Monday 18th: a fountain, spanish steps, villa burghese

Writing this blog late, because I haven't had good internet connection. So I've forgotten things. I think I mostly just wandered around during the day though.

I think I had another late start today. A big sleep in. Eventually I got out and then headed out to see some things. I think I was feeling quite hungry. I'm finding it very difficult in Rome to find food that is good. Food that is not made for tourists.

I went to one of the monuments on my map. It didn't look that great but it was okay so I took this really bad photo of it. Before I took this, some police motorbikes made a lot of noise as they drove up the road by blowing through whistles to communicate the effect of "get out the way! We're coming through first!". They were leading a car through Rome that apparently had someone important in it. The car stopped in front of this monument, the people got out, with their bodyguards, then they took a few pictures, and drove away again. Very strange.

I walked to this fountain. It's the famous one. I've forgotten its name. There are lots of tourists crowded around it.

It's actually quite a nice looking fountain though.

I found the second one of these in Rome that I mentioned in the previous blog entry. So I've seen three of these that are real, and one plaster cast in England. Strange.

I walked to the spanish steps. On the way to this thing I walked through some fancy shopping districts. At the top of the steps I met a guy who started talking to me trying to be very friendly. He wanted to give me a lucky charm. I said I wasn't interested. He asked where I am from and then acted as though he loves Australians and then tried to give me a high five. I didn't reciprocate and told him again that I don't want the thing that he's trying to sell to me. It's sad that I have to be rude like this.

I got some gelato and ate it on the steps. They really like gelato in Italy. Or at least, the tourists do. I don't know if Italians eat it that much.

Then I walked to Villa Burghese. I wasn't really sure what this is at the time. It seems to have some nice gardens and things. The gardens are quite large. They have some cool bikes as well. Later, a guy from Italy that I met in the second hostel I stayed at while in Rome told me that Villa Burghese has a big house on it somewhere which is one residence that the Italian President stays in. It was probably the gardens of some other mansions before then too.

Nice old building in the gardens.

Orange trees in a public park. What a concept!

People rowing boats. Cool.

I probably had something to eat and then it got dark. I think this meal was one that I didn't enjoy. The sauce was mushroom sauce for some reason, and they didn't give me very much ravioli at all.  Damn. After the meal I saw this cool tunnel for cars.

Large impressive buildings are fairly common in Rome I think. Sometime after this, I walked down some smaller, darker streets, trying to find my way home. I came up to a group of 7 guys. I was feeling a bit nervous because they looked a bit dodgy. But I passed them. But then they called out to me "ciao!.... ciao, ciao!" So I had to acknowledge them. Then they seemed to be asking me which way it is to France. I thought this was a little strange, but Italy has a lot of people coming through from Africa trying to get to France and elsewhere and they looked a little this way. I pointed the direction to France. Then they said something about 'ora'. I didn't understand but I thought maybe they meant food. I thought maybe they wanted me to give them money. Lots of people in Italy want you to give them money so it's not out of place for them to ask. I said I didn't understand and clumsily made my escape.

I was feeling a bit spooked by the experience with the 7 guys in the dark street. It also doesn't help that it was a bit late at this time and that my hostel is in a not so good area of the town. This is when I am just around the corner from my hostel.

I think it may have been a previous night in this hostel where we had a girl from Paris with us. She was slowly returning back to France after having gone through Russia, siberia, mongolia, china, south east asia, india, etc on a very epic trip.

I think that this night in the hostel we talked about spirituality and stuff. In the conversation was myself, guy from Netherlands, Italian guy, Chinese guy, and Belazs from Malta who was born in Hungary. Netherlands guy is atheist, Italian is catholic, chinese guy didn't say much so I'm not sure, belazs believes in god but thinks that all gods are the same one.