Rome

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The last few days have been ones of indulgence. Having ticked both the Vatican and the Colosseum off the list it was time to get off the beaten track. After spending most of the Friday getting jobs done it was well and truly time for a little reward. I strolled down towards the city, but this time I headed down some side streets. I eventually found myself in a park in which I could spend the afternoon catching up on my diary writing my diary. It’s hard to remember to do it each night, and by the time a few days has passed it takes a sizeable chunk of the afternoon up. So there I was, sitting in the park as the sun warmed me on a cool day. As the sun waned in the afternoon I accidently found myself at the foot of the Spanish steps. Truly underwhelming. They are literally just a flight of stairs. I can’t see the attraction that has made them world renowned. Still, it was a nice spot to watch the sun disappear over the horizon, looking down the busy street below. I’ve been having dinner earlier and earlier as time has gone by. I don’t need to tell you what I had for dinner, pasta has become a staple. I had started to feel a little under the weather so I decided to forego a night out and instead watched the film ‘Fargo’. The Coen brothers rarely disappoint, and this was no exception. A quirky and hilariously dark movie that well and truly lived up to the hype. There wasn’t much time to do anything after that so it was off to bed, the night bringing to a close a wonderfully relaxing day.



I spent the remainder of the morning discussing university options with family. While I’m well and truly sick of the topic it is something that needs to be ironed out. After finishing up there it was time to decide the course of action over the next few days. I decided to stay in Rome for an extra night in order to be able to go to a Lazio game at the Stadio Olimpico on the Monday night. While it was going to be costly I thought it would be worth the extra money. I also booked my flights to Athens and the hostel, watching the money disappear at a rate of nots is never fun, but I still get excited regardless. I am really looking forward to the laid back nature of the Greek people and, hopefully, cheap yiros. That naturally took up a lot of time, trying to find the cheapest and most convenient flight, as well as choosing the hostel. After getting all of that out of the way I got my ticket for the Serie A game. Viagogo (a website that sells unclaimed tickets) was where I got them from. I’ve got nothing bad to say about them, and the price was reasonable. After getting all of the logistics sorted I didn’t have a whole lot of the day left to use. I finally found a café that served quality, as well as fairly priced, cappuccinos. 1 euros for a quality coffee is something that I am more than willing to pay. Coupled with the excellent free Wi-Fi I knew I would return over the coming days. I knew that Liverpool were playing in the afternoon, which lead to me (regrettably) seeking out a bar to watch it at. The safest bet would be the Irish pub, and I was right. I wish I had been wrong. It was a deplorable performance, lacking any discernible spark or innovation and displaying a complete and utter unwillingness to remain composed at the back. The funny thing is that any other season, this start would be considered on par, but in comparison to last year it is incredibly disappointing. They say you can be a victim of your own success, and that rings remarkably true for this Liverpool side. So after leaving the bar in a state of anger/disappointment I decided to fill my mind with other things. I went to a museum on the rule of Augustus. Sadly, it was more to do with the infrastructure that was built in, or around, his time. It was still an interesting exhibition to view. The most rewarding part of the exhibition was to be found in the sculptures of South Korean sculptor Park Eun Sun. His sculptures were both incongruous on account of their modernity, yet interestingly fitting due to their column like nature. They would not have been as interesting in any other setting. By the time I had finished browsing there I was ready to head back to the hostel. The same meal was once again had for dinner. No alarms and no surprises. I had met some other Aussies at the hostel and the idea of going out for a drink did come up, but due to their early start the next morning we decided to let it pass. Instead I watched another Coen brother’s film ‘Raising Arizona’. While I didn’t enjoy it as much as ‘Fargo’ it was still an intriguing watch. They love conveying messages through symbolism, and the way they do it is always entertaining, if not subtle. I definitely felt as though I was coming down with something.







After attending a beautifully ornate church (you don’t see many churches that aren’t) just around the corner from the hostel I worked my way back into the city. I knew that I had to return to the café that I had found the day before. While I took a few wrong turns on the way I managed to locate it at long last. I sat down to enjoy the coffee and subsequently got drawn into watching the Manchester derby. It was an intriguing game despite United going down to 10 men in the first half. Man City ended up with the bragging rights, although not totally convincingly. That took up the majority of the afternoon. After that had finished I plugged in the podcasts that I had been meaning to listen to. Apparently ‘Nightcrawler’ (with Jake Gyllenhall) looks like an instant hit, its received rave reviews from everyone I’ve listened to. After aimlessly wandering the slightly less savoury streets of Rome I headed to a park to end the evening with a spot of light reading. Ulysses is an extremely interesting read. While the plot seems to take a backwards step the ‘stream of consciousness’ style allows one to get lost in one’s own consciousness. The book doesn’t require, despite what I thought, a great deal of concentration. I found myself reading three or four pages without necessarily taking anything in, and yet I didn’t miss anything. It is certainly unlike anything I’ve ever read before. While it sounds as though the last few days might be ‘wasted’ in Rome I disagree. A lot of people, while travelling, forget that they are still on a holiday. One that is supposed to be enjoyed as a time of leisure. Regardless of whether I am in Melbourne or Rome one still needs time to relax. While making and eating dinner I’ve become addicted to ‘Open Mike’, a really interesting and in-depth look at characters inside of the football industry. It gives me a taste of home while I’m experiencing the taste of Italy.



I was certainly not feeling 100% when I woke on Monday morning. After going out and finding some breakfast I had a good chat to Eb. He might have glandular fever which would be no good, considering he is starting a new job full time in a few weeks. We had a comprehensive chat about films, as well as Marilyn Robinson’s new book. Of course he was going to say it is amazing, I’ll have to reserve my own judgement until I have read it myself. He is about as one eyed as they get when it comes to her. After not having talked to him in a while we knocked off a good hour or two on skype. After finishing up there I headed out to look for a Lazio shirt for the game. I eventually found one that was just big enough for me (only just) for 25 euros. Which is not bad compared to what you would pay in Australia. With the game only starting at 9:00 I still had plenty of time to have a look around. I got a gelati in Piazza Navona which certainly made my sore throat dissipate for a short period of time. I walked along the river, past the Vatican once more and away from the city. I stumbled upon one of the most beautiful churches I’ve ever seen. It was tucked away on this little square, unspectacular from the outside turned into breathtaking on the inside. Huge golden mosaics lined the inside, the radiated with colour and light. It was a great surprise, and one that will stay with me for a long time. A city like Rome has so many hidden treasures, something like this I would never had seen if I had only spent a couple of days here. I had a quick dinner at the hostel, and then headed out to the game. I was the only fan on the bus from Termini station, which surprised me little. But when I got off the bus I knew I was in the right place. There were plenty of sky blue shirts around to see. I had a little trouble getting in, as my ticket wouldn’t scan. I had to get one of the security guards to let me in. Then I couldn’t find my seat, so I decided to stand instead. The atmosphere inside the stadium was great. Although half the stadium was empty, the Lazio fans were making some serious noise. Before getting to the entrance there was a man selling flares, and I knew I was in Italy. Before the game started there were flares going off in the crowd. It was an electric atmosphere. The game itself was super entertaining. A 4-2 win to Lazio, with a red card as well. It was action packed to say the least. Miroslav Klose bagged a brace in the first half to the delight of the crowd. The passion that the crowd displayed (especially old Italian men) was something that was truly memorable. After the game had finished, I attempted to find a bus back into the city. Unfortunately I couldn’t, so that meant one of two things. Forking out a small fortune for a taxi or making the 6.5km walk back. I chose the latter. It wasn’t too bad at all, it was interesting seeing some of the attractions completely deserted. The Pantheon was empty, the usually hectic streets were largely bare. I eventually made it back to the hostel well after midnight, and while the walk had worn off some of the excitement of the match it was still something that I don’t regret at all.







My physical state has deteriorated to the point of me not really wanting to do anything. This morning it was difficult to get up after such a late night the one before. But I had to be up before 10 in order to check out. I’ve since spent the last 4 hours or so in the hostel. I popped out to get some lunch and orange juice. I had this absolutely delicious meat sandwich thing, incredibly salty and fatty, and therefore incredibly tasty. I’m flying to Athens at 6:10 tonight, and it’s already three. So I had better head to the bus in order to leave some time just in case of mishaps.



I hope this finds you all well.



Cheers,



Tikka

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