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well roma...
what a dirty, crazy, busy, busy, busy city! felt a little used to it cos of london (in terms of the people) but wouldnt recommend it as a tourist destination in particular (except perhaps on your way to vatican city ;p ) and...do NOT drive there!!!!! the italians are super crazy, drive and park anywhere you feel like it people...
saw the trevi fountain - threw a coin over my shoulder and made a wish...several piazzas including navona and venezia...the pantheon which was highly reminiscent of the parthenon...except did you know that its a church? had a service in there when we were there so couldnt get inside...lots of dudes trying to sell stuff here - anything, you name it...painters on the sidewalks...lots of people sitting and waiting for friends anywhere one could sit...had gelato at blue ice i think it was called...supposedly the best...was fabulous but just as nice (in my humble opinion) as any one of those gelati stores that have popped up around australia with the beautiful presentation etc...we were warned about gypsy kids but cant say i saw any and certainly didnt lose anything through theft (my own stupidity? now thats a different story ;p )...still i was extra cautious anyway...also got a treat this day with a stop at the capuchin monastery crypt...amazing sculptures in a small room made from the bones of monks of that order...words fail to describe this sight but think circles made of skulls and walls decorated with femurs etc...amazing...
the next day after vatican city, took off on a walk of the roman forum including the colosseum...found this a little bit average after greece but if you hadnt have done that it would have had more impact...certainly cool to see where one of the most influential and talented societies commenced...the colosseum was amazing...but like all these things was partly in ruins so hard to imagine exactly what it was like when the gladiators were there...and the big animals...there was a couple of dudes dressed up looking tacky of course...note that the toilets were DISGUSTING here but no attendants...do NOT do this in europe...
after my big walk around rome and the vatican that day, i also decided to cram in the mouth of truth...boy, was i exhausted...but put my hand in the mouth and it didnt get bitten off...funny, just like the colosseum, these things are just in the middle of normal civilisation...i might add here that there was a metro stop at the colosseum - apparently the romans thought of everything way back when...theres a dude who charges a couple of euros to take a photo in the case of the mouth of truth (which is located at a church - santa maria in cosmedin - i might add - shame on them? but then there is the upkeep to think of i suppose)...
the metro in general ran well...there were tvs advertising fashion and perfume etc (it is italy after all) and news on big screens in the stations...this is what london needs, although they were starting to project stuff on walls when i left...so who knows what the future holds...
PS i might add that i feel the italian men are somewhat sleazy...far be it from me to condemn a whole sector of their population but certainly mr motorbike (for example) felt the need to harass me on the way to the mouth of truth, while i was walking away i might add...good looking men but one questions the sincerity of their behaviour...
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