The Shockwave Travel Writer -- Fini

Well Rome was great, I will admit that it really didn't wasn't to go at first, as most Italians I have met were...well...slightly undesirable ( ok, bastards of both sexes) . Then I turned it around, and thought of Italians coming to Australia. We can be total bastards as well, I have met some here who make we want to say "Sorry, I meant I'm Austrian".

Observations and musings.

Positives :-

1 euro for a 75 minute Subway/bus/tram ride.
( I can't see this taking off in the UK, and half the time I didn't pay anyway)

Rome is cleaner than London.
People are thinner and better dressed
Clothes are mostly made in Italy and cheaper and better quality, than the Made in China
stuff we get in the UK
It's warmer
Apartments all have balconies
More Police
Lots of Roman Stuff
Pizza places everywhere.

Minus :-

High density living
More beggars -
More street crime ( But I didn't encounter any )
Street hawkers
Traffic Jams


The last few days in Rome where great, we didn't get to go to Pompeii, so we went to Ostia, the old port town.
It's really what I have wanted to see for a long time, it's the complete layout of a Roman town, and it mostly excavated. The mosaics are still in place, and you can still walk on them ( I didn't really want to )

New Years started with the people upstairs having a party, and then throwing up in to the courtyard. Charming. Rockets and fireworks started as soon as it was dark, and kept going until 2am.

Spent the last day walking around and looking at the bridges and some of the temples we missed before, buying a few more clothes, material, and souvenirs.

I still remember my first sight of St Stephens Tower ( Big Ben ) from across the Thames, The first time I saw Stonehenge, and now I have to add the first time I saw The Colosseum

"All bastards are bastards, but some bastards is bastards."-- (Terry Pratchett, The Last Continent)