is pushing our bikes through the streets of Rome, getting lost a lot trying to find the Tiber river, knowing that once we crossed we would be in the center of the city (Centro as it's known). There was nothing in particular that stood out as unique mostly suburban shops, markets, there was not a Starbuck's in sight! There was many, many stares from people as we rode by. We did see people bicycling but not anymore that what we've seen in Seattle. The vehicle of choice for the Romans is the Scooter and the Smart Car. They were everywhere - literally. Italien driving as we would describe it is fluid - where there's a space, they will fill it - even if it's on the other side of the road! I would say that the drivers are assertive not aggressive, vigilant of the driver's around them even if that means they're cutting them off. We both agree that we felt safer riding our bikes in Rome than we do in Seattle. I think it's also because of all the Mopeds and small cars that really zip around which forces drivers to be aware of everything. The use their car horns in a positive way rather than an expression of road rage. I think I would feel more comfortable riding my bike in Rome instead of driving. Once we got into Rome (finally) I was really wanting to actually ride my bike instead of coasting down hills or pushing it. As we sat in a piazza having a snack, people watching, being stared at ourselves and answering questions about the bikes or as one little boy said to me "Where do you come from?".
I saw a woman with a sun had on and instead of a bike helmet and two inch spike heels pedaling down the street without a care in the world. Dammit, if she could do it, so could we! So off we went, first on the side streets, driver's were courteous and we kept to the side of the road as much as possible. We kept stopping because I wanted to take some pictures. I've always loved the pictures of the narrow, cobblestone paths so I was taking a lot of pictures. About 15 shots I realized 'hey, I'm in Rome, ALL of the streets are like this!
It was getting later in the day and we needed a place to stay. We found and information booth after asking some police men for directions. The information booth was not really helpful so we pulled out the trusty Rick Steves guidebook and started making some calls. Within a couple of minutes we were on our way to San Guiseppe's. Jon had it pegged on the map lead and me on a whirlwind ride through side streets and piazza's of Rome - it was really cool. I had no idea where I was going - I just trusted Jon and had a lot of fun on that short ride.
The price quoted in the book was not going rate that day. I failed to confirm the price of the room before registering. It was going to be another 150 euro night. The good was that the place our bikes were to be kept was secure. The room was great! Big, clean, the neightborhood very quiet just acros the Tiber River. Put our bags in the room and regrouped. I wanted to see the Trevi fountain so we found it on the map and started walking. Oh, ride after we checked in
