Rome basically shuts down for May Day, so in my travels i came across several shops that i had been looking for, the local supermarket, tabacchi , post office, phone shop… so i started my day with a mission, purchase a few things, including bus tickets and head into termini station to purchase tickets i would require to travel to Pesaro on Saturday … tomorrow on my way to Urbania.The bus whisked me off to Termini and it was all rather orderly… Melbourne has been plagued with public transport ticketing problems … looks like rome has had a taste of their own.. each bus has 2 types of ticket validating machines… 1 old one and 3 new ones… but there is no ticket selling on board,.. you have to buy tickets from Tabacchi,.. but not all Tabacchi sell them because they dont make a cut on them that they are happy with… The newstands sell tickets but they are the old ones that they purchase via rather dodgy means apparently… they are still good, just not new fangled ones. fangled doesnt necessarily mean better,.. its just has added fangles.

I was trying to stick my old ticket into the new ticket slot much to the pleasure of the romans within sight of yet another hapless tourist doing this… they didnt offer help,.. it wasnt life or death.. the whole system seems a bit slack, turns ourt that the old validators are at the back of the bus only,… i know this now… this i now know.

Acquired tickets rather swiftly at Termini,.. i had prearmed myself with keywords to lubricate the transaction,.. solo andate, posta, diretto, bigletto… done… hopefully will actually find the train tomorrow morning…26 platforms and people wandering around everyhwere, rose sellers and beggars again yeah yeah.

Came across a fangled (refer to repvious definition of fangled and fanglisation) inernet access point in termini, it was ridiculously expensive but as i hadnt touched the net for 4 days… it was my duty… the keyboard had various dodgy keys, these were the seldom used letters “e” and “d” and space bar… so i apologise to the people i emaile during that time… ill decipher when i get back.

From Termini,.. a subway ride or two got me to Spagna… which i figured was roman for Spanish and the steps of the same name… well all those years at university paid off cos goddamit i was right… The Spanish steps was a surprise actually, interesting beautiful and functional,.. and not just because i like looking at chicks… ok.. well maybe it was just because i like looking at chicks… but it was interesting… took the video camera for a 30 minute stroll from piazza di populi to spanish steps and up the suckers… after which i needed a drink.

Now the restaurants etc near the tourist attractions are notorious for rip offs,.. so i sat at one just so i can share the story with you.. all prices in euro espresso 2,30 large 1L mineral water 2,90 small mineral water 1,90 sandwhiches around 7,00 pot of beer, 5,00 pint of beer 10,00 )thats 20 bucks for a pint of freaking no name la spina beer!!) So i order an espresso and a “grande” mineral water,.. but i receive an espresso and a “piccolo” mineral water.. and yeah you guessed it .. was charged for the grande… luckily for me the cashier spoke quite gopod english so she understood the abuse i poured on her establishment,… bring on the next victim i think she uttered.

From there, spring in my step delivered by roman espresso i headed off to the trevi fountain, i didnt expect to bei mpressed,.. i wasnt… its just a lot of statues really,.. i mean yeah its impressive.. if you like that kind of thing,.. i came here becuase of a recommendation for internet access,.. from which i have been typing these updates.. and where i have spent the last 3 hours… simple place on via luchessi directly to the left of the fountain,.. typical narrow street overcorwded with gift shops and this lovely net point crammed with people from all over the world doing what we are all bound to do at some stage… think of those we have left behind.

cheers for now…. arriverderci roma domani,.. on to new experiences further north… i didnt toss a coin in the trevi but i think im coming back anyway.