Yesterday we arrived in Rome after 30 hours of travelling. We caught a taxi from the airport to the apartment where we are staying. After dropping off our luggage, we decided to explore the city. Rome comprises of buildings of greatly varying ages pressed tightly together to save space. 1st century BC ruins sit beside 20th century high rise apartments. The air smells of tobacco smoke and dust, and reverberates with the roar of a cars engine. Soldiers stand at random street corners wielding large assault rifles. Pickpockets, con artists and dodgy salesmen are constantly trying to rip you off. Beggars sit on sidewalks, some horrifically deformed or injured. So far, despite enjoying the experience, and loving the history and ruins, I dislike the general feel of the city.
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| Guards at Rome |
5 mins from our house is the Vatican. When we arrived at the border we noticed a huge crowd in St Peter's square, all holding up mobile phones and cameras. A voice rang out in Italian, amplified by microphones and speakers. After a short wait while passing through border control, we discovered it was the pope speaking out to the people of Rome. We could see him speaking out from his window. It was a fantastic experience! We later discovered that the pope always does this every Sunday at noon. Afterwards we had a traditional pizza, and walked back to our house. We were very tired, and so went to bed earlier than usual.
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| Us at the Vatican, the pope is visible in the top window, second from the right. |
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