Roma

I didn't think I would have the opportunity to write my first blog entry in Italy so early in our trip. I was sure that I would be far too busy doing things and seeing the sights. However, jetlag has produced a great opportunity to use my morning on blogging, since even in Rome there isn't much to do between 4 am and 7:30.

Besides getting 4 hours of sleep last night,  I am pretty excited! The flight over went better than I may have suspected it would. Our layover in Heathrow was uneventful, and I slept through most of the trip, also the airplane food was nice and kept me alive. 

I knew that Italy, and in particular, Rome was not going to be the cleanest and most orderly place, so I was prepared for the sight that met me at the airport. Don't get me wrong, it's not like there is garbage everywhere, but it's just much more crowded and less of a value is placed on general cleanliness in public areas. However, aside from all that I immediately noticed and began to enjoy the greenery and climate. Few things are as refreshing as seeing plant life that has been allowed to grow for more than 4 months, especially if you have been in Canada for a while. I would also like to note that it is a BEAUTIFUL climate here, its humid, but not uncomfortably so, and I am sitting here writing this blog post on my bed at 6 am with the window open directly beside me, at the perfect temperature.

The drive to our hotel was again proof that this is a very different country, and I was immediately brought back to my childhood in Indonesia when we entered the traffic. Everyone drives here without shame, and if you want a space on the road, you take it. It's a little frightening at times, but I have lived overseas long enough to know that for the most part, people understand this system of driving, and it is nearly as safe as a far more regulated system, just because thats how people in vehicles operate here.

Aside from the motorcycles weaving in and out of cars and lines, it didn't take long for us to drive past our first ancient piece of architecture. I actually cannot remember how many old and decaying gates, hotels, churches and other buildings we passed, however I can recall very clearly the Coliseum.

It was breathtaking, even in the darkness, perhaps even more so because of the lights that were streaming out of the arches on all levels. The stones of this building absorbed the lights of the city and drew all attention to themselves, proving their historical and aesthetic worth beyond any other nearby structure. 

The hotel is not exciting enough to warrant any space here. However, one event of note is that while I was showering our shower stopped working. The bathtub is tiny =[

After becoming clean we went to a restaurante down the street. I had pizza, and it was delicious. It was a very large plate, however it ended up being just right for my appetite since the pizza here has very thin crust. It's crunchy, but not uncomfortably so. I had the 4 cheese pizza, which didn't look like a lot of cheese or even exciting cheese, as it was brought to the table. However I discovered that it was a beautiful blend of flavours, neither boring nor overwhelming! I also had some bread with vinegar and oil, which was delicious. Something else we discovered was that wine is incredibly cheap here in Italy, four of us shared a half litre, and it was only about 6 dollars! It was also very good. I don't pretend to be any kind of expert on wine tasting, but it was far better than cheap wine in Canada. I also had a domestic Italian beer, which was tasty as well, though I still prefer a Guinness or Big Rock.

After our meal I went with a couple people and we walked to a nearby church/monastery/cathedral? we had driven by earlier. It was gorgeous, I won't even try and explain it, but soon I will update my facebook with pictures. 

Its 7 now, and I think its time to get ready before we go for breakfast and get our Roma transit pass. We are going to visit the Coliseum today, and we will be performing in a church tonight. I will do my best to faithfully update this blog.