Roma, Italia

Long flight from Dubai to Rome. The plane seemed a bit ancient for Emirates. There were ashstrays in the armrests and the back of seat TV's stuffed. There was a aussie mom with a redheaded two year old boy across the narrow isle. At first I felt great empathy for her and the child, remembering travelling with little kids back in '85. But as the screaming increased in volume and didnt seem that it was ever going to end, I wanted to throttle the little bugger.
I was a lot calmer than the Harvey Keitel look alike Italian in front of me who was beside himself in frustration at not being upgraded to business class and the redhead boy, complaining to the patient hostess continually. Maybe it was Harvey Keitel playing an uptight Italian for my benefit. It seemed Karma was at work, I got to see how I affected people when I was two.
Made friends with a young Indian man, Shrinivas from Bangalore, who was sitting next to me. He is in banking software, so we had a lot in common. we hung out together in the queue for immigration, which was lengthy, then we dicovered how to get to the Terminus station by train together. It was nice to have some company right up to the taxi stand where we parted in confusion from haggling taxi drivers vying for our attention whilst we exchanged mobile phone numbers. I hope he made it to his hotel.
I made it to mine. I could have walked but the taxi driver drove me around  for a while, blaming the one way streets for the circuitus route. Ah, tourists are good for milking. He dropped me on the corner and I walked the length of the street three times and asked directions as many. Finally found my hotel which entrance is one of many identical archways without a sign (well a very small one) and the street numbers are so random. I'm staying at the Atorius hotel in the labarynth of narrow cobblestone streets in the centre of Rome. A tiny room but everything is really well made and the marble bathroom a treat. I like it.
This morning I found a mobile phone place and got a sim card for italy. Then noticed that at the end of the street was what looked like the Colluseum. I walked down there- it was the Colluseum. I stood overlooking the scene from a high point and felt strangely emotional, that here I was, am, in Rome standing in front of an ancient monument. Felt a bit lonely, a bit lucky, a bit like these moments only happen a few times in life. This time is special for me.
So I went down and joined the tourist throng and carried out my plan for the day, which was to walk in circles in ever increasing diameter as I feel more comfortable in my new surroundings. I walked for five hours straight. My feet are sore. I took some photos, the main theme being self portraits in front of important places and the secondary theme is becoming sculptures of lion heads.
Photos will come later. Siesta time, ciao.