It Took a Day to Build the City

We walked through its streets in the afternoon.

I hail from Rome!

We spent yesterday in Venice as well, taking the boat around to the mainland (having a hostel on an island is both good and bad… the night of the 23rd, Mark and I sat at the edge of the water at sunset and it was sweet! However, it costs us 6 Euro each time we take a boat to the mainland…). Once there, we walked to the train station. This was about 10AM and our train to Rome was at 6:30PM, so we had a little time to kill. We took turns watching the luggage and walked around town some more. It was so hot outside, through the course of the day I had to get two cones of gelato and two bottles of juice and one of water. Eventually 6:30 rolled around and we got on the train which was thankfully air conditioned! I was a little uncomfortable, I think all this sleeping on different beds is catching up with me because my neck is so sore! Anyways, that is a minor detail compared to what happened next…

So we got to Rome pretty late but the hostel was just two or three minute walk from the station. After walking up two flights of stairs to reception (odd), we checked in and they said they would take us to our room, which was one floor up. They took Kim and Jen’s huge luggage and put it in the elevator and then grabbed Alex’s back pack from her too… and started the elevator going up with all the backpack’s straps still sticking OUT of the elevator. Seriously I don’t know what they were thinking. Obviously the elevator jammed as it was going up and we heard a loud crack, presumably the clasp on Alex’s back pack’s waist strap. Well, they couldn’t get the elevator back down, it’s stuck between floors. They called a mechanic who is coming ‘as soon as he can’. We will have to adjust our plans because Kim, Jen and Alex can’t go to the Vatican in what they’re wearing (tiny sun dresses, though maybe they can all fit into something of mine?) and we can’t do the 5 village hike because all they have are sandals. Well it’s kind of maddening, I just hope everything works out. I haven’t seen much of Rome yet because it was so dark when we got here but I’m sure the city itself is lovely!