Date: Thursday, 30 October 2003, 4:43 (10:43 in France)
Subject: Rome, the city where it rains eternally

Hello to all,   I have not received many replies up to now from you, and I would love to have a few words of encouragement. The time passes slowly by myself and I would love to read your messages. I hope you appreciate my chronicles.   Monday the 27th of October:   I froze again this night. It was 5 degrees outside (41 F.) and 12 in my room (54 F.) The owner told me that no one else was complaining, but I had to go to bed fully dressed. There was not even a blanket. I ended my visit to Florence this morning by seeing the places I liked best, and I left about noon for Sienna. It is a very beautiful town and I was pleasantly surprised. You have to park a ways away and climb a bit, but the effort is worth it. The Duomo is a superb church and the façade is very impressive.

What was also pretty was the Piazza del Campo, with his very impressive tower. It is possible to climb up to the top on foot, but I decided not to, I had done enough hill-climbing for the day. The big public square was worth a look -- slightly sloped, and encircled by shops and restaurants.

I continued on to Vertibe, a town situated 80 km (50 miles) from Rome, where I stopped about 5:00. It had begun to get dark and I didn't want to get caught in the traffic in Rome in the dark. Just in passing, the room for one person that I had engaged had an entryway larger than my entire room in Florence. There was even heat and it was still less expensive. I slept well that night!

Tuesday the 28th of October:

I arrived in Rome about 1:00 and what frightened me the most became a reality: the traffic. All roads lead to Rome, but once you are there it becomes more complicated. The streets change name at every street corner, suddenly becoming one-way, and you get lost again.

I stopped twice to orient myself on my map and find the Termini railway station. Finally I got caught up in a whirlwind of automobiles, and had no choice but to go with the flow. Turn right, turn left, go into a tunnel, and I saw Termini from the corner of my eye. I put on my flasher, came out of the tunnel, turned into a street ont the right and stopped to catch my breath. I looked at my map, and Bang, there I was. There were a bunch of hotels in the area and as soon as I made my choice, I set out to explore.

Because it was getting late and rainy, I left without my video camera to see what sites appealed to me most, the Coliseum. Next I continued on toward the Forum and the houses of the Vestal Virginia, the Piazza Venezia, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Place, and on to the Piazza of the Popes. It was so beautiful that I fell on my rear at the monument dedicated to Victor Emanuel, the first king of Italy. (I have to say that my walking shoes are better on firm ground and that I slid on the marble steps and did the last three steps on my behind.)

Wednesday, the 29th of October:

Nothing new, it's still raining. It's rather gray, but you have to make the best of it. I began at the Coliseum which I visited this time, and it's very impressive in the interior. Unfortunately the battery of my movie-camera chose this moment to die, and I had to go back to the hotel to get another one. Some time lost.

Coming back, I rented an audio-guide to get all the information and explore this marvelous site. Next I went back to the sites that I had seen the previous evening but not captured on film, and by this time it was raining quite hard. Fortunately I had the umbrella that Maria had added to my luggage. So I went back to the Roman Forum, the Campignolo and the monument to Victor Emanuel (which I did not climb again). Next I continued toward the Pantheon, the piazza Novanna, and went again to the Trevi fountain. The weather had cleared up a little and it was already 3:00.

I continued toward the Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Place) and decided to make a circuit around toward the Bridge and the castle of the Angels. A little more walking and I arrived. Once there, I saw the back of the Vatican and I walked around it to see it at night. Finally, before I knew it, it was 6:00, and it was as dark as a forest [literally, as dark as in a wolf's den], and my legs were aching. I had walked continually from 10 in the morning until that moment, and dawn is going to come early tomorrow.

As an aside, the citizens of Rome take the work "public transportation" very seriously. It is truly for the "public", for ordinary of mortals. One can get on a bus by doors in front or in back, and the only ones who present tickets are tourists, nobody pays. One has to buy a ticket for the underground métro, but the bus seems to be free. As for the pedestrians, when there is too little space on the sidewalks, the street becomes a pedestrian lane, and woe to anyone who dares to honk his horn! In sum, the pedestrians are kings, the motor-bikes are second-class, and the automobiles are way behind.

Don't forget to write to me. Til next time

Paul

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