Contiki: Last Day, Roma: Did I enjoy Rome? Does the Pope Pray?

“Contiki! Contiki! Andiamo!” It’s the last day and to this I want to say “Fuck off!”…but seriously, it has become quite funny to hear this “Contiki! Contiki”… for two weeks.
For the last day, we had a tour of the Colosseum and Ancient Rome ruins….hmmmm…what words can I use to describe these out-of-this-world monuments…and seeing my photos will not do it justice. Well, let me just say, that we were on our way to the Colosseum, just got off the extremely, extremely crowded train, then walking out of the train station, around a corner and then… Wow! There it is…right in the middle of Rome…the GRAND Colosseum….did I say wow? I just felt like …well…an ant or a pee on…there I stand, this little person with my neck tilted back, my eyes focused up and just in awe of the Colosseum….wooooowwwww. It’s unbelievable that such a thing was built so long ago; it was truly, truly amazing. And as we wandered through the cobble stone paths of the Roman Forum, it was really like going back in time.

I then had lunch and a beer with Chrisse (pilot from Phoenix), Mark (pharmaceutical sales from Hollywood, but moving back home to Albuquerque) and Steve (Chef from Australia). On the lunch menu, beer was offered as either: Picollo (small), Grande (big) or the last option was: Very Big Beer. Hilarious. Mark and Steve had a Very Big Beer and I have photos just to prove how very big they were. After lunch, Chrisse and I went to the Vatican City and Sistine Chapel to see the work of Michelangelo and Raffael…it goes without saying…amazing, gorgeous, unbelievable. Or as my brother would say “Holy painting Batman.” My favorite site though was going to St. Peter’s to see the La Pieta…this is the sculpture of Mary and Jesus that Michelangelo did when he was only 24. I love it; it gives me goosebumps and brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it again. I actually wouldn’t mind camping out in front of the sculpture for a night only to wake up and see it again…do you think St. Peter would mind if I did that? (Chrisse thought it was funny because I referred to him as Mr. Peter.) She also thought it was funny because while we were at St. Peter’s, a very serious Priest walked by, not a smile, very unapproachable looking, with one eye brow up…and I said, “Now do you think I want to share my problems with him…I don’t think so.” We laughed. Neither of us are Catholic (perhaps that is obvious since I don’t know who St. Peter is and I really don’t know why there are so many shrines to him), but if we were, I think based on our questioning of St. Peter, we both may be in purgatory for awhile.

That night, the group had one last dinner together…and once again it was in a goofy restaurant with blue neon lights and an opera singer…and yes, the opera singer exercised his lungs at my table…and to that I thought “No, you didn’t just do that.” But…he did have a good voice…and it was funny as hell…and yes I got it on video. I also sat with the newly engaged couple Kelly and Matt, who are from Canada and are expecting their first child (she is 5 months pregnant and the cutest darn prego woman.) And also at the table was the other couple from Northridge – he is Phillipino and she is from Texas. The food was not what the Romans ate, but the company was divine.

The two-week Contiki tour was over and I was happy about the so-so hotels, the bad food, cheesy entertainment and good company. The next morning, everyone scattered to a taxi here or a bus there and I…well, I took a taxi to the Tibertina bus station and then headed back to Tuscany…where I could find peace and quiet. Rome was amazing, but Rome is also a dirty, crowded city. Looking back I can’t believe how fast the two-week tour went by and I stubbornly enjoyed being an American tourist for a short while. Now, back in Siena, I got situated in my apartment in the center, and am preparing for my transition back to Santa Barbara.