Ciao Roma!!!

So I plan to write a long and poetic post about Rome when I return to Cork. But for now, we'll just get the dailies out of the way.

I arrived Wednesday night, the night of Alana's birthday and we had a right grand party. We found our way to the Trastavere for dinner in a quaint little place down some alley. After a 325 mL bottle of wine, Roman artichokes, veal and a brownie, we were warm and giggly on the way back to the hostel. Which, by the way is a very awesome hostel indeed.

Thursday we did the Vatican partly to avoid weekend crowds and partly because it was raining. If the Vatican itself doesn't strike the fear of God in you, imagine being there amidst thunder and lightning and torrential rain. And then imagine emerging to the clouds opening up to a dynamic and Renaissance sky ready to frame a descending angel or two. Yea.
We walked through the museum and sat in awe in the Sistine Chapel, Sprinted through the rain for a quick lunch break at a small pizzeria, and then returned to spend an hour dwarfed by the Basilica which is the most amazing dichotemy of GIANT and yet intimate-feeling.

We both agreed that dinner needed to be Chinese. Why? you ask. Why would we crave Chinese in Rome, one of the very centers of Italian cuisine? Well, for one, I can eat more Chinese food than I can Italian food, for another, Alana lives in Italy and gets this all the time and finally, you just can't explain cravings. Also, a sit down, two course Chinese meal for 7 euro each? Quite fine, thank you very much!! Plus they gave us these little key chain-y things instead of fortune cookies!!!

And today, forecast: hopefully not rainy. Docket? ruins and the ancient Romans. The Colosseum, the Forum, The Pantheon etc.
Avanti!!!