dear home:
so yesterday (technically sunday) for me, i arrived in rome at the leonardo airport (aka fiumincino or something to that affect). it was pretty glorious outside, weather wise, and everything that those tourist books say about really confrontational taxi drivers, etc...is a load of bull! people are super nice and it was very easy to find the bus outside (6 euros to get to the station that would take me for 1 euro to Termini, the main train station). I nearly got onto the wrong metro train, no scratch that, I DID get onto the wrong metro train and then spoke to the person next to me asking---"Termini Stazione?" (as a pointed to the train we were on. The lovely ladies across from me were like "uhhh...no" and pointed to the tracks on the OPPOSITE side.
Wonderful!
So just as the doors closed, I made it off the train and booked it to the other side of the tracks and all was well.
Termini is huge. Such a hustle and bustle station. I still needed to activate my Eurorail pass but I wanted to get to the hostel first because my bag is approximately the weight of a medium sized child (meaning, Im going to be freaking buff when I come back. My arms are already sore.) The hostel was also super easy to find but my checkin wasnt until 2:30 and it was only about 11 in the morning. So I stowed my bag in the closet and headed back the two blocks to Termini to activate my pass and buy my Eurorail ticket for Paris on Wednesday.
The plan was to purchase an overnight ticket that would have gotten me to Paris Gare de Lyon on Thursday morning but that was, naturally, booked full. So Im on the day train that gets me to Milan at 1 pm and Paris at 11:30 pm. Great! I emailed my host in the hopes of squeezing an extra night onto her couch...sorry! Otherwise I may be spending the night at the train station.
So after I got my tickets squared away. I explore some of the sights nearby: a really beautiful piazza and fountain, a very old church, etc...I took lots of pictures but unfortunately I was too tired to upload them just yet.
Here is where things get interesting: Then I got back to my hotel and tried to turn on my phone for the first time, which was activated before I left to be international. It wont turn on! I had left it off at the airport because I figured I wouldnt need it so I dont know what happened or when or why.
Needless to say, Im thrilled at this point. But also exhausted, so I napped for about 3 hours and woke to one of my roommates, Aidan from Austrailia coming in. I went out to chat with Kathy and Louise from the UK (they go to Lancester) and Aidan (who lives in Melbourne) and we decided to go to find some pizza. Of course we found a few pubs on the way, including a Scottish one with this old guy who kept hittin gon Kathy. Classic!) On our way back to the hostel, after getting lost a few times, we realized that we were really close to the Trevi fountain and wanted to see it at nighttime so we walked there. It is incredible! So beautiful and amazing and really awesome sight. Im so glad that we got to see that...even though I was super tired at this point.
We headed back to the hostel and chatted for a bit. The three of them decided to go out to some clubs with Kathy and Louise s roommates but I was super tired at this point and needed to call home to discuss some complications that have arisen. I ll get to those later.
So I got my laptop out and was working for a bit trying to find mi madre when Helene from Russia came out and started getting ready to go out (Its nearly 2 at this point...maybe Im a grandma but I could never START at 2 am). We chatted for a bit which was nice and then she left. Finally called my mom only to realize that it was super loud and most people were sleeping in my apartment so I went to bed hoping to call today.
After breakfast with Aidan which was short and sweet (coffee and yogurt), I hiked over to Ians hotel and stopped by some churches on the way. Again, amazing. I found his hotel but they are not there yet. I tried calling his band manager but no answer. I just need to know when to meet them so that I can ride with them out to their concert tonight...Ill call again in a little bit.
For now, Im waiting to hear from mom in an internet/phone cafe.
So onto the complications. Turns out, if I can wangle it, Emily might be coming home sooner rather than later. I dont think I can afford to be in Paris as long as a week, nor do I want to. I really just want to get to Kassel and Berlin for a day trip. I just need to get some interviews and video footage. So Im going to try to move my flight to return home on the 2nd of July instead of the 12th. Plus, without a phone, it would be much less nerve-wrecking for me.
Ill post pictures later.
Ciao!
Em
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