The Best £3.50 Ever Spent

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I don't know why the Italians bother with time tables, as they have absolutely no intention of following them. The train to Rome left late and arrived having lost even more time on the way. I arrived in Rome after getting a longer night’s sleep than I had suspected, but after several days travelling, I could kill for a shower. I decided to check out the facilities at the station and there were some showers, but it would cost me £3.50. As I was used to spending little more than that for a full night’s accommodation, I decided to go in search of a room.

Absolutely no chance - everywhere was full to overflowing long before I arrived.

Seriously running out of motivation, I decided to go and do the tourist bit anyway. After a fairly long walk, I found the Coliseum. I went in, had a look round and gasped at its magnificence, but my heart wasn't really in it. Eventually, the need for a shower got the better of me and I decided to blow the expense and go for it anyway. It was the best £3.50 I had ever spent. Rather that just jumping into a shower cubicle, as I had expected, I was led to a room. This contained a shower, sink and toilet, and I had it for as long as I needed. I was in there an hour. I had a shower, then a shave, then another shower and finally just one more shower for good luck. Bliss. I emerged refreshed and ready to take on the world.

With my new-found energy, I set off to check out some of the less spectacular ruins. Most of them were in closed off areas that charged for entry, but there was still plenty to see scattered around all over the place. I can't see many of the buildings being built today still being around in 2,000 years time. Heaven help any future tourists who marvel at the splendour of our modern office buildings.

There was still a lot left to see in Rome, but as spending the night here was not an option, I was going to have to do it a day at a time. I would be heading south again later to get the ferry to Corfu, so I would pass through again then.

For now, I needed to find somewhere that was a decent nights sleep away. Venice was a good distance away, so that would be my next destination. There was some confusion over which platform the train was going to leave from and crowds of inter-railers were continuously running across the tracks in response to all the conflicting announcements. The risk of getting flattened by an incoming train was outweighed by the risk of not getting a seat for the night.

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Photos

Outside The Colosseum
Most of the outer walls have gone

Inside the Colosseum
All the exposed underground passageways

Rome Ruins
Part of the old Roman Forum