Rome

MY FIRST DAY IN ROME
I arrived and everything went smoothly. My friend and her boyfriend could not be more helpful and wonderful. She has a great apartment near the Coliseum and her balcony looks out over a field. It's incredibly beautiful here...and scorching hot. Well, things didn't run so smoothly yesterday afternoon. Sarah (my friend) and Roberto went to his daughters ballet recital, so I ventured by myself to the center of Rome. I took a bus but didn't buy ticket because no place was open to sell one. I got there fine and saw the spanish steps, Trevi fountain, many piazzas and beautiful churches. I also had a little gelato. When I ordered I felt like I had to do it perfectly or I would be yelled at. I decided to take the bus back because it would be a long...LONG walk home. After 1 stop a man came to check the tickets. Beads of sweat were forming on my brow. After he realized I didn't have a 70 cent ticket, he began speaking gibberish to me (some of which I understood thanks to 2 years of Italian in college) and pointing at some sign. I played dumb and he kicked me off the bus. He and some other man began discussing my fate. I awaited the firing squad. I showed him I didn't have enough euro to satisfy him and they began to escort me to a bank. I sheepishly with batting eyes mentioned it was my first day in Rome. Lord have mercy! They finally let me off with buying a ticket instead of paying them 50 euro. Of course no one was selling tickets so they told me to walk. And boy did I. After almost 2 hours I finally took a taxi. I did get to see more than I bargained for (Capitoline Hill, Roman Forum, Coliseum, Roman Baths, etc.). But the whole thing landed me in tears (no doubt due to a furious case of jet lag) when describing to my friends what happened. That was nothing compared to stories she had. Roberto gave me a huge hug and now I can laugh about it. Today I spent riding on the back of Roberto’s scooter to the beach. I just closed my eyes and held on tight. Those Italian drivers are maniacs! I am now suffering from a severe spanking from the sun. I best be going and sorry about the rambling story.