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My trip to Italy was crazy. It is mostly summed up by "Murphy's Law". Everything that could go wrong - did. Or so it seemed.

Thu., Mar-18 - Started things off by going to the wrong airport. I think Moscow is the only city in the world with two airports with the same name. Fortunately I had plenty of time so I took a bus to the correct airport. Shortly after arriving the notice for my flight went up - CANCELED. So I was re-booked onto Lufthansa through Frankfurt, Germany. Had a layover of a few hours there. Not enough time to go into town. Then arrived late in Rome - it was after midnight. Had agreed with a gal from the plane (Olga - not Russian) to share a hotel room as it was too late for me to go to the hostel. I thought she had a place reserved already but she didn't. She is from Honduras and was going on to Albania to visit her boyfriend. Ended up on a crazy taxi ride and then, finally, at another hostel.

Fri., Mar-19 - After a few hours of sleep we headed to the bus and then the metro to the "Termini" train station. Olga had one HUGE suitcase and one reasonable one and I had offered to help her with them since I only had a small backpack. I got to my hostel and checked in, left my backpack and set off to find the Russian consulate. I got a map at the train station and decided I should be able to walk there. Then I found out that the numbering system is crazy and that the consulate was w-a-y down the street. Whew. When I got there I was only 3rd in line but I still ended up waiting 1 1/2 hours. Then, when I finally got in, the guy told me that the "process was closed for the day" 15 minutes ago and that I needed to come back on Monday. Augh! So... I went back to the hostel, the internet salon, and then the car rental place to rearrange everything to stay in Rome until Monday morning instead of leaving Sunday as planned. After that I walked around a little bit and saw one old church (Basilica).

Sat., Mar-20 - Walked a lot and took lots of pictures. Tried to go to the Vatican Museum but the line went on forever so I started at St. Peter's instead. Very cool. Went into a small museum there which had a copy of "La Pieta" by Michaelangelo so I got to see it up close. Actually I don't know which one that I saw was the copy. Many items there (crosses and such) had HUGE gemstones in them. So ridiculous. Then into the catacombs where many of the popes are entombed. There is a beautiful alcove where they say the remains of the Apostle Peter are. Then more walking and seeing some sights. When I came to the Pantheon I had a good laugh. A sign at the information booth answers what is obviously the most asked question. "The hole in the roof is open. It does rain inside. There are holes in the floor for drainage." There was also a peace march protesting the war in Iraq this day. When I came to a place where the march was ending up there were a lot of police with riot gear. Rather disconcerting. I heard it was rather anti-American so I kept a low profile. I couldn't see some stuff because of the march so I started for the Colosseum and went through some other ruins on the way. The Colosseum was already closed by the time I got there. * Note of interest: There are many obelisks in this city. Only the one at St. Peter's square didn't have Egyptian Hieroglyphics on it. I think it is interesting to have such an obviously pagan symbol so prominently displayed so often.

Sun., Mar-21 - Left the hostel at 8 a.m. after not a good sleep because of the inconsiderate kids from Hawaii in my room. Went first to a pyramid - interesting. Took the metro to that and then walked the rest of the day. Went by yet more ruins, Circus Maximus (big field), and then the Colosseum. Then to "Piazza Vinezia" which was where I'd encountered the peace march the day before. Went all the way up the huge monument (over 230 stairs!), through the civic government building and into a church there (124 steps). Then to St. Peter's on Vicolio (after getting around a wall that wasn't on the map!) to see Michaelangelo's "Moses". On the way back to the hostel I bought some groceries so I wouldn't need to buy much food for a few days.

Mon., Mar-22 - What seemed like such a simple plan has turned out to be more complicated than I could have imagined. I picked up the car in the morning after mailing some post cards. Getting from the garage to the consulate was awful and took over an hour. Most of the streets are one-way and I just couldn't find ones going the direction I needed. Many inappropriate words went through my head and a few escaped my lips (I repented). Anyway once I got there I got right in and was done in 15 minutes. Then off to Florence. Just getting on the highway was difficult - things are not well marked at all. Then it turns out it was a toll road (another 12 Euros). To top it off the roads in Florence were even narrower than Rome and there was almost no place to park. I spent most of the evening dealing with where to put the car (avoiding tow zones). Walked around a little and saw some "night life".

Tue., Mar-23 - Got up really early and walked around until I had to move the car at 8. Saw a copy of Michaelangelo's "David". I didn't bother trying to see the real one because I would've had to pay to go in, it is being cleaned, and no pictures are allowed. There was an incredible church (Duomo) which looked to be made entirely of marble pieced together to make patterns of white, pink, and green. Pretty amazing. Then I just drove to Pisa. I managed to find a free parking space by the river and walked into the center. Finally I got a map so I could find the "leaning tower". It was cool to see. I didn't go up because it was rather expensive (15 Euros). It was also raining. Even though I had an umbrella my feet got wet and I ended up with a blister on my little toe. Then I drove down the coast highway to "Piombino" to watch the sunset by the water. I also saw a water spout so that was extra cool.

Wed., Mar-24 - Tried sleeping in the car. This is one of the tiniest cars I've ever seen called a "Smart" (not "Comfortable") car. It handles great but it is totally uncomfortable to try to sleep in (seats don't recline at all). To top it off it was actually pretty cold at night. Otherwise the first place I pulled off was great. I could see lots of stars and a lightening storm in the distance. Ended up driving more to warm up the car and then sleeping for an hour until the cold woke me up and then I did that again. So I only got two hours of sleep. Ugh. I tried to see the Appian Way but it seems impossible to actually drive on. I saw just a tiny bit before being rerouted so I finally gave it up. Took the car back to the garage (easiest thing I'd done yet!) and will try to get a refund for the extra day. Back to the hostel, went out to do email, took a shower and then to bed early (7).

Thu., Mar-25 - Last (crazy) day in Italy. After sleeping about 11 hours I felt great. Got out early to be in line at the Vatican Museum by 7:45 (an hour before opening). It was in a short line behind a group from Yakima! Had fun chatting with some nice ladies. Wandered through the museum for several hours and took lots of pictures. Got a short video of the Sistine Chapel because pictures wouldn't work in there (too dark). Then to the consulate. I arrived during "lunch break" so I waited until they opened at 3. Then the gatekeeper wasn't going to let me in! He said I should have come in the morning. I was really upset because the guy in the office had said I could come whatever time was convenient for me. Finally convinced him to let me go pick up my passport/visa because I had to leave early in the morning. Whew! That was almost a disaster. After the consulate I went to another big church (Giovanni). Glad I went as the interior was breathtaking. Then I figured out a bus to take me to the square where I could see the "Mask of Truth". I didn't really care about seeing it, but I knew that if I didn't go my sister would bug me forever. On the way back to the hostel I was spending my last few Euros. I bought a gelato (ice-cream), a piece of pizza for dinner, and a cheese & tomato sandwich for breakfast. Back at the hostel I met the nicest guy (didn't get his name). He was from New Zealand but lives in England as an accountant. Too bad he came in just as I was leaving. He was fun to talk to (great accent!). I left him my email address. I hope he writes so I can tell him where Calvary Chapel England is.

Fri., Mar-26 - I left the hostel by 6:15 to be sure to catch the 6:52 train to the airport. I wasn't able to get my deposit back because the desk didn't have anything smaller than a 20 and I didn't have any change for him. That made me a bit angry. I am glad I bought my train ticket the day before so that I wasn't stuck without enough money. Anyway, no hassles for the flight (thankfully). Passport control in Russia was slow as always. While waiting for the bus a taxi driver wanted to offer me a ride for only $50. I told him he was nuts since I was waiting for a bus, which is 7 rubles. The bus took a while because of traffic. Then the metro to the train station and, finally, the train home. Joel and Losha met me at the station, which was a nice surprise. Then we met Anya on the bus. Felt good to be home!

Nicki's trip to Italy

A 180 degree view of the Colosseum

This was the kind of rental car I had. As you can see they are easy to park!

This is me in Rome with the Colosseum and a victory arch in the background.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about my "adventure". If you would like to email me please send to [email protected].

God bless you!!!