Rome....

Day number 3.

Lots to write.

I arrived Monday and was bombarded with the insane heat. Yuck! I ventured out and my first stop was the Colosseum, which looks just as it does in pictures. Exactly the same. I felt s though it was something Ive seen many many times. The one thing that surprised me was how CLOSE it was to the subway and how integrated it is with the city. You literally exit the subway station and - BOOM - there it is. I didnt pay to go in, but instead roamed (HA! I roamed in Rome!) about the nearby ruins......That evening, I met a Japanese girl who had ben studyig English in London and who was on a mini break, and she introduced me to her Italian friends and we all had gelato. A nice end to the day...

Tuesday was reserved for the Vatican Museums and the basilica, which were big. The museums were so very packed that I just about wanted to leave, but I felt like I "should" see the Sistene chapel. Which I did. It too, is big. And again, I wasn't really moved. I started to really identify with Walter Benjamin's idea of the "aura" of a piece of art (or building, or place) being depleted by film and photography. Or perhaps I was just feeling jaded.....St. Peter's Basilica and the Cupolo (dome at the top) were amazing. To think that people can build so much. By hand. I think its fairly safe to say that a building of this kind would not be buildable (is that a word???) today. Too much work for we who love quick pouring concrete etc. Last night I went to see a film (Fantastic 4...so very very bad. But what was I expecting?) and had my first "wow" moment in Rome. Exiting the theatre, I walked into Piazza del Popolo, which has an Egyptian abelisk and small fountain at the centre. It was just about dark,the moon was shining very brightly, and the first star had just appeared. The piazza was littered with people, and a busker began to play his saxophone. His music echoed through the square, and it was magic. Complete magic. My photos will not do justice, nor will my words, I'm afraid. You'll all hav to come to Rome for yourselves (just not for 6 days. Too long!)....

It is 3pm here now and I have just returned to the hostel to get some info about Pompeii (!!!!!!) day trips and to try and get this pesky water out of my ear before I fly (to PARIS!) on Saturday night. I've spent today wandering by the Tiber River and visiting the Circus Maximus (which is little more than a field and a waste of time! Argh!). I did spend a little time on the Spanish Steps and in the church above them, where there was a Latin and French service happening that was lovely......

Off again. Love to you all - I'll try to get more pics up soon!