My first day in Rome

What a whirlwind. I arrived at Fiumicino at 8:30 in the morning on a beautiful sunny day with not a clue where to go or what to do. I hopped on the train to Termini (probably more like stumbled since I was dragging 100 pounds of gear around) and then got a cab to one of the hostels nearby…or so I thought, but my cab driver had other plans. First off he didn’t believe that I wasn’t Italian, and argued with me for the better part of our fifteen minute ride together that on the very slim chance I wasn’t messing with him I AT LEAST had some Italian heritage. Second, when I asked him to take me to Hostello Marello, he replied “ah yes, Marchello!” I figured I had just mispronounced the name, but then he left me on the curb in front of a swanky hotel in the center of Rome, and while I felt a little better about my ability to pronounce Italian words, I was now left in the awkward position of having to ask the hotel concierge to call me a cab while he did his best to convince me to stay.

Another taxi ride, three fully booked hostels, and an hour and half of wandering the streets of Rome with all my bags later, I gave in and dropped 100 Euro on a hotel room the size of my parents walk in closet – and that’s a generous comparison. It served its purpose though, and the shower and nap that followed were glorious.

I managed to get myself out of bed (and stay awake) in the hopes of getting over my jetlag as quickly as possible. I wandered aimlessly – and slightly delirious – and found myself at the foot of the Coliseum where I grabbed some dinner and had my first taste of Rome’s gelato.