I really dont know where to start writing about my trip to Rome. There is simply so much to write. I think the easiest way is to just go chronologically, so here i go!
I left on the night of the 8th, after my german course, i was catching the night train. I got to the station and Ulrike gave me a hand getting my ticket, although i am doing more and more by myself, asking things in german i find difficult. It is hard to be really polite, which i like to be, i dunno, just one thing ive found different. However, i got my ticket and hopped on the train, and found my bed. I was with 5 other people in the cabin, so it was a bit squashed, but that was cool, and i finally got a little bit of sleep. I woke up the next morning at about 6:45, as the train came in just after 7. We had a quick brekkie, and i spoke to an Italian girl who lived and studied in Graz. I have found that meeting people like this, who have learnt German, just like me, is really helpful, because they understand the difficulties im going through and sometimes how difficult it is. But as they say, its always just practice practice practice. we talked for about half an hour, and she told me the sorts of thing to do whilst in Rome. I thanked her, went outside and met an american guy studying at Cambridge, and we talked about travelling and stuff. Its amazing the people you meet while travelling.
I got off the train and saw Simone through the large crowd at the end of the platform. It was so good to see such a good friend and familiar face after so long! For those of you who dont know, Simone was the guy who sung the Italian national anthem at the Rugby World Cup, i sung in that too, and we became good friends. One of the best photos i have is of me and him in the Centerpoint restaurant drinking a sambuca hundreds of metres above Sydney. But as you can tell, it was great to see an old friend. We got in his car and he said he would show me around a little in the car before we went to his to drop off my stuff. He said now was a good time because it was early and the traffic wasnt too bad. HA! Yeah right! Now this needs a little clarification. What i learnt about driving in Italy in only an hour was very important: lanes mean nothing, they are a complete waste of good white paint, if there is three lanes, you can get at least 4 or usually five cars at the intersection, not to mention a couple of mopeds, slipping between the non existent gaps! Also, indicators are a stupid invention; people can see where you are going when you move your car, why should you need to tell them prior? And finally, Rome is full of sirens, ambulances, police cars, fire trucks, all the time! Some good comes out of this however, first of all, they are a blessing in disguise. Following closely behind one is a great way of getting through red lights and turning across 4 lanes of traffic! Also, one really cool thing i noticed was that, in Australia, when you hear a siren everyone pulls over to the side. Now these cars with sirens are going fast yeah? So instead of pulling over, why doesnt everyone just acclerate and drive as fast as the ambulance? That makes so much more sense! Haha,, the funny thing is that this seriously happened, we hit 110 in a 60 because the ambulance was behind us. Viva Italia!
Paz