Rome if you want to...

Rome. I don’t really know where to begin. Honestly, it was not my favorite place..which I hate to say because it has so much history and it’s Italy’s capitol..but frankly, it’s too dang big, extremely hot, and smells like garbage.  Having said this, let me make it clear we still had fun..a lot of fun..because we bring the fun where ever we go.  Florence is still my fave.

So for me Rome started at the Coliseum, my film class’s first stop on our field trip.  We filmed one of the first scenes for our movie.  Haha I don’t know many actresses that can say they started their debut in Rome.  Too bad our nonexistent film crew and wardrobe stylists couldn’t make it..because it was hotter than hell and back sweat is not attractive..hopefully we can edit that out. Eeww.  We made our way to the Parthenon (which was built 27 years before Christ…ahhh so cool!) and filmed a couple shots there.  My favorite stop was the Trevi Fountain. I made a wish and threw my 2 euro coin in..it better come true.  We shot another scene there which was tough and awkward because it was so crowded and people kept staring..but that’s just something famous people like me have to deal with. Ha kidding.

Trevi Fountain!

Since our plans to meet up with Stacey, Nola, and Abbye in Spain fell through. SAD. We decided to stay in Rome for the weekend. This is where the adventure begins.  We take a cab ride from the train station (where our bus was parked) to our hostel…only to realize that the hostel was on the other side of the train station. Dumb Americano.  We soon realized that our sweet and quaint, historical but remodeled hostel Eden was in the ghetto of Rome, equipped with people lining the walkway that looked like they could kill you in 2 seconds.  We buzzed in and met the ‘manager’ (I guess) who had no idea of our reservation that we had made through hostel.com (I can’t wait to give a bad review for this website and hostel).  We were actually relieved that they didn’t have our reservation because we didn’t plan on staying there and we left as soon as we could say Ciao!.  I then called Moma (what else is a girl to do when she needs help??) to ask if she could get us room with her reward points.  After sitting in the train station..and Ariel getting in trouble by the hottest poliza that I have ever seen for sleeping on the floor…for an hour and a half Moma called me back with great news! We got a room at the Holiday Inn for Thursday and the Hilton for Friday.  High rollers.  We didn’t care that the hotel was on the outskirts of Rome we just couldn’t wait to shower in a normal shower and sleep in a normal bed.



At the Hard Rock with Ariel and Kacey!



That night we went to the Hard Rock Café Rome. AMERICAN FOOD!!!!! I hate to be that person who is like I miss America..because I really don’t that much. But I do miss a normal shower and American food..mainly sauce.  Us and the Hard Rock soon became the best of friends.  The 1 hour and 45 minute wait didn’t even matter because the bartenders were so awesome! A couple mojitos and chicken fingers (with bbq and honey mustard.. I was in Heaven!) later we left our favorite place in Rome.  We ended up going home earlier than planned Thursday night because we were so exhausted from the death marches around Italy’s hot capital.  The next day we woke refreshed after sleeping in very comfortable hotel beds. We checked out at the Holiday Inn and headed to McDonalds (my 4^th time since being in Italy..yes I am ashamed) but we do eat Italian food allll week so our weekends we try and revisit our American roots..I guarantee ya'll would too.  After lunch we went to the Panorama (“Ya’ll this is like Rome’s version of the Macy’s!” –Ariel).  It was nothing like a Macy’s more like a Wal-Mart.  But Kacey and Ariel had to buy new digital cams and we heard that the Panorama is where it’s at!  We got a cab to the Hilton by the airport, which was even further from the city center but once again..we were so glad not to be at Hostel Eden. 

Friday night..we went back to the Hard Rock (it was just sooo good Thursday night), and met up with some other girls from our program.  As soon as we walked in Eulan (our bartender friend from the night before) said he needed to talk to us.  We thought he was going to get on to us for not going to the bar he recommended the night before but instead he was like “you girls walked out on your tab last night.”  I WAS MORTIFIED! We opened a tab with my card and we were going to split it up at the end and when we told him to close it he handed us a receipt and my card back..I assumed this meant he ran it. But he didn’t! So all the bartenders thought we purposely left without paying our 65 euro tab.  We kept apologizing over and over and I handed him my card as quickly as I could.  He said, “your tab was 62?” I said “No! 65!” and he said, “No, don’t worry about it Ill just charge you guys 50 even!” How can people be so nice? So not only did we get free drinks the night before, we walked out on our tab and ended up paying 15 Euros less.  I love this place.  The Hard Rock showed a good time once again..especially Ariel who got to go behind the bar and make her own special drink..and Kacey who switched places with the waitress and took everyone’s order. The rest of the girls ended up not coming out with us because they had to get up early the next morning but that didn’t stop us.   We went to Compe de Foire, a little square that’s known for their (lower key) night life.  We stopped by the Drunken Ship, the place that Eulan recommended, and there were so many Americans there who were so obnoxious.  We left.  After roaming the streets a couple more hours we headed back to our comfy Hilton beds. 

The next morning we made our way back into town and found a Subway and literally inhaled some more Americanish food..even though it wasn’t exactly the same, it hit the spot.  Once we got to the train station we realized that our train would leave in 7 minutes and it was all the way on the other side of the station.  So we had to run…I don’t run..I was pissed.  We just barely make it..only to sit on the train for like 10 minutes before it started to move. I shouldn’t have ran.   The train was so hot we could hardly breath, after sitting stationary and sweating for about 20 minutes we overhead someone say the AC was broken on this car that we can move to another one. Thank God! We ended up in a closed in cabin, with our own private door and 6 seats..enough for us 3 to stretch out on.  We turned on the iPod and listened to country music while passing through the Italian countryside. 

I don’t think I’ll every voluntarily visit Rome again unless it’s to go back to the Hard Rock Café.