Roma Reflections

• For as many tourists as this city gets, and for as few and limited trash receptacles they have out and about, all the main areas are relatively trash free. I was amazed. They must clean the streets late at night. I never saw a garbage truck or street cleaner.
• Unbelievable amount of police and protection. On almost every street I saw the carabinieri, who are the military police for the armed forces of Italy, but also have police duties. I saw the polizia (and heard their sirens more than once every day), which are the civilian force of law enforcement (one of them whistled at me as I tried to cross a busy street without a crossing), and I saw young men and women in camo with some scary looking guns and I'm not sure who they were. Now, was all of this because the Pope made two appearances while I was here? I don't know. All I know is I felt quite safe because at every Metro station, along most streets, and at all the main attractions, there were so many law enforcement men and women. Who pays for all of these services?

• And speaking of law enforcement, do they all have to be so good looking to get the job? Or is it true that Italian men are just plain good looking?Oh. My. Gosh. Unbelievable! But it wasn't just the law enforcement . . . if they weren't old and smoking cigars, they were young to middle age and good looking. I had one experience that still has me laughing. I was at the Spanish Steps and it was so crowded. I was trying to figure out if I should take a taxi back to my room or if I could afford to take a horse drawn carriage. So I went over to ask a man (nice looking man) if he could help me. He looked at my map and told me it would be about 150 euros to take the carriage and no more than 10 euros to take a taxi. I chose taxi. I thanked the man profusely for his help and honesty (he was the carriage driver) and he gave me that "I can see right through you" smoldering Italian look and said, "we take selfie?" I said "sure," and right after the picture he said, "You want to kiss me?" Before I could respond he kissed me full on the lips! I backed away, smiled and said "ciao." Two seconds later he called after me, "Lady?" and asked me where I was staying. To dissuade him I said "all the way across town." He asked, "meet tomorrow? Nine? Eight in the morning?" Oh my goodness!! As I was walking away I said, "Sorry meeting friends in the morning" and just kept walking. Oh well. Now I can say I've been kissed by an Italian man in Rome!

• The Romans have big everything - big buildings, big paintings, big statues, big fountains, big columns (makes you wonder what they are making up for, 'eh?), but the mostly drive motorbikes and small cars. More than one tour guide made fun of the fact that Italian people are small and I guess that's why they can drive such small vehicles. Oh, and by the way, when I say drive I use the term loosely. More like they rocket! Crazy drivers. They have no patience for pedestrians yet their city is full of them. You truly lay your life on the line every time you cross a street. A few times I found some very interesting parking, including double parking. One time I saw a car parked more than halfway into an intersection! 

Pretty convenient small car parking!

• I don't know what the laws are but I did not see one car-seat in the cars over here. Not one.
• You have to do a little research to be able to eat a good, and authentic Italian meal. There are a lot of bistro / cafe-type operations along the main roads to attractions and the servers stand outside trying to get you to come in. I had a previously-frozen-breaded-chicken cutlet at one of these places and some suspect spaghetti carbonera. After those two meals, I became a little more thoughtful about my choices.
  
  Italians take meal eating very seriously. They have antipasti, plate one, plate two, salad, dessert, coffee. Holy cow! One time I had a salad and plate one, and I couldn't even make it through the "plate." They are in a hurry to get you in their restaurant but absolutely no hurry once they bring you your food. They give you a lot of time, no heed to whether or not you have to be somewhere at a certain time. I don't think you could do "dinner and a movie" here unless you have dinner in the afternoon! I do like that they respect the art of dining and turn it into an experience. One server actually took my hand and kissed it as I was leaving.
• Watch your step! Several times I almost fell while walking, mostly on stairs. Some are gentle rise stairs and those can be very misleading. You have to pay attention to your feet and for a tourist, that's difficult as you want to look at everything, including your map and/or GPS. And most roads are uneven or made of cobblestones, etc. Whenever possible, I tried to find the most smooth, level sidewalks to walk on for the sake of my feet and back. The roads are beautiful but dangerous. Between cars and cobblestones, have a good pair of shoes - running shoes for crossing the street!!!
• They say the Metro system is easy, but it's only easy once you figure it out. And it is not as accommodating as it may seem. It's a bit limited. A lot of times you have to get off at a stop that is still a half hour from your destination. Of course, in my limited knowledge and uneducated assumptive mind, I thought I'd walk up the stairs from the Vittoria Emmanuel metro stop and there it would be, right in front of me, the Victor Emmanuel Monument. Nope. The Vittoria Emmanuel metro stop was at the Vittoria Emmanuel Piazza/Park. How would I know that? Maps can be misleading in their "distances." And if the "lift" is out of order, I feel sorry for the disabled and elderly.
  
  By my third day in Rome I finally figured out how to get the most bang for my buck (which ticket to buy and how much it cost), how to buy a ticket from a machine (very, very particular - it wouldn't take my paper Euros, just coins, no credit card), that there is a difference between a Metro Station and a Metro Stop (at the stations you can buy a ticket from a real person) and some of the stops were not designated on my map, and which direction I needed to go at any given time. My suggestion? If you are going to use the Metro for all of your "getting around," buy a 24, 48, or 72 hour ticket and never visit another ticket machine or person. I swear if I read all that in the Rick Steves' book I totally forgot and didn't bring that page with me.

Something about the train arriving?

No English translation here!

• The Americans and other English speaking tourists were very helpful when I got confused about where I was going. In fact, I found myself doing the same thing for other Americans. I found the "concierges" at my monastery to be a bit impatient that I didn't know how to get around or that I didn't understand their directions. Same way with some shop owners. Most of the people I asked on the street were as helpful as they could be with limited understanding of the language. But all the American tourists were very helpful to me. I guess the Italians just get a little tired of always being asked.
• The Hop On Hop Off bus might be a good way to get around and see things, but actually finding the bus YOU are supposed to get on (with a voucher) is a whole other story. Not a lot of signage on the streets. And I don't care what Rick Steves says - it is NOT easy to find some of these streets. And you have to know the difference between "Via" something and "Piazza" something. And there are at least 4 or 5 streets leading out of a piazza and hardly ever at straight angles. And there are not always signs on the street or the sides of the buildings. I was lost a lot, even when using my GPS. I think the GPS was even confused. And heaven forbid you don't know which direction is north or south, east or west, which I did not. Oh well, travel and learn.

One type of Piazza. Other types were more park-like, some were full of shops, some were simply parking lots, and others had fountains and people just hanging out. This one was virtually empty.

A typical street (via). See how it just kind of veers off? There are at least two streets that veer off with a triangular shaped building at the crossroads. If that building doesn't have a plaque noting the name of the street, you are as good as lost.

• Always double check with your tour by using the phone number on the voucher to make sure EXACTLY where you are supposed to meet. Or leave your hotel with lots of time to spare in case the information on the voucher is wrong or . . . wrong!
• I wish I had trusted the taxi service long before the last day here. It's easy to use in Rome, and with this method you actually know you are getting a "legal" cab. The taxi system here can be a little frightening, with scamming and all, but the "legal" taxi company had a number you could text with where you are at and they would text back the number of the taxi and how soon it would arrive. And both times I have taken a taxi I was not overcharged. And one of my cab drivers was also playing tour guide and even told me of another church I could visit with some of Bernini's work. Good guy! And of course, good looking.
• I would walk out of the monastery in the morning with no sweater because I enjoyed the cool air as I knew I would be sweating by the end of the day - it has been warm. The Romans? They were bundled up in puffy coats and scarves! And even in the afternoon when I had peeled off any remaining layers due to being too warm, they still had on sweaters and coats. It feels like summer out there to me (is this warm for April?) but apparently not too warm yet for my Roman friends. Gelateri on every street was awesome - kept me cool! Strawberry and peach, mango, and mixed berries . . . yummy!
• Maybe I should write a travel book! Actually the Rick Steves' books and videos have been extremely helpful. Even though I read almost everything twice and certainly watched the videos twice, it's never the same once you are actually here. Just like parenting books, wouldn't you say?  :o)

Ciao!