Quick sidenote: I just wrote a very lengthy, amazing blog post and clicked post.. and it was completely erased. This might not be as good, just a disclaimer.
Alright Rome, I got the point. You clearly wanted me to get on a train Wednesday afternoon and head for the gorgeous yet slightly Jersey Shore-ish coastal town of Riccione, I got it!
Changed our plans late on Tuesday night and decided to check out of Rome early and head somewhere near the water. Currently are staying in this tiny, very trashy beach town of Riccione which is on the sea and filled with vacationing Germans and Italians. Our hostal is wonderful, complete with AIRCON and 2 blocks from the beach. Our friend Stacy arrived last night to spend 2 days here with us, which is super amazing! She just moved to Switzerland last week to be an au pair for a year, and I've missed her so much since I last saw her in Barcelona 3 months ago. The past 2 days here have been so relaxing, exactly what we all needed. Plus I've been able to do more laundry in the sink, which is a huge plus.
Tuesday was a lovely day in Rome, despite the sweltering heat, and we made the most of it. After our wandering around Vatican City and figuring out our next move. We walked from our hostal through the city and passed by this area with huge Roman ruins, where all these cats live. Supposedly it's where Julius Ceaser was killed, and the cats are protecting his soul. Kind of creepy, but totally adorable cats. We crossed the bridge into Trastavere, the lively and funky part of Rome with lots of neat bookstores and outdoor restaurants, where we indulged in farfalle and icy cold white wine before decided to walk to the Trevi Fountain to see it at night. On our way, Sari realized she lost her camera but when we went all the way back to Trastavere, it was nowhere to be found. Put a slight damper on the evening, but just chalked it up to another traveling experience so as not to get incredibly frustrated about it.
Wednesday Sari went to the Sistine Chapel while I was a bit overly ambitious and went to the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Pantheon and Piazza Navona. I was really glad I had the chance to see all these things, even though it was about 95 degrees outside and I was walking everywhere. I really love the city of Rome so much, and I wish that I could have maybe done something different to enjoy myself more, but I think we made the most of it. We then got on the wrong train and ended up in a random station for 2 hours before getting on the right train for another 6, finally ending up where we are now, Riccione! REALLY glad we changed our original plans of going to Perugia and came here instead, as being by the water and being in the same place for 3 nights is wonderful.
Yesterday was a lazy day of swimming, eating, more swimming, gelato-ing and waiting for Stacy to arrive, when we then got an amazing dinner of spicy sausage pizza and salad, and ended up wandering the beach at night, marveling at how GORGEOUS and clear the sky was. I feel very relaxed, very happy we have another night here. I think our big plan consists of going to get gelato tonight, and then renting one of those 4 person bike cars to explore the town some more. Big plans!
Tomorrow Stacy heads back to Switzerland and Sari and I are going to Bologna until Monday, where we fly to Malaga in Andalucia, Spain. Oh Spain, how I miss you! I miss Spanish, I miss the country, everything. But as much as I'm excited to be traveling more, I'm beginning to feel the stirrings of being ready to go home in exactly 3 weeks. I can't believe I wrote that, but it's true. I think just all the moving around, living out of a suitcase, makes me want some sort of stability and familiarity, so I will be very ready to go back home and see so many people I've loved and missed this entire time.
Better go decide which gelato flavours I'm going to enjoy, ciao!
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