Rome, day 4...figuring it out, then leaving.

Figures, just when it feels like we're starting to get a hang of Rome, we're off to Florence tomorrow. I have to admit, Rome has been a pleasent surprise. Granted, I had pretty low expectations. I was expecting it to be brutally hot (which it is), filthy (no more so than other big cities I've been in) and filled with unpleasent and rude people. And that later hasn't happened. Sure we've had the occasional rude waiter or street vendor who didn't know when to back off, but for the most part, people have been friendly and helpful.

I don't know if I'd add Rome to the list of cities I need to visit again (Edinburgh and San Francisco are one and two on that list), but if there was a chance to come back and explore some more when it was a bit cooler and the crowds a bit thinner, I think I'd jump at it.

Oh, and a plug if you ever want to come to Rome...our hotel, The Arena, is highly recommend. It doesn't have huge rooms or great views...but the rooms are comfortable and clean, the air conditioning works and each room has a computer with free high speed. Plus, the staff is very friendly. And you're a five minute walk to the Colosseum.

As for random notes...
1. I desperately need a haircut. I thought I saw a barbour around here somewhere, but haven't been able to rediscover him. I'll ask our hotel owner tomorrow.
2. YOu got to love wash and wear MEC and Tilley clothing. We get home in the evening, throw the clothes in the sink along with some magic detergent, scrub for a few minutes and then hang to dry. All good as new in the morning. It's saving us a lot of hastle in terms of dragging things around.
3. Cathy's feet made it through the day...barely. They were bandaged, plus with socks and lots and lots of breaks. We went back to St. Peter's basillica, because we wanted to take an unrushed look at the place. Then to San Angelo castle. The artifacts were nothing great, but there's some awesome views of the city once you climb to the top. After that, a little roaming around the city centre, a rest back at the hotel and then an incredible meal at a great local restaurant. Wish we had found it the first day...we would have eaten nowhere else.
4. Internet may become erratic as we travel again. I'm betting not every hotel offers free computers and internet from here on our, but we can always hope.