**Now, I have to first explain that I didn't come to Europe expecting luxury accommodations, I was prepared to go without the comforts I enjoy at home. In describing the events of today (that started with my shower) please make note that I am not complaining per say, just tellin it like it is! **
*back to our regularly scheduled post*
The bathroom here is just down the hall, and we only have to share it with a few girls staying in one of the other rooms in our hall, and we've never been on the same schedule so it hasn't been an issue at all-almost like having our own bathrooms! (there are 2 bathrooms in this hall) First thing I noticed going into the bathroom to shower was something...just let that be enough...that was all over the floor around the toilet. It was dry, and looked like someone had possibly attempted to clean it up. How nice of them. I had to shower. I just tried to not think about it, and tried to not step anywhere around it, which was impossible. I wore my socks until the very last second, and put them right back on again after my shower. But before I skip the shower part...You know how sometimes you are showering and someone flushes the toilet and you are suddenly in scalding hot water, and then shortly after it is cold water again? Yeah, that's what it's like the whole time you shower here, one extreme to the next from one min to the next! Hey, at least I got to shower, right?! My last point of interest (i'm just assuming someone might be interested in these unimportant details) is that I really miss having a washcloth, and a nice clean towel to dry off with after my shower. Using a sham-wow is handy and all, but it's a little stinky at this point, and not quite fluffy.
Enough about the shower.
After a quick stop at an ATM we headed over to the grocery store, which is so conveniently located just around the corner from our hostel! They make fresh sandwiches at their deli every morning and we have been picking up 2 sandwiches for our late breakfast/lunch and another 2 panini for later. We also pick up some cookies or something to snack on and some water. Generally we spend around 10 euros for all of it and that leaves us money to be able to eat something warm from one of the deli's around here at night when we get back. We've been able to eat for around 30 euros a day or sometimes less while we have been in Rome. If we were buying stuff from the food vendors or restaurants it would be at least 20 euros a meal. One thing that is very different here is the food situation. First, drinks are insane. You pay 4 euros for a bottle of soda at a vendor, or 2 euros for water. We pay .30 for water and less than 1 euro for a soda at the grocery store. There is no such thing as a "free water" here, you pay at 2 euros for a bottle of water, even at a restaurant. The other thing is the sizes, especially drink sizes. I haven't seen a single 48 oz anything since I left home. We were so excited to have a hot chocolate while we were in Florence and when they gave it to me I almost laughed at them! It was maybe 4oz at most, not much bigger than a small Dixie cup. But then when I went to "drink" it I could tell why, It was more like hot pudding! It was almost as thick as pudding, but not quite and twice as chocolately as pudding. It was delicious, but I wouldn't have wanted any more than that tiny cup, and I've been craving a real cup of hot chocolate from home ever since!
Anyway, back to our day....
Feeling all bundled up and prepared for the forcast of rain, we headed out to our bus stop where we would be on our way to the Pantheon. At this point the weather wasn't too bad, but we chose to sit in the bottom of the bus rather than the top deck. Good choice. It started raining a bit more on our way over. We got to our stop, and got off. It was chilly and rainy...but we were prepared and determined to have a great day! Everything we have seen in Rome so far has been pretty obvious and really easy to find, sorta hard to miss the Coliseum. The Pantheon was more tucked into the city and we had to walk a ways from where the bus dropped us off. I have no idea why there were no signs that we saw that lead you to it, but there wasn't. We, along with many other tourists, trudged through the streets pulling out our maps and changing directions regularly. All the while, the rain continued, and even got worse. After what seemed like a mile or two--which I know it wasn't--we turned a corner and there it was! Woot!
The Pantheon was great! The outside is round (except for the front) and looks quite old and primitive with bricks and concrete. The front is really amazing with great big columns and detailed archways. After being pleasantly suprised that we could get in free we stepped into the building and could immediately appreciate it's beauty. You instantly are drawn to look up at it's amazing dome with a giant hole in the middle. There is a grid of squares that are notched out of the dome, to help ease the weight of the dome from crushing in on itself. From what I understand it is the largest brick dome ever built. It's so amazing to me that so long ago they could design and build such a structure that would be able to stand for so long! All around the inside were areas set back in with different sculptures and paintings all depicting one religious scene, or person or another. The pantheon was the first temple built that the general public could go to worship. I was really glad to have been there, and it was the highlight of the day for sure!
After the Pantheon we weaved our way through the streets in the increasingly cold and incessant rain. We tried our best to enjoy the journey, after all we were in Rome! Tromping through puddles and avoiding being run over by cars whizzing by was not..I repeat..WAS NOT the highlight of the day. We finally found the Trevi fountain. I wish I could say it was amazing and go on to tell you how great it was to sit and enjoy it. It was raining a lot. It was a really cool fountain, and the sculptures were truly great. DId I mention that it was raining? A lot? Yeah, we took some pictures, and of course we stood with our backs to the fountain and both tossed in our coins at the same time. That means that we will both be back here some day. I hope it won't be raining that day!
Anxious to find somewhere dry we decided that we just needed to find our bus stop and get back to the hostel. We thought that would be the easy part of the day...we were wrong. Once again dodging puddles, avoiding being hit in the face by someone's umbrella, and trying to keep my purse under my jacket so it would keep dry, we trudged. Up one street, over another pull out the map and try to figure out where we were. Asking directions...more than once, and finally we found the stop! Yay! no. We waited there in the pouring, cold rain. Multiple other busses came, but not ours. Hoards of people tromping past us, getting on busses and going into warm restaurants where they sat in dry seats and ate warm food. Yeah, this was not a great part of the day. We were soaked, and cold and getting hungry, and no bus. We waited for probably 30-40 min and finally decided something must have happened to the bus and since we knew the way we decided to just walk. Through the rain. After walking for about 10-15 min we noticed our bus pull up beside us! We quickly ran over to it while others were getting off, and got on! Somehow the timing was just perfect that we happened to get to that stop right when the bus did! Yay! We found some seats in the back, they were wet, but at that point it didn't seem to matter. It didn't matter until the first right turn when a heavy flow of water from the top deck poured right down my backside! Great! We laughed it off and moved over a seat and watched as each time the bus turned the seat I was sitting in filled up with water! Did I mention it had been raining? Just checking. I mentioned to Ashley that this is the type of day that you just stay inside, sit by a fireplace and do something relaxing, with a cup of hot-chi cho-chi (hot chocolate) . This was not the kind of day to go sightseeing in.
We ended the day picking up a couple of pieces of (real) italian pizza (to go) from the pizza shop across the street from our hostel. We have our wet clothes strewn all about our room and have changed into dry pj's and are comfy under our warm blankets in our room. The forecast for tomorrow is supposed to be better. It will be our last day here, so we are hoping for some sun, or at least not any rain. Did I mention it rained today?
This is the tomb of the famous artist Raphael located in the Pantheon.
The front of the Pantheon...
Wet Ashley at the Trevi Fountain
It really is beautiful, we are hoping to go back tomorrow night and see it all lit up!
Soakin' wet and trying to keep my purse dry under my jacket!
MMMMMM! Tomato and cheese pizza and Tuna pizza! Best pizza ever here in Italy! Can't wait for our new and improved homemade pizza nights at home! ;)
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