I was in Rome, finally found the place I would be staying
and had been reunited with my love, Katrina. It was time to see the beautiful
ancient city. Katrina took me to the tram that we would be spending quiet a bit
of time on to take us to the metro. When we got off the metro we walked up the
stairs, and I was completely overjoyed to see the coliseum right there smack
dab in front of me.
It was breathtaking. So beautiful and so massive, I could
have stared at it for hours. It was like a fabulous red wine, aged to
perfection. The thought that gladiators fought here, and large beasts were fed
people here… At least that’s how I’ve always envisioned it… very Hollywood of
me, I know. But come on! Russell Crow died here, and Lizzie McGuire ousted the
evil workings of Palo and put of the performance of her life here. I was in
movie lover heaven. And then just behind me I could only see the outside of the
Roman Forum, but it was plenty beautiful on the outside. We grabbed my first cappuccino
right outside, mainly because it was starting to rain and we weren’t about to
walk like 5 blocks in it. But the café was cute and quaint, and the staff was
lovely. Katrina ordered me a nutella cresoint and I took a bite of this
delicious spread for the first time and had fallen into a love coma. I was delirious
with excitement to be reunited with Katrina and able to catch up on our lives.
When we finished and paid I left with a “Gracie, ciao!” and
heard in the background, “Prego! Ciao!” And my heart skipped a beat. We moved
on to the Vatican, and coming out of the metro to no rain was ever so lovely.
There were hundreds of chairs in the center of it and Katrina had informed me
that on Wednesdays the Pope comes out to bless the city. I had just missed it.
Dang. Still I was so pleased to have been able to seen this staple. We
continued with a few backtracks (the street signs are a joke. At every corner
the same street you’ve been walking on changes) to the Bridge of Angels. The
Whovian fan girl in me was in full swing with Weeping Angels references and
jokes. (DON’T BLINK. BLINK AND YOU’RE DEAD.) It was wonderful, and right
outside of a large castle with cannons and all. (But it was missing a mote. Disappointing,
I know) we quickly moved on. (I know what you’re thinking. “Stop and smell the
Roses a bit!” I only had one day in Rome, I had to get to the sights and see as
much as I could though.) We walked for what felt like 100 miles, I’m sure it
was only one though, and ended up in Piazza Nevona where we found the Four
Rivers Fountain.
And I was amazed. It was so massive and so extensive, I was immediately infatuated. But I was starving, had low blood sugar and was running on fumes considering I had been up for more than 30 hours and had 3 and half to 4 hours of sleep. We searched for this wine bar that Katrina’s friend to her about and to avail did we find it. So we picked a café and ordered sub-par pizza margarita and table red wine. But at least we had such a lovely view of the fountain and Piazza.
After more chatting, eating and catching up, I heard
something in the distance that was unmistakable. It was a large roll of
thunder… and the rain had begun again. It was slow and delicate, and we were
covered. There was no need to panic. And then I saw it. A sight I’m not close
to ever forgetting. The sight of a glorious, bright bolt of lightning in the
sky. And the rain began to fall hard and fast. Half our table was soaked, as
was out shoes. And our wine glasses were covered in shiny raindrops.
The lightning was not ending anytime soon and my heart was growing faint.
I
must give a bit of a back-story. I’m not fond of Lightning, unless I’m in the
safety of the indoor. Last July my bestie Candace and I went on a trip to Nashville.
I knew it was the home of country music, but I had no idea that even in the
dead of summer it was the home to lightning storms. One night we left our hotel
(Opryland Hotel. Oh yeah.) And headed for the mall within walking distance. However
it was raining and we got a free ride from a luxury car driver person… (ßWow) It was the
midnight showing of the Dark Knight Rises. It was two am when we were leaving
the theater and pouring rain and of course, tons of lightning. Candace and I
looked at each other and I said, “I don’t wanna wait for a cab, its not that
far and its really late.” And she responded with a, “Me either, wanna just try
and run for it?” then I retorted with a casual, “Sure.” And we attempted
probably the most stupid thing in our entire lives. We ran in a lightning
storm. The parking lot was lined with metal light posts on the left and trees
on the right. The lot was filled with probably 2 to 3 inches of water and the
sky filled with so much light, so frequently, you’d argue it was the middle of
the night. As we ran, Candace, whom is one of the most laid back person and
says things like, “Oh its totally fine. Chill out. Not a big deal.” Shouted
“This is probably the dumbest decision ever. Please Lord keep us safe.
Shitshitshitshit. Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh.” And my reassurance was lost
forever. I’m not a runner. I don’t exercise, and I eat a lot of McDonalds. I’m
slow and easily winded. Also I was afraid for my life. So I really felt that if
I didn’t die from a lightning strike, I sure as hell was gonna die of a heart
attack. After, what felt like hours and was only minutes, we were out of the
mall parking lot, but we still needed to make into the hotel and there was only
one spot of coverage. We raced to that spot to catch our breaths and after two
minutes of huffing and puffing, Candace stated matter-of-factly, “We are headed
for that door. Pull out the key card so we can get in. Ready. Go!” and we
bolted for the door. When we made it I wanted to scream because there was no
key slot. I felt we were screwed. The lightning carried on and Candace pointed
to a new door and I firmly refused. I grabbed the handle and was overwhelmed
with an urge to cry of happiness when the door opened into the hotel. We were
alive, when the odds were against us. I swore never to do something so ridiculous
and stupid again.
So
when the lightning was happening in the Piazza, I suggested we head into the restaurant
to wait it out. We waited and chatted with a guy our age from the Netherlands
for about 20 to 30 minutes. The lightning ended but the rain didn’t, so we
raced to a bus stop and jumped on. I’m not sure what was going on, but even
though the bus stop clearly stated the bus was going to the train station it
really wasn’t. We ended up sitting on that bus, ridding around Rome, for an
hour and half wondering WHERE the hell we were going and WHY the hell we
weren’t reaching our destination. Finally we reached it. Exhausted, cold, and
rain soaked we grabbed the tram back to the apartment. We changed out of our
soaking vans and into our boots grabbed coats, umbrellas, and my tripod and
headed out for a night walk.
It was pouring and I could feel the distinct rubbing feeling
you get when your shoes are in the process of making a blister. But at least I
got some sick night pics. Bare with me, I don’t have Photoshop here, I’ll edit
these and others when I get home. These are just a taste.
When we reached our final destination of the Angel bridge
you see there, We looked at our map and decided it was time to go home… then
realized home… was on the opposite side of ROME!!!! It was so far away and the
metro was closed! The cost for a cab would be a bitch, so we started onward. My
right foot was in a lot of pain and my leather boots were pretty ruined by this
point. Then we saw people waiting at a bus station! It was like seeing a glass
of water in the heat of the dessert! The nice guy pointed us in the direction
we were aiming for and we ended up home soaked, safe and sound. It was time for
bed and off to Lyon… or so we thought…
Sincerely
Cass <3
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