I made it safely to Rome and my hostel today. It has already been quite an adventure, and it's only the first day. The flight to Rome was okay... The flight itself wasn't too bad, but there was very little leg room, which made it difficult to sleep. I probably got about 4 hours of sleep in all. From the airport, I made my way onto the Leonardo express, which is the train that runs to Termini, the train station in Rome. The train ride was quite pleasant. I saw some of the countryside and took a nap. It was during the train ride that it actually started to hit me that I was in Italy.
After the train ride, things got a bit bumpy. My hostel is only a 10-15 minute walk from the train station, but I got very turned around coming out of the station. It took me about 45 minutes to find it, which made me sweaty, tired and frustrated. I was so relieved when I finally made it and was able to plop down on a bed. I was thrilled that it was super easy to connect to their wifi, so I was able to call home using skype.
Just after I hung up the phone, a girl walked up to me and asked if I had any suggestions on where to get something to eat. I said no but that I'd love to join her. Her name was April, and she's from Arizona. We took a suggestion of a pizza place from one of the staff members, but ended up not being able to find the one she suggested. We ate at a different pizza place that wasn't anything special. We decided to wander around for a while, and stopped in at the first gelateria that we saw. Oh my god, it was so good. We both got three scoops on a cone. I chose crem caramel, something called riso and nutella, which I decided was like frozen rice pudding with a nutella swirl, and cioccolato à coco, which turned out to be chocolate and coconut. I was in heaven.
After the train ride, things got a bit bumpy. My hostel is only a 10-15 minute walk from the train station, but I got very turned around coming out of the station. It took me about 45 minutes to find it, which made me sweaty, tired and frustrated. I was so relieved when I finally made it and was able to plop down on a bed. I was thrilled that it was super easy to connect to their wifi, so I was able to call home using skype.
Just after I hung up the phone, a girl walked up to me and asked if I had any suggestions on where to get something to eat. I said no but that I'd love to join her. Her name was April, and she's from Arizona. We took a suggestion of a pizza place from one of the staff members, but ended up not being able to find the one she suggested. We ate at a different pizza place that wasn't anything special. We decided to wander around for a while, and stopped in at the first gelateria that we saw. Oh my god, it was so good. We both got three scoops on a cone. I chose crem caramel, something called riso and nutella, which I decided was like frozen rice pudding with a nutella swirl, and cioccolato à coco, which turned out to be chocolate and coconut. I was in heaven.
We burned off all the food by taking what ended up being a 2 hour stroll through the neighborhood nearby. We stopped in at Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. It was so beautiful. I loved the ornate ceilings. I wish I had brought my camera. I didn't bring it because I thought we were just going out for a quick bite. I guess I learned my lesson on that one.
We may go out tonight. If I can manage it... I'm pretty tired.
Mmmm gelato. I had a flavor there that I probably raved to you about - it was the exact flavor of Ferrero Rocher chocolates, dark and hazlenutty. I got it with Nocciola (nut) or Nutella, can't remember. Try Giolitti's gelateria near the Pantheon - since 1900, said to be the best gelato in Italy. (I think I love all gelato equally, but this is definitely a place to try - go early cause the lines are so long.) There's another popular place near the stores near the Pantheon. I forget what it's called but it has a lot of candy in the windows and a logo of a sun. That one is the other main contender of best gelato in Rome.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you already made a friend! April sounds super nice. I'm proud of you for randomly meeting people - I'm too shy to do something like that. :)
Hi Loo,
ReplyDeleteDid you end up going out last night? It would seem you are still on east coast time if you are the first one up. It is the beginning of a sleepy holiday weekend here. Head out for a great espresso. Mom
yum REAL italian gelato! my favorite is the coffee flavor, which I'm sure you'll get to as there are gelato shops all over! and yay for a first-day friend! that is a great sign of things to come :)
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