First day in Europe

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I don't know how often I can do this, but I'll try. I found a cheap internet cafe open late night here in Rome; the hostel charges over three times as much for internet access. Only problem here is photos take a long time to upload, which is ok because this website has a cap of 50.

I got into Rome without problems, although the Foro Italico hostel exsists in a vortex where not even Romans know it exists. It took me an hour to find it because the road it's on is tiny and behind the main roads, so nobody I asked could tell me where it was or if it even existed.

That problem being solved, I went into the city again (hostel's on the outskirts) and visited ancient Rome. The Colosseum has a huge wait (over an hour), but if you pay for a tour (which I did), you get to skip the line entirely. Walking the ancient Roman roads is exhausting over time, but it was fun. I also saw the Vittorio Emmanuele monument, which is more modern but amazing in its size and the views it offers of the city.

Some things to note: Italians are very friendly about speaking English if you need them too. They were all very friendly about it when they realized I spoke almost no Italian. Also, I've seen no anti-Americanism in my trip so far: nobody who found out I was American said anything about it. A gellateria clerk said New York was a beautiful city though, after he asked me where I was from.

The hostel, in addition to being hard to find, is dirty (the bathrooms are horrid), but it gets the job done. Rome is quite fun, although the keyboards here are slightly different and I have to adjust my typing somewhat.

Some differences in Rome from home: a bar isn't a place you drink alcohol (although you can), it's more of a place with light snacks and pastries. Tabbaconists are everywhere and offer a wide variety of handy goods, like metro tickets. Stores, unlike in America, don't use unique names, they just put up a sign saying what they do (Snack Shop, Tabbacherie, Pizza, etc.). That's all for now, hopefully I'll get a chance to do this again soon to keep you all up to date.

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Photos

Colloseum
The Colloseum from the front.

Colloseum (Inside)
The Colloseum from the upper level.

Colloseum (Me)
A picture of me inside the colloseum.

Forum Ruins
Remains in the Roman Forum.

Vittorio Emmanuele Monument
The Vittorio Emmanuele Monument, next to the Roman Forum and houses a museum.

Comments

[Max]

Chow
It sounds like you are acclimatizing well to European living. I hope the rest of your trip goes well, and enjoy the food.