After a small delay...

The laptop is back online! Hurray!
Yesterday and this morning, my laptop just didn't want to go online. It would connect and then give me no internet access. But with a little patience and a few angry glares it is now back in working order.

When I left Venice yesterday morning I was in quite a rush. I woke up late (shocker!). Miraculously I made it to the train on time, after having only an hour to check out, walk to the bus station, catch the bus (it took a good fifteen minutes to get there), and then walk a few more blocks to the train station. I was even a few minutes early for the train. I literally have no idea how, I'm thinking somewhere in there time had to stop, because I just can't make it add up. :) I'm not going to question it though, as it worked out.

Train ride was fairly boring. We went through a lot of tunnels so there wasn't a lot to see, and it was raining most of the way. It's actually been raining quite a bit off and on. Doesn't cool down at all, and today is bloody hot outside, but still rains a lot.

Once again I did not sit in my assigned seat. I sat near it, as a bunch of travellers had wanted to sit together, so I ended taking one of their assigned seats. I'm starting to think I just won't sit in my seat ever. Not a big loss I'm sure.

Once arriving in Roma, it took little time to find the hostel since it's only four blocks from the Termini (main station).

I'm staying at a place called 'The Yellow'. Definitely the hostel to stay at. It has a big bar area on the main floor, and they give you a free drink when you get here (my kind of incentive). Only being a few blocks from the Termini it's easy to get around and navigate to.

Unlike Venice this is inland so there are many roads with cars to dodge. More than cars though are scooters, or vespas. I really don't like scooters, I think they are clownish. Streetbikes on the other hand I adore, so seeing those makes for all the vespas I have to look at.

Walking across a street is a lot like frogger sometimes, cars and bikes will stop for you, but only shortly, and only every fifth one. lol, it's not so bad as long as you make sure to cross at the crosswalks.

Last night I ended walking around with a few other kids staying at the hostel. We went down to the Colosseum and took some night pictures of it. It looks pretty cool all lit up. Then we walked all the way to the the Trevi Fountain. Which I hadn't noticed was so far away last night, until I found it on a map today and actually looked at how much walking we did. Let me tell you, I am in shape.

It's a pretty good workout this travelling. My room is on the fifth floor here at the hostel, and the elevator is really just too sketchy for me to take (I took it once, I didn't like it, no more than two people can be on at a time...). So I've been walking up and down the stairs. I even walked up when I got here with my backpack on. I felt the burn. :)

The stairs in the Colosseum, which I went back to today, are very steep. The actual steps themselves are angled down, so traversing them is a little bit scary. But it's well worth it. From inside you can see the arena and then look out to all the other buildings (or what's left of them near by).

After grabbing lunch, I made my way back to the hostel, where I will now sit and wait out the heat of the day.

Peace&Love
Chow