I Made It! (Part II)

I made it to Roma!! It got hairy there for a spell when I was racing to make my connection in Paris (after Germany, before Rome), I honestly thought I wasn't going to make it. Apparently the French think it is necessary for everyone to go through security right in front of their gate instead of one collective security point. So even though I had already been through security in Germany, I had to go through it a second time in France and I almost missed my plane because of it. But it all worked out - va bene!

Once I arrived in Rome, I collected my bag (yay!) and headed for the signs that said "Nothing to Declare". This took me directly out of the terminal, where all the cabbies are. So much for customs! (Don't worry, technically I went through customs in Germany, so I'm okay - you can unpucker your butts.) I grabbed a taxi, paid way too much for it (ah well - it was bound to happen) and arrived safely at the hotel. When I knocked on our room door I met the first of my two traveling companions: Micall. She is the friend of my friend whom I was meeting (Amy). But as it turned out, Amy had a delayed flight from Seattle to Newark and she did miss her connection! So Micall and I headed out for dinner (as it was now almost 7:00pm) and then back to the room to wait for Amy.

On our way out, we met two gals from New York who decided to join us for some vino while we ate. They were thankful for English speakers and we were thankful for the company, the more the merrier! Dinner was good, but nothing to brag about just yet (although, certainly nothing to complain about either). After a few glasses of monte pulciano (which I'm happy to report was considerably better than your home-brew Dustin - heh) , we headed back to the room and learned that Amy wasn't going to make it in until midnight :( So Micall and I made plans to see the Vatican first thing in the morning and called it a night.

Above are a couple pics of our room; it's not much, but we have our own bathroom (a major perk) The little red bed is mine!!

*Sidenote: On the last Sunday of the month, the Vatican is free...so guess who got to tour 4 miles of incredible art today for the low, low cost of 0 EU?? That's right, baby! Stay tuned!