Roma

Milano tomorrow; tickets for today were sold out. The extra day in Roma turned out to be quite nice.

Oh Flaminio metropolitana, how our relationship has changed in these last two days... You've improved greatly since our first encounter.

Today I was introduced to the concept of squeezing people on the metro. I did not know you could fit that many people into one place. And even after the train is full, and I mean full, people still push in. Makes getting on a nightmare, and getting off pretty interesting too.

I'm getting used to the smell of cigarette smoke everywhere. Excessive pda. Hurrying to squeeze onto the metro. Graffiti everywhere. Trains and trams coming every few minutes (love it!). Validating, validating, validating. Stairs, stairs, stairs. Seeing scooters everywhere. Hearing multiple languages all around, mostly Italian, but a whole lot of French and German too.

Ate some gelatto today. Walked more than enough to make up for it. Saw a girl's hair get stuck in the door of the metro. Received whole olives, pit included, on my pizza today. Got a SIM card for Italy. Had to shove my own way on and off the metro. Didn't get lost at all in Termini.

Feeling much better about life and the world.

Interesting touring transportation, made more so by the cobblestone. I think it's awesome. It's like a four-man bike. And for those of you who've seen ChickenRun,

"You can't see paradise if ya don't peddle!"

I'm here, I promise, even though I'm hardly showing up in my pictures.

(Piazza del Popolo)

for ryan

why yes, you can back a smart car to the curb instead of parallel parking (or you could park next to another car and be mostly in the road, or halfway onto the sidewalk, or even on the pointiest point of the corner, it's all for the taking)

a sign on Il Colosseo

for genna

not exactly on the same street as Prada, Gucci, or Docle&Gabbana, but close, had to pass them to get to Via del Corso, where this is. Made me smile for you.

for neal

(I know, I'm not in this one. The one I got's not so good. I'll have to get a better one with me in it when I go to Rome again)

I didn't get to go inside for you, but I peeked through the gate. (Actually, when I took this picture a tourist inside offered to hand me his ticket so I could go around and come in as well...hehe)

for mom

yes, it was delicious, squisito!