One week has past. The beginning of my journey to the Eternal City has felt like forever ago. I have done so much already. My philosophy is to waste no time; take of advantage of the time we are given!!
Saturday I adventured out on my own. Surprising? No. I immediately felt a sort of inner connection with the city. Getting around can be an adventure. If you don't know what you're doing, you WILL get lost. Having had experience in London and Dublin with the transportation system, I was prepared to tackle the Italian buses. My conclusion thus far: prepare yourself for rude, obnoxious people, dirty buses, and what I like to call "butt swiping". The term "butt swiping" refers to the act done when a bus is so packed that in order to get in or out you have to squeeze yourself in between people, the majority of who had their butts turned toward yours. It's not pleasant.
Luckily, on my first solo adventure, I had no problems. Along with my pride, I like to believe I have a certain invincible nature about me. Whether this is a good thing or not, I have not decided. If one carries himself in a certain way--a way that is confident and dignified, which means dressing well along with other things--and makes oneself a part of the culture by doing the same things those around him are doing with no sign of confusion or ignorance, then there is no reason why he should be a target for theft or other acts of violence. My testing of this theory has so far resulted in what I thought: that how one carries himself can make it or break it. Holding oneself in confidence, looking straight ahead and making no eye contact, determined and knowledgeable is key to avoiding contact. It sounds ridiculous maybe, but it works!
Believe it or not, I was still able to fully enjoy my Roman experience. I like to think of it as the perfect day in Rome--because it was! It was absolutely gorgeous. I often caught myself throughout the day just stopping to look around and pinching myself. Was I really in Rome? Was the beauty that surrounded me really there? Were these the same roads that so many great men and women had walked before me? I find myself having to do this quite often because taking in so much can be so overwhelming. It's so easy to just pass by everything and not take it in. For me, I need time to reflect and contemplate in order to really take it in. That is why I needed to adventure out on my own, to walk the same streets I had done before, but with a different mind-set. The amazing thing was that what I saw--the same things I saw a couple of days before--appeared in a different light in my mind. I took my time to look and gaze at things. Setting no time restriction for myself allowed me to take the back roads and see things I would not have seen. I sat outside a cafe overlooking Piazza Navona. The once pagan piazza has since been Christianized but the fountains still display pagan gods as a reminder of Rome's past. As I sat and drank my cappuccino, I enjoyed the warm, Fall sun beating down. The few hours spent there flew as I engaged myself in a good book! The Colosseum was not but a ten minute walk. Passing Piazza Venezia on my way to the Colosseum was an adventure in itself. I weaved myself in and out of taxis and buses. I made it through alive. I swear, my guardian angel has been working overtime! The Colosseum this time around (I had see just the outside two days prior) was a different experience. I sat outside basking in the sun and just looking at it in awe, imagining myself over 2000 years ago as an early Christian. What was going through their minds? Would I be as strong to die for Christ (I can only hope)? What was going through the minds of those who saw these events as entertainment? I took my time inside making sure to appreciate every angle and trying to live each step as one might have thousands of years ago.
I couldn't end my day without Gelato. How can you not end with a perfect cup? And, I knew the perfect place to go: Old Bridge Gelateria near the Vatican. The long lines might deter people at first, but this Gelato is worth waiting for. When I arrived the line was stretched to the end of the corner. I had walked all this way, I was, no doubt, going to wait for the best Gelato in town. My order: a small pistachio gelato in a cup with whipped cream! I never feel guilty spending only 1.50 euro on this small because it's more like a large! As I passed St. Peter's square with my pistachio gelato, I thanked God for another perfect day in Rome!
I'm sure there will be many more adventures to come! I can't wait!
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