12.2.12 Rome! Bright and early, even woke up earlier than my alarm. I planned my route out on a map traced it on google maps which came to approximately be 11 miles. Whether I ended up doing more or less I really wouldn’t be able to tell you! Starting at the Rome Accommodations hostel I hopped up on the wall to see the one plaza that had been closed because of snow and ice.
The streets were all ice this morning; I think my roommate will be
happy to hear since she couldn’t come. From Piazza Fanti I went to another
unintentional ice skating rink: Giardini Piazza Vittorio. The old structure was
like a very large cat house! My first 20 minutes walking in Rome and there’s
private lessons going on for dancing in the middle of the plaza! How sweet!
It didn’t take long to notice there are Roman remains everywhere you go here. Some
kids were playing in the park, someone made a very small snow man, dainty
though with a little decoration in her “hair”.
I offered to take pictures several times for people, cute British
families, or young couples inamorato…
At the Arco di Costantino there was a
beautiful little wedding going on. It was very informal. Right nearby was the
Arco di Tito, but that area was all closed off as well!
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| Roman Bench |
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| An American was here! |
I passed old baths, theatres,
the works! Before I knew it I was at the Colosseo (coliseum), it was absolutely
gigantic.
So instead I checked
out the Circo Massimo, but that area is made for gardens, and snow sometimes
does not replace flowers quite as well.
I saw some of the largest seagulls I have
ever seen! But he doesn't look all so big in this picture...
And this is when I started wondering off my original planned path.
(Being the that tito was closed I no longer had an absolute need to follow up
through that.)I instead saw the Arco di Giano, and then spent a little time relocating myself. When I thought I was reoriented I decided to wonder again!
I
walked up the Ara Coeli, endulged in some lunch, then wandered behind that to
more ruins. And back up another trail, by the Foro di Cesare, enjoyed some
Italian music playing from the square and followed it to the Colonna Traianel.
It only took a very large museum building white and bold to re-orient me. Back
on track I searched harder for the concealed street listings posted on the
sides of buildings along with plazas and other paths. 
I made a box, and crossed the Fiume (river) Tevere. Bodies of water is always a pretty addition to cities unless it is the Hudson, (slightly joking, but mostly serious.)
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| Buffalo Pachino Pizza and Focaccia pane |
I
found an inviting little restaurant, Ai Bozzi da Giovanni, and indulged in too much pizza! Luckily it
was a lot thinner than normal pizzas so it wasn’t incredibly much! I still
continued to walk 7 or 8 miles after so.. 
The next section of town got very confusing with roads!
Whoever said Rome should be famous for roads obviously did not see this aspect
of organization. These streets were all over the place at different angles and
such. And the sun was no longer a good sense of direction because it had moved
on me from earlier when it was simply in the east now it was somewhere in
between Southeast and south west. There were several roads to choose within
just those degrees. So I chose one, it was wrong. Back tracked. Decided I could
take this other one. It led to a “no entry” army base camp. Great. I got on the
right road, followed it until a silly advertisement on the map covers the name
of the street I was supposed to go on. (The advertisements are on the edges of
the map, but I really hit a wide range of Rome today whether I knew which
direction I was facing or not!) The right direction would be not a road at all,
but a set of tilted slabs that somewhat resemble steps, well layered in fun-to-maneuver
sheets of ice. Here’s where I now think of Cassie. There was a pretty girl
hugging the wall trying to stand with her pretty shoes on the <6 inch width
of un-iced surface. “Be careful! It’s very slippery!” She told me. She was
frightened like it was Armageddon. I love you Cassie <3 
Up in some altitude the city looked incredible overall!
There was this magnificent Fonte Acqua Paola structure and a little further
down the road was the Porta San Pancrazio. Thanks to another advertisement I
was once again at a loss for knowing which of the 5 roads that I should take.
Two kind nuns escorted me in the direction I wanted to go, for they were headed
that way also. We talked for a little, while the one spoke a little English,
the times she had to convert to Italian again she spoke slowly so I could
hopefully understand. 
A straight route for a little, past the Faro al Gianicolo, than a short cut, but still on the right path! Until… stumped again! According to the map, the road to the Vatican goes through a parking garage. Okay… going a different way. I was starting to believe that I was not going to make it to the Vatican. My goal was to be at least in more familiar territory before it got dark. All roads in Rome.. lead somewhere.. eventually!
It was good that the Vatican was closed because I didn’t have time to go in anyway. But the plaza was lovely. I shall be consistent with collecting statue and bird pictures.
And the Vatican got much better from a distance.
I crossed over a bridge once I got
to the Castel Sant’ Angelo. I was jealous of people who were on top of the
castle. The sun was still up!
I made it up to the Piazza del Poplo, the point furthest north on my map. (I had hit each furthest point after all! East, South, West, and North!) There was a big carnival going on today or at least the beginnings of one! Roads started to get confusing again after the Trinita del Monti and Fontana del Tritone.
I got to the Piazza Bernardo but ended up
taking the wrong way to my last location Repubblica. This was not my fault. I
assure you the street addresses were all uncoordinated with the map. Rather
than streets staying the same as long as you don’t turn, the names change
randomly every few blocks. The fountain in the Republic certainly gave a
feeling of save the best for last. It was not too cold, so I could just relax watch
water and lights reflect. 
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Back at the hostel, the owners Luigi and Annalisa surprised
me with a bottle of Spumante vino. I have yet to try it but how cool? I guess
he really wants that post card from New York!
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Furthermore it is now Monday
morning, traveling day! Train from Rome to much colder Metz. Wherever I am now,
there’s at least a foot of snow. It’s beautiful. The train was delayed today,
no surprise there. Though it’s not like many trains are delayed; just the one
I’m supposed to take and maybe one other. I don’t mind being an extra 20
minutes longer; however, it is the connection trains I have to worry about!! If
we get in exactly 20 minutes later I will have 5 minutes to catch the train. 
However, once a train is running late, it seems to just get
later along the way. I would like to comment that there is absolutely no good
reason the first train in the morning should have a chance to be late. I did
not catch the train we arrived 10 minutes after it had already left. To add to
the unfortune the next train was not until another 7 hours. I tried to take
advantage and see Molino, bought a map, but It was much too cold outside so I
spent a record long time in Burger King: the only warm place they didn’t kick you
out of when you finished eating. Seriously though, do they expect people to sit
in outside degree weather while they wait for their train for 6 hours? I looked
hard for any other route, and was tempted to just go back to Nice, but that
wouldn’t help me get home any sooner.
I sent a rescue me message to Kelsey who
was great in helping me out today, seeing as I had no other good source of
information. I’m also sorry to add that waiting in the train station wasn’t the
worst part. By the time I arrive in Basel (what should have been my connection
to Metz) there are no other trains. So I will be spending tonight in Basel,
Switzerland at a hostel where I am not yet certain. I have one idea thanks to
Kelsey, but their number was unavailable which gives me doubts. Their reception
closes at 23:30, which also would have been fine if this train were also not
delayed a half an hour. I emphasize. Most of the other trains were on time.
Just mine and 1 or 2 others were a delayed. (Of course I couldn’t have been so
lucky as to have the earlier one going to Basel delayed as well!) The train
continues to fall more behind. We are now an hour later. Europe is in need of
some mathematicians who can provide an accurate distance over time calculation.
I apologize for my lack of humor for this situation, I’m rather fatigued and
precarious about tomorrow’s train that should be leaving at 6:45, and is
supposed to get me to Metz at 10:00, which will give me just enough time to get
to Differential Equations tomorrow at 11:00. I feel like a bum. My clothes are
too muddy from trumping around Rome yesterday, and I’m officially out of clean
socks. 
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