Venice at night

I'm spending my last Italian night in Venice and after being away from here for almost 2 weeks, I had forgotten how beautiful it was! However, it is much colder here than Rome. Tonight was about 45 degrees. Soo brrrr that at the train station, a nice old Italian man and I bonded over saying "freddo" at the same time, meaning "cold."
At the end of my train ride, a young man started talking to me in Italian. He soon switched to English when he noticed my blank stare. Clemente spoke superb English. 30 years old, lives with his dad in Mestre (land area of Venice), and went to NYC once by himself because there was a huge airfare sale.
Clemente asked to show me around Venice. At first I hesitated at this stranger's gesture, then I took a leap of faith and went with it. I set off our journey by mentioning my made-up "husband.". He was intrigued and began asking many detailed questions ("How long have you been married?" "Where did you get married?" "When do you want kids?"). I have to say, I have a pretty solid made-up marriage!
Clemente showed me some of the cool areas, such as "Campo Santa Margarita" where the college kids flooded the streets on a Tuesday school night! Then we took the water bus around with some amazing night views of the city. During our ride, Clemente explained to me his impression of Romans vs. Venetians. His views were exactly as Aziz described: Venetians are hard-working and money-driven. Conservative in nature and culturally-protective. Romans are seen as wild, liberal, not money-driven but willing to spend money, welcoming of immigrants and generally "crazy." We ended our journey with a picture together and an invite to find him on Facebook. I politely nodded knowing that that would never happen. Nonetheless, it was a very enjoyable tour!

Not the fastest ciao ciao

I am now on my way back to Venice and fly back to NYC tomorrow. I first took the Leonardo Express train from Rome to the airport, which took a brief 30 minutes with no stops. Pretty awesome for 15 euros. Then I breezily checked in at the EasyJet counter where the beautiful Italian EasyJet representative surprised me by speaking perfect Mandarin! Her vocab was limited but her pronunciation was amazing! She told me she learned Chinese through her job because she encounters a lot of Chinese people daily.
So while I thought it was going to be an easy trip to Venice, I am now waiting for a plane that is still now here, about an hour after the scheduled departure time. Oh well, it's still worth the mere 26 euro plane ticket.

Ciao ciao, bella Roma!

Covered motorbike

Look at its designated parking spot!

Lunch break at work. In Italy.

I was fortunate enough to be linked up with my friends Beth and Ruph's friend, Aziz. He works at FAO ( Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) in Rome and was nice enough to treat me to lunch at FAO's fantastic cafeteria and chat about Rome.
I was particularly impressed with the grill section and opted to get a freshly cooked salmon with a side of caprese.
Aziz then showed me the beautiful view from the building's terrace that showcased the city in a 180 degree view.
Some interesting things we discussed:
- mostly everyone owns a car (even the poor ones)
- newcomers and young people like to live in the city, but people with families tend to live on the outskirts (just like Manhattan)
- Rome operates as a big city but somethings don't function like they should, such as public transportation and the post office
- there are so many side streets with statues and fountains that the best way to discover them is to get lost walking around. Aziz has been in Rome for 12 years and he's still discovering new streets!
- there's a distinct cultural difference between northern (Venetians) and southern (Romans) Italians. Romans view Venetians as conservative, formal, square, and close-minded. Somewhat "countryside." Northerners view Romans as crazy, aggressive, loud and liberal.
I'm going to have to take my new found knowledge with me when I return to Venice and see if it is true!

Last look at the Tiber River

Looks like a painting, doesn't it?

No love for McDonald's? Good.

While walking through another beautiful residential area called Trastevere, I spotted remnants of a has-been McDonald's. I take it that it was not welcomed by the locals. I have to say, this is probably the first failed McDonald's I've seen!

Mercato di Testaccio (where the locals go)

On my last morning in Rome, I had the pleasure of visiting a popular local market, Mercato di Testaccio. Situated in the residential Testaccio area, old little Italian ladies and men shopped for fresh meats and produce while some browsed the sparse shoe and clothing vendors. It was so much fun getting a peek in the daily life of a Roman and seeing how nice the vendors all were!! Most of them didn't speak a lick of English so I just smiled and nodded while observing the scene.
P.S. I also found the zucchini stuffed with minced meat that I ate at Maccheroni. Must be a popular dish! *Pat on back*

Morning love coffee

Pretty yet strooong

Lie detector - Roman style

According to legend, the Bocca della Verita (Mouth of Truth) situated at the Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin will close on the hand of a liar! Do you think I lost my fingers?

Aperitivo, again!

I had a tiring day so I rewarded myself to another night of aperitvo at Blanko, right by the Spanish Steps. I ordered a whiskey spritz (I did not know it was whiskey, I just ordered whatever the waitress said that I didn't understand). Then with my 10 euro drink, I was off to enjoy a free buffet of even better goodies than last night. Some highlights include: caviar on bread, minced meat rolls, zucchini baked bruchetta, and eggplant! Happy tummy!

Spanish Steps

The famous Spanish Steps. Yup, I was there. That's my head in the picture. That's enough.
I mean it was pretty but Rome is all kinds of pretty, so I wasn't particularly that impressed.

Why it's easy to fall in love in/with Rome

While shopping (yet again), I ended up at Piazza del Popolo, a traffic-free oval space translated to "square of the people." Right above it, I climbed the Pincio Terraces that gave a gorgeous panoramic view overlooking the city. It was obviously a popular spot for lovaaaahs.
Then behind that was the gorgeous Villa Borghese, a public park in the shape of a heart!
Too bad it was dark 'cause you can rent bikes there for 5 euros/hr.
What a super romantical spot. It's hard NOT to fall in love.

Piazza Navona

Most famous baroque square in Rome. Known for Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers.

Cutting in line (again) at the Vatican Museums

I knew I had to face my ultimate nightmare: the ever popular Vatican Museums. Because it was raining out, I knew it would be a go-to place for tourists. However, being that is a weekday, I was hoping for a lighter showing. Not so much. The line had wrapped around the building and estimated wait time was 4-5 hrs.
With no Chinese tour groups in sight, I swiftly joined a group of Spanish-speaking tourists wearing yellow stickers. They went through a "reservations-only" line that had no wait. Having no sticker, I thought I'd get caught but figured if that happened, I would just visit tomorrow early in the morning. But to my delight, I was in within 2 minutes! I also showed my old student ID which allowed me to buy the ticket for 8 instead of 15 euros. My lucky day!
I know the Vatican Museums house some of the most important works of art but it was a clusterf*ck of people inside. It was hard to just move. I finally got herded inside the Sistine Chapel, which was almost like a campground 'cause people were literally sprawled out all the floor like they were going to be there overnight. I quickly went to the middle, snuck a picture of the famous ceiling and bolted out of there. I then made pit stops at Stanze di Raffaello and Pinacoteca, and caught a glimpse of Belvedere Torso (what inspired Michelangelo's rendering of Christ in The Last Judgment, in the Sistine Chapel).

Knew I'd eat and love, but didn't think I'd pray

There was a "pray only" section at St. Peter's that I was curious to scope out. I entered a quiet room of people and sat in the back corner with intentions of observing the room. Now, I'm not religious, I don't go to church, and I don't know how to pray; however, as soon as I sat down, I was overcome with emotion. Feelings that I can't describe in words. As I sat there and looked up at the sculptures of saints, angels and other holy figures, something came over me and I was flooded with tears.
I was bewildered by my uncontrollable tears. I was not sad. I was feeling particularly lucky and thankful. But, somehow, I felt so insignificant and overwhelmed by the idea of something bigger than us. I believed it, whatever it was, that we are not alone in this world. It was more powerful than what my imagination would allow.

Funny shirt

Ponte Angelo (Bridge of Angels)

How gorgeous is this bridge, right in front of Castel Sant'Angelo.

Cutting in line at the Vatican

I made it to the Vatican! It is another breathtaking sight as expected. What I did not expect, though, was the line to St. Peter's Basilica to wrap ALL THE WAY around the square. The expected wait was 2 hours and this time, was not about to pay some sketchy tour guide 45 euros to get into somewhere that's free.
Then, I spotted a large group of Chinese tourists towards the front of the line. I subtly "joined" the group and just to make myself seem like I belonged, I randomly waved at a woman in front of me and said, "I'm here!" And you know what? My 2 hour wait was cut down to 2 minutes! Sweet.
Seeing St. Peter"s Basilica really brought those history book pictures to life. The place itself truly is bigger than life, full of masterpieces that can no longer be replicated or imitated today.

Uh oh.